|
Tanks for storing water for homes, businesses, and even entire communities come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and they can be used to store water for a variety of uses and reasons.
From hot water heaters supplying homes and businesses to massive installations holding thousands and thousands of gallons of water, water storage tanks run a wide gamut of sizes and they can serve a wide variety of useful functions.
Uses for and Designs of Water Tanks
Tanks can be used to store potable (safe to drink) water in relatively small or suitably large quantities for everyday or emergency use, as well as for crop irrigation. They can also be used to store water for non-potable uses such as fire fighting or sewage treatment.
Tanks can also be designed to collect rainwater, accidental spillages, or runoff from floods. There are also tanks designed to contain sea water or contaminated water for treatment.
There are tanks designed to hold as few as 30 to 100 gallons of water as well as those designed to safely store 15,000+ gallons.
Some water storage tanks are designed for placement above ground, inside (as with hot water heaters) or outside (everything from water supplies for one home or one business to fulfilling the water needs of an entire community). Others, serving the same functions, are made to be permanently installed underground.
The shape of tanks can vary depending on the way they may be used and the places in which they will be installed. Shapes can include cylinders, barrels, bowls, and even flexible bladders.
Plastic or Steel?
Tanks can be made of different materials but the most popular ones are made of either stainless galvanized steel or plastic (polyethylene). Fiberglass is another option, especially for underground installations. Even wooden barrels can be used, mostly for temporary storage of potable water.
Steel tanks have the advantage of durability. They will most likely rust in time but a well-built tank properly installed and maintained should last a good 50 years without fear of outright failure.
Polyethylene tanks have the advantage of being easier to move and to install due to their lighter weight. No special surface preparation is usually needed, for example, to install an above-ground poly tank. They are also easier, when compared to steel tanks, to repair should damage occur, which is more likely with less-durable plastic than it might be with steel tanks. Rust is not a major concern with poly tanks.
By Michael Willis
Related Links:
|
Related Sites:
Chem Trainer
An industrial site with lots of information about water tanks (potable, septic, and transport.)
Water Storage Tanks
An informational site about poly water tanks of all shapes and sizes.
Loomis Tanks
An informative site featuring information about water tanks great and small.
|
|
