Nichol Tanks, Stainless steel rainwater tanks, water storage and rebates, garden beds, Echuca, Rochester, Melbourne, Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

Deciding Which Tank is Best For Me & Some Farm Advice
When talking to prospective tank purchasers I like to ask them questions so they can get the best outcome as not all situations are the same. Firstly I like to visualise their site. Are they inner city with only a very small yard, on a normal quarter acre block or on small acreage or a very large farm? If you have a small yard with restricted area it doesn't always mean you need a slimline tank. If you have a two storey house, we can make you a round tank 3.1 metres in height. A 1.2 metre diameter x 3.1 metre tall tank holds 3500 litres and is approximately half price to a slimline tank holding similar literage. Our standard round and slimline tank sizes are listed on this website, however we will make you a custom tank to suit your needs. Yards with more room don't always mean more options. Walk around your yard and try to imagine the best place for your water storage. Tanks can be made to varying heights to fit under windows. Tanks dont have to be installed beside the roof area where the water catchment is coming from. Although the plumbing may be less expensive that way, often you can have greater water storage in other areas away from the house, and have the downpipes put underground to the tank. Where space is no problem and you have a large roof area to collect water from, consider installing plenty of water storage.

In times of huge downpours spouts often overflow, water has trouble getting into the water tank and some water is lost. Consider placing your tanks at different ends of the house and diverting the water. That way more water will be able to flow from the spouts into the storage and less will be lost to overflowing spouts. I also like the option of having 2 tanks rather than 1 larger tank when town water is not connected. When you install your stainless steel tanks they will be there for a very long time. I have grown up on the land without the luxury of reticulated water and have had first hand experience with minor problems which can occur. If your water becomes contaminated for some unforeseeen reason (dead bird in tank) and you have to drain and clean your tank, if it is your only water source you lose all of your water at once. For those of you who chose to have two tanks that equate to the same literage as one tank, you still have one tank of water. At Nichol Tanks we like to give you the best advice possible so that you will be able to collect and store rainwater to suit your needs. I find that many city dwellers have little experience with tanks and water collection and that they appreciate the advice from country people who have a lifetime of water storage knowledge.

What type of base is suitable for a Stainless Steel tank?
Our recommendation is always to use a concrete base, for the reason that stainless steel on a concrete base will last as long as your house if not longer. Regardless, we estimate that approximately half of our tanks are placed on crusher dust or sand. This is acceptable, but care has to be taken that the crusher dust cannot be undermined by water or vermins. A typical example is that the overflow water is allowed to run down on the outside of the tank (in this context it has to be noted that overflow water on the outside of an aquaplate tank will immediately void the Bluescope warranty). This is no issue with a Stainless Steel tank, but if this water undermines (washes away) the base of the tank and would consequently damage the tank, any warranty claim will be denied. For this reason, it is appropriate to enclose the crusher dust with sleepers, bricks, besser blocks or similar. It is always a good practice to pipe the overflow away from the tank. Pavers can also be used as a tank base, and provide a good economical base for water tanks. Note that a crusher dust base is not suitable for our super slim and standard slim series of tanks.

Should I Install a Bucket Tap
If your tank is going to be located near the house or shed and you think it would be handy to get a bucket of water to water the garden, pots or throw on the car when the windscreen is frosted over in winter, then yes you should have a bucket tap installed.





It is the easiest way to get water quickly.





If you have young children and they will be near the tank, remember they can empty your tank if they leave the tap on.

Should I Install a CFA Outlet
If you dont have reticulated water connected, and you are in a fire prone area, please consider having a CFA outlet installed in your tank. I have heard of houses that have burned down because the CFA truck has emptied and the drought has dried nearby dams and water sources and the truck has had to travel too great a distance to refill. The truck can then pump water directly from your tank.

Are Designer Tanks all stainless steel?
Only one or two items in the tank are not stainless steel. One is the tank overflow which is a molded PVC fitting. Our tanks larger than 3m in diameter have a PVC center prop. Some customers insist to have this center prop replaced with a stainless steel prop to ensure there is no contact of water with plastic at all. The tanks are sealed (like all steel rain water tanks) with a potable water approved silicon.

Is it safe to mix town water with rain water?
Strictly speaking, NO it’s not. There is hard scientific evidence that chloride used in town water reacts with the organic compounds (e.g. leaf residue) in your tank to form trihalomethanes (TMHs). THM is a known carcinogen (causes cancer)

Do I require a membrane between my Stainless steel tank and the concrete base?
No, stainless steel is not affected by concrete, unlike other steel tanks.

Is it safe to drink untreated rainwater?
Opinions are divided but facts speak for themselves. Rainwater has been the only source of water for many decades for our rural and semi-rural neighbours, without any noticeable or recorded effects on their health. Chlorinated town water on the other hand is under strong suspicion to cause bladder and rectal cancer. The Morris study (compilation of ten separate epidemiological studies), (see www.ccwa.com/chloramines.htm) estimates that 9% of all bladder cancers and 15% of all rectal cancers in the USA are caused by chlorinated drinking water. In 1988, the Californian Department of Health study found, that pregnant women with a high exposure to chlorinated drinking water increased the chance of miscarriage from 9 ½% to 16%.

Also, many people develop an aversion to town water after years of exposure to rainwater. Nature is best again! Rainwater should not be collected close to industrial areas (5 km radius) from timber, asbestos or tarred roofs, nor next to crop fields where aerial spray is conducted.

What size of tank is most suitable for a family of 4?
Our recommendation is to always install the largest tank possible within the restraints of your budget, locality and council by-laws. The Australian family of 4 uses approximately 28,0000 litres of water per year. Half of this water is used in the garden, flushing the toilet, cleaning the car etc. With the installation of 2x22000 litre tanks, such a family can be close to be independent from the reticulated town water supply provided that the roof area is at least 200sq meters and most importantly, the gutters are kept clean to avoid any water wastage. It has to be realised that even minor local showers which are irrelevant to dam levels and town water supply will quickly add 4 weeks of water to your tanks. A final consideration should be that a larger tank is more cost-effective.

What about fire resistance of a stainless steel water tanks?
The only tank that is truly fire proof is a concrete tank. Although a bush fire cannot harm the stainless steel besides making it black, prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures will eventually destroy the seal depending on how much water is in the tank. The seal is replaceable. Plastic tanks are legendary to catch fire themselves in such an emergency. Aquaplate, contrary to what some tank manufacturers state, are most sensitive to temperature over 70 degrees. The plastic coating inside the tank will separate and render the tank useless. Zincalume will perform slightly better than aquaplate, up to about 200 degrees when the zincalume coating will melt.

Can a stainless steel tank be put in-ground?
The tanks are not designed to be fitted inground, and we have no engineering data to state that inground mounting is permissible.

How do I claim the Council Rebate?
Every Council has their own rules and regulations. One hint of advice, numerous customers discovered that to be entitled for the rebate, a plumber has to install and connect the tank to the house. In most cases, the plumber’s bill exceeded the Council rebate!

I’m advised that my new Aquaplate tank requires a first flush system
During the manufacture of Aquaplate, the consequent rollforming and building of the tank, residue settles on the plastic skin. (Aquaplate =plastic coated steel). The advice to flush the tank seems to be a paradox for the following reason; disregard the fact that you are asked to fill your 22000L tank and then drain that tank which would cost you about $150.00 worth of water. The matter of fact is that, by the nature of design of a corrugated steel tank, the last 1000L (in the case of a 22000L tank), cannot be drained from the tank. It is a fair assumption that all the contaminants that you’d like to remove will remain sitting in the last 1000L in the bottom of the tank. There is no first flush requirement for our stainless steel tanks.

How good is your 25 year/lifetime warranty?
A very sensible question. Prior to answering this question, we would like to draw attention to other 20- 25 year warranties;

In the case of aquaplate, peruse Bluescope’s warranty statement. An attentive reader will realise that there are numerous conditions required to successfully file a claim.

The warranty conditions with plastic tanks are even more complex. If the warranty would be honored as advertised, there would be no need for any plastic tank repairers to advertise in the Yellow Pages. Whenever there is a change of ownership of a company, which happens frequently, warranties are not carried over from the previous owner. Also, plastic tank warranties generally are not transferable. So, if you buy a property with a plastic tank on it, the warranty would have expired with the new owner.

To come back to the original question, our warranty is only viable for as long as Designer Tanks/Nichol tanks is in business. Currently, our warranty is based in the untarnished reputation of 304 stainless steel. Whenever your kitchen sink will rust out, so will our stainless steel tanks.

My Aquaplate Tank developed a leak; can I put a tank liner to overcome this problem?
At first it appears to be an elegant solution to fit a plastic liner into a steel tank. A more detailed examination reveals a different story. The purchase and fitting of a liner into a 20,000 L (5,000 Gal) tank may cost up to $1,000.00. To invest this amount of money in a steel tank is not cost effective but worse is to come, the plastic liner will NOT prevent your steel tank from rusting away internally. The outcome is the steel tank will burst open when the rusting progresses to the stage that it can no longer support the liner, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Of course, a plastic liner in a cracked and leaking concrete tank may extend the life of the tank for many years.

How long can I store water in my tank before it goes off?
Provided your tank is clean, mosquito proof and the water is not exposed to light, then the water will last many years even without jeopardizing the drinking quality. This is a qualified statement, assuming your tank is made from stainless steel.