Frequently asked questions: How many times have you wanted to look at some answers and see if someone else had the same or similar challenges? We got'em here are a few. Please send us your questions, they help us all grow and create and "get it right the first time".
Chemical resistance charts confirm compatibility of tank material to chemical, to some extent.
Caveats:
a. higher temperature reduces a materials chemical resistance
b. chemical compounds are not discrete and may reduce a materials chemical resistance
c. a discrete chemical may start out resistant, degrade and become less resistant
1. The best source of information on the correct storage container comes from the equipment manufacturer and their MSDS, Material Safety Data Sheet, produced by the chemical manufacturer.
2. NACE, National Association of Corrosion Engineers, has many resources available. http://www.nace.org/
3. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, http://www.aiche.org/ chemical engineering and chemical resistance resource.
a. The responsibility for tank material selection must rest with the client, as only through the process of 'due diligence' research and awareness of the chemical potential for cause and effect on materials can the correct material be selected.
Yourself, we can help, but you have to make the final decision.
Any tank fitting that allows for the piping, plumbing or process connection, this could be NPT (national pipe threads), ANSI Flanges, Tri clover (food grade special fitting)
Depends on the application, the more aggressive the liquid being stored the more consideration to tank life span, inspection cycles and replacement consideration.
I was wondering if fiberglass tanks are safe for drinking
water. Any info on this would be appreciated.
Hugh Mc Guigan - June 2008
Hello Hugh, the answer is some of them, a fiberglass tank need to be specifically designed for drinking water from the beginning.
The correct resin should be selected, a resin that has FDA or NSF certificates
Once the tank is built, it needs to be steam cured for 24 hours with the correct volume of steam, at a correct temperature and the steam exhausted from the tank. This procedure seals the interior of the tank by off gassing styrene.
Again a ASTM, FDA, NSF certified procedure.
How do I keep the water fresh in plastic tanks, and not go green?
Wilton Jackson - June 2008
White plastic tanks are the perfect container to grow algae, however algae is very hard on the human digestive system.
If you want to stop Algae, Black plastic tanks are opaque and keep algae from growing by keeping the suns rays from making contact with your water.
Placing white tanks indoors will also vastly reduce algae growth, artificial light will grow algae at a slower rate, but it will grow indoors in a white tank.
Treating the water with a small amount of chlorine will also keep algae from growing, but adds a little something to the taste.
Algae is a plant and will begin to grow in untreated water within 72 hours of exposure to direct sunlight.