Installing Agricultural Water Tanks and Other Equipment

Prepare for the rain: A renter's quick guide to rainwater collection

28 August 2017

Grace Grant

Renting a home with a rainwater tank is a real bonus for any eco-conscious tenant. There are a few things that you can do to get the most out of the rainwater tank in your rental property. Check out this quick guide to rainwater collection for renters.

Fetch your ladder

Since you don't own the property, you can't exactly improve your rainwater catchment area of your rental property by extending the roof size. What you can do, however, is maximise your rainwater collection by making sure that every drop hitting the roof flows into your rainwater tank. Start by inspecting the roof area and rainwater tank:

• Are there any overhanging tree branches that increase leaf litter?

• Are the gutters or down pipes fitted with leaf screens or leaf-shedding rain heads to minimise leaf litter?

• Do the tank inlets and overflows have adequate screening to prevent mosquito breeding?

• If you plan to drink the rainwater, is it designed and maintained for optimal water quality?

Chat with your landlord if there are things that need improvement or maintenance in your rental rainwater collection system- they may be happy for you to clean the gutters yourself, or they may prefer to employ a professional.

Prioritise your water use

Take the time to chat with your roommates or family members about how you would like to use the rainwater in your rental property. If you're not confident that the water is of optimal quality for drinking, you may only want to use it for grey water or gardening purposes. Alternatively, you could consider requesting that your landlord installs a water filter on the drinking water outlets, or use a benchtop water filtering system to regain confidence in drinking your rainwater.

At this time you can consider the size of the tank in context of your rental household's water usage and rainfall- if your tank is only small, you may need to use it seasonally and supplement with mains water during the drier months. In areas of variable rainfall large tanks are commonplace, so you may find that with careful water consumption your household can manage on rainwater alone. If a mains water connection is a source of concern for you, chat with your landlord to ensure constant water access is assured.

Maintain the system

Rainwater systems require regular and ongoing maintenance to keep the water supply to your rental property reliable and high quality. Gutters, roofs, pumps and filters should be checked and cleaned annually, tanks should be desludged every few years, and a full service should be done every decade or so. If you're concerned that the rainwater system in your rental property is not optimal, contact your landlord immediately to discuss your water access circumstances.

For more information about how you can improve the rainwater usage of your rental property, consult your local rainwater tank professionals or chat with your landlord about water wise strategies.

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