Contact Times for Pillow Tanks
Flexible Storage Tank Contact Times
Question: I have some questions about the collapsible pillow tank contact time you have listed on your site. I am looking for a potable water pillow tank. I sell water on a daily basis. Currently I am storing this water in 5 gallon poly tank but it is taking up too much space. I want to replace these tanks with at least one pillow tank and add a gravity flow. How should I understand contact times?
Answer: 
Thank you for contacting us! The rated contact time for a collapsible or pillow tank is designed to indicate the point in time in which the fabric used for your collapsible tank may start change based on weathering and other factors. It is not necessarily an indication of how long your tank will last, but how long liquids can be successfully stored inside your tank before the fabric may start to interact with it. These tanks have certainly been able to hold liquid much longer than the contact time, it is only the manufacturer standard.
Since you are working with drinking water, it might be especially useful to consider the contact time and your surrounding environment. In addition, when used for the storage of drinking water, collapsible tanks will be built with materials that are both NSF 61 and FDA approved for potable water. This helps to further ensure that your drinking water will be successfully and safely stored.
In general, all collapsible tanks are rated with the following contact time options:
- 1 year
- 3-5 years
- 7 years
These rated times typically correspond with the thickness of your material, meaning that thicker fabrics will usually offer a longer contact time.
Pillow Tank
The collapsible pillow tank is an extremely versatile storage option that has been used to contain liquids ranging from potable water to fuel. Examples of how this tank has been successfully used for storing liquids include:
Drinking Water Storage- Rainwater Harvesting
- Process Liquid Containment
- Frac Fluid Storage
- Grey Water Storage
- Wastewater Containment
- Diesel Fuel Storage
View Collapsible Storage Tank Options