Build your Home with Hydrowall Rainwater Tanks
There are many benefits of building a house with Hydrowall Rainwater Tanks. Hydrowall can be used instead of traditional materials to build walls and fences. Our rainwater tanks can be used to build the whole house or used strategically in areas of the house where the water is most needed or where the thermal mass is required. Hydrowall can be used for external or internal walls, so there is no limit to where the can used. While it is possible to build the entire building with Hydorwall, the reality is that the volume is far more water than you will need. A typical application is to construct the garage or particular walls like the bathroom or laundry, or fences and screen walls.
Thermal Mass Using Rainwater
The volume of stored water acts as thermal mass to help with the passive solar heating and cooling of the building. Thermal mass is a term used to describe the amount of energy that is stored in the building materials. Thermal mass can be used to keep the building cool in summer and warm in winter and helps to maintain a stable temperature inside the building. During the day, the sun will heat the thermal mass and at night it will release the stored heat. The more thermal mass there is, the longer it will take to heat and cool. Water is excellent thermal mass because of its large mass. The performance can be improved further by moving (pumping) the water around from warm to cold areas and vice-versa. For example, the stored rainwater can be heated by the sun and then pumped round the home to passively heat the home in Winter. In summer, thermal mass can be a problem if the building is not designed correctly.
The thermal mass will heat up during the day and will then release the heat through the night which can uncomfortable on a hot summer evening. On the flip-side, the thermal mass can be used to keep the building cool in summer by allowing the mass to cool down at night and then maintain a cooler temperature during the day. Superwall offer the best of both systems! In Winter when the tanks are full of rainwater, it provides a lot of thermal masses. The rainwater tanks can be located on the North side to capture heat from the sun that make the water hot and then release the heat throughout the night.
The water could also be circulated through a solar heating array on the roof (like a pool heater). In Summer, the tanks will slowly empty and reduce in thermal mass unless they are topped up from another source (assuming there is not much rain in Summer). The little or empty tanks still provide enough insulation because the empty tank is essentially like a cavity and prevents heat transmission from outside to inside. If the tanks are full of water, then it will also provide good thermal performance but care should be taken to shade the wall from the Summer sun to reduce heat gain.
Space and Cost Benefits
As blocks get smaller, the environmental responsibilities become difficult and expensive that the planning authority usually required. Hydrowall rainwater tanks and first flush rainwater filters provide an excellent solution because they enable homeowners to store rainwater without sacrificing valuable space. The cost benefits are also significant because the Hydrowalls are acting as both the water storage and the building material. It usually works out to be less than buying building materials and also separate rainwater tanks and first flush rainwater filters. There is also the added benefit of reduced water bills.
Acoustic Performance of a Water Tank House
Hydrowalls provide excellent sound insulation regardless of whether they are full or empty. When full, the rainwater will help to absorb the sound. When empty, the isolated cells form a barrier to the sound. Full tanks are significantly better than empty tanks.
Construction Benefits
The simple construction system of Hydrowalls allows a fast development time. It allows for creation by unskilled labor with a minimum of tools and wastage. A licensed plumber must do only the final connection to the water system.
