{"id":341,"date":"2025-04-02T05:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T05:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/?post_type=docs&#038;p=341"},"modified":"2025-04-02T05:30:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T05:30:23","password":"","slug":"how-to-avoid-problems-with-your-poly-water-tank-examples-of-poor-tank-installation-and-misuse","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/docs\/how-to-avoid-problems-with-your-poly-water-tank-examples-of-poor-tank-installation-and-misuse\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Problems with Your Poly Water Tank: Examples of Poor Tank Installation and Misuse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Correct preparation and installation helps to ensure a long and hassle-free life of your poly water tank. The majority of claims made on poly water tanks are due to incorrect installation or misuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many problems could have been avoided if the tank owner adhered to the instruction manual that gets provided with each tank. This article explores some common ways poly tanks have been badly installed or abused throughout Clark Tanks\u2019 two decades of manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please don\u2019t make the same mistakes others have made. We will always honour our\u00a0tank warranties\u00a0where conditions have been met, but it is obviously an unpleasant situation when there is evidence of misuse or bad installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tank Misuse or Abuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Climbing on top of your tank<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 sometimes when connecting\u00a0pipework\u00a0or getting up\u00a0on a\u00a0roof people are tempted to jump on top of their\u00a0tank. Tanks are designed to hold water, not to withstand the weight of a person walking on top of them. Doing this can lead to the top of your poly tank caving in so don\u2019t do it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of man power\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 water tanks can be quite heavy and so it is important you have enough people power to help unload and move your tank into place. Clark Tanks recommend customers have adequate manpower onsite to assist:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>9,092L \u2013 13,638L<\/strong>: 1 person required onsite at time of delivery (2 total)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>22,730L<\/strong>: 2 people required onsite at time of delivery (3 total)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>23,640L \u2013 31,823L<\/strong>: 3 people required onsite at time of delivery (4 total)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>36,369L \u2013 46,824L<\/strong>: 4 people required onsite at time of delivery (5 total)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Failure to secure tank\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 it is essential upon delivery of your tank that you immediately fill it with 2.5cm of water to properly secure it from being blown over and damaged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Moving a tank that isn\u2019t empty<\/strong>\u2013 when moving your tank, it is important that you ensure it is empty. Moving a tank with water isn\u2019t just heavy, but can exert enormous pressure on the base and walls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Poor Tank Base or Foundations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Uneven and soft surfaces<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 for example, rocky and uneven ground with little preparation can undermine the base or cause sharp objects to damage or even protrude your tank (keep in mind that 1000 litres of water weighs a tonne!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poor deck bases<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 timber sleepers, bricks or corrugated iron are unstable and should not be used under any circumstances. These are unstable and may stress the tank causing it to fail. deck bases formed from timber sleepers, bricks or corrugated iron are unstable and can cause additional stresses resulting in tank failure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Incorrect slab thickness or material<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 poly tanks need to be placed on compacted crusher dust or reinforced concrete that is 100mm in thickness (150mm thick if greater than 36,000L)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Incorrect slab diameter<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 all bases should be at least 200mm greater than the diameter of the tank (100mm space all around the tank)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No base retainer<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 over time the tank base can be eroded causing the foundation to become sloped or unstable. To prevent this happening an adequate retainment should be considered for the base.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Poor Tank Installation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Solid tank foundations\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 just covered, they are crucial to maintaining the structural integrity of your tank.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack support for connecting pipes<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 pipes leading from your tank overflow and outlet should be fully support without relying upon your tank\u2019s structure. Unsupported pipework causes excessive strain on fittings and tank wall.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No flexible joiner from tank outlet to pipework<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a short 300mm flexible rubber hose from your tank outlet\/valve to plastic pipework will help absorb any shocks and movement preventing broken fittings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tank overflow pipes<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 need to lead water\u00a0<em>away from tank<\/em>\u00a0or your tank\u2019s foundations can be undermined.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to note that Clark Tanks\u2019 poly tanks are manufactured in Australia to be some of the strongest on the market. They are made to exceed the\u00a0Australian Standard for poly tanks,\u00a0<em>AS\/NZS 4766 Polyethylene storage tanks for water and chemicals<\/em>, which ensures that a poly tank is capable of containing water, liquids for food and beverage manufacture and chemical solutions at atmospheric pressure. Nonetheless, they still require proper care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many problems that arise can be avoided with correct site preparation, tank installation and care. Installation instructions included with tanks are there to prevent many of the above issues from happening. Every rainwater tank sold should have them included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Correct preparation and installation helps to ensure a long and hassle-free life of your poly water tank. The majority of claims made on poly water tanks are due to incorrect installation or misuse. Many problems could have been avoided if the tank owner adhered to the instruction manual that gets provided with each tank. This [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[24],"doc_tag":[],"class_list":["post-341","docs","type-docs","status-publish","hentry","doc_category-buying-water-tanks"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"year_month":"2026-08","word_count":721,"total_views":0,"reactions":{"happy":0,"normal":0,"sad":0},"author_info":{"name":"ivan.siah2","author_nicename":"ivan-siah2","author_url":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/author\/ivan-siah2\/"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"Buying Water Tanks","term_url":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/docs-category\/buying-water-tanks\/"}],"doc_tag_info":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342,"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/341\/revisions\/342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=341"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npiecommms-g3dmgha8bfdze9hu.australiaeast-01.azurewebsites.net\/clarktanks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}