The Differences In UL142 Fuel Tank Construction
By Pete Torres
During a preliminary design meeting for an indoor diesel set, a consulting engineer asked, "When we specify the diesel generator's tank to be supplied as a "UL 142 Base Tank", what tank construction will be submitted?
Given today's competitive market, open bid projects are quoted with a minimum bill of materials that meet the project's plans and specifications, all in order to be the low bidder to win the project. If a specification only references that the tank be classified as UL142, design options can be submitted that are low in cost, but may not meet code approval for both indoor and outdoor applications.
 There are five basic types of Generator-
Base Tank designs that can be Underwriters Laboratory (UL) Listed as "Special Purpose Flammable Liquid Tanks". The basic "standard" for these tank designs is an Underwriters "UL-142 Steel Aboveground Tanks for Flammable and Combustible Liquids" listing. Tank designs are known by various industry slang names, and in some cases the same name is applied to several different types of tank. This has been very confusing and misleading. The five different tank designs are in the following UL categories:
- single wall tank
- open-top diked tank
- closed-top diked tank
- secondary-containment generator tank
- protected secondary tank (UL 2085)
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