1075 Gallon Plastic Water Storage Tank: Complete Buyer's Guide
- 1,075-gallon black water tank by Norwesco — virgin linear HDPE, rated to 9.2 lb/gal, FDA-approved for potable water.
- Factory fittings: 2-inch outlet, 1.5-inch inlet, 16-inch lid.
- Built for commercial, agricultural, and industrial storage — not residential/hobby scale.
- Set it on a level, engineered pad; plan a once-a-year cleanout and inspection.
- Every spec here is pulled live from the product record, so the guide and the cart never disagree.
The 1,075-gallon Norwesco vertical water tank (part number N-43804) is one of the most specified mid-size potable-water tanks in agriculture, rural water hauling, and light industry. It hits a practical sweet spot: large enough to be the backbone of a real water system, small enough to still ship by standard LTL motor freight and fit through a wide gate on a single pallet. This guide walks through whether 1,075 gallons is the right size for your job, how to read the spec sheet, and how to set the tank up so it lasts its full service life.
Is 1,075 gallons the right size for you?
Capacity decisions go wrong in two directions: people buy too small and end up hauling water twice as often, or buy too big and pay LTL freight on volume they never use. A few real reference points for 1,075 gallons:
- A pickup-mounted water transfer load is typically 200-500 gallons, so one fill of this tank covers 2-5 hauling trips of buffer.
- Beef cattle drink roughly 10-20 gallons a head per day in summer heat; 1,075 gallons is about a one-day reserve for ~60-100 head, or several days for a small herd.
- For rainwater capture, every 1 inch of rain on a 1,000 sq ft roof yields about 600 gallons - so this tank fills from a single good storm off a modest barn or shop roof.
- As a fire or irrigation reserve, 1,075 gallons feeds a 10 GPM pump for roughly an hour and a half of continuous draw.
Why black HDPE for water storage
This tank is rotationally molded from virgin linear polyethylene (HDPE) in black, and both of those choices are deliberate, not cosmetic:
- Black blocks light. Algae needs sunlight to grow. An opaque black wall stops photosynthesis inside the tank, which is why black is the standard color for stored potable and irrigation water that sits for weeks. Translucent or light tanks invite green bloom.
- Virgin (not regrind) resin means the polyethylene is compounded to a food-contact formulation rather than mixed from reclaimed plastic of unknown history - that is what lets it carry an FDA food-contact rating for potable water.
- UV stabilization is blended into the resin so the wall resists sunlight embrittlement through years of outdoor service.
Reading the spec sheet
Every figure below is pulled from the live product record for this exact tank, so the guide and the product page never disagree:
| Manufacturer / Part # | Norwesco / N-43804 |
| Nominal capacity | 1,075 gallons |
| Footprint (diameter) | 87 in |
| Overall height | 51 in |
| Empty weight | 154 lb |
| Material | Virgin linear polyethylene (HDPE), black |
| Rated specific gravity | 1.1 (up to ~9.2 lb/gal) |
| Max temperature | 120°F / 48°C |
| Factory fittings | 2 in outlet, 1.5 in inlet, 16 in lid |
| Certifications | FDA food-contact resin, UV stabilized |
| Warranty | 3 year |
| Freight | Ships LTL motor freight |
What "specific gravity 1.1" actually means
Specific gravity (SG) is the density of your liquid compared to water. Water is 1.0 at about 8.34 lb/gal. This tank is engineered for liquids up to SG 1.1 - roughly 9.2 lb/gal - which comfortably covers potable water, rainwater, and most non-chemical agricultural liquids. If you are storing anything heavier or chemically aggressive, that is a different tank class (1.5 or 1.9 SG chemical-rated) - do not push a water tank past its rating.
The fittings, in plain terms
- 2 in outlet near the base - your main draw line; size your pump and plumbing to match.
- 1.5 in inlet - the fill connection up top.
- 16 in lid - large enough to reach in for inspection and cleaning; keep it sealed to keep light, insects, and debris out.
Foundation and installation
A flat-bottom vertical tank carries its entire filled weight - here about 9,100 lb full - straight down onto its base. It needs continuous, level support across the whole footprint, not a ring or a few piers:
- Set it on a level engineered pad - a compacted sand bed, a smooth concrete slab, or a manufactured tank pad. The surface must support the full 87 in circle with no gaps or high spots.
- Avoid point loads. A single rock or seam under the base concentrates stress and is a classic cause of premature wall cracking.
- Leave clearance around the fittings for plumbing and future service.
- In windy areas, anchor or strap the tank - an empty poly tank is light (154 lb) and can move in a gust before it is filled.
- In freezing climates, plan for ice: never let a tank freeze solid full, insulate or heat-trace exposed plumbing, and slope lines to drain.
Freight reality - read this before you check out
The price you see is the list price for the tank. LTL freight is quoted separately to your ZIP code, because shipping an 87 in diameter tank across the country costs very differently than across the county. Use the freight estimator to get an exact number to your address before you commit. (Note the 2,550-gallon size ships as oversized / truckload rather than standard LTL - another reason to right-size up front.)
Keeping it in service
- Inspect once a year: look for surface crazing, fitting weeps, and seal condition at the lid.
- Clean annually if used for potable water - drain, scrub, sanitize, rinse. The 16 in lid is sized for this.
- Re-check anchoring and the pad after the first full season; settling happens.
- Keep the lid sealed between fills to hold water quality and keep light out.
Bottom line
The 1,075-gallon Norwesco is a proven, FDA-food-contact, black HDPE potable-water tank for operations that have outgrown drums and totes but do not yet need a 2,500-gallon footprint. Set it on a properly engineered pad, respect the 1.1 specific-gravity rating, get a real freight quote to your ZIP, and it will give years of reliable service. Compare it head-to-head with the 2,550-gallon size above, or browse the full water-tank lineup below.
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