Galvanised steel tanks in Preston

Who keeps water above ground here

Most enquiries in central Lancashire come from the land. Growers on the Fylde mosses and around Hesketh Bank and Tarleton hold irrigation water for the summer, dairy farms keep wash-down water for parlours and yards, and equestrian centres collect roof water for arenas and stables.

On the industrial estates along the M6 and M55 the use is process or recycled water, and large roofs make harvesting rain at scale worth doing in a county this wet. A steel tank suits all of these because it needs no excavation, holds a lot in a small footprint, and can be unbolted and re-erected on another field or yard if the farm changes.

Footings, then the shell

Somebody else pours the slab or builds the engineered pad, sized for the weight of a full tank. When we arrive we survey it for level and check the tank's footprint is set out where the drawing says, since any error there shows up in every course above it.

The shell then climbs one course of galvanised panels at a time, bolted as it goes, until it reaches the capacity on the drawing. On an open site on the Fylde, wind is what we plan around while the shell is still part-built and acting like a sail.

Lining, pipework and the first fill

Inside the steel we fit a continuous liner, and that liner is what holds the water. The bolts and panels carry the structure and never take the water load themselves.

• Inlet, outlet and overflow connections fitted and sealed.
• Level indication so the farm or site can read the tank at a glance.
• Filling in stages, with each joint and fitting watched as the load builds, before the tank is put to work.

Thinking about later

A bolted shell can come apart again and go back up elsewhere, and certain designs take an extra course to add capacity. If either might matter in a few years' time, say so when you first get in touch.

We also give capacity and siting guidance at quote stage, so the size of tank and where it sits on the farm or site are agreed before the base is poured. Access for the delivery lorry down a farm lane is worth thinking about at the same time.