Savvy Tips & Helpful Hints

5 Savvy Ways To Cover Water Tanks

Homes today should have at least one water tank. It’s the ideal way to collect rainwater and save it for a possible drought. Water tanks are also eco-friendly as, with one, you don’t have to rely on your main water supply to get your washing done. You could reduce your water bills too. 

But water tanks can be unsightly sometimes for a homeowner or someone passing by the lot. They’re large structures that could grab your attention when they don’t have anything keeping them out of view. Luckily, there are a couple of savvy methods to cover your home’s water tanks. Keep reading this article to learn how:

1. Blend With The Foliage

If your water tank is near or in your garden, you can cover it with various plants. Tall foliage like palm or bamboo is a viable option that can cover most water tanks for homes. You could even surround it with bushes, hedges or vines as long as you know how to prevent overgrowth. Low-maintenance ornamental grasses excellent water tank covers too. 

It also helps if your water tank is in a neutral color like brown or beige or matches your garden like a muted green. These colors naturally blend in with most environments, even urban ones. You can check here for examples of neutral-colored water tanks in various shapes and sizes. 

Using plants is an affordable, creative and eco-friendly way to cover your water tank at home. You may only need to spend a tiny bit if you have enough plants in your garden to relocate next to your water tank. However, you must be mindful of fallen leaves that could land on the top of the tank and roots or branches that could entwine themselves around the pipework. Ensure that you place your plants at a desirable distance from the tank if you use them as a cover.

2. Put It Behind A Screen

Another viable option is to use a screen. Railings or barriers that match your yard’s fence can hide your water tank effortlessly. It’ll take a little more labour to achieve. But if you do the job well, you or others are less likely to see your hulking water tank.

For starters, try bamboo fencing. It’s easy to install, eco-friendly and affordable. Bamboo fences aren’t limited to covering your water tank from view either. They can be decorations for your lawn. If you want to be extra fancy, intricate lattice panels are great choices.

Meanwhile, wooden fences are durable and often provide excellent concealment with their tightly-spaced slats. No one’s going to see the tank with this screen covering it. However, people might wonder what you’re hiding behind it.

3. Paint It

Painting your water tank is an acceptable way to make it more attractive if you’re not much of a minimalist. Take this opportunity to unleash your inner creativity and turn your plain tank into backyard décor. You could even get your kids involved and have it as a family activity over the weekend. The colourful murals may not cover the tank from view, but it’ll make it less unsightly for you and others in your neighbourhood. 

Aside from making it attractive, one perk of painting a water tank is it helps lengthen its lifespan. If you have an older steel water tank, it may be on its way to deteriorating. Old tanks could cause leaks, wasting the precious water you’ve saved from rainfall or careful lawn maintenance. Paint will slow down the corrosion process and ensure the tank stays on your property until you get a new one. 

Before painting it, ensure all orifices are closed or covered correctly. Chemicals might find their way inside the tank and contaminate the water. That impure water may harm you, your family, your pet and your plants.

4. Apply Camouflage

Many homeowners nowadays are into minimalist designs. So, if you’re one of them, painting your water tank in bright colours may not be ideal for you. Instead, you can incorporate the same colours your house’s exterior uses so that the tank melts in the background. This method works best if your water tank is next to an outer wall. 

Next, paint on the same patterns or surface texture as your house, if there are any, on the wall. The end product should be a water tank that’s barely visible at first glance.

5. Combine Several Methods

If one technique isn’t enough for you, you can apply two or more methods mentioned earlier to cover your water tank. Consider painting your tank green if it’s next to your garden, then install a lattice fence with vines or hanging plants. Avoid cutting your lawn grass too short as the additional foliage height can hide the bottom of the tank. 

Some people consider their water tank as part of their landscape. Combining more than one way to cover it could add value to your home and property in the long run.

Conclusion

Your water tank doesn’t have to be an eyesore every time you or someone else passes by your home. With creativity time, and the proper tools, you can cover a tank and make it blend seamlessly with its surroundings.