Vacuum Tanks

There are a variety of vacuum tanks on the market. Mild steel, Aluminum and Stainless steel. Here is a very brief summary of each type:

Mild Steel – Has the advantage of being cheaper upfront capital cost. Mild steel tanks are made thicker for corrosion and to increase the life of the tank. This makes it heavier. When the paint chips, it begins to leave rusty streaks on the tank and it needs to be sandblasted, primed, and repainted. This again is an additional cost along with the downtime for the truck. It has the advantage of being low cost up front but has more maintaince issues and up keep.

Aluminum - Understand that aluminum is lighter than stainless steel, but like mild steel, it's not as strong structurally and needs to be thicker also to accommodate for corrosion even though it corrodes at a slower rate than that of mild steel. It has the advantage of weight and can be placed on a smaller GVM truck for the same capacity as stainless or steel. It has the big downside of fatigue and cracking but has its place in the market. Tanks in aluminum are more expensive then steel but cheaper than stainless steel. But there main advantage is weight. The downside is fatigue and cracking.

Stainless Steel – Talk to anyone in the industry with stainless and you get the normal response:
 “There are people who bought stainless and there are those that wish they did”
Stainless steel is structurally stronger than aluminum or mild steel and it keeps its polished finish. Stainless steel is corrosion resistant to chemicals and deodorizers used in the liquid sanitation industry. Stainless steel will keep a great finish and it is easier to maintain than other metals. Why do you think restaurants and hospitals use stainless steel? Stainless steel lasts a long time, is corrosion resistant, is easy to clean and is sanitary. The downside is price. The upside is life of the unit and maintaince is minimal.