Melro Water Tanks

Thank you for visiting our website. There is a lot of useful information here to help you get started. If you already know what you're after, these links will take you straight to the tanks.

Domestic tanks Industrial tanks

Read on for more water tank information, and also try the links along the top and to the right of the page. Please explore.

Quick overview

Water tanks make a lot of sense. Used by generations of families, your own storage plays a big part in reducing massive demand on Victorian dams.

They also greatly reduce load on your local council's stormwater infrastructure. We continue to see a dramatic increase in quantities of prescribed stormwater retention tanks for stormwater control as specified in council regulations.

Our products make a real difference reducing impact on our scarce and natural resources. We are proud to make our water management vessels for domestic and business applications.

Why we use Rainwater Tanks

The Victorian Department of Health advises that rainwater tanks take priority over other sources of water in areas where mains water is not available. This list includes surface water, deep groundwater (confined aquifers), shallow groundwater and carted water. More specifically: bore water, dams, transported water, rivers and creeks.

In urban areas and where mains water is available, the Victorian Building Authority recognises the important role rain water plays in high volume non-drinking water applications including gardening, car washing, toilets and laundry, which in turn reduces the immediate demand on our mains water supply.

Where rainwater is to be used for drinking purposes, the Department of Health gives appropriate guidelines to check that your catchment area collects clean water and that your installation is sound. Properly installed systems are easy to maintain and will supply you with the highest quality Victorian rainwater.

Water for around the house

Permanent Water Saving Rules are in force for Melbourne. More information can also be found on your water retailer's website.

If you anticipate using large volumes of water, for example for gardening, topping up your pool, washing cars or for toilets and laundry, a rainwater tank goes a long way to reduce your demand on Victoria's mains water system. Being self sufficient with your water makes a lot of sense.

How tanks perform

With the noticable popularity of water tanks in recent years, the CSIRO conducted a practical survey of participating residential sites to assess real life performance. They found that the best setups for quality drinking water were those that are properly installed, and fed by a catchment area of drinking water standard. They also advise that as with any other household appliance, tanks require at least a minimum amount of periodic attention.

For the most common tank applications such as gardening, washing cars, pools, toilets and laundry, we'd recommend that you at least have the basics. The tank should have no uncovered openings, which means ensuring that you have a strainer affixed to your inlet opening and a strainer on your overflow opening. Inlet and overflow strainers are often supplied with water tanks, and are always supplied standard on Melro tanks because they are such an important step.

We recommend that you periodically clear any leaves that may collect at your inlet strainer. A leaf diverter device will actually do a lot of this work for you and should be considered when setting up your system. They are really that good. Again, simply periodically checking that everything appears in working order is sensible advice.

Government rebates

Eligible farm businesses in a number of Local Government Areas can apply for On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Support Grants to cover the cost of reticulated water systems including water tanks and pumps, and grain and fodder storage (we also manufacture cone tank silos for grain and feed). Please see the On Farm Drought Infrastucture Grant site for detailed information and an application form.

Various water tank rebate programs have been available for many years. These incentives go a long way to covering the total cost of your rainwater tank installation, and combined with a reduction in your mains water usage means that your lifetime savings can be significant. We recommend contacting your local council to find out what rainwater tank rebates are currently available in your area.

The popular Living Victoria water rebate program has recently finalised after years of successful operation. We anticipated that following our latest drought and with the commissioning of Victoria's new desalination plant, that in the short term this water tank incentive would be wound back. This is necessary to build up load demand to get the new salt water removal infrastructure online.

However, water infrastructure activity is cyclical. As has occurred in the past, our population continues to increase and demand will again exceed capacity. Water restrictions are then a proven strategy and are especially noticable in times of drought as we have recently experienced.

Rebate certification: AS/NZS 4766:2006

To claim a water tank rebate you must purchase a tank that is certified to AS/NZS 4766:2006 Polyethylene Storage Tanks for Water and Chemicals. Certification to this one particular standard is important.

Other relevant and prerequisite standards are AS 2070-1999 Plastics Materials for Food Contact Use and AS/NZS 4020:1999 Products for Use in Contact with Drinking Water. Both of these relate to raw material inputs only. Tanks certified to AS/NZS 4766:2006 must be made from materials certified to these standards, but that is only the beginning.

Sourcing the correct raw materials is the first part of the story. Tanks made to AS/NZS 4766:2006 standard have specifically undergone rigorous design, processing and ongoing production testing procedures. We cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring your tank is being made, certified and independantly audited to this one key standard.

When you purchase one of our certified water tanks, you are eligible to use our registration details on your rebate claim form:

Australian Standard No: AS/NZS 4766:2006
Certification Licence No: SMKP21567

Why plastic

Water tanks are made from polyethylene, which is an excellent food grade material that is very strong. We often mould with this material for laboratory and medical applications, food manufacture, food packaging, food transport, and live fish transport, amongst others. It is used to line milk cartons, form geomembranes, and make agricultural feed troughs. You'd also be quite familiar using it in the kitchen as cling wrap, played with it in children's toys and playground equipment, and also relied on it for pipes and buckets of all sizes.

From a pricing perspective, this material is optimal for vessels from well under 1 litre to up to 50,000 litres in capacity. Beyond this, metal tanks become more cost effective up to hundreds of thousands of litres. Metal tanks often use polyethylene liners to keep their water fresh and to protect the metal panels and joins from corrosion.

At the end of a polyethylene product's life cycle, it is readily reused and recycled into other products such as plant pots, pits, and other next grade applications.

Stormwater run off

Stormwater is rain water that runs from roofs, roads and parks and into stormwater drains and to creeks. Runoff from urban areas happens at a frightening rate and so much faster than it would from a typically forested area.

Roof water is readily captured for later use by the resident, which in turn eases the load on our stormwater distribution systems. You can help to retain water at your property by reducing hard surfaces, mulching, creating rain gardens and of course by installing rainwater tanks.

Building regulations - 6 Star Rating

New homes and major house alterations require dwellings to be energy rated to at least 6 stars. Water tank installation is an easy and cost effective component of the energy efficiency standards, and notably is on the core options list as one of the must haves.

Fire areas

Your local council is your first port of call for fire requirements in your area. They are guided by local CFA requirements for minimum storage, connection specifications and so on.

As is always the case with water storage, more is always better. Once you meet the minimum standard required by your council it is wise to have additional storage options at all rainwater collection points throughout your property. The most cost effective way of doing this is with a number of polyethylene tanks. You will often see at least one reasonably sized polyethylene tank at many CFA stations nowadays.

A quick word about BAL ratings here, because it does get asked about. These are set out in Australian Standard 3959-2009 Construction of Buildings in Bushfire-Prone Areas, and are critically important when reviewing your dwelling if you are in a bushfire prone zone. BAL ratings apply to buildings and building construction materials, and as such, external items such as fencing, garden structures and rainwater tanks need be considered in the context of the building's buffer zone. Notably, they do not have their own BAL rating. You should however be conscious of the relationship of structures and cleared areas within the boundary of uncleared areas around your property.

We have supplied many tanks to bushfire affected areas as part of the rebuild processes, and are acutely aware of the devastation left in the wake of bushfire. Heat and wind from bushfire is fierce, fast and intense - in reality, no building material is immune. Smart planning and rehearsed fire plans are critically important. We strongly recommend reviewing the CFA website for information regarding proper prevention measures and establishing and rehearsing your fire plan.

Locally made

We are passionate supporters of local industry. We love what we do, and we like to see local workers succeed. We believe that Australian made product is always better value in the long run. We get our raw materials, components and equipment from local sources whenever this option is available to us.

We are also a local employer and manufacturer and have been ever since we started. Our commitment to our local industry is strong. We are long term members of the Association of Rotational Moulders Australasia (ARMA), of which one of our directors Tim Leed has been an active board member and past president.

Where do I get my tanks

Our tanks are available from major plumbing, irrigation and hardware stores. Please ask for a Melro tank by name. Your local irrigation expert will provide the best advice, handy accessories and installation service for your complete rainwater harvesting system.

On this website we have put together many useful technical guides to assist with your research. Please spend some time exploring each of the links along the top and to the right of this page. When you are ready to discuss your system, please contact your local reseller for specific advice and they will gladly assist you from there.

Rainwater Tank Installation & Warranty