Has anyone tried this......

[silveradomaple]

We all know that light and temperature are critical to bacterial growth and spoilage of your sap. Just wondering if anyone has tried to use an old chest type freezer as a head tank or storage tank? With the lid closed, it's protected from light, and running the freezer for only a couple hours per day on a timer, would keep your sap cold. (34 to 36 degrees) Any thoughts? comments?

[DonMcJr]

Interesting... are they watertight?

[TerryEspo]

Save energy and lift the lid from eve till early morning.

Cool idea though. Imagine the looks it would get when people see a freezer up way high !!

Bet nobody would walk under it, lol.

Terry

[silveradomaple]

Don... I would think they would be water tight. They are either aluminum or plastic lined which would be food grade compliant. Just need to cut a hole and install a fitting and seal it in for the drain. I would think this would be a great idea for the "backyarder" like you and I.

[not_for_sale]

Sounds like a fellow brewer. I am not sure if its food grade plastic though, and it would only work for a very small operation. However I could see using it as a tank for concentrated sap.

[silveradomaple]

I may be wrong, but I think it would HAVE to be food grade.....afterall, your storing food in them. ( At least thats what they were intended for :cool: )

[happy thoughts]

I may be wrong, but I think it would HAVE to be food grade.....afterall, your storing food in them. ( At least thats what they were intended for :cool: )

You'd think:) I know all insulated coolers have to be made of food grade materials. I'd expect the same from a fridge. But that said, not everything used in a freezer or fridge is necessarily rated for prolonged food contact. Sealants for instance. Food grade silicon caulking is available but that is just meant for brief or incidental contact. It's not meant to be used where food is directly exposed to it and touching it for any length of time.

[not_for_sale]

I think,it's made of plastic that is safe if it accidentally touches food. I've always thought that its necessary to pack stuff that goes in a fridge, if only to avoid BPA in the food. I doubt though its made of material hat won't leach anything into a liquid that contacts it for an extended period of time.

However, that doesn't diminish the idea. Water tanks for RVs are square and cheap and could be used inside the freezer.

[happy thoughts]

I think,it's made of plastic that is safe if it accidentally touches food. I've always thought that its necessary to pack stuff that goes in a fridge, if only to avoid BPA in the food. I doubt though its made of material hat won't leach anything into a liquid that contacts it for an extended period of time.

However, that doesn't diminish the idea. Water tanks for RVs are square and cheap and could be used inside the freezer.

Now there's an idea! :)

[325abn]

I bet a bigger sized one would fail under the wieght of all that pressure. Smaller sized one may work.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

I think you may get more bang from the chest freezer by taking 5 gal (food grade) pails with lids and freezing sap/or water in them. Then placing these giant blocks in sap storage. That would keep a large quantity of sap cool on hot days. I got the idea on the forum and plan to try it this year if things heat up too early.