Norwesco 1250 Gallon Plastic Multi-Use Underground Liquid Storage Tank with Gaskets, Tees, and 1 Manhole Cover

Where it goes

As a septic tank, 1250 gallons is a common single family house size in the states that approve it; the health department sets the size from bedrooms and soil, so confirm the number with them before you buy, not after. As a cistern, it is a rainwater or well water store that stays cool and dark in the ground. Either way the tank is designed to be buried: the ribbed shell carries the soil load, the manway reaches grade through a riser, and the installer beds it on compacted granular fill and backfills in lifts while filling the tank with water in step, so the wall is supported on both sides as the load goes on. Keep vehicles off the area unless the installation is designed for traffic. Norwesco's installation instructions for this tank are the authority on bedding, backfill and burial depth; your installer follows them, not this page. At 436 lb the tank goes in with a machine, not by hand.

Openings, fittings and risers

1. Inlet and outlet. A 4 inch gasketed PVC tee assembly at each end. The tees are what make it a septic tank: the inlet tee slows the incoming flow and the outlet tee holds back scum and solids so only liquid leaves for the drainfield. The 4 inch size matches standard house drain pipe. Used as a cistern, the same openings take your water lines.
2. Manway. A 20 inch gasketed manway: wide enough to pump out, inspect, and lower a pump and a float if the tank is holding water.
3. Risers. Norwesco's riser and extension options for this tank are ordered per manhole: a 6 inch extension (N-63514), a 15 inch extension (N-62397), a 24 inch extension (N-62396), a 25 inch riser with a 12 inch lid (N-62395) or a 36 inch riser with a 6 inch lid (N-63830). Measure the depth from the top of the tank to finished grade and tell us the number; we confirm how many openings this tank has to bring up and put the right parts on the order.
4. Drawing. Norwesco's drawing for this tank, linked under Technical Drawing on this page, shows the inlet and outlet heights and the manway position.

Septic or water, not both

Decide before it goes in the ground. A tank that has been a septic tank is a septic tank for good; a tank that starts as a cistern can hold drinking water. The blue colour and the ribbed shell are the same either way. Use the tank sizing calculator and tank sizing guide to check the volume if it is going in as a cistern.

Sizes nearby

One size up in the same family is the 1500 gallon multi-use underground tank with gaskets, tees and a manhole cover. Call us if your permit calls for a size between them.

Shipping and receiving

The tank ships LTL freight, 116 by 55 by 70 inches and 436 lb, from the nearest of Norwesco's Lancaster, Ohio, Owego, New York, Tooele, Utah and Washougal, Washington plants. The listed price is before freight; the freight cost estimator gives the lane cost to your ZIP. Have a loader or a forklift ready; the driver will not unload it alone. At the tailgate, check the part number against 44466 on the bill of lading, count the tees, gaskets and the manway cover against the order, look at the shell and the manway rim for transit damage, and fill it with water once above ground before it goes in the hole so any problem shows while you can still reach it.

Questions before you order? Call 866-418-1777.