Can a plastic container break from having too much water

[Tylercc]

I have a plastic container holding about 30 gallons of water, and it is bowing. Do I need to be concerned about it breaking?

 

[fresh_42]

Yes. It depends on a lot of variables: density and dimensions of the container, which sort of plastic it is, age, shape, location (UV radiation), and probably some more. So in general, yes is the only answer possible.

 

[Tylercc]

So it is inside, out of the way of uv radiation, it is rectangular, brand new, 28-3/4" x 21" x 18" h. Would building a wooden box around the container preventing it from bowing reduce the likely hood of it breaking? Is there anything else I can do to prevent it from breaking?

 

[berkeman]

So it is inside, out of the way of uv radiation, it is rectangular, brand new, 28-3/4" x 21" x 18" h. Would building a wooden box around the container preventing it from bowing reduce the likely hood of it breaking? Is there anything else I can do to prevent it from breaking?

What is the container usually used for? It's hard to believe that it's meant to hold a liquid, and is bowing under its normal load...

 

[Tylercc]

I don't know if it was meant to hold liquid, I am using it as a extra water storage container for my evaporative cooler.

 

[berkeman]

I don't know if it was meant to hold liquid, I am using it as a extra water storage container for my evaporative cooler.

Can you post a picture? And yes, building a supporting box around it should minimize the possibility of it rupturing.

 

[Tylercc]

 

[fresh_42]

If this is of the same consistency as those boxes they sell here in hardware stores, I wouldn't trust them. They are likely to split somewhere, bent or not.

 

[Tylercc]

so it sounds like if I am considering using this over a few summers I should just buy a real water storage tank?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Absolutely. Given those dimensions, you have something like 350 pounds of water in it. I doubt it was intended to hold this much.

 

[anorlunda]

Those blue plastic barrels are pretty rugged and affordable.

 

[BillTre]

That container is not made for holding water. I have seem these used as sump for aquariums and they do occasionally fail.
A container built for holding water would have thicker walls, possibly have some cross braces, and/or be circular.

You have a water pump in there. If you had it hooked up to a float switch, you could use a smaller container (requiring less strength to hold the water; easier to find) to accumulate water until the switch turned on the pump. The pump would then pump the water away.