The Chem-Tainer 1700 Gallon Plastic Vertical Liquid Storage Tank (SKU TC8674IC) is a polyethylene vertical storage tank built for bulk liquid storage where you need real capacity but do not want to step up to steel or concrete. It holds 1,700 gallons over an 86 x 86 inch footprint, and it carries a 1.5 specific gravity rating, which is the spec that quietly matters most on this unit. If you have been searching for a vertical storage tank in this size class, here is what actually decides whether it fits your job.
Will it work for your job?
This is a vertical tank rated to a specific gravity of 1.5, meaning the wall is engineered to safely hold liquids up to 1.5 times the density of water. Plain water sits at 1.0, so for water storage you have a comfortable margin built in. That headroom is something you are paying for, not waste: the same tank can hold a denser liquid up to that 1.5 limit without stepping up to a heavier-rated unit, provided you have verified chemical compatibility separately first. For water service the governing weight is the full-water figure of 14,178 pounds; at maximum rated contents the tank is built to carry up to 21,267 pounds. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide to confirm 1,700 gallons matches your draw and refill cycle before you commit to the footprint.
Mounting and foundation
An 86 x 86 inch base carrying more than seven tons of full water is a real structural load, so a flat, level, fully supporting pad is not optional with a tank this size. Here is the design rule that gets missed: size the pad to the 21,267 pound max-rated figure if there is any chance you will ever fill it with something denser than water, not to the 14,178 pound water number. Designing to the lighter figure leaves you no room to change service later. For above-ground installs, our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI 360R-10 framework and where the ACI 318 boundary applies. Pull the verified height and diameter from the technical drawing on this page before you pour anything, and use that drawing as your dimensional source of record rather than rounding from the listing.
The mistakes to avoid
The 1.5 specific gravity rating is the number people misread. It tells you how heavy a liquid this tank can hold, not what chemicals it will resist. For water and similar light liquids you are well inside the rating; for anything denser or anything beyond plain water, confirm the liquid's specific gravity against the 1.5 figure and verify chemical compatibility before ordering. The second miss is treating this as a drop-and-go install. The tank ships empty by LTL freight, but at 86 x 86 and over seven tons when full, you will need a forklift, crane, or equivalent to offload it and a clear, planned access path to the pad. Offload equipment and the route in are part of the project, not afterthoughts. Because this listing carries no published fitting or gasket detail, call 866-418-1777 to confirm the inlet, outlet, and fitting configuration and the gasket material for your liquid before you order.
If you are weighing this Chem-Tainer against other vertical tanks in the class, our Snyder vs Norwesco vs Chem-Tainer vertical comparison and the 1700 gallon vertical buyer's guide lay out the trade-offs, and for high-demand or fire-reserve use the fire-water reservoir design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing and freeze protection. This tank ships LTL freight from Marked Tree, AR, with the rate quoted live to your ZIP. Get your number with the Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote the freight and confirm the right unit for your site.
