Tanks

Water storage tanks

Drinking water needs a potable tank made from WRAS approved material, while rainwater, washdown, irrigation and process water go into non-potable tanks, and the water range covers both in tanks from about 3,000 to 25,000 litres. The wider site water storage range has its own category, and IBC water tanks are listed with the IBC tanks and drums.

Above ground water tanks

Standing a tank on the ground is the quickest way to store water in bulk, and the easiest to inspect and draw from, so it is the usual choice wherever there is room for it. Every size comes in potable and non-potable versions. Medium-sized tanks such as the 5600 litre water tank suit domestic and commercial supply, and the large water tanks are sized for rainwater harvesting on commercial and agricultural buildings. For irrigation, horticultural and industrial supply, the largest tanks, up to the 25,000 litre water tank, hold a bigger reserve in a single vessel.

WRAS approved potable water tanks

Water that people drink, or that is used for food preparation and washing, belongs in a tank made under the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme. The WRAS approved potable water tanks are built for commercial and agricultural drinking water supply, and are moulded with UV technologies that protect the stored water against bacteria growth in exposed positions and extreme weather.

Industrial water tanks

Non-potable process water and agricultural rainwater harvesting at volume go into the industrial water tanks, which are made for commercial and farm sites that use water in bulk. They are built to stand outdoors all year, which suits yards, depots and fields where the tank sits in the open.

Underground water tanks

Burying the tank frees the ground above it, keeps the water out of sight and out of the light, and holds it at a steadier temperature than a tank in the open. The underground water tanks are potable, moulded from WRAS approved MDPE that meets BS 6920-1:2000, and hold drinking water for commercial, domestic and agricultural premises. The decision against an above ground tank comes down to installation, since an underground tank needs excavation, backfill and an access cover where an above ground tank needs only a level base.

Insulated water tanks

On exposed sites and anywhere a tank has to hold water through hard frost or summer heat, the insulated water tanks are self-contained. The double wall carries multilayered foil insulation, so no separate insulation kit is fitted, and the tanks come in potable and non-potable versions as an alternative to insulated GRP tanks.

Oil tanks

Oil tanks are chosen by the oil they hold and by where they stand: heating oil beside buildings, used oil in workshops and lubricants for plant maintenance each call for a different tank.

Heating oil tanks

Commercial premises, farms and homes store heating oil in either bunded oil tanks or single skin oil tanks, both made in plastic or mild steel. The bunded tanks are built to meet oil storage regulations, and which of the two a site needs depends on whether a leak has to be contained, as set out in the next section.

Fire protected oil tanks

Where an oil tank has to stand close to a building, a boundary or an escape route, fire protected oil tanks are the tanks to specify. Each is bunded, with a flame retardant material fitted integrally to form a fire barrier, and the range has been fire tested to meet the functional requirements of Building Regulations. They come in steel or plastic, in capacities up to 2,500 litres.

Waste oil tanks

Garages, haulage companies and bus depots collect used engine oil in waste oil tanks, which are bunded to protect the site from leakage and overfilling until the oil is collected. Capacities run up to 15,000 litres, so a small workshop and a large depot can each size the tank to its collection cycle.

Lube oil tanks

Engine oil, gear oil, machine oil, refrigeration oil and spindle oil are stored and dispensed from lube oil tanks in plant workshops, fleet maintenance bays and factories. Each is supplied with an air or electric operated pump matched to the viscosity of the oil, and the range goes up to 10,000 litres.

Brine tanks and molasses tanks

Salt brine and molasses weigh more than water, so a standard water tank is the wrong vessel for them: its walls are moulded for the load of water, and a denser liquid presses harder on them. The brine tanks are heavy duty tanks with extra thick MDPE walls for the salt and water solution used in de-icing and processing, moulded in opaque plastic and available in standard and total access formats. The molasses tanks hold molasses, the sugar beet by-product fed to livestock as fermentable energy, which has to be kept dark and cool to prevent mould and stop the liquid thickening. They are heavy duty, UV stabilised, corrosion resistant and CE marked, and run to 20,000 litres.

Fuel dispensing pumps, gauges and meters

A fuel, oil or AdBlue tank can be bought as storage only, with an outlet for gravity feed or an external pump, or as a complete dispensing set-up, and the choice is best made with the tank because the fittings are specified at the same time. 12v and 24v pumps run from a vehicle or plant battery, which suits compounds and farms without mains power, while mains powered pumps suit workshops and depots. Air operated pumps run from a workshop compressor and move the thicker lubricants held in lube oil tanks. Watchman level gauges show how much is left in the tank so it can be refilled before it runs dry, and pulse meters with remote displays record how much has been drawn. For large fleets and generator sites, the steel diesel tanks add high flow pumps, hose reels and fuel management, which controls and records who draws fuel and how much.