2500 Gallon Plastic Water Storage Tank - Black (95" x 91") #41524: Complete Buyer's Guide
2,500-gallon black water storage tank built for safe potable water storage. Manufactured by Norwesco from virgin linear polyethylene (HDPE) rated to handle liquids up to 9.2 pounds per gallon. FDA approved for contact with potable water, ensuring safe storage for drinking water and food-grade liquids.
Specifications at a Glance
Every figure below is pulled straight from the live product record for this exact tank — the same data on the product page, so what you read here and what you buy never disagree.
Standards & Materials
- ASTM D1998 — Standard Specification for Polyethylene Upright Storage Tanks. Governs wall-thickness and hydrostatic design for vertical rotomolded poly tanks of this class.
- FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 — Olefin polymers. The food-contact regulation the FDA-grade resin in this tank is compounded to meet.
- Specific gravity rating 1.1 — the tank is engineered for liquids up to 1.1× the density of water (water is about 8.34 lb/gal). Confirm your fluid’s SG before storage.
Product Overview
The 2500 Gallon Plastic Water Storage Tank in black is a workhorse reserve for sites that measure water in tens of barrels, not gallons — irrigation blocks, livestock operations, rural fire suppression, and commercial buildings that cannot be caught short. At 91 inches tall on a 95-inch base, it is almost perfectly balanced between height and width, which keeps 2500 gallons stable on the ground.
Norwesco molds the body in a single rotational pass from virgin linear polyethylene, so the wall is one continuous piece with no seam or weld to become a failure point. The 1.1 specific gravity rating means it is engineered for liquids up to 9.2 pounds per gallon, comfortably covering water and most everyday liquids. The black wall both blocks UV from the resin and starves any algae of the light it needs.
Empty, the tank is 340 pounds; filled with rated-density water it loads the ground with about 23,275 pounds across its 49-square-foot footprint. A weight like that is a structural-engineering question, not a backyard guess. A factory 2-inch NPT outlet feeds the system and a 16-inch lid opens the interior for inspection, cleaning, and float or pump installation.
Key Features and Specifications
- 2,500-gallon capacity — sized for safe potable water storage
- Constructed from virgin linear polyethylene (HDPE) with 1.1 specific gravity rating — handles liquids up to 9.2 lbs/gal
- 91" tall x 95" diameter — compact vertical footprint
- 340 lbs empty, approximately 23,275 lbs when full at rated specific gravity
- 2" NPT outlet fitting — factory installed and leak-tested
- 1.5" NPT inlet fitting included
- 16" lid opening for fill, venting, and interior access
- FDA approved for potable water and food-grade liquid contact
- 3 Year Warranty from Norwesco against manufacturing defects
- UV-resistant black pigmentation provides maximum outdoor durability and inhibits algae growth in stored liquids
- Rated for continuous service up to 120 F / 48 C
- Seamless one-piece rotational molding — no seams, no welds, no leak points
- Manufactured by Norwesco — a leading name in rotomolded polyethylene tanks
- Install on a level, compacted surface. Ensure adequate clearance above for lid access and around the perimeter for plumbing connections and visual inspection
- Ships via LTL freight — allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Lift gate and residential delivery available at additional cost
Installation and Setup Guide
At 91 inches tall and 95 across, this 2500-gallon tank is essentially as wide as it is high, which is the friendliest geometry a tank this size can have — the 23,275-pound full load sits low and spreads over nearly fifty square feet rather than driving down through a narrow base. The catch is unchanged from every large tank: a 95-inch flat bottom records every imperfection beneath it, so the foundation is the whole game.
Site Preparation
This is squarely in engineered-foundation territory. Plan a four-inch (or thicker, per a structural pro) reinforced concrete slab extending at least a foot past the 95-inch base, or a deep, heavily compacted crushed-stone ring screeded flat to a quarter inch over the full width. With 23,275 pounds bearing down, an out-of-level pad does not just stress the wall — it can settle progressively and pull the whole tank off plumb.
Placement and Connections
Bring the discharge off the factory 2-inch outlet at the base of an eight-foot water column, the point of maximum head, and isolate it from the plumbing with a flexible coupling so the tank's thermal movement never loads the bulkhead. Keep the run low and short. Set your fill rate so the 16-inch lid can pass displaced air without back-pressure, and hand-tighten all threads a quarter turn past snug.
Venting
Drawing down 2500 gallons demands an equal volume of air rushing back in, and a black tank warmed by sun makes that pressure swing sharp. The 16-inch lid is the relief path: keep its screened vent fully open. A choked vent meets the first hard pump-out by buckling a sidewall or caving the top — sudden, not gradual — so the vent check is the single most important habit on a tank this large.
Maintenance and Long-Term Care
Twenty-five hundred gallons of potable water is a serious reserve, and on a black tank the dark wall keeps algae in check by denying it light. Still, water this volume is never set-and-forget; the seasonal routine below protects both the water quality and the costly foundation that holds it up.
Quarterly Inspection Checklist
- Sidewall scan: Look across the 95-inch shell for any low bulge — on a 23,275-pound tank that is the earliest warning of a settling pad or water heavier than the 1.1 rating.
- Outlet check: Inspect the 2-inch bulkhead for weeping and hand-tighten if it has crept; the head pressure at the base makes this fitting the one to watch.
- Foundation audit: Walk the full perimeter for erosion, settling, or washout, since a tank this heavy amplifies any movement in the pad.
- Vent and 16-inch lid: Confirm the screened vent is clear and the lid gasket seats — the lid is the contaminant path, and the vent is the deformation guard.
Cleaning
Once a year, drain all 2500 gallons through the 2-inch outlet, rinse the interior, and run a 50-ppm chlorine solution with roughly an hour of contact before refilling for potable use. The broad 95-inch floor accumulates sediment that the annual full drain clears, and with the lid open it is the right moment to wipe the gasket and confirm nothing has slipped past it into the supply.
UV and Weather Protection
Black pigment gives this big tank the most robust UV protection Norwesco offers, but stabilizer is depleted by sunlight rather than permanent. In high-UV regions, inspect the south face yearly for chalking; the tank will outlast lighter-colored neighbors regardless, and shade in extreme desert sun extends that advantage.
Alternatives and Comparisons
Twenty-five hundred gallons in black is a substantial reserve, and Norwesco offers it in more than one shape — this near-square 95-by-91 against a taller, narrower 2500-gallon profile that fits a different footprint. Below that, a 2000-gallon tank eases the foundation; above it, the 3000- and 5000-gallon tanks carry sites that need an even deeper buffer. Compare loaded weights before you commit a pad.
Other 2500-Gallon Options
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the 2500 Gallon Plastic Water Storage Tank - Black (95" x 91") #41524 last?
On an engineered pad, within its 1.1 specific gravity and 120°F limits, and with the annual cleaning, this black 2500-gallon tank reliably reaches fifteen to twenty years. The seamless one-piece wall has no welds to part and the black UV package is the most durable available; what cuts a big tank's life short is a foundation that settles or water left to stagnate, never the polyethylene itself.
What chemicals can I store in this tank?
It is built and FDA-approved for potable water and food-grade liquids, and within its 9.2-pound-per-gallon rating it handles many lighter farm and industrial solutions too. Keep fuels, solvents, and flammables out entirely, and confirm any chemical on a poly compatibility chart first — the resin resists most acids and bases but a handful of strong oxidizers attack it.
What kind of foundation does a 2500-gallon tank need?
A 23,275-pound load is not a job for improvised support. Plan an engineered, reinforced concrete slab sized past the 95-inch base, or a deep compacted crushed-stone ring screeded flat to a quarter inch — and at this weight, have a structural professional specify the slab thickness and reinforcement for your soil.
Does this tank come with a warranty?
Yes — Norwesco's 3-year warranty covers manufacturing defects under normal use, meaning factory faults like pinholes, cracks, and fitting defects. It does not cover overloading past 1.1 SG, a settling or poorly built foundation, chemical attack, or impact. Keep proof of purchase together with installation photos.
Can I install this tank underground?
No. This is an above-ground tank; its flat 95-inch wall cannot resist the inward pressure of backfill and would collapse if buried, voiding the warranty. For below-grade storage at this scale, use a ribbed, reinforced underground cistern engineered for burial loads.
Buying Considerations
Before ordering, lock down three things: confirm a 49-square-foot pad with overhead lid clearance exists where you need it, have a structural professional size the slab for the full 23,275-pound load rather than guessing, and arrange LTL freight with offload equipment — a tank this wide needs both access and a crew to set it down.
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