Should you overwinter your rainwater recovery tank?

Winter is fast approaching and the question arises of the use of a rainwater collector during the winter season. Should your tank be overwintered? And if so, how should you protect your rainwater recovery tank?

A buried tank to use all winter

It all depends on the type of tank you have. If it is a buried tank,you can use it all year round, even in the middle of winter, without any risk of the water freezing or the tank deteriorating as the gel expands.

Once the top of the tank is buried at a depth of 40 centimetres, there is no longer a risk of frost, at least in France where winters are rarely harsh. The water stored underground is also protected from UV and rump.

This should not prevent you from checking that the pipes and pump in your facility are in good condition. But you won't have to do anything else to be able to continue to collect rainwater throughout the winter.

Wintering the above-ground tank

If you have an above-ground tank, however, you will need to empty it and shelter it during the winter months. Here are the steps to follow:

- Empty all remaining water into the tank, disconnect it or close its valve. No rain or snow will be able to get in the way.
- Also close the lid of the tank so that dead leaves and other vegetation cannot be deposited there.
- Preserve the valve from the gel by protecting it from a fabric as thick as a blanket.

Connections, faucets, coupling kits... All accessories in the rainwater recovery tank must be removed and sheltered to preserve their condition until the end of winter.

Don't leave your tank outside. Install it in your garage or garden shed if you can.

Use your IBC tank in winter

Note that the use of an anti-freeze product in a rainwater recovery tank is strictly prohibited. It would make the harvested water unsuitable, even for simply watering the garden.

If winter is mild, it is possible, while remaining vigilant about the weather conditions and the risk of frost, to continue using your rainwater recovery tank IBC. But if it freezes, don't wait to switch your tank to wintering mode to prevent it from cracking or expanding its valve.