We are often asked either “What is the advantage of plastic compared with stainless steel or aluminium” so below we have decided to sum up the points we feel are valid to help you decide.
Tek Tanks vs Aluminium
Heavily corroded waste tank
1. Tek Tanks will not corrode when used for waste, Aluminium will. Aluminium tanks could show signs of corrosion within a few years.
2. Aluminium tanks should not used be used for water because there is a possible link to Alzheimer’s disease when used for drinking water tanks.
3. Aluminium tanks have been know to crack at the welds when used in high performance applications.
4. Aluminium tanks need to be painted in a marine environment to combat corrosion, painting adds to the cost and has to be checked and repainted when necessary. Tek Tanks need no further treatment.
5. Aluminium tanks needs to be earthed to the boat’s electrical system. Tek Tanks do not need earthing.
6. Contents are visible with a Tek Tank, Aluminium tanks need a sender.
7. All Tek Tanks fuel tanks are CE marked for added peace of mind.
8. All Tek Tanks fuel tanks will almost eliminate condensation within the tank. Metal tanks have to be kept filled when not in use to reduce condensation. Water in the fuel can cause engine problems.
Corroded Aluminum Tank
Tek Tanks vs Stainless Steel
1. Tek Tanks will not corrode when used for waste, stainless steel will. Stainless steel could show signs of corrosion within only a few years.
Heavily corroded weld on stainless steel tank
2. Stainless steel tanks are generally heavier than a Tek-Tanks custom built tank if built from a reasonable thickness of material.
3. Stainless steel tanks are quite often more expensive than Tek Tanks if built by a reputable company.
4. Stainless steel tanks need to be earthed to the boat’s electrical system. Tek Tanks do not need earthing.
5. Contents are visible with a Tek Tank: Stainless steel tanks need a sender.
6. Stainless steel tanks have been known to crack at the welds when used in high performance applications.Tek Tanks have manufactured tanks for performance craft with no failures to date, boats include Sunseeker P1 race boat, several Round Britain boats and the famous blade runner.
7. A Tek Tanks fuel tank will almost eliminate condensation within a fuel tank. Metal tanks have to be kept filled when not in use to reduce condensation. Water in the fuel can cause engine problems.
8. All Tek Tanks fuel tanks are CE marked for added peace of mind.
Tek Tanks vs Flexible Bag tanks
1. Flexible bag tanks have been known to fail at the fittings due to excessive movement of the tank. When half full the contents will move violently in a heavy sea as there are no baffles.
Worn out flexible tank
2. Flexible tanks can be askward to install …they should have slats between the tank and hull so as the hull can breath and also avoid chafing of the bag on the hull.
3. Flexible tanks when used for waste have a reputation of smelling badly. With no vent the contents turn sceptic. Tek Tanks are completely odour free when used for waste due to the 10mm thick walls.
Flexible tank that has failed at the fitting
Main Advantages of Tek Tanks
1. Corrosion free. Will not rust or corrode and are not subject to electrolysis problems.
2. Contents can be seen through the tank under most conditions.
3. When used in a fresh water application Tek Tanks water tanks are absolutely taste free.The material used is a food grade polyethylene which has FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approval. We can support this fact with documentation from Rochling the material suppliers.
4. No smells when used as a waste holding tanks.10 mm thick combat any odour problems. To eradicate smells throughout the whole system, a large breather has to be used, minimum 1″ in diameter, preferably 1 1/2″ in diameter.
5. Lighter in weight than most Stainless steel tanks which is ideal for racing boat applications.
6. All Tek Tanks custom built tanks come with a 5 year guarantee.
7. All Tek Tanks waste tanks comply with the latest ISO standards within the marine industry and can be fitted to boats being built under the RCD (Recreational Craft Directive.) This includes almost every new boat being built in Europe.
8. All Tek Tanks fuel tanks are CE marked and comply with the latest ISO standards within the marine industry.
Westerly Ocean Quest Waste Tank built by Tek-Tanks
The tank building display seemed well received with lots of questions being asked. Quite a few visitors were unaware that we could actually custom build tanks to their size and shape which came as quite a surprise to us!
At Tek Tanks we pride ourselves in solving the problems associated with storing Water, Waste and Diesel in tanks on boats of all makes and models.We have a range of standard moulded Polyethylene tanks that solve many storage problems.
