Underground Tanks for Rainwater Storage

Why Store Rainwater?

The last few summers in the UK have been hot and dry. This has meant water shortages and hose pipe bans for many people. Collecting rainwater using a rainwater harvesting system and storing it in an underground tank means that you’ll have access to water all year round.

And you’ll save money too. OFWAT warned last month (July 2024) that the average household water bill in the UK is set to rise by £94 over the next 5 years. With the right rain collection system set up for your property, you could be saving up to 50% of your annual water bill. With OFWAT’s ‘guaranteed’ water bill rises, a system that saves mains water therefore provides an inflation-proof return for homeowners. Such systems are starting to look very attractive especially as savings rates look set to remain at modest levels.

And who can ignore successive surveys all indicating that a large proportion of home buyers are prepared to pay more for an eco-friendly home.

Before tearing your water bill in half, you’ll need a system complete with an Atlantis water tank installed underneath your drive or garden.

Shallow Dig Underground Tanks Save Costs

Water tanks can be installed either above or below ground. Our PuraTank rainwater harvesting water storage tanks are underground tanks. They’re also what’s known as ‘shallow dig’ tanks. This means that the groundworks needed during installation are minimal, which keeps excavation costs low, and they’re also easy to access should any maintenance be required.

Take a look at our range of underground tanks for water storage

How to Choose the Right Below Ground Water Tank for Your Property

Our water tanks can save homeowners up to 10 times the tank’s holding capacity each and every year in mains water consumed.

Depending on where you live in the UK, a family home with a roof area of 100 square meters can collect around 57,000 litres of rainwater each year even allowing for collection losses.

However, a family of four consumes around 72,500 litres each year. But the good news is that you don’t need a water tank the size of a 40 foot container to store all that water. You just need a buffer tank of a much smaller size to make significant savings on your family’s draw from the mains water supply.

In this way, a water tank of 3,400 litres can save up to 35,000 litres of mains water each year.

These figures are average numbers. Therefore, we suggest that you use our rainwater harvesting calculator to choose a tank and harvesting system combination that’s right for your home. The calculator factors in your property’s location, the average annual rainfall for home, past droughts, your home’s roof size, the number of people in your home and the water storage you’ll need.

 

Underground tanks are preferable to above ground tanks for water storage for several reasons

Aesthetics

Storage tanks of any sort aren’t usually considered an attractive addition to your garden or other outdoor area. Storing your water underground means maintaining the aesthetics of your garden and the area around your home. This is also a benefit for commercial installations where customers visit your premises.

Space saving underground tanks

As well as being unsightly, water storage tanks take up a lot of room that you can use for other purposes. Installing underground tanks means that there’s no compromise on space. The ground above can continue to be used, subject to any restrictions on weight bearing etc, for other purposes like lawns, parking, barbecue or play areas. This is useful for domestic water tank users and can increase profits for commercial users for whom more available space means more potential revenue. This is particularly beneficial to hospitality or leisure sector businesses.

Insulation

Underground tanks aren’t affected by extreme weather conditions. Your water will remain cool in the hottest summers and is protected from freezing in the colder months.

Protection

Tanks that are installed underground won’t be damaged due to extreme weather. They’re also less likely to be damaged by accidents, for example by a vehicle or other machinery used in the vicinity.

Flexibility with Siting

If you’re installing your water tank underground, you have more choice when choosing the site as it won’t be in the way of anything happening above ground.

You can browse our full range of water storage tanks and water tank accessories here. Or, if you’d like to learn more about harvesting rainwater to store and use all year round, read these blog posts.

You can also talk to our team about our range of water storage underground tanks to find out what kind of tank and system will work best for your project. We’re always ready to help and have decades of combined experience with domestic and commercial tank installations. Give us a call on 0300 999 1100 or email [email protected]