Garden irrigation - nowadays so important due to climate problems - increasingly makes use of rainwater tanks. If you want a small and aesthetically pleasing tank, it is worth using decorative above-ground tanks of countless shapes, textures and colours.

Why save water in the garden?

Until a few decades ago, rainwater tanks took the form of an above-ground container that collected rainwater from the gutters. This function was performed by barrels placed under the gutter. Nowadays, water from the gutter is channelled into combined sewer systems or drains. Extensive and efficient irrigation systems usually use mains water. At present, there are a growing number of reasons for the disadvantage of such a solution. During dry periods, watering is increasingly necessary to maintain the garden, while simultaneous watering using mains water on multiple properties exceeds the capacity of the network and causes pressure drops. In various areas of the country, restrictions and bans on watering gardens during peak consumption hours are increasingly being introduced. In addition, water prices are rising, increasing the cost of maintaining gardens.

How do you collect rainwater?

The solution to these problems is to manage rainwater and use it to water the garden as much as possible. The surface from which rainwater is most effectively collected is the roofs of buildings. We have written about various ways to save water in the dock and garden in a separate article. The tanks can be connected to the existing guttering system with which each building is equipped. This makes the use of rainwater an attractive proposition both for the establishment of gardens at newly built properties and the use of existing installations on completed buildings.

Types of water tanks

Rainwater containers are divided into aboveground and underground. Underground tanks can be larger in size and hold more rainwater, but require installation in a trench and adequate available space. For users of small or already landscaped gardens, the use of such tanks will be cumbersome or impossible. An excellent alternative is aboveground tanks. They come in a variety of cuts, sizes and shapes. The aboveground tank itself can take the form of a simple barrel (e.g: Garden Lake rainwater tank (barrel) 200 L green) or more interesting (e.g: Aquacan 360L Brick Rainwater Tank). Before purchasing and installing the tank, it is important to determine where you want it to stand and how much space you have available. Depending on the situation, a cylindrical or rectangular ground tank may be better.

What will the collector be needed for?

Once the tank has been positioned, a rainwater collector connected to the gutter (e.g. Rainwater collector with filter and valve (68-100 and 60×60) grey). Most collectors are versatile and fit a wide range of drain pipe diameters. The most common types of collectors on the market are:

• Flexible internal collectors: simple, easy-to-install devices in the shape of a spiral or flexible trough inserted into the gutter through a drilled hole.
• Gutter-mounted collectors: a more efficient and elaborate solution.

The best rainwater collectors on the market are equipped with filters (e.g. Rainwater filter (68-110) bronzez) stopping impurities flowing down the gutter with the rainwater, and shut-off valves allowing the water intake to the tank to be closed off (e.g. in winter). In order to use the maximum capacity of the tank, faucets and drain valves are placed as close to the bottom of the tank as possible.

• Tanks with small capacities are usually placed on plastic bases (e.g. Rainwater storage tank base 190/200 L black), which allows the faucet near the bottom of the tank to be at a height that allows a hose to be connected or a watering can to be placed,
• Tanks with larger capacities (which do not have stands) may have the tap point positioned slightly higher. Some models have two faucet connection points ( a higher one for the faucet and a lower one for the drain hose connection).

The water from the collector is transferred to the tank via a connection hose, e.g. Rainwater connection set with jigsaw 32. Faucets or valves, as well as drain hoses, are used to draw water from the tank.

Main advantages of aboveground tanks are easy to install, made of high-quality plastics and a wide range of designs and styles of tanks. A high degree of flexibility in the capacity and size of the tanks ensures that a satisfactory solution can be selected even for small properties.

Decorative rainwater tanks

Decorative tanks come in a wide variety of colours, shapes, styles and also capacities. They are manufactured from plastics (mainly polyethylene). The best models available on the market imitate natural materials such as barrels, old tree trunks, ceramic or stone vessels. Some decorative tanks are equipped with a pot on top of the tank, for example: Alana rainwater tank (pot) 160 L greywhich allows additional decoration of the tank.
Ornamental tanks usually have a capacity of 100 to 500 litres. There are also simpler in construction and design aboveground tanks with capacities of up to 2,000 litres.

Above-ground tanks are an excellent solution for combining an environmentally friendly way of irrigating the garden with an aesthetically pleasing design. In contrast, rainwater tanks located horizontally can collect more water. The choice depends on the individual user's needs and spatial conditions.