Norwesco 225 Gallon Plastic Underground Water Storage Cistern Tank

Where a 225 gallon cistern earns its hole

This is the small end of Norwesco's cistern line: a buried reserve for a cabin, a garden, a greenhouse or an outbuilding where a few hundred gallons of rainwater or trucked water need to stay cool, dark and out of the way. Below grade, the water does not freeze in most climates, does not grow algae, and takes no yard space. Two hundred twenty-five gallons refills a stock tank, carries a drip system through a dry week, or buffers a low-yield well so the pump is not short-cycling. For a house supply or fire reserve you will want more; our tank sizing calculator and tank sizing guide turn roof area and rainfall into gallons, and the piece on reservoir sizing and freeze protection for remote sites covers the larger case. If this tank is one of several in a reuse system, the write-up on grey water, rainwater and condensate storage trains shows how the tanks get arranged.

What to check before you buy

1. The opening. One 20 inch manhole on top. Inlet, outlet and overflow fittings are not factory installed; the installer cuts them where the pipes arrive. Tell us the pipe sizes and we will put the bulkhead fittings on the same order.
2. Getting the lid to grade. Norwesco offers 6, 15 and 24 inch extensions and 23 and 36 inch risers for this manhole, one of each per tank. Measure from the top of the tank to finished grade before you order so the riser is on the truck with the tank.
3. Burial depth and traffic. Follow Norwesco's installation instructions for bedding, backfill and water in the tank during backfill. Do not set it under a drive or anywhere a vehicle will cross unless an engineered cover is part of the design.
4. The water. For a drinking water supply, your local authority decides what listing it wants; ask us and we will tell you what Norwesco's paperwork for this model says.
5. The first fill. Fill with water and watch the fittings before you backfill around them. Our walkthrough of hydrostatic acceptance testing gives the hold times.

Sizes nearby

The next cistern up in this family is the 525 gallon underground cistern, more than twice the volume for a house supply or a serious rain harvest. Buying two small tanks rarely beats one larger one: the excavation, the risers and the plumbing all double.

Shipping and receiving

The tank ships LTL under NMFC 156600-02 from Norwesco's Griffin, Georgia plant. On the pallet it is 48 by 48 by 56 inches at 125 lb shipping weight; the extra height over the 50 inch tank is the pallet. The listed price is before freight; the freight cost estimator gives the lane cost to your ZIP, or ask for a quote for a job that needs paperwork. At the tailgate, check 44827 against the bill of lading, look over the manhole lip and the wall, and keep the tank off sharp ground until the hole is ready.

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