The perceived advantage of elevated water tanks on high tank stands that rely on gravity rather

than electricity for water delivery, is rapidly becoming an outdated misconception. They’re no
longer the first, only, or ultimate solution. In modern times, cutting-edge technology is able to
replace the ancient practice of gravity-reliant systems.

Below are some notes on structurally elevated tanks compared with round/circular, ground-level
tanks:

ELEVATED WATER STORAGE TANKS ON STEEL

TANK SUPPORT STRUCTURES
Any water supply requires delivery at a minimum workable pressure. An acceptable working
pressure for domestic purposes is around 2.5 Bar… roughly speaking. Less than 2 Bar may be
troublesome. 3 Bar or more is great!

But 2.5 bar pressure requires a tank stand height of at least 25 m! And herein lies the challenge
associated with elevated tanks – how to safely support that tremendous weight… at considerable
height?

As an example: since 1000l of water weighs 1 tonne, an elevated tank of say 100,000 litres
would require a structural framework capable of supporting at least ONE HUNDRED TONNES
… at 25m height in order to provide pressure of 2.5 Bar. Scary!

Some important considerations when opting for elevated tanks:

 Specialized, advanced engineering design

 tonnes of additional structural steel for the tank stand
 this tank stand steel requires protective coating and ongoing maintenance
 lengthy on-site construction costs for what are essentially two different projects:

1. the steel tank construction

2. the steel tank stand construction.

 THE COST OF THE ELEVATED TANK STAND MAY FAR EXCEED THE COSTS OF
THE WATER TANK ITSELF!
 even if gravity does replace an output pump, an energized input pump is usually
necessary

 safety and risk assessments

 destruction of property (or loss of life!) in the event of failure and collapse of the support
structure

 soil substrate stability supporting the weight of the combined tank and tank stand
assembly
  high winds to which the square, the elevated tank may be subjected
 longevity of the tank stand’s structural steel components

ROUND, GROUND-LEVEL WATER STORAGE TANKS

A round, ground-level water storage tank is positioned directly onto the ground on suitable
substrate, entirely negating construction of a tank stand. This results in a massive saving in costs
related to structural steel and construction time.

If a ground-level water tank IS able to be positioned on a suitably high point (such as a hill or
kopje), it can also function as an indirect delivery system (gravity feed), requiring no output
pump. However, with no naturally elevated landscape feature nearby on which to elevate the
ground-level tank, it will require an energized output pump to deliver the required water
pressure.

But is this really a ‘negative’?

Considerations for the utilisation of round, ground-level tanks:

 several remarkably inventive solutions exist nowadays for ground-level tank pump
systems
 such pumps have the advantage that flow rate can be directly adjusted and controlled.
 costs of a pump system may be substantially less than that of an elevated steel tank stand
structure.
 Ground-level tanks are considerably cheaper to install than elevated tanks of the same
volume.
 Should stored-water volumes need to be increased, it’s much easier (and cheaper!) to
simply install an adjacent ground water tank or to increase the capacity of the existing
tank by increasing its wall height. Not so simple for elevated tanks!
 Round vs square tanks. Since round water tanks offer far less wind resistance than square
tanks do, round tanks are inherently more stable in adverse weather conditions… less
risk!

IN CONCLUSION
Elevated tanks and round, ground-level tanks are simply bulk water storage vessels:

 One delivers gravity feed while the other requires an output pump (that is, if the ground-
level tank is unable to be elevated on a suitably high geographical feature).
 In both cases, pumps are required for water input purposes.
 Output pump cost in ground tanks is hugely offset by the excessive cost of the tank stand
structure required for elevated tanks.
 Complexity and time of construction – ground-level tanks are easy and quick to install.
 Costs – overall, a round, ground-level tank can cost less than half of the price of an
elevated tank of the same volume.
Due to the advances nowadays in highly-efficient pump technology coupled with a host of
alternative power generation options, ground-level tanks such as those installed by Rainbow
Reservoirs, are becoming an increasingly popular choice over elevated tanks, especially in small
to medium-scale applications.