Norwesco 825 Gallon Plastic Underground Water Storage Cistern Tank

Why the low shape matters

At 51 inches tall, this cistern goes in a hole barely over four feet deep plus bedding, where a round tank of the same volume would need six or more. That is the whole reason to buy it: sites on rock, sites where water shows up three feet down, and sites where you do not want a deep excavation next to a foundation. Eight hundred twenty-five gallons is a real household reserve, a solid rain harvest for a large roof, or a working buffer on a slow well. The 1.9 specific gravity rating is far above what water needs, so the shell has margin for burial loads and for heavier liquids if the tank is ever repurposed; the reservoir sizing and freeze protection piece covers the fire reserve case. Our tank sizing calculator and tank sizing guide turn roof area and rainfall into gallons, and the write-up on grey water, rainwater and condensate storage trains shows how a tank like this fits in a larger system.

What to check before you buy

1. Two manways. Two 20 inch gasketed manways along the top, one at each end of the shell. That gives you an inlet end and a pump end without long runs inside the tank. Norwesco's lid size for this tank is 16 inches; check the drawing before ordering risers.
2. Getting the lids to grade. Norwesco offers 6, 15 and 24 inch extensions and 23 and 36 inch risers, two of each for this tank. Measure from the top of the tank to finished grade before you order.
3. Inlet, outlet and overflow. Not factory installed; the installer cuts them where the pipes arrive. Tell us the pipe sizes and we will add bulkhead fittings to the order.
4. Burial and traffic. Follow Norwesco's installation instructions for bedding, backfill and water in the tank as you backfill. A long, low tank is more sensitive to uneven bedding than a round one; take the time on the base. Never under a drive without an engineered cover.
5. The first fill. Fill with water and watch every fitting before backfilling around them. Our hydrostatic acceptance walkthrough gives the hold times.

Sizes nearby

One size down is the 600 gallon underground cistern; one size up is the 1175 gallon underground cistern. Two of these 825 gallon tanks plumbed together are a common answer where one bigger tank would need too deep a hole.

Shipping and receiving

The tank ships LTL under NMFC 156600-03 from Norwesco's Owego, New York plant, 92 by 60 by 51 inches on the pallet at 328 lb. 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 328 lb it comes off the truck with a forklift or a liftgate, not by hand; tell us which you have. At the tailgate, check 43569 against the bill of lading and look over both manway lips and the long sides for transit damage.

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