A vertical tank is a flat-bottom, upright cylinder (or, for the small batch tanks in this group, an open-top rectangle) that stands on its own base with no stand, cradle or skid. It stores the most gallons per square foot of pad of any tank shape, which is why it is the default choice for stationary water and liquid storage. This category is the whole flat-bottom vertical family we stock from five manufacturers: 2,173 tanks from 1 gallon to 20,000 gallons, 10 to 165 inches in diameter.
What is on this page
Snyder Industries: 1,212 tanks, 22 to 20,000 gallons. The deepest line here. It includes 154 double-wall tanks (the Captor line, double-wall chemical tanks and 10 waste oil tanks) and the crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) models rated to 140 F.
Chem-Tainer: 340 tanks, 1 to 5,000 gallons, including 168 open-top batch tanks (83 of them rectangular) and 32 polypropylene tanks rated to 212 F.
Norwesco: 322 tanks, 10 to 20,000 gallons, including 15 doorway water tanks molded narrow enough to carry through a doorway and the light blue 1.9 specific gravity heavy-duty line.
Enduraplas: 180 tanks, 100 to 10,000 gallons, in black, green, dark green, beige and natural white.
Bushman: 119 tanks, 65 to 5,050 gallons, 117 of them rated 1.0 specific gravity for water (the other two list no rating), in black, dark green, mocha, dark brown and natural white.
By size: 179 tanks under 100 gallons, 474 from 100 to 499, 168 from 500 to 999, 531 from 1,000 to 2,999, 435 from 3,000 to 5,999, 231 from 6,000 to 9,999 and 155 at 10,000 gallons and above. Other tank shapes have their own categories; see the shop-by-shape link below.
Specific gravity is the number that matters most
Every tank here carries a specific gravity (SG) rating in its spec table. Water is 1.0 and weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon. A 1.5 rating covers liquids up to 12.52 pounds per gallon and a 1.9 rating covers liquids up to 15.87 pounds per gallon; the few 2.0 tanks go to 16.69. The count on this page: 979 tanks rated 1.9, 597 rated 1.5, 277 rated 1.0, 127 rated 1.1, 46 rated 1.35 and 36 rated 2.0. Pick the rating from the heaviest liquid the tank will ever hold, not the usual one. A higher rating costs more because the wall is thicker; going up never hurts, going down can split a tank at the base.
Material and temperature
The Material line on each product reads polyethylene (1,257 tanks), high-density linear polyethylene (347), crosslinked polyethylene (357), HDPE (163) or polypropylene (32). Most are rated for 120 F continuous service. 323 tanks, nearly all of them Snyder XLPE, are rated to 140 F, and the 32 Chem-Tainer polypropylene tanks to 212 F. If the liquid arrives hot, read the Max Temperature line before anything else.
Colour
Black (841 tanks) blocks light and slows algae in stored water. Natural white (497) and white (490) let you read the level through the wall. Green (102), dark green (58), mocha (31), beige (28) and dark brown (24) are the outdoor blending colours, mostly Bushman and Enduraplas. Light blue (35) is Norwesco's 1.9 heavy-duty colour.
Lids and fittings
Most tanks ship with a 16 or 18 inch threaded vented manway; the largest carry 22, 24 or 26 inch manways and the small ones 5 to 14 inch lids. 141 are open-top with no lid. The most common outlet is a 2 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting, with 3 inch outlets on larger tanks, siphon-tube versions on the heavy-duty lines, and a few tanks supplied with no fitting at all. Fitting size and position are on each product page's spec table and drawing.
Certifications and drinking water
The Certifications line on each product page records what the manufacturer states for that model: FDA-compliant resin on most, NSF/ANSI 61 where the maker lists it, and an IAPMO or CSA listing only on the models those certifiers name. Read that line for the exact model before you store drinking water. A category page cannot certify a tank, and neither can we.
Honest limitations
These are stationary tanks. Set them on a flat, level pad that supports the whole footprint; a tank hanging over the edge of a slab, or sitting on gravel that shifts, is the most common cause of a failed base.
A vertical tank does not travel full. For water hauling, use a leg or low-profile tank built for it.
120 F is the limit for most of this page. Hot process liquid needs the XLPE or polypropylene models.
How to pick
Capacity. Norwesco and Snyder go to 20,000 gallons in one tank; past that, use more than one tank.
Specific gravity, from your heaviest liquid.
Material and maximum temperature.
Diameter and height against the pad, the overhead clearance and the route the truck will take to it.
Colour: black for water stored outdoors, translucent where you want to see the level.
Manway and outlet size against the pump and pipe you already own.
Freight
Prices on this page are list prices before freight. LTL freight is quoted to your ZIP from the plant that makes the tank: the smallest tanks ship parcel, most ship LTL, and the largest (402 tanks flagged oversize) need a phone quote. Get a quote in the freight cost estimator or call 866-418-1777.
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