If you install a rainwater tank, you’ll usually need a good water tank pump as well, so you can hook up a hose and water your garden. There’s a wide range of brands and types of pumps available.
A good water tank pump should pump out 15 to 17 litres per minute which is similiar to a typical domestic tap through a mains water supply of 1518L/min.
With a huge increase in water tanks being installed right around Australia, pump manufacturers have recognised this market and can now supply a range of pumps that are able to meet these needs right up to a fully automated garden irrigation system.
Water tank pumps should be selected with three things in mind: application, reliability and noise. For your application you need to know the pressures and flows that you will require. For example, a lawn sprinkler requires 15 litres per minute (lpm) at 140kPa. However if you are running an irrigation system you might need as much as 60lpm at 400kPa.
Work backwards from the number of appliances that you want to run at the same time add them up and this will give you your required flow rate. The relevant pressure required is determined by the pipe size used and the length of the pipe. Stick to 25mm or larger and you wont run into problems around the home.
Multistage pumps deliver the highest pressures. A pump professional will be able to guide you in your selection once you have a clear idea of your application. Reliability can be determined by several factors suitability to the application, materials of construction, quality of the installation, water quality and pump and controller quality.
Manual Rainwater Tank Pumps are an economical way to water the garden or transfer water. Manual pumps you turn on and off at the wall plug when you require water.
Automatic Rainwater Tank Pumps turn on and off when a tap is opened or closed. Some also have the added benefit of an electronic pressure control / run dry switch which also shuts the pump off if your tank runs out of water, protecting the pump from damage.