It’s a good-looking rig, you pack a lot in there and the welds look nice. I like your use of oversized reinforced hoses between tanks and machines. I like your use of Honda machines, and the big fuel tank, etc.
But, Yes or No, is that 100-gallon poly tank DOT-approved for transporting 100 gallons of sodium hypo?
(It’s not).
Actually, if it is, post a pic of the appropriate UN stamp on the 100-gallon SH tank, tell me where I can buy these DOT-approved tanks myself, and I’ll send you $500 for your trouble along with a handwritten apology letter.
But, it’s not. The SH tank isn’t DOT legal, which means that anyone rolling down a U.S. road with SH in that tank is at risk of crippling fines if they are caught by the wrong enforcement officer on a bad day. Yes, it’s rare. Yes, it really does happen. The fines are absolutely devastating.
Tanks which are used to carry sodium hypo in this quantity need to be very specifically DOT-approved for transporting a Class 8 oxidizer. If they’re DOT-approved, they will be permanently stamped with their UN-rating. I’ve been searching for such a tank for years, and they don’t exist because getting a tank certified is a big, expensive deal which can only be offset by selling a zillion tanks. Until we’re all willing to pay many times more for a rectangular SH tank, our little exterior cleaning industry isn’t nearly big enough to warrant that investment for the big tank companies.
So what IS approved? These are, for example. See those UN codes? They mean something. Look it up. Or use ChatGPT, or hire somebody who know what they’re talking about. Again, this stuff matters.
For those who’ve read this far, while I’m at it, the SH tanks are required to display a Class 8 (Corrosive) hazard label (different than the UN-rating) including the words Sodium Hypochlorite Solution, UN1791, Class 8 Corrosive Symbol (black and white pictogram). Here’s an example.
I don’t know you but from a distance you seem like a smart and industrious and ambitious guy. So, why not use the right tanks and set yourself apart from all the fly-by-nighters turning a blind eye to the fact that they’re selling trailers for which aren’t legal for their intended use? As far as I can tell, it’s low-hanging fruit.