Pressure Tanks
Five 110-gallon tanks create the stored-pressure reserve. Each tank must be properly rated, supported, connected, and serviceable.
Five 110-Gallon Tanks • 550 Gallons Total
The pressure tank bank is the heart of Solar Fire Drum.
The Solar Fire Drum pressure tank system stores water under pressure before the emergency. Five 110-gallon pressure tanks create a 550-gallon stored water bank that can be charged by three diaphragm pumps and recharged from hot tub or pool water.
The pressure-bank idea
Do not wait for city pressure during a wildfire.
Wildfire conditions can turn ordinary water assumptions into failure points. The pressure tank system stores water in advance so the property has a dedicated pressurized reserve for trees, fences, slopes, brush edges, and other vulnerable zones.
5
110-gallon pressure tanks
550
Gallons stored capacity
3
Diaphragm pressure pumps
75
PSI target pressure
Why tanks?
The tanks give the water a job before the fire arrives.
A pool or hot tub holds water, but stored water alone is not enough. Solar Fire Drum adds pressure, routing, valves, gauges, and spray zones. That turns passive water into a usable wildfire-readiness resource.
- Five tanks spread storage and pressure across a tank bank.
- Pressure gauges make readiness visible before the emergency.
- Valves and manifolds route water to the correct spray zones.
- The system can recharge from hot tub or pool water.
- Solar-charged battery support can keep pump charging available during outages.
Manifold, valves, gauges, and pressure.
The tank bank needs serviceable controls, readable gauges, and clear routing to spray zones.
Tank-bank components
Every part has a job.
The pressure tank system should be treated like emergency infrastructure. It needs durable parts, accessible service points, visible gauges, isolation valves, and a layout that can be tested before fire season.
Charging Manifold
The charging manifold connects the pump system to the tanks and helps distribute water into the pressure bank.
Pressure Gauges
Gauges make the system visible. If the pressure is wrong, the system tells you before the emergency.
Isolation Valves
Valves allow sections to be serviced, tested, shut off, or routed without turning the entire system into a mystery.
Three diaphragm pumps charge the tank bank.
The pumps refill and pressurize the system from the selected water source.
Charging the tank bank
Three small pumps make the pressure bank practical.
Instead of relying on one big pump at the worst possible moment, the Solar Fire Drum concept uses three small diaphragm pressure pumps to charge the tanks ahead of time.
- Multiple pumps can improve practical redundancy.
- Small pumps can be easier to power with solar-charged battery support.
- Charging can happen before the spray event.
- The pressure bank can hold readiness between pump cycles.
- Controls can manage pressure cut-in, cut-out, and system testing.
Pressure logic
Stored pressure changes the response window.
Without stored pressure, the system must create pressure at the exact moment water is needed. With a pressure bank, the system can be charged earlier, monitored, and released into priority spray zones when needed.
Fill from the water source
Hot tub, pool, or stored water is pulled into the system through approved plumbing, filtration, and backflow protection where required.
Charge the five-tank bank
Three diaphragm pumps bring the tanks toward the target pressure and keep the bank ready.
Verify pressure before fire season
Gauges, valves, pumps, battery state, solar charging, and spray heads are tested before high-risk wind events.
Release to the spray zones
Water is routed to fence lines, trees, slopes, brush edges, gates, outbuildings, or other property-exposure points.
Where tanks belong
Tank location matters.
The pressure tank bank should be located where it can be safely installed, serviced, protected, and connected to the water source, pump system, battery system, and spray zones.
- Use a stable pad or engineered support location.
- Keep service access to gauges, valves, pumps, and controls.
- Protect equipment from vehicle impact, debris, and unnecessary exposure.
- Plan drainage, freezing risk, flushing, and maintenance access.
- Keep electrical equipment and plumbing installed to applicable requirements.
- Place the system where hose runs and pressure loss remain practical.
Design reality
550 gallons is the headline. Flow is the engineering.
A pressure tank bank is only useful if the pump curves, hose sizes, nozzle choices, elevation, friction loss, and spray-zone layout work together. Final design should be based on the actual site, not a generic drawing.
- Tank ratings
- Pump flow and pressure
- Battery capacity
- Nozzle coverage
- Hose and pipe sizing
- Elevation and friction losses
Readiness must be visible.
Pressure tanks should be checked and tested before the smoke is in the air.
Testing
Pressure tanks are not set-and-forget equipment.
Fire-season readiness requires routine checks. A pressure-tank system should be tested, flushed, inspected, and verified before high-risk conditions.
- Confirm each tank is holding pressure properly.
- Check gauges for readable, believable pressure values.
- Test pump charging and automatic pressure control.
- Verify valves open and close cleanly.
- Flush filters, hose lines, and spray heads.
- Run a spray-zone test and adjust coverage.
Important safety note
Pressure systems must be handled correctly.
Pressure tanks, pumps, valves, manifolds, gauges, piping, hoses, backflow protection, electrical equipment, batteries, and solar charging systems must be selected and installed properly. This page describes a wildfire-readiness concept and does not replace engineering, fire authority review, code compliance, manufacturer instructions, licensed installation, or routine maintenance. No system can guarantee survival of a property in a wildfire.
Pressure Tank System
The tanks are where stored water becomes stored readiness.
Start with a site review: tank location, water source, pump charging, pressure controls, solar battery support, pipe sizing, spray-zone layout, and fire-exposure priorities.