13,000 Gallon Tanks

The six tanks

Start with the wall. Resin sets what the tank can hold and how hot; the specific gravity rating sets how heavy a liquid the wall is built for. Pick a cell to narrow the list.

Every size of vertical tanks, or call 866-418-1777 for the one you need.

Every size of rainwater tanks, or call 866-418-1777 for the one you need.

Every size of cone bottom tanks, or call 866-418-1777 for the one you need.

The six tanks, and how they differ

Norwesco's four share a 144 inch diameter, 198 inch height and a 22 inch threaded vented manway. The white HDPE and the black linear polyethylene tanks are the 1.5 specific gravity walls, listed at 22,919 dollars before freight, shipping at 2,713 and 3,163 pounds. The black heavy duty wall is rated 1.9 at 3,600 pounds and 26,039 dollars, and carries Norwesco's 5 year warranty. The blue high density linear tank is the 1.9 wall at 3,588 pounds and 27,365 dollars.

Snyder's two share a 142 inch diameter, a 238 inch height and an 18 inch threaded vented manway, both listed at 49,999 dollars. The white high density linear tank is rated 1.9 specific gravity to 120 degrees F at 3,660 pounds, and lists FDA approved and ANSI/NSF 61 approved resin. The black polyethylene tank is rated 1.5 to 100 degrees F at 3,250 pounds, and lists FDA compliant resin and NSF 61.

The practical split is footprint versus reach. The Norwesco mold spreads the same water over a wider pad and keeps the manway 40 inches lower, which matters when the only lift on site is a telehandler. The Snyder mold takes 3 square feet less pad per tank and lines up with Snyder's taller family if you are adding to an existing farm of them.

If your liquid is water at a specific gravity of 1.0, the 1.5 rated walls are already a wide margin. Fertilizer, brine and dense chemicals are what the 1.9 walls are for, and they are the ones to buy when the liquid is heavier than water.

Side by side, from the manufacturer records

Scroll the table sideways; the tank name stays put.

Choosing by what you will store

Standards the manufacturers list

ASTM D1998, Standard Specification for Polyethylene Upright Storage Tanks, is the construction standard for both molds; it sets wall thickness by specific gravity rating and the hoop stress and test schedule behind it.

NSF/ANSI 61, Drinking Water System Components, is listed by the makers on four of the six for the resin in contact with water, and FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 covers the olefin polymers themselves. We print exactly what each maker lists for each tank in the comparison table and on its product page, and nothing stronger.

• FDA-compliant resinListed by the maker on 3 of 6: Black Vertical Storage Tank, Black Heavy Duty Vertical Storage Tank, Cone Bottom Tank.
• NSF 61Listed by the maker on 3 of 6: Black Vertical Storage Tank, Black Heavy Duty Vertical Storage Tank, Cone Bottom Tank.
• FDA approvedListed by the maker on 1 of 6: 30 Degree Plastic Cone Bottom Tank in White.
• ANSI/NSF 61 approvedListed by the maker on 1 of 6: 30 Degree Plastic Cone Bottom Tank in White.

Install day

Set the tank on the finished pad with the manway reachable from a platform or a ladder tied off at the top; at 198 or 238 inches nobody reaches it from the ground. Leave the threaded vented manway as the vent unless you add a dedicated one, and never seal it under a pump suction.

Pipe every fitting with a flexible connection and support the pipe independently. A full tank settles and a polyethylene wall grows in the sun; rigid pipe cracks the fitting or the wall. Keep the drawing on the job for fitting positions and tie-down provisions; the 3D model on this page is traced from that same drawing.

Tools: tank sizing calculator, chemical tank recommender, state regulations. Related: all Snyder tanks, vertical tanks, 10,000 gallon tanks.