Planning for storage

[muncybob]

I just received the estimate from my installer and I like what I see. So my next question is exactly what should I have the installer do if I am only "planning" for storage. I doubt I can swing the storage this year and want as much done by this installer at his current pricing per hour as there is no guarantee his rates won't be higher next year.

 

[muncybob]

yet another question: I probably will only have room to get either a horizontal 500 gallon tank or possibly 2 vertical 250 gallon tanks into my basement. If you had this situation, from an efficiency stand which way would you go? I don't think my basement has the height to stand the 500 tank upright.

 

[DaveBP]

If you have room for one 500 gallon tank horizontally you might have room for two horizontally one above the other. They could have a total height of less than 7' that way. There are some good photos somewhere on this forum of an installation with the tanks on standard pallet racks. I'm welding mine together into one unit but I have a concrete floor and roller dollies to move a 2500 lb. unit. A search on "pallet racks" might bring up those photos.
More storage won't take any more floor space that way.

 

[Nofossil]

From a planning point of view, the important thing is to have a complete design for the final system so that you don't have to redo anything when you add storage. Whatever your design, you should be able to 'stub out' the connections to storage so that it's easy to add later. If you can do the horizontal stacked 500 gallon tanks, that's pretty nice.

 

[stee6043]

Here ya go.....(2) 500 gallon storage tanks stacked in a 4' deep by 10' wide by 7' tall space....

 

[muncybob]

I wish I had the room to do the stacked tanks! Ceiling is barely 6'...this is a very old farm house and I guess people were shorter then! Is there any difference in efficiency between 1 500 gal. tank and 2 250 gal. tanks?

 

[DaveBP]

I wish I had the room to do the stacked tanks! Ceiling is barely 6’..

Has anyone out there lowered the floor of their basement beneath a storage tank to achieve more 'ceiling' height? Might make a good opportunity to put in a better weight bearing footing than the existing floor. And might make the ultimate pump sump for those who occasionally get water in their basement.

Thanks for the photo, stee. That is exactly the image that I was referring to.

 

[maplewood]

Super pic, Stee6043. Thanks for that! How do you plan on insulating these tanks? I too am planning to install storage next year, and will snub off my piping for it as I finish my boiler install this summer. I'm thinking about four 250 gallon tanks in series, becuase I have to move them down a stairway into my basement.

 

[stee6043]

Super pic, Stee6043. Thanks for that! How do you plan on insulating these tanks? I too am planning to install storage next year, and will snub off my piping for it as I finish my boiler install this summer. I'm thinking about four 250 gallon tanks in series, becuase I have to move them down a stairway into my basement.

I actually insulated the tanks with eleven (11) rolls of R30 unfaced insulation. I then enclosed the entire tank structure with sheets of OSB. The tanks are snug and warm in there....about as well insulated as I could do without spray-foam. And since my tanks are inside any heat lost only goes to heat my house. No big problem there...