Hmm. I mentioned in the previous post that I was picking up one of these to use for a burial vault and, later, for water storage. I’ve had more than one person email or comment asking where I was getting it from locally.
If you’re here in Missoula, Mountain Supply over at 2101 Mullan, just off Broadway between Reserve and Broadway has a yard full of these things, in all the sizes, as well as all sortsa water tanks for above ground use as well going from 50 to 2500 gallon…all on hand, in their yard, and ready to roll.
So…now you know.
Mountain Supply is a great store!
Tank you sir !!!!!!
You da Man, CZ! Thanks!
I’ve wondered about burying something like that for storage, etc. but won’t it just float out of the ground if it’s not full?
I suppose it might if theres enough water in the ground where you plant it. I’m putting it at the top of a hill.
Typically, one must either keep sufficient weight in the tank – such as when they are used as septic systems – or pour anchors and use a strap to keep the tank down.
If you bury that empty – it will rocket through the earth like a torpedo if there’s a higher water table, even if it’s under 2 feet of earth.
I had a septic tank do that a few years ago before the house was approved for occupancy (and therefore tank was full of wastewater). Contractor had to come back out, rebury it, fix all the snapped PVC.
You’d want to weigh it down appropriately, check the water table, etc – maybe PT timbers across the top with a wider excavation footprint, so there’s more surface area to hold it down empty.
Too bad they don’t tell us anywhere how much the damn things cost!
I would imagine thats because each vendor has a different cost baked into the final pricing due to shipping expenses and whatnot. The vendor in Alaska is gonna have a higher shipping cost to factor in than the vendor in Iowa. Call the local vendor and ask.
I got a 500-gallon septic tank like this for $250.00 about eight years ago, if that’s any help.
Thx. That does help a lot. All I was looking for was n MSRP or ballpark price.
I just looked up manufacture and then pricing on each model they sell…. came back a little different for different parts of country but its easy to find… prices ran between 800ish to 4000ish depending on size.
If you’re going to bury a tank like this for storage, be sure it’s well ventilated! There are several poisonous gases (hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon monoxide) that roam around in small concentrations looking for the lowest places to drop into. These gases will build up to lethal levels over time. Entering a space like this will incapacitate and ultimately kill you before you even know what’s going on. That’s why you see workmen ventilating manholes before entering them and while working in them.
I’m certified for Confined Space Rescue; what he said. Specific gravity of some stuff will kill,you.
Previous owner had installed on here as temporary septic tank. It gave us nothing but problems – ‘floating’ out of the dry clay soil, breaking open with seasonal changes, etc. Be sure to do appropriate prep work around it. (Not my wheel house, but perhaps gravel drainage below, frost heave protection, etc. Check with local expertise.)
Yeppers, even concrete tanks can float. Look around for stories about in ground swimming pools that were left empty… makes a huge mess!
In CZs use case, it would also negate the discrete nature of having it buried in the first place. If it was mine, I would get a mini excavator up there, dig a hole and add a trench. Trench connects a low point drain on the tank to a gravel filled dry well 20-40 feet away, depending on the slope. More slope = less distance required. I’d also make sure to have drain rock under the tank also connected to the dry well. Think French drain. Make sure to add stainless steel screens to both ends of the pipe to prevent critter intrusion.
The point is that dirt and rock won’t float the tank out of the ground, but water absolutely will. So give the water a path away from the tank and you won’t have any issues.
One of these things with some heavy camping equipment, like Dutch ovens and shit, a few guns, and a bunch of food is a heck of a thing to have buried not too far away from your cabin. Personally, I would do it far enough that for some reason, I could not go to my cabin i.e. someone else was there or whatever I can still retrieve the supplies.