Snyder Industries 550 Gallon Black Vertical Water Storage Tank

A tank that hides under the deck

At 46 inches the WB32 disappears under a raised deck or beside a downspout without a screen around it, and 4,587 pounds on a 64 inch circle sits low enough that no strap is needed; a compacted gravel pad or a slab in full contact carries it, per the concrete pad sizing guide. Black polyethylene absorbs the ultraviolet that ages a white wall and passes no light to the liquid, so a black tank outdoors holds water clear for years. The first fill is the acceptance test; the hydrostatic test methodology guide covers the fill discipline and the hold time, and on a tank this size it takes an afternoon. The tank sizing calculator tells you whether 550 gallons covers the draw, and the tank sizing guide covers days of supply.

Snyder's 500 to 750 gallon water tanks

The WG32 and WG33 are the same low tank in green, for a site where green hides better than black. The WB34 stands the same 550 gallons in black on a 48 inch base at 77 inches for a tank that has to come through a door, and the 32511 and 32517 are the 500 and 750 gallon tanks on that base.

Comparing across brands too? Call 866-418-1777; we carry Norwesco, Snyder, Chem-Tainer, Enduraplas and Bushman and will say which one fits, or price the freight first.

Fittings and access

• Inlet: 1-1/2 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting.
• Outlet: 2 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting, at the base; a flexible connector between the fitting and hard pipe, and the valve supported off the pad.
• Access: 18 inch threaded, vented manway at waist height.
• Service limit: 120 F / 48 C.

A 2 inch outlet on a low tank gives a pump a flooded suction to the last few inches; a garden hose runs by gravity but slowly, because there is little head. A black wall shows no level, so a float gauge on the manway or a sight tube off the outlet does that work, and a float switch for low level protects the pump. Where it freezes, insulate or drain the outlet valve and the first length of pipe; the body takes ice from the top down without harm.

What it holds in practice

A rain cistern under a deck, a haul-in water supply for a cabin, stock water in a paddock, a buffer for a well pump, and one cell of a small fire reserve of the kind the fire-water reservoir design guide describes. Several of them are the storage stage of a small reuse system for roof water and condensate, per the industrial water reuse tank topology article, where the dark wall keeps the stored water clear.

Getting it to the pad

The WB32 ships as LTL freight at class 400, the class light, bulky tanks take; the freight cost estimator quotes it to your ZIP, and what is listed here is the price before freight. One person carries 95 pounds, and at 64 inches across it goes through a double door or a gate. Fill it to the manway once, check both fittings, and set it where the outlet faces the pump, because a low tank is not easily turned once it is full. Write the fill date on the manway with a paint marker; it answers the first question anyone asks about a tank.