Tank size for surface cleaning work- opinions

cborne01

cborne01

New member
Looking for opinions as I'm likely getting an enclosed trailer (7x16' w/ 7500# load cap.) and looking for recommendations as to what size water tank to go with. I will be doing some parking lot cleaning where I will need to carry my own water. Only using a 4GPM machine at this time, but my next machine will prob. be larger. So would it just be better to put a 500 gallon tank from the get go? That makes the most sense to me, but wanted to see what the guys that carry water think.
 
I carry 300 in my 16 ft trailer....10 gpm machine
 
I use an IBC tote (275) with an 8gpm, and my guys don't have any issues.

It's good to have a fire hydrant permit with a meter in case the property has bad/no water source, but check with your local jurisdiction. If the property has a water source, just continually fill it up and use a hudson float valve so it doesn't overflow
 
I have a 300 gallon tank with a 5.5 gpm unit.
 
Personally, I have a 500 gallon tank. The reason I went so big is so I will have it if I ever need it. Let's say you get into doing house and roof cleaning and the property is on a shallow well, or water restrictions get strict - you're going to want a bigger tank. It's only overkill until you need it and then you'll be grateful you have it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
cborne01 said:
Looking for opinions as I'm likely getting an enclosed trailer (7x16' w/ 7500# load cap.) and looking for recommendations as to what size water tank to go with. I will be doing some parking lot cleaning where I will need to carry my own water. Only using a 4GPM machine at this time, but my next machine will prob. be larger. So would it just be better to put a 500 gallon tank from the get go? That makes the most sense to me, but wanted to see what the guys that carry water think.
Click to expand...

Do you currently have a trailer?
 
4gpm is very small for parking lot cleaning and even a 500 gallon tank is small for parking lot cleaning, if you are going to do parking lots I would buy a larger machine as you will not work very fast with a machine that small. Depending on what other type of work you want to do, a larger machine might not cost much more, especially if you buy used.

The larger the machine the faster you will work.

If you read some of the older threads you will learn what limitations you are imposing on yourself with that small machine.

If you try to put a 500 gallon tank in that trailer, you will not have much weight capacity for hardly anything else, physically you will but weight wise you will not have much more you can add when you think about safety and do the math on what everything weighs.
 
Christopher said:
4gpm is very small for parking lot cleaning and even a 500 gallon tank is small for parking lot cleaning, if you are going to do parking lots I would buy a larger machine as you will not work very fast with a machine that small. Depending on what other type of work you want to do, a larger machine might not cost much more, especially if you buy used.

The larger the machine the faster you will work.

If you read some of the older threads you will learn what limitations you are imposing on yourself with that small machine.

If you try to put a 500 gallon tank in that trailer, you will not have much weight capacity for hardly anything else, physically you will but weight wise you will not have much more you can add when you think about safety and do the math on what everything weighs.
Click to expand...

I agree with Chris. If you are doing parking lots and need to supply your own water you will need 2000 to 20000 or more gallons. Bottom line...no body hauls there own water in to do large flatwork, unless they have a closed loop reclaim system. I'd suggest a 100 to 275 gallon tank and a hydrant meter from the city.
 
Thanks for the replies, I guess I should have been more clear on my initial post. I really just need some portability, I'm not cleaning large scale parking lots, and I know my machine is really to small for that, but I am getting calls that require some perimeter work that does not always have water.
I just wanted to get some feedback, 500 gal. is prob. overkill and overweight for what I need, but I was thinking of the future with a bigger machine- If you have a big tank, you only need to fill it for what the job requires-- that why I wanted to see what some of you are running with.
Again, thanks for the input, I'm learning, and have a lot more to learn.
 
Thinking about the ibc totes........make sure you know exactly what chemicals were used in them.
 
Osoto said:
Thinking about the ibc totes........make sure you know exactly what chemicals were used in them.
Click to expand...

I agree, also it is not going to last you as long. But good when on budget. Also strapping them down is sometimes an issue. Lastly, some people don't like the looks. I am all for them when money is tight or your on a budget. I use to have a fleet of them and was super happy when I got them. But I eventually did move away from them entirely. They crack from the sun in PHX easier.

Still a steal for the price. I have picked them up as cheap as $55 out here before.
 
We have one tote that has been used for 7 years now with no problem. One good way to keep them in place is to weld angle irons at the corner.

325 gallons is still not enough to do more than a few frequent entrances.

Chris uses 225 gallon leg tanks. Thanks again Ron.

I use 425 gallon tanks for what I do. Depending on the jobs it might last all day.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top