Online Tool Determines the Right Rainwater Tank Size for Water Needs
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
To help homeowners determine the size of rainwater tank they need for non-drinking water purposes, Swinburne researchers have developed a user-friendly computer tool that can easily analyse variations in rainwater tank outcomes for any location.
Developed by Associate Professor Monzur Imteaz, the tool – eTank – calculates the expected water that can be saved based on a daily water balance analysis, incorporating daily rainfall, contributing roof area and runoff.
Associate Professor Imteaz and two of his PhD students have analysed potential water saving variabilities for different cities in Australia.
They reported significant variabilities in water savings within different parts of Sydney.
“We found a difference of up to 25,000 litres in annual water savings can be expected. This difference is greater during dry periods, when rainwater is more critically needed,” Associate Professor Imteaz says.
He says a region having lower annual rainfall amounts does not necessarily lead to lower rainwater savings; rather it also depends on the rainfall distribution as well as water demand, tank size and roof surface area.
“A stormwater harvesting system based on long-term annual average rainfall will not provide much benefit for a dry year, and Australian climatic variations are quite significant,” Associate Professor Imteaz says.
“Moreover, significant rainfall variations can be expected within a city, especially a large coastal city, such as Sydney.”
To obtain the online tool contact Associate Professor Imteaz mimteaz@swin.edu.au
Read full article: Swin Burne
Media
Taxonomy
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Water Risk Tools
- Technology
- Stormwater Management
- Water Management
- Water Software