For your convenience, our poly firefighting specifications are located below to review or download.
Over the years, UPF’s ongoing research, development, and testing have continuously enabled the company to offer fire service innovation in poly fire fighting tanks for your pumper fire truck. As a result, UPF’s Poly-Tank® technology is superior to any tank in the market today. In addition, the rectangle and t-type poly fire fighting tanks that started it are available in sizes from 5 to 5,000 gallons and come with our UPF Poly-Tank® warranty.
UPF has established a solid reputation for excellence in the design, manufacturing, and service of poly fire fighting tanks. Hence, since 1986 UPF’s facilities have produced over 100,000 poly fire fighting tanks in service worldwide.
As a result of using 100% pure PT3™ resin, UPF poly fire fighting tanks are 50% lighter than steel and are up to 90% stronger than conventional copolymer polypropylene at varying temperatures.
Many cities and towns have a pumper fire truck with a Poly-Tank® manufactured by United Plastic Fabricating. In conclusion, our pumper fire fighting tanks are fully NFPA compliant and are built to your specifications.
POLY-TANK®
(1) Fill tower with removable screen and hinged cover
(1) Sump with an anti-swirl plate and cleanout/drain fitting
(1) Schedule 40 vent/overflow pipe – 4” pipe standard
(1) Tank fill fitting up to 3” NPT
(1) Tank suction fitting up to 4” NPT
FOAM TANKS/CELLS:
(1) Fill tower with latched hinged cover
(1) Anti-foaming fill stack and removable screen
(1) Vent fitting up to 3” NPT
(1) Suction fitting up to 4” NPT
UPF POLY TANKS® BOOSTER AND FOAM TANKS FOR PUMPER FIRE TRUCK (H3)
The tank shall have a capacity of ________ U.S. gallons/liters and shall be constructed of PT3™ polypropylene material. This material shall be a non-corrosive stress relieved thermoplastic and UV stabilized for maximum protection. Tank shell thickness may vary depending on the application and may range from ½ to 1” as required. Internal baffles are generally 3/8” in thickness.
The tank must be designed and fabricated by a tank manufacturer that is ISO 9001:2015 certified in each of its locations. The ISO certification must be to the current standard in effect at the time of the design and fabrication of the tank.
Each tank is designed to the customer’s specification and/or drawing submittal. An approval drawing is sent to the customer before commencing manufacturing. Upon receipt of the signed approval drawing, the tank is scheduled for production.
The booster and/or foam tank shall be of a specific configuration and designed to be completely independent of the body and compartments. The top of the booster tank is fitted with a removable lifting assembly designed to facilitate tank removal. The transverse and longitudinal swash partitions shall be manufactured of a minimum of 3/8″ PT3™ polypropylene. All partitions shall be equipped with vent and air holes to permit air and water movement between compartments. The partitions shall be designed to provide maximum water flow. All swash partitions interlock with one another and are completely fused and to the walls of the tank. All partitions and spacing shall comply with NFPA 1901. Tolerances in design allow for a maximum variation of 1/8” on all dimensions.
The tank shall have a combination vent and manual fill tower. The fill tower shall be constructed of 1/2″ PT3™ polypropylene and shall be a minimum dimension of 8″ x 8″ outer perimeter and x16” high. The tower shall be located in the left front corner of the tank unless otherwise specified by the tank manufacturer to the purchaser. The tower shall have a 1/4″ thick removable polypropylene screen and a PT3™ polypropylene hinged cover.
The capacity of the tank shall be engraved on the top of the fill tower lid. Inside the fill tower, there shall be a combination vent/overflow pipe. The vent overflow shall be a minimum of schedule 40 polypropylene pipe with a minimum I.D. of 4″ designed to run through the tank and shall be piped to discharge water behind the rear wheels as required in NFPA 1901 to not interfere with rear tire traction.
The tank cover shall be constructed of a minimum of 1/2″ thick PT3™ polypropylene and UV stabilized, and removal for inspection if necessary. The tank cover(s) shall be flush or recessed 3/8″ from the top of the tank. It shall be fused to the tank walls and longitudinal partitions for maximum integrity. Each one of the covers shall have hold downs consisting of 2″ minimum polypropylene dowels spaced a maximum of 48” apart. These dowels shall extend through the covers and will assist in keeping the covers rigid under fast-filling conditions. In addition, a minimum of two lifting dowels shall accommodate the necessary lifting hardware.
The foam tank shall have a manual fill tower. The fill tower shall be constructed of 1/2″ PT3™ polypropylene and shall be a minimum dimension of 8″ x 8″ outer perimeter.
The capacity of the tank shall be engraved on the top of the fill tower lid. The tower shall be located in the right front corner of the tank unless otherwise specified. The tower shall have a 1/4″ thick removable polypropylene screen and a hinged-type cover. Inside the fill tower, approximately 1.5” down from the top, there shall be an anti-foam fill tube that extends down to the bottom of the tank. In addition, provisions for a pressure vacuum vent shall be provided in the lid of the fill tower.
There shall be one (1) sump standard per tank. The sump shall be constructed of a minimum of 1/2″ PT3™ polypropylene and be located in the left front quarter of the tank unless specified otherwise. On all tanks that require a front suction, a 3″ schedule 40 polypropylene pipe shall be installed that will incorporate a dip tube from the front of the tank to the sump location. The sump shall have a minimum 3″ N.P.T. threaded outlet on the bottom for a threaded plug per NFPA. This shall be used as a combination clean-out and drain. All tanks shall have an anti-swirl plate located approximately 3” above the inside floor.
There will be two (2) standard tank outlets: one for the tank-to-pump suction line, which shall be sized to provide adequate water flow to the pump, and one for the tank fill line, which shall be sized according to the NFPA minimum size chart for the tank application. All tank fill couplings shall be backed with flow diffusers to break up the stream of water entering the tank and be capable of withstanding sustained fill rates of up to 1000 G.P.M. The addition of rear suction fittings, nurse valve fittings, dump valve fittings, and through-the-tank sleeves to accommodate rear discharge piping must be specified. All auxiliary outlets and inlets must meet all NFPA guidelines in effect at the time of manufacture.
The UPF Poly-Tank® III shall rest on the body cross members in conjunction with such additional cross members, spaced at a distance that would not allow for more than 400 square inches of the unsupported area under the tank floor.
The tank must be isolated from the cross members by using hard rubber strips with a minimum thickness and width dimension of 1/4” x 1.5 and a Shore A Hardness of approximately 60 durometers. The rubber must be installed so it will not become dislodged during the normal operation of the vehicle. Additionally, the tank must be supported around the entire bottom outside perimeter and captured both in the front and rear and side to side to prevent the tank from shifting during vehicle operation.
A picture frame type cradle mount with a minimum of 2″ x 2″ x 1/4” mild steel, stainless steel, or aluminum angle shall be provided, or the use of corner angles having a minimum dimension of 4″ x 4″ x 1/4” by 6” high is permitted to capture the tank.
Although the tank is designed on a free-floating suspension principle, it is required that the tank have adequate vertical hold-down restraints to minimize movement during vehicle operation. If proper retention has not been incorporated into the apparatus hosebed floor structure, an optional mounting restraint system shall be located on top of the tank, halfway between the front and the rear on each side of the tank.
These stops can be constructed of steel, stainless steel, or aluminum angle having minimum dimensions of 3″ x 3″ x 1/4” and shall be approximately 6” to 12” long. These brackets must incorporate rubber isolating pads with a minimum thickness of 1/4” inch and a hardness of 60 durometers affixed on the underside of the angle. The angle should then be bolted to the body sidewalls of the vehicle while extending down to rest on the top outside edge of the upper sidewall of the tank.
Hose bed floors must be so designed that the floor slat supports extend full width from sidewall to sidewall and are not permitted to drop off the edge of the tank or in any way come in contact with the individual covers where a puncture could occur. Tank top must be capable of supporting loads up to 200 lbs. per sq. foot when evenly distributed. Other equipment such as generators, portable pumps, etc., must not be mounted directly to the tank top unless provisions have been designed into the Poly-Tank® III for that purpose. The tank shall be completely removable for servicing the tank or chassis without disturbing or dismantling the apparatus structure.
All water and foam tanks shall be tested and certified as to capacity on a calibrated and certified tilting scale. Each tank shall be weighed empty and full to provide precise fluid capacity. Each Poly-Tank® III is delivered with a Certificate of Capacity delineating the weight empty, full, and the resultant capacity based on weight. Engineering estimates for capacity calculations shall not be permitted for capacity certification.
A center of gravity calculation shall be determined for each tank and provided as requested to provide the apparatus manufacturer with the necessary data to design and certify the apparatus for the NFPA requirements regarding rollover stability. The apparatus manufacturer may use this information to assist in the calculation of the apparatus’s ability to meet the tilt table static rollover threshold or calculated Center of Gravity requirements per NFPA. A center of gravity and weight calculation for both empty and full conditions shall be required with each tank.
For normal fire department applications, the tank shall have a limited lifetime warranty that provides warranty service for the life of the fire apparatus in which the tank is installed. Warranties are transferable if the apparatus ownership changes by requesting the transfer from UPF. In addition, in applications where the tank will be subject to severe conditions, the tank may have a warranty unique to the application clearly defined for each such application. Also, you can get a copy of the UPF warranty by e-mailing us at [email protected] or visit the product support page for more information.
Polypropylene offers a great number of advantages, many of which allow it to be used for a wide variety of different products and services.
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