The Bushman 500 Gallon Vertical Water Storage Tank in mocha is a polyethylene vertical water tank built for above-ground rainwater and bulk water storage where you need real capacity without a sprawling footprint. It stands 71 inches tall on a 48-inch diameter base, so it holds a full 500 gallons while occupying a compact 48-inch round footprint. The mocha color tone is opaque and earth-muted, which suits residential and rural sites where a bright white tank would stand out. If you are comparing this against a wider, shorter vessel, the vertical profile is the better fit when ground space is the constraint rather than headroom.
Will it work for your site?
This is a 500 gallon vertical storage tank rated for water service at a specific gravity of 1.0, which covers fresh water, rainwater harvesting, and general non-chemical water storage. Filled to capacity, the contents weigh 4,170 pounds, and the maximum rated contents weight is also 4,170 pounds, so plan the pad accordingly. That full-water load rides entirely on the 48-inch diameter base: roughly 4,170 pounds spread over a 48-inch (4-foot) circle works out to about 330 pounds per square foot of bearing. A level, continuous pad of compacted base or a poured slab sized to the full 48-inch diameter is the right approach for a tank this size. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide to confirm 500 gallons matches your draw and refill cycle before you commit.
The mistake to avoid
The single biggest error with a tank this tall and this heavy is the pad. At 71 inches of height carrying 4,170 pounds of water on a 48-inch base, any soft spot, slope, or undersized pad lets the tank lean as it fills, which stresses the wall over time. Build the pad first, make it dead level, and make it carry the full 48-inch diameter with no overhang. There is a second, easier-to-miss error: this is a tall tank at a 71-by-48-inch height-to-diameter ratio, so an empty or low-level tank is top-light and can be pushed around by wind on an exposed site. Anchor or strap it down before you fill if it sits in the open. And confirm the fitting locations and sizes on the tank you receive match your site plumbing before you trench or set the pad.
Putting the water to work
At 500 gallons this Bushman vertical tank sits in the sweet spot for rural water supply and rainwater capture. If you are weighing tall-and-narrow against long-and-low geometry, our guide on vertical versus horizontal water-storage tank tradeoffs walks through the footprint and stability differences. For rainwater specifically, the Bushman rainwater harvesting and first-flush diverter sizing guide covers inlet treatment. If you are aggregating multiple tanks into a private fire-water reserve, the fire-water reservoir design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing and cold-climate freeze protection. Reusing grey water, rainwater, or condensate? See the industrial water reuse tank topology guide.
This 500 gallon water storage tank ships LTL freight from Fairfield, Texas, with freight quoted live to your ZIP using the Freight Cost Estimator. Get your freight quote in seconds, or call 866-418-1777 and we will walk you through sizing and the fastest route from Texas to your site.
