The Bushman 165 gallon vertical water tank is a compact, freestanding poly tank for water storage, sized for tight pads where a 38-inch square footprint is all you have to work with. It stands on a 38 x 38-inch base, so it slots into corners, sheds, and pump houses without committing to a large rainwater train. The black exterior blocks sunlight to slow algae growth, making it a practical vertical storage tank for hauled water, well buffering, irrigation supply, and emergency reserve.
Will it work for your site?
This is a 165-gallon polyethylene tank rated to a specific gravity of 1.0, meaning it is built for water and water-weight liquids rather than denser chemicals. Filled to capacity, the contents alone weigh about 1,376 pounds, which is also the maximum rated contents weight, so design your pad and any stand around that load plus the empty weight of the tank itself. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide to confirm 165 gallons covers your draw-down between fills before you settle on this size. The vertical profile keeps the footprint small while still giving you usable head for gravity-fed lines.
Mounting, pad, and weight
A water-filled tank this size puts roughly 1,376 pounds of contents onto its 38 x 38-inch footprint, so it needs continuous, level support across the entire base. A poured pad is the cleanest answer here; our guide to concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI 360R-10 framework so the slab carries that load evenly instead of letting the tank rock or bridge a soft spot. Check the technical drawing on this page for the exact outlet and fitting locations before you trench plumbing.
The mistake to avoid
The specific gravity rating on this tank is 1.0. That is the honest limit: it is engineered for water, so do not press it into service holding a heavier liquid than water without stepping up to a tank rated for that contents weight. Treat the 1.0 SG number as a hard ceiling, not a suggestion, and your water storage tank will give you its full service life. If you are harvesting rainwater into this tank, our Bushman rainwater harvesting and first-flush diverter sizing guide covers keeping debris and the first dirty flush out of your stored water.
This Bushman vertical water tank ships LTL freight from the plant in Brigham City, Utah, with freight quoted live to your ZIP. Get a number in seconds with the Freight Cost Estimator, or call us at 866-418-1777 to talk through the size, the pad, and delivery to your site.
