Galvanised steel tanks in Leeds

Large roofs and thirsty yards

The warehouses near the M1, M62 and M621 junctions have some of the biggest roofs in Yorkshire, and harvesting that rain for wash-down or process use is simpler with a large tank above ground than with a hole in a busy yard. Bus, refuse and haulage depots use a lot of water washing vehicles, and industrial sites at Cross Green and Stourton need process and recycled water close to hand. Sports grounds and golf courses around the city use stored water for summer irrigation too.

Beyond the city, market gardens, nurseries and livestock farms up Wharfedale and out towards Wetherby store water for irrigation and for washing down yards and sheds.

Why above ground in Leeds

In parts of south and east Leeds, rock sits close to the surface and old shallow workings lie beneath it, which can make deep excavation slow, costly or unwelcome. Standing the store on a slab avoids most of that, and it stays easy to inspect and draw from once it is in use.

How the tank goes up

Someone else designs and pours the slab or pad that carries the full tank. Our first job on arrival is a level survey and a check that the footprint is where it should be.

Courses of galvanised panels are bolted on one above another until the tank holds what the specification asks for. A continuous liner fitted inside does the waterproofing; the galvanised shell is there for form and stiffness, and none of the bolted joints is relied on to keep water in.

Fittings and the first fill

The programme usually runs to days from a finished base to a working tank, which matters on a depot or farm that can't go without water for long.

• Inlets, outlets and overflows fitted through the shell and liner, and sealed.
• Level indication so the site can see what is stored.
• Water let in a step at a time, with the tank checked under each new load before handover.

Moving or growing the tank

A bolted tank can be unbolted again. If you might relocate it, or add height later, which some designs allow, let us know at the first conversation. The panels, liner and fittings can then be chosen so that taking the tank down, or adding a course, is a straightforward job later rather than a rebuild.