Rainwater tanks

Hey guys

Just wondering if Rainwater tanks are compulsory (spelling?) as I have noticed they are not included in our standard items, but looking at the 'extras' in the display home, M have one for $7000 extra

I've never had one before and am wondering if people think they are necessary/useful and should I think about getting one?

We will be living in an established suburb in Melbourne's west if that helps

Cheers
Belinda

Hi,
Interesting question, I thought all new houses have to have one??

If thats the case, these builders need to start including them in the base price.

Be interested to see if anyone knows the legalaties of it.

in south australia it is compolsary to have rain water tanks installed with new homes, and this tank needs to be linked to the main toilet in the home. I think the size of the roof indicates the size of tank required.

our builder is not supplying the tank, though will ensure all the connections are in place to make installation of the tank after handover easier (ie. all the plumbing will be done)

We have 12mths to install the tank. and the tank needs to have the ability to be able to be filled with mains water if the water level in the tank gets too low.

Hmm so by the sounds of it, we will probably need one....$7000k extra seems huge!! I agree Paula - this should be standard by builders, i wonder what the law is in Melbourne....

It is not compulsory in every suburb in SA if the development has a reticulated greywater system i.e. Mawson Lakes. We don't have a rainwater tank and haven't seen any on the development.

Taken from http://www.5starhouse.vic.gov.au/

Thanks for that Colleen, looks like we won't need one as 'M' includes a solar hot water system as standard in their homes, I also noted that they state they are 5 star energy homes so I guess we are safe

it must be developers guidlines then! our estate says you have to have a tank

We're paying $5k for a 5000L water tank on our new build. A 2000L tank is about $2k, but we have a 2500L minimum in our Design Guidelines.

Yes, I quickly came to the conclusion when we were sussing out builders that they usually offer solar hot water or a water tank plumbed to the toilets, to comply with 5-star energy rating, but not both. This would depend on where you live though, I guess.

We decided to stick to the solar hot water default and not get a tank with M, because a #1 flush of the toilet only uses 3 litres anyway, and I saw the solar hot water system as a much greater saving, both monetary and environmentally. We are also fortunate enough to live in an area that currently has no water restrictions, apart from the permanent ones regarding hosing of paved areas etc. I realise that the situation regarding rerstrictions could change, but we don't use a great deal of water anyway. Water for the gardens will come from a tank fed from my eventual shed which means that we will use less than we do now at our present house, which has no tank.

haywgl,
we signed up with M last yr and took both solar(free) as well as the 'flushmiser'
it cost 3.5 K extra. I did enquire with flushmiser if they retrofit but the guy mentioned that plumbing to toilets was easier during the build. I am amazed how they have increased the price to nearly double!! possibly this is taking advantage of our situation.

Vpande - I am also suprised by how much the cost of things with 'M' has gone up. Reading people's past posts about 'extras' they have purchased with 'M' compared to the quotes I am getting are quite shocking. Even the base price of their houses have gone up, I think VJ mentioned when she looked at the Laguna it was around $197k, its now almost $240k

While I would liek to get the rainwater tank as well as the solar hot water, I simply can not justify the $7000k pricetag

$800 for a 3000l tak,. plus $150 for the fittings plus $100 for the slab.

DIY, no connections to grey water or mains so I can use it how I want. Of ot has a top up odd mains water, its use is still subject to water restrictions. I can hose my driveway down then wash my car and the only thing would be that it is a waste of water.

Do it yourself after handover.

Adrians suggestion is great. but there has been news reports that water may be priced as petrol in future... so best to use it frugally and save where one can. check with www.flushmiser.com.au for a quote after handover. I am sure u can get the main bathroom flush and laundry going on that to save enough water.

Doesn't this defeat the purpose of a tank?

I would have thought a valve arrangement where when the level of the tank gets low, it switches across to mains water.

When we asked M about the tank and solar hot water, we were told we could choose whichever we wanted, but they do mostly solar hot water so I'm guessing that works out cheaper for them to do.
It suited us fine too so we stuck with the solar hot water.
A tank is no use unless it rains because it doesn't come full!

Ray.

Hi Belinda.

How big is this tank they are quoting $7K for? 10,000 litres? Does it come with a MASSIVE pump?

I got a 1000 litre tank for just over $500 and installed it myself (about $30 - $40 worth of PVC pipe and a couple of hours). Add on a pump for a couple of hundred, and maybe a powerpoint for the pump, and you're done.

Hey Rodda - On th paper work I has it says,

'Provide option for 2000 litre Colorbond Aquaplate round tank with auto top-up system, electric pressure pump and by-pass, connected to all sanitary flushing systems - $7,536'

Hope that helps

That sounds very expensive to me. We're getting a 5000 litre tank, with all those same connections and accessories for $5k.

I agree, one of the reasons we are not opting for the system...your deal sounds much better.