Fuel tanks. Metal or plastic?

[Ffermer Bach]

Think you've answered your own question
Steel everytime
Just grudgingly bought a plastic fuel station because of stupid Welsh regs
Had a small steel tank before that which was great and would have lasted longer than plastic the tank before lasted at least 40 years and only started to leak because we moved it

steel tanks have a drain plug in the bottom to drain off water (and it should be sloping back towards the drain) where as plastic tanks never have a drain plug

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

steel tanks have a drain plug in the bottom to drain off water (and it should be sloping back towards the drain) where as plastic tanks never have a drain plug

Never had a drain plug in either of the steel tanks and when we had the new steel tank we always emptied and used the last drop of fuel before putting the next delivery in (even tipped the bit out of the bottom)
And I never lock the tank as buying a new tank after being damaged to get a few gallons of diesel doesn't make sense to me

 

[Farmer Roy]

steel tanks have a drain plug in the bottom to drain off water (and it should be sloping back towards the drain) where as plastic tanks never have a drain plug

Never had a drain plug in either of the steel tanks and when we had the new steel tank we always emptied and used the last drop of fuel before putting the next delivery in (even tipped the bit out of the bottom)
And I never lock the tank as buying a new tank after being damaged to get a few gallons of diesel doesn't make sense to me

EVERY single above ground steel fuel tank i have ever seen here has a water drain bung at the lowest point. Many people just install a tap instead so they can easily drain the water & sh!t out at any time.
My steel tanks would be easily 50 or more years old, with no issues, & we DO get a lot of condensation here

 

[Tarw Coch]

Don’t think you’ll find a drain plug in a bunded tank though

 

[jd6420s]

My new steel bunded tank has a piece of pipe that runs from the top to the lowest point of the tank. I thought it was there to help clear out any debris. I suppose you could also use it for drain any water off as well. There certainly aren't any drain plugs.

 

[vantage]

As steel seems to be the tank of choice, what do the collective regard as a decent make , I’m looking at 5000l in all probability, with a decent length of hose, filter and meter.

 

[jd6420s]

I got a 3000 litre bunded steel tank last year after two plastic ones failing in quick succession. I got it from Atlantis tanks in the end. The build quality is very good on them. I don't know what thickness of steel they use but it was heavy at 650 kgs. They were very good to deal with.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

we all have to have bunded tanks in Wales now, I got the cheapest fuel station, plastic tank, I think it was a bit less than £1000 and I am still grumbling about it, someone near here had a heating oil leak, and I think the insurance claim was £20 000 or so, I think they had to dig up the soil and take it to landfill!

 

[Tarw Coch]

As steel seems to be the tank of choice, what do the collective regard as a decent make , I’m looking at 5000l in all probability, with a decent length of hose, filter and meter.

How much do you want to spend?
How much use will it get?

I’ve had a 5000 litre Brian Nixon for about 10 years, use about 10000 litres a year.
It does me fine but in previous threads on here they seem to be unpopular with some.
It was considerably cheaper than some of the alternatives

 

[DrWazzock]

The delivery driver here reckoned they have had lots of incidents with plastic tanks cracking. I’d go for steel if I renewed.

 

[solo]

Fuel proof do a decent bounded tank. Had a 6000l one for 6 years. 6m hose with auto shut off nozzle, filter, gauge and a hatch into the inner tank which is useful for putting additives in if you need to.

 

[Hilly]

Plastic all day long, wouldn’t even consider steel these days .

 

[Tarw Coch]

Plastic all day long, wouldn’t even consider steel these days .

Not sure how long I had a plastic one for, 4 or 5 years approx before it split which is why I went back to metal

 

[yellow belly]

for diesel I have 3 steel tanks over 30 years old kept inside in a bundled store
Regularly pump out the bottom and drain the any water out very little
Use a torch to inspect the bottom for rust and water
When filled up wait for fuel to settle befor using it
Diesel filtered out into tractors
Usually tractor fuel filters go double the book hours
Diesel is now very clean so if you get regular problems check the tank

 

[Hilly]

Not sure how long I had a plastic one for, 4 or 5 years approx before it split which is why I went back to metal

I’ve had both and steel rot fill with rust , currently have six plastic tanks and never have any bother all pre 2007 .