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Tank types

Eight tank types and why each exists

Each drawing is to scale next to a 1.8 m person. Dimensions are typical; every brand differs slightly.

Ø 1.85 m 2.10 m 1.8 m

Poly round

One-piece rotomoulded polyethylene. Usually the lowest listed price per litre in our size tables.

Best for
Homes, gardens, farms
Sizes
Bushmans: 1,000 to 46,400 L
Price
Bushmans list from $705 (1,000 to 5,000 L) to $7,500 (46,400 L)
For
  • Cheapest per litre
  • Light, easy to move
  • Huge range of sizes
Against
  • Not accepted for fire water in Victoria's BMO
  • Needs a fully supported base

Source

3.04 m long · 0.76 m wide 1.87 m 1.8 m

Slimline

Fits along a wall or fence where a round tank would block the path.

Best for
Suburban blocks, BASIX
Sizes
Bushmans: 660 to 5,000 L
Price
Bushmans list from $945 to $2,150
For
  • Uses side setbacks
  • Can be linked in a row
Against
  • Costs more per litre
  • Taller units need boundary setbacks

Source

Ø 2.00 m 0.70 m 1.8 m

Underdeck

Low and wide, hides under a deck or house.

Best for
Small lots, looks
Sizes
1,000 to 5,000 L
Price
1,000 L from $1,150; 5,000 L $3,425
For
  • Invisible
  • No yard space lost
Against
  • Needs deck clearance
  • Access for cleaning

Source

Ø 2.40 m 1.90 m 1.8 m

Underground

Buried poly or concrete tanks free up the whole yard.

Best for
Small yards, driveways
Sizes
Poly and concrete, from 2,000 L
Price
Poly from $2,895, concrete by quote
For
  • Nothing visible
  • Cool water
Against
  • Excavation and crane
  • Pump always needed

Source

Ø 2.40 m 2.30 m 1.8 m

Aquaplate steel

Steel with a food-grade polymer lining that meets AS/NZS 4020 for drinking water, in house colours.

Best for
Bushfire zones, homes
Sizes
500 to 34,000 L
Price
Made to measure, by quote
For
  • Non-combustible
  • About 20-year guarantee
Against
  • Dearer than poly
  • Needs a concrete slab

Source

Ø 2.40 m 2.00 m 1.8 m

Zincalume and galvanised

Lower cost steel. Zincalume needs a sacrificial anode replaced about every 5 years.

Best for
Budget non-potable
Sizes
Various
Price
By quote
For
  • Cheaper than Aquaplate
  • Non-combustible
Against
  • Can corrode after about 10 years
  • Galvanised tanks do not mix with Zincalume roofs

Source

Ø 11.65 m 2.20 m 1.8 m

Steel liner rural

Modular steel shell built on site with a poly liner. The way to store 100,000 L and more.

Best for
Farms, fire water, commercial
Sizes
Bushmans Aqualine: 20,000 to 360,000 L
Price
Bushmans list from about $10,000 (20,000 L) to about $42,420 (360,000 L)
For
  • Very large volumes
  • Fireproof shell
Against
  • Pad 2 m wider than the tank
  • Installer and base must be ready

Source

Ø 3.00 m 2.40 m 1.8 m

Concrete

Precast in a factory and set in place by crane truck. Heavy, durable and non-combustible.

Best for
Underground, bushfire
Sizes
CMW: 10,000 to 110,000 L
Price
By quote
For
  • Can go underground
  • Non-combustible
Against
  • Crane access needed
  • Heavy, permanent

Source

Standards to look for

AS/NZS 4766 is the Australian and New Zealand standard for rotationally moulded polyethylene tanks; Bushmans tests capacities and measurements to it (ASC, Bushmans range). Ask any maker for its certificate. AS/NZS 4020 covers materials in contact with drinking water, which Aquaplate steel meets (Renew).