Fire Sprinkler Water Storage Tank Installation

Water storage tank systems for fire sprinkler water storage must meet NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) requirements.  This includes all area hospitals, hotels, apartment buildings, office parks.  In more rural areas, high water volume for firefighting is not often readily available for buildings. Water flow service is not sufficient from drilled wells because the aquafer must recharge to sustain the flow rate.  Use of a storage tank system can solve this water access problem by continuously collecting and storing enough water for fire sprinklers and mobile fire suppression apparatus.  People depend on the CommTank team to install water storage tanks for their buildings.

Information about Water Supply for Automatic Sprinkler Systems

Property owners need accurate information about sprinkler system use and water supply. To protect a property, use of automatic sprinkler systems requires constant water pressure in the supply lines. Service from these sprinklers is meant to control fire and not completely extinguish it. Needed Fire Flow (NFF) is defined as the rate of flow considered necessary to control a major fire in a specific building for a certain duration. An example of NFF for a 28,955 square foot building with an extra high hazard group 2 classification requires 1,000 gallons per minute be used for a duration of one hour which is the recommended NFPA hose stream allowance. That amount equates to 60,000-gallons of water storage. This amount of capacity and water flow rate is best achieved using underground storage tanks.

Advantages of Installing an Underground Fiberglass Tank

1. One important advantage is that underground water storage tanks won’t freeze (average ground temperature, below frostline, during New England winters is 50 degrees) and are less likely to grow bacteria and algae
2. Fiberglass tanks do not rust or corrode
3. All underground water storage containers with lockable hatches are safe from vandalism
4. Fiberglass USTs do not develop hairline cracks like the ones that form in concrete tanks and are not subject to corrosion as steel reinforcement does in concrete
5. Multicompartment underground storage tanks can store both drinking water and fire protection water in separate chambers.
6. Multiple tanks can be manifolded together to build large storage systems
7. Fiberglass tanks meet the basic National Fire Protection Association 1142 and NFPA 22 structural design, storage capacity, and fire flow requirements.

Concrete Water Storage Tanks

Concrete tanks are a safe, more long-lasting solution for customers looking to store water for fire protection and potable water. Modular scalable systems are installed underground to provide capacities from 2,500 to 24,000 gallons. All of our concrete water storage containers are readily available and locally made which reduces shipping costs. The benefits of concrete are durability and high breaking strength. Area potable water tank requirements can be met by adding liners.  Regular cleaning is recommended for unlined potable water containers, due to the porous surface, but underground tanks can remain in service during cleaning by using robotic technology.

Drawing of concrete tank used for fire sprinkler water storage

Contact CommTank today for expert water storage tank installations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire: 1-800-628-8260