Fill time · 55 gal
How long to fill a 55 gallon tank
At a typical 8 GPM garden-hose flow: 7 min. Full table below; exact math is volume ÷ flow.
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| Flow rate | Time | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GPM | 28 min | 27.5 min |
| 5 GPM | 11 min | 11.0 min |
| 8 GPM | 7 min | 6.9 min |
| 10 GPM | 6 min | 5.5 min |
| 15 GPM | 4 min | 3.7 min |
| 20 GPM | 3 min | 2.8 min |
| 30 GPM | 2 min | 1.8 min |
| 50 GPM | 1 min | 1.1 min |
Flow-rate reality check: hose bib with good pressure 6–10 GPM; 1/2 HP transfer pump 20–40 GPM; gravity from an IBC barely 5 GPM through a garden fitting. Time a 5-gallon bucket and divide — it beats every nameplate rating. For the volume side, the tank charts give exact gallons at any depth.
FAQ
How long does it take to fill a 55 gallon tank with a garden hose?
A typical hose delivers 6–10 GPM — call it 9 min to 6 min for 55 gallons. Bucket-test your actual flow: a 5-gallon bucket filling in 30 seconds is 10 GPM.
How long with a transfer pump?
At a common 30 GPM transfer rate, about 2 min. At 50 GPM, 1 min.
Does draining take the same time?
Only if the flow is constant. Gravity drains slow as the head drops, so treat these times as a lower bound for draining.