# 275 and 330 gallon tanks



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I'm looking on Craigslist tonight at water tanks...the ones that come in a metal cage. There is sure a huge difference in price on them. 

I can drive north to Centralia and get 275 gallon tanks advertised as NOT FOR POTABLE WATER for $100 each. A phone call will tell me what was in them and whether the seller is just covering his backside or if they had pesticides or other harmful chemicals in them. I am headed that general direction tomorrow to visit my bff who had foot surgery today, so it wouldn't be terribly far out of the way to go pick some up.

I can drive south to Portland and get one 275 gallon tank with the top cut off for $50, if they still have it (private party ad) or another place has them pretty regularly for $175 for the 275 gallon or $225 for the 330 gallon size. These are advertised as having contained either food ingredients or something like mineral oil or detergent, and thoroughly washed out...would be safe enough for drinking water, I'd think.

However, if I drive down the freeway a ways further, to Albany, I can get the 330 gallon tanks for $90 each. The ad for those tanks states that they contained a latex ingredient (water soluble), and were washed out, but due to the cost of having them certified safe for potable water, they are sold as is for "other purposes", wink, wink. If I could research the MDS for the ingredient, I'd be able to tell if it was safe to store potable water in them. I think I'd more than save the difference in gas price to drive to Albany!

I use my Berkey to filter all cooking and drinking water, but as I'd be using the storage water for the garden, watering animals that provide me food, and doing my white laundry, I'd rather not have something that stored hazardous chemicals if there is any way they could have leached into the plastic. If they could leach in, they could leach back out, KWIM?

Opinions, thoughts, anyone know of a place in the Longview area where I could get the same thing at a decent price? Invalid, you're in my neck of the woods, have any ideas?


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

MGM - if you could get the 'trade name' or a label stating what was the latex ingredient in the 330 gallon containers, then you could find the (M.S.D.S.) material safety data sheet to check it's toxicity. 

Or to see how long it would take to flush out any of the residual chemicals, to acceptable ppm (parts per million) levels. As you posted: if a water based chemical can leech into the plastic of the container, then it can leech back out into the stored water.

I thought that I saw a pile of the 'caged' water tanks along with the piles of plastic barrels at the re-sale place the other day. On my next trip to town, I may have to stop by at get the story on those, and what they may have held at one time.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I have two that had Roundup in them, so won't be using them for potable water. But at 2/ $90.00, couldn't pass up the deal and since my roof is shingle, figured it wouldn't be safe to drink anyway. Following directions given me here on this forum, I flushed them out with a bleach solution. 

If I could find a few at $100.00 or less that had non-poisonous chemicals in them, I'd jump at the chance and put them under my metal roof shed for back-up potable water. 

Just a word to the wise -- be sure to paint them as the water goes scuzzy really quickly. I found a primer at Sherwin Williams that is supposed to stick well to plastic, and so far it has lived up to its reputation.


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## joyfulheart (Mar 26, 2009)

In texas, I know a lady who sells them for $50 each. They came from a place that processes milk. They once had some kind of acid you add to the milk to process, that is completely safe...

hubby wont let me get one though, once he saw how HUGE they are, he swore we didn't have the room. LOL


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

Glorybee Foods often has those big water tanks for sale. They are in Eugene, OR (I know that's a ways, but it could be worth it). Their number is 541-689-0913 or 1-800-GLORYBE (1-800-456-7923).


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## rhome (Aug 10, 2006)

MGM, whatever tank you use and have to store/use outside I'd like to suggest you tarp or somehow protect it from UVs and help to stop algae forming.
I put a brass ext. hose faucet on the large valve body cap at the base of our tank.
If you are moving the tanks by yourself you can remove the top retainer bars then take the plastic tank out of the cage...it's much easier/lighter to unload/shuffle around.
We use our tank for water at the garden.
The tank had a latex base liquid, I cleaned out any sediment at the car wash. 
We elevated the tank with PT 6"x6", 2 rows stacked log cabin style. 
Hope this helps.
Good luck with your tank search. BTW our tank was free....8 years ago.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

rhome: I wish I could find one or more free! 

belfrybat: Yes, I plan to paint them black, to exclude light, and then topcoat them with white to reflect heat and keep the water cooler.

Trisha: At this point I'm looking at driving to Albany, so Eugene isn't that much further. Depending on price and what was in them to start with, I'm willing to travel a bit, but I'm hoping to find them closer to home. I wonder if the cheese plant in Lewis County would have them?


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## lemonthyme7 (Jul 8, 2010)

Around here I could get them for you free. On these one's there is a place on the side that holds the material saftey data sheet right on the cage so that is something to look out for. It helps to have that so you can do a good search to see how to clean the tanks out. Good luck in your search.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

If it were for drinking water for my family, I'd be wanting one that was made out of food grade plastic, so I'd be looking for one that was used for food products.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I have the Berkeys to filter drinking water, but unless I want to filter enough water for the critters that feed me, I'd like food grade, too! My concern with any that didn't hold food products is whether the liquid inside was something that could leach into the plastic and back out into my storage water, as I wouldn't want to use anything harmful on my gardens either. Those sheets on the tanks or code numbers that I can look up will tell me if it's safe to use. After all, if it was a cleaner used in the dairy industry, for example, it would likely be okay, but if it was weed killer or pesticide, I wouldn't touch it for free.


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

Check with your local water treatment plant. We just give them away. Chemicals used in drinking water, so tank would be good after a couple rinses.

Kathie


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I think I could make a really huge, above or below grade ferro-cement cistern for that price.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

littlebitfarm said:


> Check with your local water treatment plant. We just give them away. Chemicals used in drinking water, so tank would be good after a couple rinses.
> 
> Kathie


Thanks, Kathie...I actually know the director of public works in my hometown, so I will give him a call and see what they get their chemicals in...I'd love to have a free source that close.


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