Skip to content
Menu
Practical Sustainability Practical Sustainability
  • About Us
  • Animals
    • Goats
    • Pigs
    • Poultry
    • Rabbits
    • Vermiculture
      • Black soldier fly larvae
      • Earth Worms
      • Meal Worms
  • Bathroom
    • Compost Toilets
  • Building
    • Building with bottles
    • Clay or Mud bricks
    • Earthships
    • Timbercrete
    • Underground Living
    • Used Tires
  • Energy
    • Human energy
    • Hydroelectricity
      • Dammed Hydro
      • Run of the river
      • Tidal
    • Wind
  • Energy Storage
    • Compressed Air Energy Storage
    • Electrical
    • Gravity
    • Hydrogen
    • Kinetic
  • Food Storage
    • Bottling / Canning
    • Dehydration
    • Jam making
    • Pickling & Salting
    • Refrigeration
  • Growing
    • Hugelkultur
    • Mushrooms
  • Heating
    • Solar Air Heating
    • Solar Water Heating
    • With Compost
  • Water
    • Collection
      • Condensers
      • Fog Fences
    • Filters
      • Pre-filters
      • Slow sand filters
    • Storage
      • Barrels & IBCs
      • Rainwater Tanks
      • Swales
      • Underground Skeletons
  • Our Projects
Practical Sustainability Practical Sustainability

Rainwater Tanks

Traditional purpose-built water or rain storage tanks come in all shapes and sizes, from a variety of materials.


One style of plastic tank

Plastic Tanks

  • 15 – 30 year lifespan
  • Efficient use of space
  • Can be made using recycled plastic
  • UV stabilized
  • All shapes and sizes
  • Easy to install / place
  • Durable
  • Can be recycled
  • Not recommended for high temperatures or direct sun

Treated Steel Tanks

Traditional galvanized steel tanks aren’t very effective, and are susceptible to corrosion quite quickly in adverse conditions.
Proper treatment can extend this period significantly – materials such as color-bond can last significantly longer.

  • 15 – 25 year lifespan
  • Old and proven material, with modern technologies applied
  • Cheap
  • Durable
  • Can be recycled

Concrete Tanks

  • Durable
  • Load bearing
  • Additional thermal mass
  • Requires internal plastic lining
  • Energy Intensive to transport and install
  • Large amount of environmentally unfriendly material required

Fiberglass Tanks

  • Corrosion resistant
  • Chemical Resistant
  • Slightly Brittle – prone to cracks if impacted
  • Semi translucent -must be painted or coated

Learn More >>

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on twitter

My Tweets

Search posts by Category:

Recent Posts

  • Practical Sustainability funding and growth news
  • Aquaponic Test System (2014 – 2017) Design Review
  • D.I.Y Two level planter box tutorial, with free plans
  • Aquaponic Nexus Tank planned prototype
  • Gravity Header Manifold prototype #3 tutorial

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 15 other subscribers
©2025 Practical Sustainability | Powered by WordPress & Superb Themes