El Cheapo Bakery Buckets...Beware

[maple marc]

I have been hanging on my trees five gallon bakery pastry buckets I got free from a big box store. They were free, although apparently the price is now $1. I thought they were a good deal, and have been using them for several years. Now I have learned the dark side of these translucent buckets: they are cracking and falling off the trees. The UV must be breaking them down. When I went out for my first collection of the season, more than 10 percent of my sap was on the ground. I've learned my lesson: stay away from the light colored translucent buckets. I'm now trying to transition as quickly as possible to the stronger plastic buckets that are a darker shade of white. Live and learn.

Marc

[oldboyscout]

Thanks for the warning. I have 5g plastic buckets for weekends I'm away and I'll have to keep an eye on them.

[TreeTapper2]

Check out Sams Club. They have decent buckets you can get from the bakery dept. And they are free.
Our Sams has two kinds of buckets make sure to compare and get the sturdier one.
The lids come off nicely so you dont need a tool. I drill holes in the lid and run the tube from the tap into them.

[oldboyscout]

Thanks for the info. I do need more and the regular lids sure are a pain.