Plastic Tanks versus Metal Tanks
Plastic Tanks versus metal tanks – when it comes to choosing your rainwater tank, you have the options of traditional galvanised steel tanks or the increasingly popular plastic tanks. In this article, we compare the two types of the tank – the one-piece moulded plastic water tanks or the sectional metal water tanks.
Problems & solutions
Metal tanks
What are the problems with sectional metal tanks? The main problem has been rusting and corrosion. Another difficulty is getting the welded joints perfectly leakproof. A final problem is the metal elements being absorbed into the water inside the tank, for example, lead from the welded joints or zinc from the lining (put there to prevent corrosion).
How have the manufacturers overcome these difficulties? They put in a poly liner. This protects the contents of the tanks from contamination by the metal and prevents leaks at the joints. And importantly, it also protects against rust and corrosion.
The snag is that the liners are more delicate than the metal tanks and may be damaged during cleaning – thus, the warranty for the lining is less than that for the tank itself. And they often need replacing every few years.
Plastic tanks
Historically plastic tanks became brittle when exposed to the sun for long periods of time. With advances in plastic technologies, plastic tanks are manufactured with UV stabilisers for many years of outside use.
Metal Tanks Take Longer to Install
Metal tanks are often heavy or come in sections to be constructed on-site. A 30,000-litre plastic water tank would take someone less than half a day to install, whereas a similar size sectional metal tank would take up to 2 days for 2 persons.
Strength
A metal tank is indeed strong. They do not warp or bulge, but they are less impact-resistant than plastic tanks. Their weaknesses are in the joints. Bang it hard, and you might dent it – and that might require expensive repairs.
Plastic tanks are also strong and can tolerate bangs and bumps. They do not warp or bend, but their weakness lies in the ability to withstand heat over 40 deg c.
Styles and capacity
Metal tanks can be much bigger and hold a lot more water. 1,000,000 litres as opposed to around 30,000 litres for plastic tanks. However, it is popular to interlink plastic tanks to increase the capacity.
As for style – plastic tanks have it. A range of colours to blend in or stand out and a wide variety of shapes – tall and slim or short and fat, lidded or laddered and more. See our range of over 500 vertical tanks here.
Maintenance
When cleaning the metal tanks, you must take care not to damage the linings, and joints are always harder to clean than a smooth surface. The rotationally moulded plastic tanks are straightforward to clean without damaging them – the smooth inner surface and lack of joints are a real benefit. There are even self-cleaning systems you can install.
Recycling
Metal tanks can be melted down, and the metal recovered and recycled. You cannot do that with plastic tanks. But it is worth considering that the life span of plastic tanks can often exceed that of metal tanks.
Conclusion – Steel or plastic water tanks?
Unless you need a huge storage capacity, both metal and plastic water tanks are suitable for storage irritation water and rainwater. Plastic water tanks are often cheaper, easier to install and maintain and more flexible with many sizes such as 1000 litre, 2000 litres up to 30,000 litres available from stock for quick delivery. Moulded water tanks suitable for storing water for rainwater, water bowsers and baffled water tanks for car valeting are available in various colours and different diameter footprints.
Enduramaxx’s range of water storage tanks, water butts, and potable water tanks ranging from 100 litres to 30,000 litres to store water for when you require it. Our full range is available here for rainwater tanks. We are here to help if you would like to give us a ring on 01778 562810.
Metal Tank Image Source Istock
