3000 Gallon Aluminum Water Tank Gauge

thanks Tornado

With a steel tank the thickness only needs to be 14 gauge I'm told, but I don't know what thickness I need for 6061 Aluminum.

With 3000 gallons you have ca. 11m³.

With 2 m water depth you have an area of 5.5m²

Which in turn gives you ca. 2.3 m square shaped pool.

Is that enough for exercise? I'd rather think 10x4x2 m (roughly 8 times as big) was the better option.

What has the fire truck access to do with the tank?

Is that water intended for extinguishing a fire?

What with the gauge? Can you make this out of steel?

My wheel barrow tyre takes 25 psi!

Thanks IdeaSmith,

I like to tread water for exercise, the wife likes to use a tether for stationary swimming, yes the tank will also be used for fire trucks to access for fires. I hate having to spend money on a tank that just sits there full of water, might as well make it do double duty.

I'm concerned the chlorine in the pool water will corrode a steel tank and someone suggested an aluminum one.

Why not putting in a decent pool then? Its well established and would take away all the questions. Only provide a suction line for the fire truck and all is good.

How do you intend to deal with the evaporation?

IdeaSmith,

we move every few years and can't afford a new pool every time we move.

Well, don't do it, then.

My initial suggestion would be 0.236 inch ( = 6 mm), subject to increase for soil fluidization in case of earthquake.

Tornado,

Wow that thick.

Thanks

I lost track of the shape being round, which would allow for a lighter gauge. Also, please clarify if this above vs. below ground; I think of a pool being below unless specified as above.

You might also consider shallower but larger, for longer straight laps while swimming.

http://www.civildesignhelp.info/tf.html

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Fredski,

Nice site, GA!

Thanks

Google or Wiki "hoop stress". gives you the formulas for the calculations of wall thicknesses. But as mentioned elsewhere, allow for other variables.

Kevin,

Gotta give ya a GA for giving me something new to try, the calculations aren't working out yet cause I think my pressures are so low and the wall thickness is so thin and the diameter so big. So I getting funky answers on the "thin walled hoop stress calculator". But I will continue trying and let ya know what happens.

steel would be far cheaper, are you a millionaire?

Fredski,

Chose Aluminum cause wanted something easily disassembled and lite for transportation, however your link regarding Chlorine and Alum. was enlightening, GA.

glad to assist

You can buy these 4200 gallon fiberglass tanks for $1k, and forget about swimming in them....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-WATER-FLUID-STORAGE-TANKS-100-50-BARREL-Holds-4-200-2-100-gallons-/151291189285

Local codes for this issue will dictate what you can and cannot do. It may be that the tank must be enclosed, buried, or made from specific material. It may have to have a specific design of outlet fitting or standpipe. I personally would not want to be in this "pool" if and when a pumper truck needs to draw water from it.

correct..........but where he lives gets incredibly hot. I can see why he's considering duel purpose

Does your local water tank regulations specify tank design or just a 3000 gallon water supply?

If the 3000 gallon requirement is all that you need, why not just install an above ground pool?

WJMFIRE,

Just 3000 gallon available for suppression. From what I have seen on the price of 12 gauge Alum. I can build one Cheaper than an above ground pool 6 foot depth, if one at 6 foot deep was available.

Thanks anyway

Guys,

A lot of nice thoughts, but the question is what gauge needed to support a head of water 6 foot deep. I was told but one source 14 gauge would suffice of 6061, but I would prefer additional opinions.

I must now also consider stainless steel, but that starts to put the cost out of the range of feasibility.

And no I'm not interested in plastic or fiberglass as I have never seen them last for very long in the desert.

Well if you could provide a sketch of the structural design it would be helpful to determine appropriate gauge....this is 6061-0..?

What about something like this?

http://www.plastic-mart.com/product/10424/contain-prebuild-model-802-flat-roof-3000-gallon-water-tank-802-pb

SolarEagle,

The picture you presented of the corrugated galvanized steel tank is the basic size and shape, but without the top and the $5,000 price tag. I could run flat 4'x6' sheets vertically and bolt them together, ribs with gaskets could help with integrity and prevent leaks. A friend of a friend said they built one for under $2k. It all depends on the gauge/thickness of the Alum sheet.

Thanks

You say "tank".

Then you talk "pool".

What does the regulation say?

My impression is that you want above ground, metal. Then you want transportable, too?

I fear there is a lot not considered here.

Like, how much does 3,000 gallons of water weigh?

What will support that weight?

Will the FD suck the water from the pool?

Will they require a hose fitting in the bottom of the tank?

What does the regulation require?

Additional to that:

Who would buy the house without a tank if regulations require to have one?

Why building it mobile at the expense of putting another one in anyway?

300X8.134lbs/gallon

Not only can you not answer any of the real questions, it's 3,000X8.134, NOT 300X8.134.

jesw55,

Wow someone from the old days that remembers my name, I am honored, for that a GA for what its worth.

Thanks

Before putting anything in you should check with local code officials, fire marshal, and the fire chief. The 3,000 gal seems very small for suppressing and fire bigger than a double outhouse. As for a house it is certainly too small. If you live in a rural area without water mains and hydrants you are dependent on water truck (called a Tender) and buried water tanks for suppression water. 3,000 gal is a medium sized tender and usually for the initial attack only. Mutual aid is normally dispatched to supply more water but it takes time for their tenders to arrive from their locations.

As the ex-chief of a volunteer fire company I can't emphasize enough the need for an assured supply of water, especially is in a desert area. In my area of response developers are required to install one or more 30,000gal underground tanks with installed suction piping, called dry hydrants, to pump from these. The bigger the development the more tanks required the more tanks required. These storage tanks are also required to be either fiberglass or other water non-reactant material. Fiberglass is usually chosen by the developer for cost reasons. These are also required to have wells and pumps to refill them automatically after usage.

A 3,000gal exercise tank (do you mean open pool?) would not contain sufficient water. In the desert there would be a high amount of evaporation reducing the water available and the level of it in a pool. It would require a "dry hydrant" (piping to the water source) be permanently installed to accommodate quick set-up of suction apparatus and in close vicinity for the truck/engines access. We have used 30,000gal backyard swimming pools for extinguishment and that water goes away fast.

Finally, do they require a closed tank similar to a fuel tank which is completely enclosed or is an open top tank acceptable? Talk with those fire people. This isn't the first time they have supplied this information so they a probably knowledgeable about the subject. If you were in my response area I would not permit it, too dangerous and not enough water even for an initial attack of a structure fire.

Good Luck, Old Salt

I have to agree, 3000 gals is nothing near what would be required in fighting a house fire.....It sounds like a misunderstanding....30,000 gals sounds more reasonable....here is a pic of just such an installation for rural fire fighting insurance requirements....

"Besides the increased safety factor for nearby homeowners, underground water storage tanks can also provide lower insurance premiums. Residential areas are given Public Protection Classification scores for fire safety by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule figures into homeowners' premiums for property insurance. Ratings start at Class 9, indicating the lowest level of protection. In order for a community to receive an ISO rating of Class 8 or better, and for homeowners to enjoy a benefit on their insurance premiums, there must be a water source available that can supply 250 gallons per minute for a duration of two hours. Some quick math yields a minimum requirement of 30,000 gallons, exactly the capacity of the tank installed in Howard County."

http://buildipedia.com/aec-pros/from-the-job-site/underground-water-storage-tanks?print=1&tmpl=component

Installed....

Guys,

Seriously, so many detailed questions and opinions on how I should do it, what has happened to CR4?

Ok, here's the truth, the tank will be holding the rocket fuel, it is located above ground in the attic. The ICBM is in the basement. The fitting to fuel the rocket is the same size as a typical fire hydrant. And so now you see how all the pieces fit together for my plan for world domination. The warhead is a full septic tank that we found while digging the...

I cant go on, thanks to all who helped.

http://akvopedia.org/wiki/Plastic-lined_tank

Aha, I knew we'd get to the truth....I think 16ga with support rings every ft, will be fine....

SolarEagle,

GA, that's all I needed.

Thanks

Hi, If you're going to use as an exercise pool why not build from concrete & tile it, you could put an outlet pipe from the bottom up the outside of the tank to a terminal acceptable to the fire department & I wouldn't mind betting they would supply you with a connector.

Bazzer.

Having read all the replies or most I suggest a wanted ad in the paper/internet to see if you can find a fabricated FRP (fiber glass reinforced plastic) used pool to install. I just checked e bay and you can get a 1715 gallon above ground pool 30 inches x 12 feet for $289.00 so bigger are available also. I do not feel that you have a major problem as the above ground are easy to disassemble and move.

We tread water for exercise, 6 foot deep tank, not an lap pool. And I want something that will last 30+ years.

What was the question, oh yea sheet thickness.

Well, you want to build your exercise pool big enough to hold 3,000 gallons in order to conform the local Fire Department requirements, and you want to take it with you when you move, in another couple of years.

Yes, it's do-able, but it's gonna cost you a coupla several dozen bucks...

First, ( 3,000 gal x 1 ft3 / 7.48 gal = 401.04 ft3 ) / 6 ft deep = 66.84 ft2

sqrt( 66.84 ft2 ) = 8.36 ft on a each side of a square-shaped tank.

But if you only need it to be 1 yard wide, it would have to be more than 22.28 long

And if you and your wife wanted to swim side-by-side, in a 2 yard wide pool, it would only have to be more than 11.14 ft long.

If you made it out of 3 ft by 6 ft modules, it would take 18 panels for the shorter tank, and 36 panels for the longer one, using the same size panels for the ''floor''. both of are certainly ''freightable'' in less than a mid-size truck trailer.

As to the cost, it will depend on the rest of the design details, as others have shown.

In any case, good luck...

MR. Guest,

GA for effort

Note; Its a 6' deep tank, 7-8' in diameter sufficient to hold 3k gallons of water, disassembles for easy transport, above ground, Aluminum sheet-what thickness?

Of course the Fire Dept. would like a 30k tank, but then there would not be any more new housing.

Thanks for the objectivity to give me ''GA'' for ''effort''. I was glad for the opportunity to try to be of some help.

I hope you find all the answers you need to finish your project successfully. Let us know what you finally wind up deciding on.

In any case, enjoy...