Pioneer Water Tanks recommend 150,000L rainwater tanks as the standard tank size required for a rural family of four, or for a couple or family of three looking for a little extra water storage for the home or garden. The 150,000L water tank is also a very popular size among people looking for a large tank for the farm or cattle station.
150,000L water tanks are used by rural Australian families all across the country who rely on rainwater tank as their main water source for household supply, drinking water and to help the gardens stay green and vibrant during the drier months.
Most people purchasing a rainwater tank this size have little to no access to mains water, meaning they are relying on their water storage to contribute their entire household water supply. Due to this, it is vital to ensure that you have not only a large enough water tank, but also a large enough roof catchment area to obtain the harvested water needed to fill the tank.


To help you to determine if a 150,000L steel water tank is suitable for you, you can consult our water storage calculator (below) to determine how much rainfall you can capture from your roof, and also keep a track of how much water your household is using. For advice on what size tank is best for you, give us a phone call on 1800 921 384.
The below table shows the dimensions and gross capacities of the GT150, Pioneer’s 150,000L water tank model, as well as the GT130 and GT170; Pioneer’s other two tanks around this size.
MODEL | Diameter | Height | Litres | Gallons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GT170 | 10.03m | 2.18m | 172,134 | 37,864 |
GT150 | 9.36m | 2.18m | 149,948 | 32,984 |
GT130 | 8.69m | 2.18m | 129,292 | 28,440 |
We estimate that the average rural home requires approximately 30,000 litres of water storage per person.
To work out how much rainwater you can harvest from the roof of your home (catchment area) use the simple calculator attached.
Pioneer has been behind the manufacture and delivery of water tanks that Australians can rely on for more than 30 years now – including sizes such as 150,000L rainwater tanks. They continue to strive to maintain their position at the forefront of innovation and quality in the industry.
No matter if you’re after a 150,000L water tank, or a 50,000L water tank, all Pioneer Water Tanks are manufactured in Australia from Australian Zincalume® or Colorbond® Steel direct from BlueScope. Pioneer Water Tanks remains Australian owned and operated and is owned by an Australian family business.


The Pioneer V-Lock® steel tank wall profile is specially designed with water storage in mind, not only providing superior strength and longevity, but also protecting your liner from the stretching and stress that can come with the filling and emptying of a regular corrugated wall panel.
Our Aqualiner Fresh® Antimicrobial water tank liner works from inside your tank to help keep your water cleaner and fresher for longer, protecting your family from nasty bacteria, and potentially saving costly cleaning fees down the line.
The delivery of every 150,000L water tank Pioneer manufactures comes with our 20/20 Warranty, which is a 20 year conditional structural warranty as well as a 20 year conditional warranty against water leakage.
This is a volume of water that is always readily available in the event of fighting fire. Commonly this can be up to 20,000 litres.
When looking to irrigate, factors such as water source, harvesting capacity, and usage volume will all need to be considered.
Harvesting water from a roof, filling up from a bore or dam will impact the size of water storage tank that will be most optimal for you.
The size of your roof catchment area, in addition to your annual rainfall will determine how much water you can harvest.
Having an idea of what domestic functions you intend to connect to your tank and how often each will be used will be advantageous.
It’s better to have water and not need it, than to need water and not have it. It may pay to install a bigger tank to mitigate running out of water.
Every 150kL Pioneer Water Tank features a suite of standard water tank accessories, as well as a range of optional accessories that you may wish to choose to include in the purchase of your rainwater tank.
Included in these standard water tank accessories is the Pioneer Water Tanks exclusive Aqualiner Fresh® antimicrobial water tank liner, designed to keep your harvested water fresher for longer.
If you would like to request a quote for a price on a 150,000L rainwater tank, give us a call today on 1800 921 384, or simply fill out the contact form here and one of our local water tank installers will get in touch. Our team of local dealers can also help you throughout your water tank service life.
Pioneer’s 150,000L water tank model is the GT150, which has a gross capacity of 149,948. Sizes similar to the GT150 include the GT130 with a gross capacity of 129,292 litres, and the GT170 with a gross capacity of 172,134 litres.
The average Australian uses somewhere around 120,000L of water a year, but does that mean you need 120,000L sized water tank for each person in your home? Thankfully the answer to that question is no, as this number is based mostly on suburban figures, where the vast majority of water is used on irrigation and toilet flushing, and the typical rural home uses much less water than this.
We estimate that the average rural home needs about 30,000L of water per person, per year, and if you’re relying on that alone, a rainwater tank that exceeds this figure would be sufficient. Of course, your ability to harvest rainwater is also heavily dependent on your annual rainfall.
Poly Water Tanks typically only come in sizes of up to 50,000L, which typically isn’t enough water supply for any more than two people with no access to mains water supply.
Pioneer’s Steel Water Tank Sizes range from our smaller GT10 which comes in at 12,200L all the way through to our GT500 which has a water storage capacity of 500,000L. Larger or more specific water storage facilities for commercial or industrial applications can also be quoted to order.
Whilst the answer to this is entirely dependent on what size water tank you order, a safe rule of thumb would be to ensure a space 3m wider than the diameter of your desired water tank. This ensures comfortable room for the required 1m on all sides for the pad, and ensures there will be no difficulties at the time of installation.
With over 50 Dealers Australia Wide, we try and make the delivery of our water tanks as efficient and effective as possible. Typically a Pioneer Water Tank is delivered within 3 to 5 weeks of an order being placed. However, if special circumstances require a shorter delivery time, give us a call and we can endeavor to have your water tank installed as soon as possible.
“Water tanks are listed as ‘Gross’ capacity as an industry standard and represents the total volume of water that the tank can hold. Indeed all tank manufacturers use this standard to represent each of their size options. The ‘useable’ capacity or ‘net’ capacity will vary according to what each individual requirement are. For example, fire reserves, sludge zones, scour drains, gravity issues etc will affect where outlets are placed.
Pioneer offers an oversized, ‘bell mouth’ internal fixture which allows for water volumes to reach very close to the top of the walls.
If you are assuming the overflow that penetrates the wall is at the top fill level, that is not the case – the diagram on this page shows how this works. The top of the water level is only about 120mm below the top of the wall which allows for the roof trusses to just sit clear of the water.
As everyone’s water harvesting and rainwater storage needs are different, depending on their annual rainfall, water usage, and roof size, as are standard water tank sizes. Pioneer Water Tanks offer sizes from 12,000 litres to 500,000 litres with 110,000 litres being the most common for rural homes. If you are unsure call us on 1800 999 599, and our sales team will be able to assist.
All Pioneer Water Tanks come with our standard accessories, including but not limited to; our industry leading AQUALINER FRESH® tank liner, our 150mm diameter tank overflow and a galvanised ladder. In addition, a range of optional tank accessories are also available for your water tank.