This is the first article in Poly Processing’s Innovation Series, where you’ll discover the many innovations that we have introduced to the chemical storage industry.

If you manufacture, sell or distribute water treatment or distribution products in North America, your products typically must comply with NSF/ANSI 61. NSF/ANSI 61 sets the criteria for water system components to protect health standards. It’s important that all components in water treatment meet the correct standards to ensure dangerous toxins aren’t leached.

However, there is confusion about NSF-61 certifications, and that confusion could lead to purchasing the wrong product for your application. Let’s explore NSF/ANSI 61 and how to make sure your chemical storage tank system meets the necessary requirements.

Polyethylene chemical storage tanks are designed to expand and contract slightly in response to changes in temperature and internal pressure. But if your tank isn’t designed to handle the pressure it faces at key moments, you could be unknowingly setting yourself up for a tank failure.

It’s hard to judge, with the naked eye, how a polyethylene tank is constructed. On the surface, a tank is just a tank. However, there is a big difference between a well-designed, properly constructed tank and a cheap one that doesn’t meet structural requirements.

If you’re storing potassium hydroxide, you have a chemical that can’t be taken lightly. Storing and handling potassium hydroxide requires a chemical tank system that will live up to the rigors of a hazardous substance without the possibility of a catastrophic failure in the case of a leak.

Purchasing the wrong chemical storage tank could be a disastrous decision, so it’s critical to make sure you’re ordering a storage solution that can meet your specific needs.

There are several important factors to consider when you design a polyethylene chemical storage tank for your particular application. Always start the configuration process with the chemical that is being stored, because the chemical’s properties influence the entire tank design, including fittings and accessories.

One of the biggest advantages of polyethylene chemical storage tanks is their flexibility. Polyethylene tanks expand and contract with hydrostatic pressure changes during loading and unloading and during changing weather conditions. While a rigid tank is more susceptible to cracking and damage over time, a flexible tank is resilient.

The day you receive your SAFE-Tank chemical storage system is the most critical day in the life of your tank. Safe and proper installation isn’t difficult, but you have to pay attention. An improper installation can mean expensive or time-consuming problems down the road.

Poly Processing’s standard crosslinked polyethylene tank systems can withstand process temperatures up to 100F — but that figure can be misleading, because there are different types of temperature to consider. 

For example, one of our customers in Texas asked about keeping a polyethylene tank outdoors in extreme temperatures:

Poly Processing has just made our product line card available online. Newly updated with the latest information and our most popular core offerings, the product line card gives you an at-a-glance overview of the industry’s most innovative chemical storage products.

No matter what chemicals you’re storing, it’s important to conduct routine storage tank inspections. These inspections are vital to help keep the chemical tanks, fittings, venting and accessories in good working condition—and to avoid costly surprise failures. Even if the polyethylene tank is relatively new, a routine and careful visual inspection is recommended.