Norwesco 20000 Gallon Black Vertical Storage Tank

Where a 20000 gallon water tank goes

This is the tank a ranch, a vineyard, a rural subdivision or a remote facility buys when it needs a serious water reserve in one vessel: a fire protection supply where there are no hydrants, a rainwater cistern fed from a large roof or a packing shed, an irrigation buffer, or a potable reserve filled by haul or by a slow well. The tank is nearly fourteen feet across and over twenty feet tall, so it is an outdoor tank on an engineered slab with a fixed ladder or a platform to reach the manway. Full it puts about 83 tons on the pad. Our guide to sizing a concrete pad under an above-ground polyethylene tank covers the framework and where it hands off to a structural engineer. For a fire reserve, the rural fire water reservoir guide explains NFPA 22 sizing, what a polyethylene tank can do in that role and how to keep it from freezing.

What goes in it

Water, rainwater, liquid fertilizer and the common farm and treatment chemicals that polyethylene handles. At 1.5 specific gravity the heaviest full load is 250200 lb; a liquid denser than one and a half times water belongs in the heavy duty version. Check anything other than water in our chemical compatibility guide first and keep the contents under 120 F. For the volume, the tank sizing calculator and tank sizing guide turn a draw and a refill interval into gallons.

Openings and fittings

1. Outlet. A 3 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting, factory installed low in the wall. A tank this size grows measurably as it fills, so put a flexible connector between the tank and any rigid pipe and support the valve on its own. A fire department connection or a pump suction usually wants a larger outlet than 3 inch; tell us before the tank ships and we will confirm what Norwesco can install.
2. Manway. A 22 inch threaded vented manway on top. The vent lets air move as the level changes; a pump pulling against a plugged vent can collapse a wall. Size the vent to the pump if you empty fast.
3. Inlet. No separate inlet is installed. Ask about a fill fitting at a set height before the order ships; on a tank this tall it saves a climb every delivery.
4. Drawing. Norwesco's drawing for this tank, linked under Technical Drawing on this page, shows the outlet position relative to the manway.

Sizes and grades nearby

Same tank in white, for reading the level through the wall: the 20000 gallon white vertical tank. For liquids heavier than water, the 1.9 rated versions: the 20000 gallon black heavy duty vertical tank and the 20000 gallon blue heavy duty vertical tank. One step down is the 15500 gallon black heavy duty vertical tank. The colour swatches above the price switch between the versions of this tank.

Shipping and receiving

The tank ships LTL at freight class 300 from the nearest of Norwesco's Albertville, Alabama, St. Bonifacius, Minnesota and Washington Court House, Ohio plants, 165 by 165 by 242 inches and 5007 lb, on its side on a flatbed as an oversize load. You need a crane or a large loader with slings, a clear route to the pad and room to stand it up; plan that before the truck is booked, and tell us about gates and overhead lines. The listed price is before freight; the freight cost estimator gives the lane cost to your ZIP. At the tailgate, check the part number against 44344 on the bill of lading, walk the whole shell for transit damage before signing, and fill it with water the first time.

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