stacking 275 gallon water totes

13 years ago

Hey everyone. I have been buying these really nice 25 gallon water totes. I have a drip irrigation system and was wondering if I can stack these things on top of each other. They have a really nice aluminum cage built around the plastic tank. If I can stack them, how many hight could I could two, or even three. I know that is an enormous amount of weight, so I want to be sure before trying. thanks,brandon

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Comments (4)

lehua49
13 years ago
brandon,

What are the dimensions of the totes? What psi would you like to achieve by stacking the? If you went fairly high with these you would have to have some ties or bracing to hold them in place safely. That weight falling from a fairly small height could seriously hurt a small child or pet. JMHO

I remember you asking about stacking rain barrels, how did that go? How is your system working out using rain barrels?
Everyone would appreciate you sharing what you have learned from setting up your system. What would you do differently? Aloha
brandond
Original Author
13 years ago
The totes are 4 ft wide and slightly taller vertically. They have a sturdy aluminum cage built around the tank. I have double stacked them with success. It has an aluminum under pan that does bough some,but I will brace underneath with 2 4x4's. There is significant more pressure with the top tank being around 5 ft above the bottom spigot. The 275 gallon totes are far superior to the 55 gallon barrels. It taks so many barrels to water much of anthing. They have to have many holes drilled in them for water dispersement as well. I have a large area for planting and it takes alot of supplement rainwater. From here on out I will be using the 275 gallon totes. The spigot has a 2 in male that matches up with the female PVC for a nice clean and useful result. Aesthically there is no comparison. Among the many problems I found with connecting the barrels together, was leaking. The other problems were so much water filling up the barrel so fast it would overflow the top. My other problems were using to small of pvc 3/4 in pipe to connect the barrels. Next time I would buy a hole saw and use 2" pipe. This project was like alot of projects in my life, you live and learn. I didnt even know the big 275 gallon totes were out there. IM very happy with them and wont buy anymore barrel for watering reasons.
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lehua49
13 years ago
Brandon,

I live by trial and error(mostly error). Thanks for sharing. There are many people interested in what you have done. Congratulations. What did you fix the leaks with and how did you make the tote penetrations? Aloha
fairviewsteve
12 years ago
275 gallon totes are 48x39x46" tall. 330 gallon totes are 48x40x54' tall. At 8.3 lbs/gallon even the smaller tote will weigh over a ton when full.
Pressure? If I remember correctly each 30 inches of vertical drop = 1 psi, less the resistance in the hose.Larger hose = less resistance.
I'll be stacking them but safely inside a set of 4x4 posts. I'll dig 4 foot deep post holes, add a bag of cement for each post and set the posts almost snug against the totes. A shelf of six 2x4s, set on edge, will form the shelf between the totes with additional 2x4s ringing the structure for bracing. Those braces will be lag screwed to the posts.
Another option could be to shop for used knock-down steel industrial shelving.This item is most commonly used to store pallets in warehouses. You've already seen it used in all those Lowe's,Home Depot,Costco and Sam's Club stores.The smallest shelf units may seem much larger than needed but could allow you to raise two totes side-by-side.

stacking 275 gallon water totes

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lehua49

brandond
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stacking 275 gallon water totes

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lehua49

brandondOriginal Author

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brandond
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