If you want to install a new fuel storage tank on your farm, then you can buy an aboveground or underground option. While siting a tank above ground has some benefits, you should also consider putting a tank under the ground. What are the benefits of underground tanks? 

No Space Requirements

If you install a fuel tank on the ground, then you have to find space for it. If you need to buy a large container, then you will lose some land to the tank.

If you install an underground tank, then you save space. You can still use the ground above the tank. You can fit a larger container on your farm without having to sacrifice any space.

Weather Protection

The weather can damage aboveground tanks. They might be affected by constant exposure to the sun or rain. Materials like plastics and metal might degrade if they have too much UV-ray or rain exposure.

Plus, extreme weather events like storms, cyclones, and hurricanes can badly damage a tank that is out in the open. Even if you tie the tank down, it won't necessarily stay in place in high winds. It might crack, break, and lose its fuel if something hard and heavy blows onto it. Spills are hazards that you will have to clean up.

If your tank sits under the ground, then it gets full protection. It won't be affected by the weather. Your tank will stay intact for longer, and you won't have any hazardous and wasteful spills.

Extra Security

Aboveground fuel storage tanks aren't fully secure. Even if you lock the tank and put it in a secure enclosure, people could target the container and its fuel. Vandals might damage the tank and cause spillages; thieves could try to steal some of your fuel.

Underground tanks are much more secure. People can't access the tanks at all. They can't get to your fuel stores and steal them.

Extra Safety

If you site a fuel tank on or above the ground, then it becomes a safety risk. If fuel leaks out of the tank, then an accidental spark could set it on fire. Left unchecked, a fire around a tank could cause an explosion.

You reduce the risk of fire or explosion if your tank sits underground. Even if fuel were to leak out, it isn't likely to come into contact with anything combustible.

To see some examples of suitable petroleum storage tanks, contact fuel storage tank suppliers, such as Eaton Sales & Service.