The Chem-Tainer 200 Gallon Open Top Batch Storage Tank (SKU TC3648AA) is a cylindrical open-top polyethylene vessel built for batch mixing and bulk water storage where you need full top access. It stands 48 inches tall on a 36-inch diameter base, holding 200 gallons in natural white polyethylene. The open top makes it a working tank, not just a holding vessel: you can fill, inspect, dose, agitate, and clean from above without fighting a fixed lid.
Will it hold what you're putting in it?
The polyethylene wall is rated to a specific gravity of 1.9, so it carries contents up to roughly 3,169 pounds at that 1.9 rating - substantially heavier than water. Filled with plain water, this tank holds about 1,668 pounds of contents, well inside that envelope. For a water tank that headroom is the real value: if your batch process later runs a denser solution, the same shell already covers it, so you are not the limiting factor and you are not re-buying. For straight water storage, batch make-up, or rainwater and reuse staging, the tank is generous on capacity-to-weight.
Size it before you buy. A 200 gallon open top suits small batch processes, mixing stations, and point-of-use water storage; if you are aggregating grey-water, rainwater, or HVAC condensate into a larger train, run the numbers first. Our Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide help you match capacity to demand, and for reuse-train layouts the guide on industrial water reuse tank topology covers quality-banded storage and staging.
Set it on the right base
An open top tank carries a fully supported load and depends on a flat, level, continuous base. With about 1,668 pounds of water sitting on a 36-inch diameter footprint, you want full-bottom contact - a void or a high spot under the floor concentrates stress. For a permanent install, pour or verify a proper pad; our walkthrough on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks lays out the ACI 360R-10 framework. If this 200 gallon serves as a staged fire-water or emergency reservoir at a rural site, the fire-water reservoir design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing discipline and cold-climate freeze protection.
The mistake to avoid
This tank ships as a plain open-top vessel with no pre-installed fittings, so plan any bulkhead fittings and gaskets into your order rather than discovering "no outlet" after delivery. The open top is the whole point of this tank, and it is also where people go wrong: it is not a sealed, pressure, or fully closed system - it is vented to atmosphere by design, so do not plumb it as if the top were a lid. Keep it covered against debris and evaporation where the application calls for it, and confirm any bottom or side fitting you add lands in the wall at the height your process needs before you drill. Note too that a flat-bottom open-top tank retains a residual heel when you drain it - if you need full drain-down or solids handling, see our cone-bottom drainage comparison before committing to flat-bottom. Refer to the technical drawing on this page for exact wall and outlet geometry, and check the dimensions against your space and your inlet/outlet plumbing before ordering.
This open top storage tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP from the nearest Chem-Tainer plant - Hanford, CA or Lincoln, NE. Get an exact number with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote the freight and confirm the right open top tank for your batch or bulk water application.
