Snyder Industries 500 Gallon Plastic Vertical Water Storage Tank in Green

Why green

Beside a house or a cabin, green says potable water and sits quietly in a yard; black says working water. Both block the light that grows algae. Wall, fittings and freight are identical, so choose by what the tank holds and who will look at it. If the tank will be moved between sites or emptied often, the light 80 pound shell is the practical one; if it will stand full in the sun for years, the heavier WB34 on the same floor is the better buy.

Vertical or horizontal at 500 gallons

A 500 gallon vertical stands on a 48 inch circle and reaches 76 inches; a horizontal leg tank of similar capacity spreads over a longer footprint and stays low enough to ride on a trailer. The vertical versus horizontal tank tradeoffs article works the decision for the larger sizes and the logic is the same here: floor space and mobility favor the horizontal, height and drain-down favor the vertical.

The sizes either side

The WB34 is the heavy-wall option on this same 48 inch floor: 60 more pounds of resin and 50 more gallons at one more inch of height, the tank to buy when it will stand full in the sun for years. The 400 gallon 32505 is the doorway shape at 40 inches across, for a basement or a utility room the 48 inch tank cannot enter. The 32617 is a third color of this same 500 gallon mold.

Want us to check the fit? Send the site dimensions to 866-418-1777 or through a written quote request and we will confirm the tank, the pad and the freight.

Base and plumbing

Full, the tank weighs 4,170 pounds on a 48 inch circle; a level base in full contact with the whole floor is the rule, per the concrete pad sizing guide. Service limit is 120 F / 48 C.

• 1-1/2 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead inlet on top for the fill line or a float valve.
• 2 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead outlet at the base: valve, union, pump.
• 20 inch threaded, vented manway; keep the vent clear, because a pump drawing 500 gallons down needs the air.

Put the outlet valve where a hand reaches it, and give the pump a union so it comes off without draining the tank. On a slow well the tank sits between the well pump and the pressure tank, with the float valve on the inlet keeping the well from running dry; at 76 inches the manway opens from a step, not a ladder.

A sight tube on the outlet is the simplest gauge; the level gauge selection guide covers a float switch for a pressure system.

What it is for

A household well reserve, a rain store, a cabin water supply, and the makeup tank on a small reuse system in the industrial water reuse topology guide. As a fire reserve it is a start; the fire-water reservoir design guide explains what NFPA 22 expects. Confirm the capacity against your draw with the tank sizing calculator and the tank sizing guide.

Freight

LTL freight, NMFC 156600-02, 80 pounds crated at 48 by 48 by 76 inches; the freight cost estimator quotes your ZIP, and the listed price is before freight. Two people carry it to the pad. Fill in stages the first time and check the outlet under load.