Norwesco 1425 Gallon Underground Water Storage Cistern Tank with side inlet flats

Where an underground cistern earns its place

A buried cistern stores water out of the sun and out of the frost, which keeps it cool, dark and clear and protects it through a northern winter. Rainwater collection, a hauled-water supply where there is no well, a reserve on a slow well, and a fire protection reserve for a rural property are the common jobs. Our guide to fire water reserves and freeze protection for rural sites covers the reserve case, and the guide to rainwater and reuse storage trains covers collection systems. Work out the volume with the tank sizing calculator and the tank sizing guide; a cistern is usually sized to days of supply between fills, not to the biggest tank that fits the hole.

Polyethylene does not rust, crack like concrete or taint the water, and the resin is FDA compliant per Norwesco. Like every buried polyethylene tank it is backfilled with care: a flat, compacted base the full 157 inch length, clean fill worked under the curve of the walls, and water in the tank as the fill goes up so the walls are supported from both sides.

Openings and fittings: what to check before you buy

1. Manway. A 20 inch gasketed manway with a 20 inch lid. Keep the gasket face clean during installation; it is what keeps surface water and insects out of your supply.
2. Side inlet flats. Flat areas on the side walls for an inlet bulkhead fitting. No fitting is listed with the tank; tell us the pipe size and we put the right bulkhead on the order.
3. Outlet and suction. No outlet fitting is listed. Most cisterns are drawn down by a submersible pump or a suction line dropped through the manway or a riser, which is a decision to make before the tank is buried.
4. Risers. If the manway will sit below finished grade, Norwesco's risers and extensions for this tank are N-63832 (6 inch extension), N-63833 (15 inch), N-63834 (24 inch), N-63831 (23 inch riser with a 12 inch lid) and N-63830 (36 inch riser with a 6 inch lid); order two of each because the tank has two manholes. Put them on the same order so they arrive with the tank.
5. Drawing. Norwesco's drawing for this tank is linked under Technical Drawing on this page.

Before the tank is covered, test it: our method for hydrostatic acceptance testing a new tank gives the fill, hold and inspection sequence that catches a leaking fitting while it can still be reached.

Sizes nearby

The same cistern without the side inlet flats is the 1425 gallon underground cistern, part 44406. The next size up is the 1450 gallon underground cistern, part 43549, and one size down is the 1200 gallon underground cistern, part 41329. Each page carries its own dimensions.

Shipping and receiving

At 157 inches long the tank ships as an oversize load from Norwesco's Owego, New York plant, 157 by 60 by 51 inches and 384 lb. The listed price is before freight; the freight cost estimator gives the lane cost to your ZIP. Two people can walk an empty 384 lb tank with straps, but plan a machine for setting it in the hole. At the tailgate, check the part number against 43573, look at the manway rim and the inlet flats for transit damage, and keep the gasket face clean until the lid goes on for the last time.

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