Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.


George

"lentildude" wrote in message
...
Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.


George

In my view the polymer ones are best. The polymer is UV stablized and they
have been in use for long enough to be sure that they will actually last.
Also they come in various colours and don't need painting. Concrete will
crack (especially on clay soil) and are very heavy, and galvanised iron will
rust (especially near the sea or in a polluted area). I have three polymer
ones from Bushman and I am happy with them.

As these things are rather large you need to include delivery when comparing
prices. The price per kilolitre decreases with tank size.

Something you need to work out is how in advance is how to re-arrange your
roof plumbing to capture the maximum amount of water, this is not so easy if
it was built to discharge at 3 or 4 different places. The simple solution
is to block the ends or downpipes where you don't want the water. This is
not ideal as some of the guttering is likely to fall the wrong way this can
shorten its life and accumulate muck as pools will form at the low points
where the water can no longer escape. Also if all your roof water comes
down to a single pipe the guttering is very likely to overflow in heavy rain
as the pipe will be inadequate. This will waste water and may damage your
house. If you are not experienced in this you may need a plumber.

David

g'day george,

around the 22 to 25k litre size are agood size you could go to around
the 32k size if you have capacity to do so that is space.

i find dealing with the long time in business rural tank makers is
always better their product has stood the test of time and their
prices aren't directly driven by the gov rebate like those johnny come
lately city makers. they will also site the tank(s) where you want
it/them so long as you have access.

the supplier should also be able to sell you a pump as part of the
deal, i would suggest a 4 tap pump that will be able to service the
whole house if need be, they cost around the $600 mark, we also now
ahve a preferenc to air bladder type pressure pumps, now got no faith
in these electronic controlled pressure devices.

and if you need ot buy that cheap as floating ball cock type diverter.



On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:16:12 -0700 (PDT), lentildude
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

forgot to say yes polymer tanks

On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:16:12 -0700 (PDT), lentildude
wrote:

Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.


George
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

Check out how long each sort is guaranteed for. That is interesting
reading.

lentildude wrote:
Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.


George

g'day jules,

yes look for the warranty most offer 25 years BUT! no good having a 25
year warranty if it is a johnny come lately tank maker in the city who
most likley won't be around in 10 years let alone 25 years.

that is why i suggest seek out the rural makers (they deliver their
tanks over a wide range eg.,. bundaberg poly tanks they deliver from a
line that runs out from rockhampton to emerald and down qld then to
northern nsw, and they charge no delivery or siting fees.

i live in brisbane and they delivered to us same price as anywhere,
just they work for a full load.

On Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:51:59 +1000, none ""jules\"@(none)" wrote:

Check out how long each sort is guaranteed for. That is interesting
reading.

lentildude wrote:
Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.


George
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:46:02 +1000, David Hare-Scott wrote:

In my view the polymer ones are best. The polymer is UV stablized and
they have been in use for long enough to be sure that they will actually
last. Also they come in various colours and don't need painting. Concrete
will crack (especially on clay soil) and are very heavy, and galvanised
iron will rust (especially near the sea or in a polluted area). I have
three polymer ones from Bushman and I am happy with them.

Just to add 2c to the discussion.
If you are in a place bordering bushland, you might want to
reconsider poly tanks if you are relying on them to assist in fire
fighting, but if that is a serious consideration, then you'll have a
diesel powered pump in a brick enclosure and roof sprinklers as well I
guess.

I'm also thinking about repairing them. The old gal (new = colorbond)
could be easily repaired with a piece of tin and sticky goo. they seem to
rust out in the bottom if never cleaned out. I guess you'll need to be
able to fibreglass to properly repair a poly tank (anyone done it).

Generally get the biggest tank you can and make sure the ground under it
is VERY stable and compacted.

After you work out how to get the tank into place, you also need to
investigae all the costs. If you are going for the rebates,then you have
to hire professinals (plumber and electrician(?) AFAIK to sign off.


Something you need to work out is how in advance is how to re-arrange
your roof plumbing to capture the maximum amount of water, this is not
so easy if it was built to discharge at 3 or 4 different places. The
simple solution is to block the ends or downpipes where you don't want
the water.

Start from the top.
Work out how to keep leaves out of the gutter, but make sure you can
clean/flush the gutter as they are not the only crap that gets their (all
filters have small bits fall through, plus flower parts, bugs,
etc).

Then have a leaf diverter below the outlet and work out where the leaf
diverter is going throw the leaves and a bit of moisture.

The "sydney standard" says I should have 3x100mm down pipes. Like everyone
else, I have 2x90mm, but my front downpipes are long horizontal runs down
each side of the house. Different yes, but I'd loose most of my
water if I didn't. Until SWMBO agrees to replace the front lawn
with a mega tank, then it stays that way.

Long horizontal runs are leaf catchers, which is why I mentioned the two
steps above.

I also have a first flush diverter (put T vertical just before the
downpipes(2 on each tank) enter the tanks(2).

lentildude writes:
Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.

The poly tank does seem reliable and robust and is easy to transport
and move if you decide it's original placement is not quite right. I'm
not sure whether they have been around long enough to be confident that
they'll last as long as the gal tanks or the precast concrete ones in
the sun (e.g., 75 years, whatever). Certainly, most say they are
UV-stabilised but whether some withstand direct sun better than others
who knows?

Instead of 'having all your eggs in one basket' you can have multiple
tanks, but you'll probably find that the rebate is available only on
the first, so install the biggest capacity tank first. Identical
capacities come in different shapes, and naturally you'd buy tanks that
sit no higher than your roof gutters (unless you intend some clever
pumping during rain). It is feasible to bury the lower portion of a
tank to allow use of a taller one, but there is always the chance that
it will float up in the hole if the tank is empty when the hole fills
during a storm.

It's instructive to examine brochures from a number of poly tank
manufacturers. If you are getting a tall tank, you'd want to make
sure that its wall thickness increases towards the base of the tank.

If you have a high house and want to raise the tank onto a stand, then
the stand is likely to cost more than the tank! But a high tank means
that you are not held hostage to a pressure pump for gardening, and a
reliable 240 supply during hosing down during bushfire weather. The
poly tanks are happy to sit on a bed of builder's sand (the stuff that
has clay in it, and sets like cement with time). Make sure that the
edges can't get eroded over the years, and protect the tank from
accidental scraping from passing tractors, etc.

Pressure pumps, while giving the convenience of mains pressure, have
a sinister side: while you are at work they can completely empty your
tank, and if you are really unlucky, dump it all onto your bathroom
floor. An advantage of placing the pressure pump where you will hear
it in operation is so that in the middle of the night you can ask
yourself, "Why is that pump going?!" and in short time discover that
someone has left a garden tap turned on.

There have been cases during drought of someone returning home to find
that their precious store of rainwater has been spirited away by a tanker
truck during their absence.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

"John Savage" wrote in message
...
lentildude writes:
Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.

The poly tank does seem reliable and robust and is easy to transport
and move if you decide it's original placement is not quite right. I'm
not sure whether they have been around long enough to be confident that
they'll last as long as the gal tanks or the precast concrete ones in
the sun (e.g., 75 years, whatever). Certainly, most say they are
UV-stabilised but whether some withstand direct sun better than others
who knows?

Instead of 'having all your eggs in one basket' you can have multiple
tanks, but you'll probably find that the rebate is available only on
the first, so install the biggest capacity tank first. Identical
capacities come in different shapes, and naturally you'd buy tanks that
sit no higher than your roof gutters (unless you intend some clever
pumping during rain). It is feasible to bury the lower portion of a
tank to allow use of a taller one, but there is always the chance that
it will float up in the hole if the tank is empty when the hole fills
during a storm.

It's instructive to examine brochures from a number of poly tank
manufacturers. If you are getting a tall tank, you'd want to make
sure that its wall thickness increases towards the base of the tank.

If you have a high house and want to raise the tank onto a stand, then
the stand is likely to cost more than the tank! But a high tank means
that you are not held hostage to a pressure pump for gardening, and a
reliable 240 supply during hosing down during bushfire weather. The
poly tanks are happy to sit on a bed of builder's sand (the stuff that
has clay in it, and sets like cement with time). Make sure that the
edges can't get eroded over the years, and protect the tank from
accidental scraping from passing tractors, etc.

Pressure pumps, while giving the convenience of mains pressure, have
a sinister side: while you are at work they can completely empty your
tank, and if you are really unlucky, dump it all onto your bathroom
floor. An advantage of placing the pressure pump where you will hear
it in operation is so that in the middle of the night you can ask
yourself, "Why is that pump going?!" and in short time discover that
someone has left a garden tap turned on.

There have been cases during drought of someone returning home to find
that their precious store of rainwater has been spirited away by a tanker
truck during their absence.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Anyone who buys a gal-tank these days has rocks in there heads. A gal tank
might last 10 years, and it might not. if it remains full it will last if
it's half empty it won't. The thing will start to pin-hole within 5 or 6
years, regardless of wether it has a plastic liner or not.
As for concrete tanks, Sure there OK, IF you can afford a large crane to
install the thing and if you can get the thing into the back yard in the
first place.
Poly tanks are the way to go. As for being thicker at the base, that's a
load of bullshit, and the guy that suggested that has no bloody idea.
How do I know all this. I've been on tank water for the last 25 years, and
all by tanks are now Poly. Our local company are offering a 10.000 litre
tank [Duraplus] plus a pressure pump, delivered and placed for $1700.
Beat that.

In fact if you build a new home in the country, your required to install a
10.000 litre tank for your local Fire brigade , No tank , no completion
certificate onyour home from the council.


bassett

"bassett" wrote in message
"John Savage" wrote in message
lentildude writes:

Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. (snip)

The poly tank does seem reliable and robust and is easy to transport
and move if you decide it's original placement is not quite right. (snip)

It's instructive to examine brochures from a number of poly tank
manufacturers. If you are getting a tall tank, you'd want to make
sure that its wall thickness increases towards the base of the tank.
(snip)

(snip) As for being thicker at the base, that's a load of bullshit, and
the guy that suggested that has no bloody idea.
How do I know all this. I've been on tank water for the last 25 years, and
all by tanks are now Poly.

What rot.

Tanks with thicker plastic at the bottom and lower part of the walls is
preferred by experienced rural dwellers as many farmers have found that poly
tanks that aren't thicker on the bottom and lower walls split.

lentildude wrote:

Hi, I live in the lowerbluemountains SYD, (10 mins Penrith) and really
want to splurge on a large watertank 9000 - 20000litres. Really
confused what to get, I want the best value tank that will last at
least 20 yrs. Anyone know any bargains out there?? There are a few
sellers on EBAY but worried buying sight unseen. If I connect it to
the growing shed and not the house do I still get a govt rebate? Any
tips appreciated.


George
Has anyone heard the conspiracy rumour that one the Government has a
sufficiently large list of tank owners, via the rebate, they can start to tax
the rain water the runs off your roof. They

It may be wisest to cop the full cost and keep quiet
--
faeychild

"John Savage" wrote in message
...

If you have a high house and want to raise the tank onto a stand, then
the stand is likely to cost more than the tank! But a high tank means
that you are not held hostage to a pressure pump for gardening, and a
reliable 240 supply during hosing down during bushfire weather. The
poly tanks are happy to sit on a bed of builder's sand (the stuff that
has clay in it, and sets like cement with time). Make sure that the
edges can't get eroded over the years, and protect the tank from
accidental scraping from passing tractors, etc.


I high tank that gives gravity flow is also limited in volume by the
distance from the roof to the stand.

Pressure pumps, while giving the convenience of mains pressure, have

Mains pressure will be a big expensive pump. Cheaper ones with less than
mains pressure are OK for the garden.

a sinister side: while you are at work they can completely empty your
tank, and if you are really unlucky, dump it all onto your bathroom
floor. An advantage of placing the pressure pump where you will hear
it in operation is so that in the middle of the night you can ask
yourself, "Why is that pump going?!" and in short time discover that
someone has left a garden tap turned on.


This is true. You must make sure your plumbing is good, especially polypipe
joints are not as reliable as metal. As well as wasting water and soaking
somewhere you don't want soaked a leak or tap left on may burn out the pump
motor if it runs dry. My garden tank is turned off at the valve and the
motor switched off when not in use for this reason.

David

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"bassett" wrote in message


(snip) As for being thicker at the base, that's a load of bullshit, and
the guy that suggested that has no bloody idea.
How do I know all this. I've been on tank water for the last 25 years,
and all by tanks are now Poly.

What rot.

Tanks with thicker plastic at the bottom and lower part of the walls is
preferred by experienced rural dwellers as many farmers have found that
poly tanks that aren't thicker on the bottom and lower walls split.

Name a brand of tank that has a thicker wall at the base, As for splitting
that's only likely if you attempt to move the thing while partly full, and
most of the reputable brands have a 25 year guarantee

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...

..

Pressure pumps, while giving the convenience of mains pressure, have

Mains pressure will be a big expensive pump. Cheaper ones with less than
mains pressure are OK for the garden.

a sinister side: while you are at work they can completely empty your
tank, and if you are really unlucky, dump it all onto your bathroom
floor. An advantage of placing the pressure pump where you will hear
it in operation is so that in the middle of the night you can ask
yourself, "Why is that pump going?!" and in short time discover that
someone has left a garden tap turned on.


This is true. You must make sure your plumbing is good, especially
polypipe joints are not as reliable as metal. As well as wasting water
and soaking somewhere you don't want soaked a leak or tap left on may burn
out the pump motor if it runs dry. My garden tank is turned off at the
valve and the motor switched off when not in use for this reason.

David
What a load of paranoid rubbish, how do you think it works for people with
only a tank water supply and a pressure pump.
And a modern pressure pump is worth something like $120 , or there free
when you buy some tanks.
They don't need to be big or expensive.

So tell us , how long have you had a tank water supply. Your playing games
with a **** arsed little tank and a garden hose. You have no bloody idea.
All my solar water fittings are poly type and I,ve never had a problem.
with water pressure blow outs.

bassett

On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 06:01:02 +0000, John Savage wrote:


If you have a high house and want to raise the tank onto a stand, then the
stand is likely to cost more than the tank!

Why not just sit it on the ground and buy a taller tank? Pressure is a
factor of the "head" (height of water above the tap), assuming you've
used at least 1/2" pipe and not a long run.

But a high tank means that you
are not held hostage to a pressure pump for gardening, and a reliable
240 supply during hosing down during bushfire weather.

Reliable mains and bushfires do not go together.