SureWater high-capacity water tank review

With the high-capacity water tanks from our group buy delivered and installed, it’s time to publish a review. I am excited about the number of individuals that are now substantially more prepared with water for their families. Water storage is a difficult part of the preparedness puzzle. Water takes up a lot of space and most of us don’t have much. Considering shelf-life, convenience for access and use, ease of rotation, and best utilization of space, I know of no better solution for water storage however, and would strongly recommend the SureWater tanks as a foundation to your efforts.

This review will cover receiving, unpacking, assembling, and filling the tanks during which I will summarize the features and mention pros and cons. While some individuals ordered the 525 gallon tank, my review will only cover the 275 gallon.

The tanks are shipped by private freight. As is the standard with large freight, they are delivered to the end of your driveway. Don’t worry about hauling the tank into your house or garage however, I found them much lighter than I imagined. They could be easily lifted by an adult if they weren’t so large. Due to the diameter and height of the tank it requires two individuals to transport it.

The tanks come wrapped in plastic and with cardboard rings protecting the spigot mounts. The plastic only covered the sides however so the top and bottom of the tanks were a little scratched up from shuffling during transit or perhaps being slid instead of carried.

Removing the plastic and tape was easy but did require a blade.

While not a big deal, I was disappointed with the type of tape used as it left a residue. It’s always annoying to have to get out the Goo Gone and clean something that is brand new.

I was immediately impressed with the quality of the tank. While light, it is strong and made of quality materials. If it was assembled from multiple pieces of plastic, it is impossible to tell. The entire tank appears to have come from a single mold.

There are only four parts to the tank: the tank itself, the bottom spigot, the “easy fill” 2 foot high spigot, and the ait-airlock lid on top.

The lid locks in securely, but is not air tight. This is by design however so that that tank can breath. The spigots also come with caps to hep prevent spillage caused by curious children.

Another feature that the manufacturer pointed out that pleased me was how the spigot handles can be removed, making it impossible for someone to open them.

The tank is 7 feet tall, 28 inches wide, and 34 inches deep, shaped as a straight-sided oval. One of the biggest benefits of these specific dimensions is that the tank is the largest that it can be while still fitting through a standard doorway. This allows one to bring the tank inside and store it in a basement or storage room. The height of the tank is also where it outperforms any other solution in regards to utilizing storage room. The tank holds as much as five 55 gallon drums in only a third the floor space (7 square feet instead of 21).

SureWater recommends that you clean the tanks before assembling. Cleaning is a simple process, only requiring you lay the unit on it’s side, fill with some water, dish soap, and some bleach, and then rolling it back and forth. It is recommended that you do this on your lawn to avoid scratching the tank. Be sure to rinse it out good when you are done.

Installing the spigots was also a very simple process. The spigot mounts come pre-assembled. The instructions include a step for tightening them down (reverse direction), but mine were already as firm as they could be. The spigots come pre-wrapped with plumbing tape and are hand-threaded into the mounts.

I pointed my “easy fill” spigot down but finished the lower one off to the side so as to ensure easy access.

Filling the tank can be done from either the top or the bottom spigot, although the bottom approach does require a female-female connector that is not included. Make sure that you place the tank in it’s permanent location before you begin as it will be impossible to move once it is full.

In conclusion, I am very satisfied with the quality and features of the tank. It is an excellent product and I hope to acquire another soon. While my goal of a year’s supply of water (a gallon per person per day) is still a long ways off, I’m a third of the way there.