5000 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank: Complete Buyer's Guide
At 5,000 gallons standing nearly thirteen feet tall, this Norwesco vertical is bulk chemical and fertilizer storage at industrial scale — over thirty tons when full and fitted with a 3-inch outlet to move that volume. The 1.5-specific-gravity wall is rated for liquids up to 12.5 pounds per gallon.
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 1.5 — the tank is engineered for liquids up to 1.5× the density of water (water is about 8.34 lb/gal). Confirm your fluid’s SG before storage.
Product Overview
The 5000 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank is where on-site storage stops being a convenience and becomes infrastructure. Standing 152 inches tall on a 102-inch base, it anchors a fertilizer dealership, a chemical feed system, or any operation that buys liquids by the tanker and needs to hold a meaningful reserve. This is a planned, engineered installation, not a tank you wheel into a corner.
Two details mark it as a serious-volume vessel. The outlet is a 3-inch fitting with a 2-inch reducer rather than the plain 2-inch found on smaller tanks — sized to fill or empty thousands of gallons in a reasonable window. And the translucent white walls, while still letting you read the level and reflect heat, are built into a shell that holds back an enormous standing column of liquid.
The empty tank already weighs 990 pounds and requires equipment to set. Filled with a 1.5-SG liquid it reaches about 63,540 pounds — over thirty-one tons concentrated on 56.7 square feet, a load that absolutely requires an engineered foundation designed by a professional. The 16-inch lid handles top access for cleaning and instrumentation. No inlet ships from the factory; a bulkhead is added to suit the plumbing.
Despite its size the tank is still molded as one seamless piece, with no weld or joint in the wall, UV stabilizer in the resin, and Norwesco's 3-year defect warranty. Because of its dimensions it moves by dedicated freight, and we coordinate that delivery with you.
Technical Drawing
Official Norwesco technical drawing — 5000 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank
Key Features and Specifications
- 5,000-gallon capacity — sized for agricultural chemical and fertilizer storage
- Constructed from virgin linear polyethylene (HDPE) with 1.5 specific gravity rating — handles liquids up to 12.5 lbs/gal
- 152" tall x 102" diameter — compact vertical footprint
- 990 lbs empty, approximately 63,540 lbs when full at rated specific gravity
- 3" with 2" Reducer NPT outlet fitting — factory installed and leak-tested
- 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
- Translucent white walls allow visual level monitoring without opening the tank and reflect sunlight to keep contents cooler
- 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 dedicated freight carrier due to oversized dimensions — contact us for delivery timeline and site access requirements
Installation and Setup Guide
At thirty-one tons full and nearly thirteen feet tall, the 5000 is a structural installation. Everything about siting it — the pad, the access, the restraint, the plumbing — should be planned in advance and, for the foundation, engineered by a professional. There is no improvising a tank this size.
Site Preparation
This tank requires a reinforced concrete foundation designed for the full 63,540-pound load and sized to support the 102-inch base completely. A structural engineer should specify the slab thickness and reinforcement for your soil. The surface must be flat within a small tolerance across the full diameter — at this height and weight, even a minor high spot creates a damaging stress concentration in the lower wall. Plan the pad, access for the delivery truck, and offloading equipment together before the tank arrives.
Placement and Connections
Position the tank so the 3-inch outlet faces your transfer system and the run is as short as practical. Use schedule-80 PVC or stainless on the bulkhead, hand-tighten with a strap-wrench finish, and add a flexible section before rigid pipe to absorb the considerable thermal movement of a tank this large. Build permanent, safe access to the 16-inch lid — a fixed platform or caged ladder — and leave generous clearance for inspection and service all around.
Venting
Venting is critical at this scale: filling or emptying thousands of gallons moves enormous volumes of air, and an undersized vent will either crease the wall under vacuum or stress it under pressure. Provide a large vent sized to your maximum 3-inch flow rate, and for any chemical that off-gasses use a pressure-vacuum relief vent rated for the product.
Maintenance and Long-Term Care
A tank this valuable repays a disciplined inspection routine. Fold these checks into your regular plant rounds using the permanent access you have built.
Quarterly Inspection Checklist
- Lower wall: The base ring carries the highest stress on a tall, heavy tank — look closely there for any bulge, distortion, or flat spot against the pad.
- Outlet: Inspect the 3-inch fitting for weeping under the substantial head and snug it by hand.
- Foundation: Check the engineered slab for cracking or settlement and confirm it remains level.
- Vent: Verify the large vent is fully clear; on a tank this size a blocked vent can deform the wall in a single fast cycle.
Cleaning
Drain fully through the 3-inch outlet, then flush the interior from your top access with a rinse that neutralizes the previous chemical. Follow the manufacturer's decontamination procedure, and capture the large volume of rinse for disposal under its safety data sheet — at this scale, rinse handling is a planned step, not an afterthought.
UV and Weather Protection
A thirteen-foot south wall gathers a great deal of sun, so check that face annually for chalking. In severe-sun regions, the surface life of a tank this large and costly is worth protecting with a shade structure or reflective treatment on the sunny side.
Alternatives and Comparisons
At 5,000 gallons the alternatives are about volume strategy. One large tank like this consolidates storage and minimizes the number of foundations and connections to maintain; two smaller tanks instead give redundancy and let you isolate or service one while the other stays in use. A 6,000- or 6,500-gallon tank steps up volume if a tanker load is your unit of purchase. For batch processes needing a clean drain at this scale, a 5,500-gallon cone-bottom on a steel stand is the right tool. And for bulk water, the matching black water tank costs less by carrying a lighter 1.1-SG wall instead of this 1.5-SG chemical construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the 5000 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank last?
With an engineered foundation, operation within the 1.5 specific-gravity rating, and compatible chemistry, fifteen to twenty years is a sound expectation, and well-tended tanks of this build often exceed it. The seamless shell and in-resin UV package make the vessel durable; what shortens it is an overloaded wall, a vacuum from inadequate venting, a chemical attack, or a foundation that was never designed for thirty-one tons.
What chemicals can I store in this tank?
The 1.5-SG rating covers most liquid fertilizers, ag chemicals, and many industrial acids and bases up to 12.5 pounds per gallon. Polyethylene resists those well but not strong oxidizers or many solvents, and it must never hold flammable fuels. Given the volume at stake, confirm your product on a poly compatibility chart and verify its specific gravity before filling.
What kind of foundation does a 5000-gallon tank need?
A full load is roughly 63,540 pounds, which requires a reinforced concrete foundation engineered by a structural professional for your soil and sized to support the 102-inch base. This is not a job for a simple gravel pad — the slab specification and a dead-level surface are essential to the tank's survival.
Does this tank come with a warranty?
Yes, three years from Norwesco against defects in materials and workmanship — molding flaws, pinholes, and factory fitting defects. It does not cover overloading past 1.5 SG, chemical attack, an inadequate or non-engineered foundation, or impact damage. Retain your invoice and installation documentation for any claim.
Can I install this tank underground?
No. This is an above-ground vertical tank; its flat walls cannot withstand the soil and groundwater pressure of burial and would collapse. For below-grade storage at this scale, use purpose-built underground vessels engineered with ribbed, reinforced walls.
Buying Considerations
This is an engineered installation, so plan three things carefully before ordering. First, the foundation — thirty-one tons full requires a professionally designed reinforced slab; have it specified before the tank ships. Second, site access and offloading — at nearly thirteen feet and 990 pounds empty, this tank moves by dedicated freight and needs equipment and clear access to set. Third, the liquid: keep it at or below 1.5 specific gravity and confirm the product's weight. Call us early and we will coordinate the delivery and site requirements with you.
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