The Chem-Tainer 17 Gallon Open Top Batch Storage Tank (SKU TC1815AA) is a compact cylindrical polyethylene vessel for small-batch mixing, parts staging, and short-run water and aqueous storage where you need to reach into the tank from the top. It is a squat, reach-in geometry: 20 inches in diameter and only 16 inches tall, so it is wider than it is high and sits low enough to stir, dip, or fill standing over it. It occupies a 20.0 x 20.0 inch footprint and holds 17 gallons, fitting easily on a standard workbench or a quarter of a pallet. This is the open top tank to grab when a closed vessel gets in the way of the work.
Will it work for your batch?
Sizing is the first thing to get right on an open top tank, because the rated contents weight changes with what you put in it. Filled with plain water, this tank carries roughly 142 pounds. Its specific gravity rating of 1.9 is the maximum density the polyethylene wall is rated to hold, which works out to a maximum rated contents weight of about 269 pounds. That headroom is why a small open top like this can hold heavier slurries and dense aqueous batches that a lighter-rated tank could not. The 1.9 rating is a structural ceiling for the wall, not a chemical-compatibility statement, and not a recommendation to load it as heavy as possible. Sold for water and aqueous batch service, this tank requires that any chemical suitability be confirmed separately before use. Set it on a flat, fully supported surface that can carry the loaded weight, and confirm your liquid's specific gravity falls within the 1.9 rating before you fill. Our Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide walk through matching gallons and contents weight to your storage stand or platform.
What an open top gives up
An open top tank trades a sealed lid for full top access. That access is what makes it good for active mixing, manual filling, and dipping, but it also means the tank permits evaporation, airborne contamination, and spill risk if it is bumped. It is the right choice for hands-on batch work at a station you are tending, not for long-term covered storage where a sealed vessel belongs. Match the tank to how the liquid is actually handled.
The mistake to avoid
The most common error with an open top storage tank this size is loading it past its weight rating rather than its gallon mark. Seventeen gallons of a dense product can exceed the contents weight a stand was designed for long before the tank looks full, so plan around the 269 pound maximum rated contents figure, not just the gallons. Confirm your liquid's specific gravity falls within the 1.9 rating before committing the tank to service.
Freight and how to order
This open top tank ships LTL freight, not parcel, from the Chem-Tainer plant in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, with freight quoted live to your ZIP code; because it moves by LTL, a delivery appointment or liftgate may apply. Get a real number before you buy with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it for you and confirm fit for your application. Setting it on a slab? Our guide to concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks covers building a base that carries the loaded weight.
