Support Platform for Water Storage Tanks?

[Colin Brook]

Hello, I'm just setting up two 1000 litre recycled IBC tanks such as may be seen here:

to capture rain water from some of my house roof.

I want to raise the base of the tanks about a couple of feet off the ground for ease of access and water pressure and am thinking of using slotted angle. Would appreciate any input about strength/sizes and whether I could put tanks directly onto slotted angle frame or would it be better to cover with board.

Obviously the max weight for each tank is a little over 1000kg. Although they are against house wall I don't want to transfer any load to the wall but could use it for strapping to provide horizontal stability.

Site is slightly sloping so leg lengths will vary from about 1 foot to a couple of feet.

I can find plenty of info about sizes and prices but no guidance about load bearing and basic design. Any pointers or comments would be welcome.

Regards, Colin

[zikkimalambo]

IANAStructural Engineer, but I would have thought that you would need an awful lot of angle to hold that ammount of weight. What you are proposing sounds very similar in broad design terms to an old steel oil tank for an oil fired boiler. These were generally sat on piers made of concrete blocks or bricks. I would have thought you would need to do somethng similar, and put either some board or preferably something like reinforced concrete fense posts laid horizontaly under the tank to spread the load.

Sorry to burst your bubble!

Only my 2c.

[Rick Hughes]

Simple way would be to build up two pillars by dry stacking 4" concrete blocks on flat, 9" short of desired height - use cement if you want (are OK to do so) .. then put 3 wood joists, 8"x2" (200 x 50), and place a piece of 1" WBP ply on top of this (1" thick ... or 3/4" if you can't find 1" easy), then rest your tank on that. Bitumen seal the ply, esp on edges would make it last longer

If it were me I would put it underground instead and use a stainless steel submerged pump, auto switching on when you turn on tap.

I have a 10,000 gallon underground tank that has this .. and a 3rd water circuit in the house, feeds washing m/c, wc cisterns and outside taps.