Slimline Tanks vs Round Tanks - an honest comparison (Review/Discussion)

Pros of Slimline Tanks

Space efficient; aesthetically pleasing; excellent holding capacity. If your room is limited, this design is probably your best pick. In fact, the option of a slim, oblong tank means that you can store water in places where a traditional round tank simply won’t fit.

The slimline design is perfect in situations such as:

• Small gardens
• Between path and house
• Between house and shed
• Against the boundary fence

Orion Slimline tanks are a single piece moulded construction, ensuring that your water storage solution is super strong and robust.

Modern home? Traditional home? There’s a profile to suit any design style, which means that your tank can look great as well as serving you well.

And there’s a huge range of colours available to choose from, including most of the Colorbond® range.

Cons of Slimline Tanks

The slimline design uses a lot more material than the traditional round tank and it’s more labour intensive, so you can expect to pay up to 80% more for this design.

On the other hand, they’re super convenient and stylish, so it’s a case of weighing up whether you’re prepared to pay a bit more for the convenience and the look.

There’s a limit to their size too - the largest Orion Slimline tank has a capacity of 5000L, whereas the largest of our round tanks is 26000L!

Depending on the design you choose, cleaning the inside of your slimline tank can be a bit more time consuming - there are extra corners and horizontal surfaces which can collect sediment and be a bit tricky to get to.

Pros of Round Rainwater Tanks

If you’re after a traditional rainwater tank, the round, corrugated or panelled style is the obvious choice. And there are several other reasons they’re popular with our customers too.

Firstly, they’re economical. They require less labour and material to construct than the oblong design, so they’re cheaper to manufacture.

And they’re durable. The round profile is about more than traditional looks: it’s super strong and robust and because of its shape, pressure from the water inside is distributed evenly around the walls of the tank.

When it comes time for cleaning, a round tank makes the job a lot easier - there are no corners, and you can access all walls and internal surfaces easily.

Wanting to ensure that your tank blends into the surrounding landscape? A cylindrical shape is pleasing to the eye and the shadows cast can help it to blend well, especially in dappled light.

Need to store a lot of water? Round tanks are available in a huge range of sizes, from 500L to 26000L. And some sizes have the option of a tall or squat design to ensure that your tank fits your space perfectly.

Cons of Round Rainwater Tanks

There are some negatives with round tanks, the most obvious being the space they take up. It’s a no brainer: a round tank just takes up a fair chunk of room.

They can be awkward to handle too - really big ones might take several people or a crane to get them into position.

If you’re wanting to hide your tank, a round one takes a bit more planning - screens, fences, decorative panels… there are ways and means to take the focus away from your rainwater tank, but you’ll need to plan it into your landscaping design. Unlike the slimline design, they can’t just be tucked away in a narrow space between two walls or against the fence.

Choosing The Best Tank for Your Property

When it comes to finding the perfect water storage solution for your property, here are a few basic things to consider:

• The available space
• The amount of water you need/want to harvest
• Street appeal/landscaping of your property
• Any council regulations in your area

Why not get the best of both worlds? By installing a combination of tank shapes and sizes, you can maximize water storage and achieve beautiful landscaping too. For example, a slimline tank or two against the house, and a round tank (or a series of round tanks) against your shed.

All the extra bits and bobs you need for your tank setup can be delivered along with your tank. Check out our range of tank accessories here.

Think carefully about the colour you choose for your tanks. Orion rainwater tanks are available in a huge range of Colorbond® colours, which means that you can choose a shade that will blend well with your landscaping and/or home.

Tough. Durable. Robust.

All our tanks are manufactured using Food Grade UV stabilised polyethylene, and in accordance with strict Australian standards. The wall thickness is carefully calculated to provide ample and excessive strength - they’re tough, durable, and robust.

Made by Aussies for Aussies - we understand that your rainwater tank is a serious investment, and we’re committed to making sure that you get the best bang for your buck.

What About Delivery?

Yes, we can deliver your water tank to your property and no, we don’t just drop it off by the farm gate.

We’re sticklers for good old-fashioned service, and we believe in doing the right thing by our customers, even if that means bumpy farm tracks and hands on help getting your tank into position (and yes, our delivery team are used to off-road driving as well as highway kilometres. In some areas of Tasmania, there doesn’t seem to be too much difference 🤔)

Do I Need a Permit for My Rainwater Tank?

Installing a rainwater tank does not usually require a permit. If your tank installation is part of a larger project that requires a permit or permits, we suggest that the rain tanks be included on drawings so there is no surprises when the final inspections are done.

Should you have questions about the suitability or feasibility of installing a tank on your property, we recommend that you talk to your local plumber or phone the sales team at Orion on 1800 752 784.