Water Sensitive SA

Rainwater tanks for your home & backyard

Getting the best value out of your rainwater tank

Maximising the value of your rainwater collection system means choosing the right size tank for your home.

You’ll need to consider:

1.   How much rainwater you can capture, which depends on:

  • the yearly rainfall in your area
  • the amount of roof area connected to tank (the area connected to downpipes draining to tank, refer to image below)
  • the size of your tank.

2. The ways that rainwater is used by your household:

  • indoor (toilet, laundry, hot water service, kitchen)
  • outdoor (garden, “leaky tank”).

Rainwater tank size selection chart

Using the information above, these simple charts (links below) help you to select the best rainwater tank size for your requirements.

Click on the location nearest to you to download the relevant rainwater tank size selection chart for your area (all files are PDF, and less than 115 kb).

If you’re not able to increase the size of your tank, try:

  • diverting other downpipes to the tank to increase the area of rainwater catchment
  • installing other rainwater collecting devices such as rain barrels, mini rainwater tanks, drums – get creative!
  • connecting more wet areas in your home (e.g. washing machine, toilet) and garden irrigation to the tank
  • increasing your overall water efficiency in your:
Other resources

Rainwater harvesting specifications – for the home

Rainwater harvesting residential design specification developed by Rainwater Harvesting Association of Australia and Urban WaterCycle Solutions.

Area calculator
To help you decide what size rainwater tank you need, you will need to know your roof or catchment area.  Visit the Google Map Developers’ website to calculate your roof area by satellite view.

Acknowledgement of Country

Water Sensitive SA acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon, and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.