Not all high-density polyethylene tanks are created equal. Although they sound nearly identical, linear polyethylene and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) chemical storage tanks have significant differences. Those differences could impact your organization’s bottom line, your people’s safety, and the operations of your facility.

PolyGard™ is a seamless, corrosive-resistant polyethylene lining system for steel tanks and vessels. It’s used as a barrier to protect the steel from the aggressive chemicals you’re storing—even in the harshest of conditions. PolyGard lets you combine the chemical resistance of polyethylene with the durability and strength of stainless steel.

To truly understand how effective PolyGard is, let’s examine what it is comprised of, how it is made, and how it is commonly used.

If you’re storing hazardous fluids such as corrosive acids, bases or aggressively oxidizing chemicals, you need to be confident that your chemical storage tank can meet your expectations for years. You can’t afford to invest in a system, only to discover a year later that your tank isn’t compatible with the chemicals you’re using. That’s a loss of product, time, and money—and it could put your people, equipment and environment at risk, as well.

If you want your polyethylene chemical storage tank to last for its full lifetime, you’ll need to make sure your tank has the right specific gravity rating. Every chemical has its own specific gravity, and it’s critically important that your tank is designed to meet the demands of the particular chemical you’re storing. Tanks that are rated too low can suffer from mechanical stress and early failure.

Cross-linked polyethylene tanks withstand greater pressure, in part because of the rotational molding manufacturing process. Rotational molding is by far the best process to create a cross-linked polyethylene chemical storage tank.

Purchasing a chemical storage tank is a significant investment. You want confidence and reassurance that the tank will give you the dependability and longevity that was advertised. A strong and transparent warranty shows that the manufacturer believes in and stands behind their product.

Municipal projects require detailed specifications for anything purchased as a capital expense. At Poly Processing Company, we’ve teamed up with several national engineering firms to develop pre-written engineering specifications for our three most popular tanks: the SAFE-Tank®, the vertical tank with IMFO® and the upright vertical tank.

If you keep your polyethylene storage tank outdoors, it may be completely exposed to the elements. You can build a shelter to guard against UV attack, but you can’t protect a chemical tank from extreme heat or cold.

In fact, one of our customers recently asked about keeping a polyethylene tank outdoors in extreme temperatures.

Some companies need to place their chemical storage tanks underground because of space limitations, or for aesthetic reasons. Steel tanks and reinforced tanks are built to withstand the external pressure that is applied underground, but what about lightweight plastic tanks?

While plastic storage tanks have many advantages over other tank materials, polyethylene is not the solution for underground storage. Here’s why.

You’ve done the hard part already. You’ve talked to a chemical tank expert at Poly Processing, designed your chemical tank system, double-checked that all the fittings you’ve ordered are compatible with your chemical, and you’re ready for your new storage tank system to be delivered.

Now that your order is placed and you’re preparing to receive your polyethylene chemical storage tank, there are some steps you need to have in place before your tank arrives. But what should you expect when your polyethylene tank arrives?