Pioneer’s 280,000L water tank – the GT280, with a gross capacity of 276,180 – is the largest water tank in the rural rainwater tanks range. A rainwater tank of this size is usually for a large rural family of six or so – looking to use the water tank for all of their household water storage, as well as drinking water and maybe a small garden – or for large farms or cattle stations, looking to ensure they have enough water storage to sustain themselves.
The GT280 – despite being Pioneer’s largest rural tank – is still the first choice for many Australians across the country who are looking to ensure they have more than enough water supply for their homes or farms. Steel tank sizes upward of 200,000L are also particularly popular on cattle stations and farms.
Typically, people who are looking for water tanks this large have no access to mains water or town water, meaning that they need to ensure they have a water tank large enough to meet their needs – as well as enough rainwater harvesting capacity – so that they don’t have to pay to have water carted.
If you are unsure what water tank size is best for your home, or if you can harvest enough water to fill a 280,000L steel water tank, you can use Pioneer’s water storage calculator (below) in order to determine how much rainfall you can harvest from the roof of your home or shed.
The below table shows the dimensions and gross capacities of the GT280 – Pioneer’s 280,000L equivalent water tank, as well as t GT250 model water tank, which is one size down.
MODEL | Diameter | Height | Litres | Gallons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GT280 | 12.70m | 2.18m | 276,180 | 60,751 |
GT250 | 12.03m | 2.18m | 147,874 | 54,525 |
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.
For more than thirty years, Pioneer Water Tanks have been Australia’s leading supplier of large steel water tanks such as the 280,000L rainwater tank, providing water storage to Australian families and farmers, and to this day continue to lead the way in innovation and quality.
Regardless of if you need an 80,000L tank or a 280,000L tank, every tank installed by Pioneer Water tanks is manufactured in Australia, from Australian made Zincalume® or Colorbond® Steel, and Pioneer Water Tanks remains Australian owned and operated to this day.
Pioneer’s designed-for-purpose tank wall profile – the award winning Pioneer V-Lock® – is engineered specifically for use in water storage applications, providing superior strength and durability, whilst protecting the tank liner from excessive stretching over time as the tank fills and empties.
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.
Pioneer’s 280,000L water tanks – along with the wide range of Pioneer Water Tanks – come 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 280kL 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 are interested in a quote for a 280,000L rainwater tank, give us a call today on 1800 921 384, or fill out the form here and one of our local water tank installers will get in touch.
Pioneer’s Dealer Direct® Network has over 50 suppliers Australia wide who can help you from the point of installation and throughout your tank’s service life.
Pioneer’s closest model to a 280,000L water tank – and the largest available size in the GT range – is the GT280, with a gross capacity of 276,180 litres, while just below that is the GT250 at 247,874 of capacity.
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.
