Galvanised steel tanks around Nottingham

Irrigation on light, sandy land

The light soils over Sherwood Sandstone dry out quickly, and the root crops grown on them north and east of the city are thirsty. Many farms here rely on stored winter water. A lined reservoir is one answer; a steel tank is the better fit when space is short, when the store needs to sit by the pump house, or when the farm wants something that can be taken down and moved.

Growers, nurseries and sports grounds in the Trent valley use them for the same reason: a large, accessible volume that doesn't take up a field.

Depots, yards and process water

On the industrial side, steel tanks hold rainwater harvested from big warehouse roofs, wash water for bus and lorry depots, and recycled process water. Above-ground storage is easy to inspect and easy to reach for pumps and pipework, with no excavation on a site that may already be crowded with services.

• Crop irrigation and spray water
• Rainwater harvesting from large roofs
• Vehicle and plant wash-down
• Process and recycled water

From the slab to first fill

The concrete or engineered base is designed and built by others for the full weight of the filled tank. On sandy ground that design matters, so we check level and setting out on the finished base before the first ring goes up.

Galvanised panels are bolted together to the designed height. A continuous internal liner then takes the water load, keeping it off the bolts and seams of the shell. Pipe connections come next: supply, outlet to the pumps, overflow and a level gauge, each made watertight. Then the tank is filled a stage at a time, and only after the steel and liner have carried the full load without complaint does it go into service.

Planning the visit

Panels, liner and fittings come in on one or two loads, so we'll ask about lorry access and a hard standing for unloading. On a working farm we fit around harvest and spraying; on an industrial site, around deliveries and shift changes.

Root-crop growers in the county often want the tank beside an existing borehole or mains connection, so it can be topped up slowly through winter and drawn hard in a dry July. Tell us where the water comes from and where it has to go, and we'll suggest an outlet height and position that suits the pumps.