Plastic 55 gal drums

[SDdave]

Many, many questions...First what type of plastic again? (As long as it says food grade &/or FDA approved?) Where or where do you buy some, new or used? I am quite leary of buying used, I really don't want to put my family thru anything for saving a couple of $$. Any trusted websites to browse?

I haven't tapped a tree yet and already planning for next year, more trees, better haulage, evaporator when the wife isn't looking, maybe use some syrup sales to get her a spa package, and then build a sugar shack when she's at said spa. I got it all planned;)

[GramaCindy]

Hey SD DAVE….I may need to PM the one who needs to be obeyed and let her know how nice the spa will be!

[SDdave]

I love that line. "The one who needs to be obeyed". I laugh every time! Who coined that phrase? My only guess is an older sugarer! As for PM'ing my one who needs to be obeyed, I'll let you know when ;)

SD dave

[fishman]

I think it's a spin off of a Harry Potter line "he who shall not be named".
Hey SD - A man's gotta have a plan, I like yours.

[Kev]

I get mine from a soybean proccesing plant. they make all kinds of food like stuff. Yes I am biased, I prefer food that looks like what it is. not stuff thats made to look like something you like. but the point is they get hundreds of barrels in with other ingredients in them. I get those used and pick fresh ones so they clean out easier. I think the last ones had sunflower oil in them as I recall. oodles of hot water and a drop of dawn.lots of scrubbing tons more of hot water. then my test to see if there is still oil. is to set them out in the sun in mid summer. after several hours if the inside feels "slick" they are not clean yet. I once had to toss 120 gal of sap due to thinking the oil was gone.
feeding a pressure washer hot water is usefull too!

[mathprofdk]

How about a drum that used to hold tomato? I'm looking to upgrade for next season, and I'm really trying to get something with safe plastic yet cheap. Thoughts?

http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/grd/2268679006.html

~DK

[PerryW]

stay away from drums that used to hold Cherry Syrup.

Actually I use SWMBO (she who must be obeyed)

[happy thoughts]

Many, many questions...First what type of plastic again? (As long as it says food grade &/or FDA approved?) Where or where do you buy some, new or used? I am quite leary of buying used, I really don't want to put my family thru anything for saving a couple of $$. Any trusted websites to browse?



It won't say food grade or FDA approved. There's no FDA requirement for that. But if it contained or is sold to contain food, then it's food grade.

Don't use any container you are not certain is food grade. For instance, storage totes, garbage cans and pails bought at the hardware store may have been made from recycled plastic that could have stored chemicals. You can never assume that those kinds of things are food grade even if they have the same recycling number as a similar container meant to hold food.

You can often get smaller food grade buckets for free if you ask at a bakery or supermarket. These are pails that pastry fillings and icing came in. Most stores just put them in the recycle bin. Just ask around. They are usually in the 3-5 gallon size and are good for storing sap if you have the lids for them. Next year I'm going to try some as collection buckets rigged to tubing.

Larger food grade 55 gal drums may be harder to come by unless you're near a packing plant like that other poster. I saw one for sale online yesterday at Bascommaple.com . It was in their used section and I think they were asking $20 plus shipping costs.

Good Luck and when the spa is done let us know and we'll all be over:lol:

[tpatch361]

I have access to 50 gallon plastic drums. Here is the problem. They had jalapeno peppers in them. Any way to get rid of that smell? I thought about using them as is and labeling my syrup as a hybrid syrup. It seems today anything that once was good needs to be modernized with a new flavor. :lol: What do you think Jalapeno Maple?

Any way any ideas on the scent issue or should I just forget it?

[happy thoughts]

I have access to 50 gallon plastic drums. Here is the problem. They had jalapeno peppers in them. Any way to get rid of that smell? I thought about using them as is and labeling my syrup as a hybrid syrup. It seems today anything that once was good needs to be modernized with a new flavor. :lol: What do you think Jalapeno Maple?

Any way any ideas on the scent issue or should I just forget it?

Might make a great BBQ sauce :)

I've posted this link a couple of other places but here is some info about removing odors from HDPE 2 plastic. I'd think it should work on other kinds of food grade containers as well.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/plastics.html#odors

[John c]

I have access to 50 gallon plastic drums. Here is the problem. They had jalapeno peppers in them. Any way to get rid of that smell? I thought about using them as is and labeling my syrup as a hybrid syrup. It seems today anything that once was good needs to be modernized with a new flavor. :lol: What do you think Jalapeno Maple?

Any way any ideas on the scent issue or should I just forget it?

Last week I picked up some 5 gallon jugs that were used for olives. I hate olives so the smell was killin me! Some folks on this forum gave me feedback on how to get rid of the smell, but I am too impatient for their suggestions. Lol!
What I did was washed them out teal good with bleach first then dawn dish soap and then hung them upside down over my wood stove. After only 5 days they don't even have a hint of olive sent!

[sniperdodo]

Heres what I use and what I did to make it safe. My 55 gal. plastic drums were originally used for Superplasticizer ( naphthalene based product), which is an additive for concrete. I cleaned the drums with a mild hydrochloric acid solution mixed to about 30:1. After thouroughly rinsing it I washed it with baking soda and water to neutralize the acid and again thouroughly rinsed. I know a lot of you guys wont believe me but this is safe. I have access to the local university here and after storing clean tap water for 1 week I had a control sample tested against the stored water. The stored water was found to be cleaner than the tap water (solids had settled) and exact same chemical compositions. The chemistry professor told me it was safe enough to drink from.

[happy thoughts]

Heres what I use and what I did to make it safe. My 55 gal. plastic drums were originally used for Superplasticizer ( naphthalene based product), which is an additive for concrete. I cleaned the drums with a mild hydrochloric acid solution mixed to about 30:1. After thouroughly rinsing it I washed it with baking soda and water to neutralize the acid and again thouroughly rinsed. I know a lot of you guys wont believe me but this is safe. I have access to the local university here and after storing clean tap water for 1 week I had a control sample tested against the stored water. The stored water was found to be cleaner than the tap water (solids had settled) and exact same chemical compositions. The chemistry professor told me it was safe enough to drink from.

My thoughts as a food safe container nerd- No way, no how, is your container food grade. Were any of those solids that fell out also tested? I don't care what the professor says, the FDA would put a big thumbs down on it's use for any sort of food contact.

Water is not sap and some plastics are slightly porous. Sap can turn acidic which could help leach out residual substances previously absorbed into the plastic. And napthalene is known to have adverse health affects in humans. It's your decision of course, but as another poster said elsewhere, please don't invite me over for pancakes :cry:

[Mac_Muz]

A farm store near me has coffee extract blue 50 galon barrels. I cut off the top and wash ut the coffee extract, the little left in each one. They clean up well. A cover from a rubber maid 32 gallon trash can fits fairly well, but doesn't lock on. I simply shovel snow on the lids to keep them on the barrels.

The last time I bought these used they cost 15 bucks each.

I am thinking of buying another and not cutting it, and instead use syphons to fill and or remove sap from. The only problem is ice in them and of course harder to clean.

If you have a local brewery, they sometimes have drums in a variety of sizes to sell used and cheap too. I have one of those at 18 gallons, and is how I know cleaning and ice can be a bit of a problem.

[John c]

Bleach, dawn, wood stove!!!