The Bushman 500 Gallon Vertical Rainwater Harvesting Tank (BM-30272) is a green polyethylene tank built for collecting and storing roof runoff above ground. It holds 500 gallons in a 71" tall cylindrical body on a compact 48" x 48" footprint, so a single 48-inch-square pad carries the full tank. Full of water it weighs about 4,170 lbs, which is the load your pad and site prep have to support.
Will it work for your site?
This is a vertical rainwater tank molded from polyethylene with a specific-gravity rating of 1.0, meaning it is rated for water and other contents at the density of water. The green color helps the tank blend into landscaping and limits light penetration, which discourages algae growth in stored rainwater. The round body measures 48 inches in diameter and 71 inches tall, sitting on a square 48" x 48" footprint, so the pad is square while the tank is cylindrical. Per the technical drawing on this page, the tank comes configured with a 9" x 9" flat fitting area for your inlet or access point, a 3-inch outlet and overflow kit, and a 1-inch bulkhead fitting with a polypropylene body and EPDM gasket. The supplied bulkhead seal is EPDM, so before you order adapters, confirm any field-added unions, camlocks, or threaded fittings mate to a 1-inch connection and that your downstream gaskets are compatible with that material.
Sizing the tank to your roof and rainfall
Five hundred gallons is a common starting point for supplemental irrigation or partial-supply harvesting, but the right size depends on your catchment area, local rainfall, and how you intend to use the water. Run your roof square footage and regional rainfall through the Tank Sizing Calculator and check the Tank Sizing Guide before you commit. For a regulation-aware look at sizing by location, see our guide on rainwater harvesting tank sizing by state, and for first-flush diverter sizing on Bushman tanks specifically, read our Bushman first-flush diverter guide built around the Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting.
Set it on the right foundation
With a full water weight near 4,170 lbs concentrated on a 48" x 48" base, this tank spreads roughly 1.8 lbf/in² across the 2,304-square-inch footprint, a figure you can check against your soil or slab bearing capacity when you size the pad. A vertical poly tank should sit on its entire bottom, fully supported and level, not on a partial footing or uneven ground. Our walkthrough on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks covers the ACI 360R-10 framework and where the ACI 318 boundary applies, so your pad holds the load over time. If you are also weighing this tank for rural fire-water storage, the fire-water reservoir design guide walks through NFPA 22 sizing discipline and freeze-protection planning.
This tank ships LTL freight from our Fairfield, Texas plant, with the cost quoted live to your ZIP code. The Freight Cost Estimator is the way to get your exact freight number, or call our team at 866-418-1777 to confirm fittings, lead time, and delivery details before you order.
