The Chem-Tainer 138 Gallon PE Rectangular Open Top Tank is a polyethylene rectangular open-top vessel for water storage, mixing, batching, and washdown stations where you need straight-down access and a footprint that tucks against a wall. The open top lets you drop in a lid, reach in to clean, or run a top-feed line without fighting a closed dome. It holds 138 gallons in a rectangular profile, so it sits flat against a wall or in a corner the way a round drum cannot. Buyers searching for an open top tank, a rectangular open top tank, or a plain open tank land here for exactly that reason.
Will this rectangular open top tank work for my setup?
At 138 gallons, a full tank of water weighs about 1,151 lb, so the stand or pad has to carry that load plus the tank's own dead weight before it goes into service. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator to confirm 138 gallons covers your draw-down and refill cycle, and the Tank Sizing Guide if you are sizing a storage train rather than a single vessel. The open rectangular shape suits batch mixing, parts rinse, fire-water reserve, and any job where you pour or scoop from above instead of plumbing a sealed top. For exact length, width, height, and wall detail, see the technical drawing on this page and confirm the footprint fits your wall or corner before you order.
Fittings and the mistake to avoid
This is a bare open-top tank: it ships with no factory outlets or bulkheads, so any drain or feed connection is field-installed. Plan the location, hole size, and a matched bulkhead fitting with gasket before you cut the wall - that is the most common open-top tank mistake, drilling first and chasing a seal afterward. The second mistake is treating a rectangular open-top like a fully-supported or pressure vessel. The 1,151 lb full-water load needs a flat, continuous, level surface that carries the entire footprint; rectangular tanks do not tolerate point loads or an undersized pad the way a small drum might. If it sits outdoors above grade, review concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks and size the pad for the full load plus the tank's dead weight, not water alone.
Common open-top water applications
As an open-top collection or reserve tank feeding a larger system, this size fits reuse and aggregation setups - the industrial water reuse tank topology guide walks through quality-banded storage stages. For rural and remote fire-protection reserve, the fire-water reservoir tank design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing discipline and cold-climate freeze protection.
Freight and ordering
This Chem-Tainer rectangular open top tank ships LTL freight from West Babylon, New York, quoted live to your delivery ZIP. Get your number before you order with the Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it for you. It is listed at our published price before freight - the LTL quote is separate and depends on your ZIP, site access, and any liftgate or residential needs. Have your ZIP ready and we will get this 138 gallon open top tank moving.
