40 Gallon Plastic Water Storage Tank

Where a 40 gallon vertical goes

This is a buffer tank, not a bulk tank. It sits beside a pressure pump as a drawdown reserve, holds a day of water for a cabin or a camp, catches condensate or rinse water in a shop, feeds a small drip line on a greenhouse bench, or keeps a backup supply in a closet where a bigger tank will not fit through the door. Standing 42 inches tall on an 18 inch circle, it puts the water surface about three and a half feet above the outlet, enough to flood a small pump or run a slow gravity line to something lower down. It is narrow, so it is also easy to tip when it is empty: set it against a wall or strap it, especially where people or animals move past it. The outlets are 3/4 inch, which suits a hose or a small pump line; if you need a 2 inch connection for fast draining, this is not the tank, and the sizes above it in the family carry bigger fittings. Check your draw against the volume with the tank sizing calculator and the tank sizing guide. If the tank is part of a reuse train for grey water or condensate, our water reuse tank topology guide explains how small tanks are staged.

Openings and fittings

1. Outlet. A 3/4 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting, factory installed low in the wall. A 3/4 inch valve or hose adapter threads straight in. Support the valve on its own so the fitting carries water, not hardware.
2. Inlet. A 3/4 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting for a fill line, a float valve or an overflow.
3. Top opening. Tell us how you plan to fill and clean the tank and we will confirm the top opening on this part number before it ships.
4. Drawing. Norwesco's drawing for this tank, linked under Technical Drawing on this page, shows the fitting positions.

Sizes nearby

One size up in the same family is the 75 gallon vertical water tank, part number 41457, a wider and taller tank with larger fittings. If you are sizing a fire water reserve for a rural site, a 40 gallon tank is a component, not the reservoir; our fire water reservoir design guide covers how the volume is set.

Shipping and receiving

The tank ships LTL at freight class 175 from Norwesco's Burnet, Texas plant, 18 by 18 by 42 inches on a pallet at a ship weight of 40 lb. The listed price is before freight; the freight cost estimator gives the lane cost to your ZIP, or request a written quote. It needs a flat, continuous surface under the whole 18 inch floor; for an outdoor base the concrete pad sizing guide has the framework. At the tailgate, check the part number against 41536 on the bill of lading and look at the wall and both fittings for transit damage. Fill it with water the first time and watch the fittings for a day before it goes into service; the water fill acceptance test guide gives the method.

Questions before you order? Call 866-418-1777.