The Fatboy Water Tank by Waterwall
By Joseph Starr on Monday, November 16th, 2009
The Fatboy. Designed by Waterwall.
Those who happen to be unschooled in the recent technological innovations regarding water-catchment systems might be a bit taken aback if they happened upon one of Waterwall’s Fat Boy 650 gallon tanks. And that’s not because there’s anything particularly unprecedented about a seven-foot high backyard contraption made of high-density polyethylene (at least not where my neighbors are concerned), but rather because these particular fatboys have an uncanny resemblance to an over-sized block of Swiss cheese.
But there’s a method to this madness: Waterwall’s exterior contours make the slim 2’ 4” tank width possible, since they create an internally-supportive structure that prevents buckling and warping when full. The innovation is nothing to shake a stick at (or a divining rod), since it allows a relatively narrow profile that makes home installations possible. The Fat Boy can by tucked under eaves, spread out along side yards, even strategically placed as a privacy screen or garden divider, all in the familiar environs of your diminutive homestead. The tanks are made with the sometimes maddening demands of water storage in mind: the polyethylene is UV treated, so no light enters, the water temp. stays constant, and algae growth is completely inhibited; they’re light when empty, weighing a mere 220 pounds; and they feature multiple options for tap, inlet, and oveflow outlet locations, so as to comform with the demands of your yard space. What’s more, installation is a breeze, as the boys from Waterwall demonstrate in this instructional video.
Scuttlebutt has it that Waterwall owes its genesis to an “aha” moment in Australia: co-founder Mitch O’Sullivan had two pressing requirements, rainwater catchment in close proximity to his garden and a fence to keep out the wallabies. One year and a half later Waterwall was born, wallabies were flummoxed, and—one imagines—O’Sullivan’s garden flourished. But even if you don’t require an expansive network of connecting tanks, you can still practice a bit of water conservation and feel good about reducing your environmental footprint, especially if you live in the perpetually-thirsty West. Waterwall is now available in the U.S. through a wide-distribution network, so no matter where you are, you can stop watching that rain run off your roof and start collecting it.
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