How to Choose a Bladder or Pillow Tank

A pillow tank does need a flat, clear spot of ground big enough for its full footprint. When it's full, it spreads out wide and low, so it covers more ground than most people expect.

Two other tank types are better for some jobs:

• A folding frame tank is what fire departments use as a drop tank at a fire scene. It is a collapsible liner held up by a steel or aluminum frame that folds for transport. A water truck empties its load into the drop tank and heads back for another load while the engine keeps pumping from the tank. The Husky STF-500, a 500-gallon steel folding frame tank, is one example. We carry these on our folding frame tanks page.
• A rigid tank is better for permanent storage that stays in one place for years. Our guide to choosing a water storage tank covers those.

What Changes Between Drinking Water, Fuel and Grey Water Tanks?

The liner is the biggest thing that changes with the liquid. For drinking water, look for a liner made from fabric certified to NSF/ANSI 61, the standard for materials that come into contact with drinking water. For fuel, you need a fuel-rated liner. For grey water, you need a liner made for wastewater and chemicals. The liquid also changes the fittings, the rules for your site and what you need to do before first use.

Whatever the liquid, we recommend buying the tank for one job and keeping it on that job. Don't use a tank that has held fuel or grey water for drinking water. If you need drinking water, buy a potable tank for it. The equipment specification for contractors who haul drinking water to wildland fires says a drinking water tank is "used exclusively for drinking water," and your health department has the final word on what's acceptable where you are.

Drinking Water (Potable) Bladder Tanks

For drinking water, buy a tank whose listing says the liner fabric is made or certified to NSF/ANSI 61. Our listing for the Fol-Da-Tank PT-1340, for example, says it's made with "NSF/ANSI 61 certified potable water fabric." That certification is for the fabric only, and it doesn't make the tank approved for drinking water in your state. Drinking water rules vary by state, so check your state and local requirements before you rely on the tank for drinking water.

Clean and disinfect a new drinking water tank before you fill it for use. Disinfecting usually means filling the tank with a chlorine bleach solution, and your state or local health department sets how strong to mix it and how long to leave it. Follow your health department's steps. For one state's example, see the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's tank disinfection page. In general, the order goes like this:

1. Clean the inside of the tank and remove any debris.
2. Disinfect it with a chlorine bleach solution mixed to your health department's instructions.
3. Leave the solution in for the contact time, which is how long it has to sit in the tank to work.
4. Drain the tank.
5. Flush it with fresh water, then refill it for use.

You'll find our options on the potable water tanks page.

Fire Water Tanks

Fire water usually isn't for drinking, so the potable liner is optional. If the tank might hold drinking water later, buy the potable liner now.

Fire departments set portable tanks up as a water source where there are no hydrants, and the engine pumps water out of the tank through a hose. That makes the fittings the main thing to check for fire use. Look at the fill and outlet sizes on the listing and make sure they match your pump and hoses. We carry bladder tanks and folding frame tanks on our firefighting and emergency response page.

Fuel Bladder Tanks

For fuel, buy a tank with a fuel-rated liner. Husky's fuel bladders, for example, use military-grade urethane, and our listing for the 1,000-gallon Husky BT-1000U40 names diesel and Jet A among the fuels it's built for. Check the listing for the fuels the liner is rated for, and make sure your fuel is on it.

Fuel storage comes with rules that water storage doesn't. The federal rule is EPA's Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule, which covers oil storage, including fuels such as diesel. The rule can apply to a site that stores more than 1,320 gallons of oil aboveground, where a spill could reasonably be expected to reach navigable waters of the United States or their shorelines. Only containers of 55 gallons or more count toward that total, per the regulation.

All the containers of 55 gallons or more on a site count toward the 1,320 gallons together. One 1,000-gallon fuel bladder plus one 500-gallon bladder is 1,500 gallons, which is over the limit. EPA's page on who is regulated by the SPCC rule sets out exactly who is covered. If you're not sure whether the rule applies to your site, ask your state environmental agency.

If the rule covers your site, its bulk fuel storage containers generally need secondary containment. Secondary containment is a barrier around the tanks that can hold the entire capacity of the largest single tank, plus enough extra room for rainwater. With one fuel bladder, that means the barrier has to hold everything in that bladder. With several bladders inside one barrier, it has to hold the biggest one. The rule has other requirements too, so check your site's own SPCC obligations.

For a fuel bladder, secondary containment is usually a spill berm, which is a low-walled basin the tank sits inside. You'll find these on our spill berms page.

You may need containment even below the federal threshold. Local, state and federal rules can each require secondary containment around a fuel bladder. State rules and local fire codes vary, so check with your local fire code official and the manufacturer's instructions before the tank goes on site. Our fuel tanks are on the fuel and chemical resistant bladders page.

Grey Water Bladder Tanks

Grey water is wastewater from clothes washers, bathtubs, showers and sinks. The University of California Cooperative Extension definition leaves out water from kitchen sinks, dishwashers and toilets. If what you're storing fits that description, choose a grey water or chemical and wastewater liner rather than a drinking water liner.

If your grey water carries cleaning products or other chemicals, tell us what's in it. Fol-Da-Tank pillow tanks such as the PT-1340 also come with a Chemical Resistant (Black) liner option, and we can confirm compatibility with the manufacturer before you order. Our options are on the grey water bladders page.

What Size Bladder Tank Do I Need?

The right size is the one that holds the volume you need between refills and still fits your site when it's full. Work out the gallons from how fast you use the liquid and how long you go between refills:

• Drinking or utility water: gallons used per day times the number of days between refills.
• Fuel: gallons burned per day times the number of days between fuel deliveries.
• Fire water: the volume your department's water supply plan calls for at that location.

Bladder and pillow tanks come in a wide range of sizes, and our bladder tanks run from 25 to 50,000 gallons.

A full pillow tank spreads out rather than up, so it covers far more ground than a rigid tank of the same capacity. Here are the filled dimensions from two of our listings:

Before you order, check the filled dimensions on the listing and measure your site against them. Leave room to walk around the tank and reach the fittings.

The ground also has to carry the weight. A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds, according to the USGS. That puts the water in a full PT-1340 at about 11,100 pounds, more than five tons, resting on a patch of ground about 14 by 7 feet. The ground under it has to be firm and level enough to carry that weight evenly.

How Do I Prepare the Ground for a Pillow Tank?

Most of the work of setting up a pillow tank is preparing the ground, and you do it before you unroll the tank. The ground carries the full weight of the tank. Anything sharp on it can puncture the liner.

The U.S. Army's field manual for collapsible fabric tanks puts it the same way: "most of the time involved is used to prepare a graded site" (FM 10-67-1, chapter 12). The manual also tells crews to clear away sticks, rocks and sharp objects that could damage the tank. Here's what we recommend:

• Grade the site flat.
• Clear sticks, rocks and anything sharp from the whole footprint.
• Lay a ground cover or tarp under the tank, so it rests on a clean layer instead of bare dirt. You'll find them on our ground covers page.
• For fuel, set up the spill berm first, then place the tank inside it.

How Long Do Bladder Tanks Last, and Can They Be Repaired?

The manufacturer's warranty tells you what the maker stands behind. The two bladder tank makers we carry stand behind different things:

• Husky: 3 years on all welds and welded seams for its environmental line, which includes its fuel bladders, and lifetime coverage on welds and seams for its firefighting line, such as its folding frame tanks.
• Fol-Da-Tank: a limited lifetime warranty on workmanship and material defects on the tanks it makes.

Tank Supply Direct doesn't add a separate warranty. The manufacturer's warranty applies, and we help you through a claim if you need one. Our warranty and claims page lists each brand's terms.

Small damage can usually be fixed in the field. For Fol-Da-Tank pillow tanks, we carry the FEPK Tear-Aid patch kit for field repairs and a clamp plug shell patch kit made for pillow-style tanks. Our firefighter tank repair kits and accessories page has more options. It's worth ordering one with the tank.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Bladder Tank?

Lead times on bladder and pillow tanks differ a lot from one manufacturer and model to the next, so there's no single answer. Each product page shows the manufacturer's lead time for that tank. If you need the tank by a certain date, call us before you order and tell us the date, so you're not counting on a timeline that doesn't fit.

Shipping is charged separately from the tank, and the freight charge at checkout is an estimate based on where you are and what you order. If the final freight rate comes in higher than that estimate, we will not ship the order or charge any additional freight without your approval. If you'd rather not pay the higher rate, you can cancel for a full refund. Our shipping page explains how shipping works.

Larger tanks ship by LTL freight, which means they ride on a truck carrying several customers' shipments. Standard freight delivery is curbside, so plan how you'll get the tank off the truck and from the curb to the site. Unloading is up to you unless you add liftgate service, where the driver uses a hydraulic lift to lower the tank from the truck to the ground. More than four in ten of our freight shipments need one, so if you don't have a forklift or loading dock, add liftgate service before the tank ships. Smaller tanks may ship by parcel.

When a freight delivery arrives, inspect the tank before you sign the Bill of Lading, the driver's delivery paperwork:

1. Check the packaging and the tank for damage while the driver is still there.
2. Photograph any damage you find.
3. Write the damage on the Bill of Lading before you sign it. Without that note, a freight claim and any replacement are impossible.
4. Report the damage to us within 48 hours. If you find hidden damage after unpacking, report it within 3 business days. We file the carrier claim for you.

Talk to Us Before You Order

If you're still deciding between liners, sizes or tank types, call me or one of our tank experts at 833-465-8265, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 to 5:00 Central, or reach us through our contact page. Tell us what's going in the tank and where it's going, and we'll help you match the liner, size and fittings to the job, including telling you if the tank you're looking at isn't the right one. For fire departments and agencies, we also handle quotes, purchase orders and account setup, and your account gets a named account manager.