When it comes to housing chemicals, especially potentially more aggressive chemicals, safety is always of the utmost importance. After all, a potential chemical leak can pose a pretty serious hazard to human and environmental health. Not to mention the fact that such a leak can be costly and time consuming to deal with afterwards. Because of this, many companies have implemented the safe guard of using some kind of “secondary containment” system in regards to storage tanks housing potentially hazardous chemicals. One well known storage tank option used as a type of secondary containment, is that of double walled storage tanks. The idea behind using double walls on storage tanks, is that the second wall can provide an extra layer of protection against leaks and contamination. This can mean an extra layer of safety, and the necessary introduction of secondary containment to your chemical storage set up. The only issue? That many people using storage tanks with double walls may in fact be breaching the code of federal regulations. Yes, this can even be done accidently! So, for those who may be worried at the thought of accidently breaching the code of federal regulations with their double wall fiberglass tanks, here are a few things to keep in mind.
One of the best things that your company can do in order to protect itself from breaching the code of federal regulations with improper double wall storage tanks, is to work with tank manufacturers that you can trust. This means working with tank manufacturers with a workable understanding of not only federal regulations, but more local regulations as well. Believe it or not, local regulations can be even more strict than federal double wall tanks regulations. This means that it is absolutely key for your company and your chosen tank manufacturer to be aligned on understanding what federal and local regulations are, and how to meet their requirements. Knowledge is important here. Because, as previously mentioned, you can break regulations without even knowing it! It is also crucial to ensure that your secondary containment is working well, in order to make sure that chemicals are being handled safely and effectively. The aftermath of a potential leak is not the only thing to worry about, as you may also have to pay fees for violating regulations. The fines for these regulations can really add up, potentially reaching numbers in the multiple thousand, such as ten thousand or even more!
However, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is this special code of federal regulations for double wall fiberglass tanks? Well, the requirements outlined by 40 CFR 246 are pretty specific, and are all about preventing leaks in double wall fiberglass tanks. These rules can be broken down into three main sections, which outline how to meet the requirements. Firstly there is the importance of storage tanks being an “integral structure”. This basically means that the storage tank itself needs to be entirely covered by the outer part of the double layer design. This must be done satisfactorily, to make sure that the outer layer of the double wall system can actually and fully stop leaks from within the inner storage tank layer, and that any “release” would remain fully contained. Secondly, is that your double wall storage tank must be able to hold its’ own against the damaging effect of corrosion. Corrosive substances are no joke, and it is extra important to know how to prevent a leak from happening when corrosive substances are involved. Especially when the tank is made of a metal material, the outer and inner walls of double wall tanks must be properly preserved, even in the face of corrosive materials. Lastly, and this is where companies can also breach federal regulations, it is key to safe guard double walled tanks with an extra important precaution. This precaution must take the form of an integrated system that finds leaks and alerts the owner of the storage tank within twenty four hours. Anything over twenty four hours will require special considerations to be made with the regional administrator at their discretion. This is a complex point, but it does convey how important it is to close read regulations, and have the ability to be alerted of a leak as soon as humanly possible.
With these regulations in mind, it is so important to ensure that you are only using good quality and sturdy storage tanks, made only by manufacturers that can comply to federal and local regulations, with no weak spots or areas that breach the code of federal regulations. Here at Belding Tank, we pride ourselves on offering good customer service, and will work tirelessly to ensure that you find the right double wall tank to fit your specific needs, and to comply with proper regulation.
