need opinions on purchasing a plastic tote

[Baker]

need sum help.found a guy that has sum 275 gal food grade plastic totes for $100.Witch is awsome because I can't get a new one shipped here for under $500 at cheapest.my question is .he said they had soy sauce in them .is it worth getting and washing? Or will it be impossible to get that smell out?affecting flavor or sap?what would I wash with?he also said that he uses them for sap with no problems.but who's to say

[wiam]

I would be cautious. Strong flavors can be tough to get out of plastic. And the flavor in the sap will be concentrated in the syrup.

[maple flats]

Search some more. Soy sauce is hard to clean out enough to use for sap. Look for something that had things like mild fruit juice conc. (apple is nice) or canola oil, vanilla extract, safflower oil to name some of the better choices. You will find prices running from about $75 up to 125 each.

[Baker]

Thanks guys.yea I kind of figured it wouldn't work.i would love to find sum thing brand new.but nothing up this way.and crazy expensive to have delivered from leader.i used two new plastic food grade 55 gal drums last yr.but wasn't enough and not very efficient for me.anyone know of any holding tanks around the 250 gal size not crazy expensive to ship?any help would be appreciated.

[psparr]

Try a Tractor Supply.

[markct]

For 250 to 500 you should be able to find a nice used dairy tank of around 300 gal. They are way easier to clean and will outlast any plastic tank. All my tanks except permeate water are stainless and i would never wana go back to plastic. Keep and eye on craigslist and farm auctions and they do come up time to time

[WESTMAPLES]

markct is right on if you where going to spend that kind of cash ss is great i started out with plastic tanks, they worked good, but stainless is easy to clean and does last forever with little care ( keeping trees from crashing it ) in the off season. now out of 5 tanks a have only 1 is the plastic truck tank, the rest are insulated milk tanks. they are around, keep looking

[TerryEspo]

The IBC totes I find are the best price on Craigs List, if trying to keep costs down, of course stainless milk tanks would be better, IBC Tote works fine also, just cheaper.

Here is a link of a food grade IBC tote, maybe find others who can pass it forward to you, find one close to you maybe. Just did a fast search in Minnesota Craigs List,,,, many IBC food grade totes available from what I just saw, just don't get a soy sauce one.

http://nmi.craigslist.org/for/4904344047.html

Food grade, easy to clean out old contents, cage for protection. I have one but never have enough sap to need to use it, I boil as soon as I have enough sap, lol.

Good luck on your search.

Terry

[markct]

markct is right on if you where going to spend that kind of cash ss is great i started out with plastic tanks, they worked good, but stainless is easy to clean and does last forever with little care ( keeping trees from crashing it ) in the off season. now out of 5 tanks a have only 1 is the plastic truck tank, the rest are insulated milk tanks. they are around, keep looking

Even my truck tank is stainless luckly, it was a food tank for blending juice I believe from the impeller that was in it originaly.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

CDL Ruland hAS ones that the lady there told me they had soy sauce in them, was told all cleaned out ready to go 140. will have to ask again about food product in them but almost positive she said soy.

[WESTMAPLES]

markct im going to have stop by and barrow you ss truck tank to see if i like it LOL

[sirsloop]

no way on the soy sauce... those totes are not real easy to clean out 100%. Even if you crack the valve at the bottom it still holds some liquid in the corners. That flavor is very strong and will absolutely stick in the plastic for some time. It reminds me if cornie kegs that had root beer in them... those are stainless steel and they hold that flavor! You have to replace every gasket, scrub every piece... and you MIGHT get it out.

[Freedom MFG]

We manufacture FDA compliant food grade barrier liners for most all IBC tanks. Perhaps we can help you solve your problem.

Marie Lawrence
Freedom Manufacturing LLC
3 Duplainville Road, Bldg 4
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
www.freedommfg.com
518 584 0441 EX 12

[BreezyHill]

To get nasty odors and flavors out use the baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate wash. It takes the smell of bad beer out in a matter of minutes. I store in used kegs and the first wash is a bicarb warm water wash. No scrubbing at all just a gallon of warm water and a hand full of bicarb. These are the 15.5 gallon kegs so I roll them on the sugar house floor, tip upside down, then back up again and pull the plug and dump, rinse out with a gallon of hot water two times and inspect with an LED light. Do it again if needed. I have had to let them sit on a propane cooker and boil a few times if they have dried on beer.

You can buy bicarb at a feed store for $10-$12 a 50# bag if you have a seasons worth of kegs or plastic drums to clean.

I like the idea of the FG barriers and they are only an hour away for me. I don't use totes now but with the long range forecast for march of 24 days of sap weather out of 31 I just may need to have some storage lines up.

Ben

[Baker]

I found sum that sum contained soy beans .and others canola oil?

[markct]

markct im going to have stop by and barrow you ss truck tank to see if i like it LOL

Just like they say about diamonds stainless is forever. It cost me a grand but will outlast any poly tank. I once gave a girlfriend a stainless valentine... Well i still have my stainless tanks atleast!

[WESTMAPLES]

markct was that tank meant to standup or lay down like you have it shown?? i see the hatch on the and think that was a cleanout or once the top opening?? i traded some wire to you for the 1in gas pump and remember you showing me the milk truck tank and sugarhouse, you gave lots of great ideas. like the tank topic we are all here talking about plastic is a good starter, but stainless will out last myself (28) and 3 of the milk tanks i have are almost twice my age already and still serviceable for sap atleast

[markct]

Yup it sat horizontal just like that but on taller legs and had a huge motor on the back to the side of the door that ran the mixer.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

To get nasty odors and flavors out use the baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate wash. It takes the smell of bad beer out in a matter of minutes. I store in used kegs and the first wash is a bicarb warm water wash. No scrubbing at all just a gallon of warm water and a hand full of bicarb. These are the 15.5 gallon kegs so I roll them on the sugar house floor, tip upside down, then back up again and pull the plug and dump, rinse out with a gallon of hot water two times and inspect with an LED light. Do it again if needed. I have had to let them sit on a propane cooker and boil a few times if they have dried on beer.

You can buy bicarb at a feed store for $10-$12 a 50# bag if you have a seasons worth of kegs or plastic drums to clean.

I like the idea of the FG barriers and they are only an hour away for me. I don't use totes now but with the long range forecast for march of 24 days of sap weather out of 31 I just may need to have some storage lines up.

Ben
will you come up to poultney and help me roll my IBC tote through the backyard with your concoction in it:lol::lol:

[wiam]

To get nasty odors and flavors out use the baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate wash. It takes the smell of bad beer out in a matter of minutes. I store in used kegs and the first wash is a bicarb warm water wash. No scrubbing at all just a gallon of warm water and a hand full of bicarb. These are the 15.5 gallon kegs so I roll them on the sugar house floor, tip upside down, then back up again and pull the plug and dump, rinse out with a gallon of hot water two times and inspect with an LED light. Do it again if needed. I have had to let them sit on a propane cooker and boil a few times if they have dried on beer.

You can buy bicarb at a feed store for $10-$12 a 50# bag if you have a seasons worth of kegs or plastic drums to clean.

I like the idea of the FG barriers and they are only an hour away for me. I don't use totes now but with the long range forecast for march of 24 days of sap weather out of 31 I just may need to have some storage lines up.

Ben

Ben, what are you using for plugs? I just picked up a dozen.

[markct]

Heres what I use for washing kegs, the nozzle is a spinning pressure washer nozzle that cost about 35 bucks and works very well. I use it with the hot water pressure washer at work and makes the kegs super clean. It also gets your feet much less wet with the drain pipe pointed towards the floor drain. Hot water sure is the key to cleaning and getting smells out.

[OldManMaple]

Ben, what are you using for plugs? I just picked up a dozen.

If you mean plugs for a sanke keg, if you gut the valve, a sanitary clamp and blank cap works well, in the off season I use the clamp and a small piece of flat filter over the opening so it can breathe. And gasket too


http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/home_brew/kegs/Kegco_KEG1215_drop_in_valve.html?CAWELAID=18198700 80&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=320012430000210343&cadevice=c&gclid=CKbngdiY_cMCFdgPgQod6o4ATg

[markct]

I use a stainless pipe locknut welded in the top, they are straight thread and take a standard barrel bung plug just fine. They cost about 16 bucks so not bad, take the guts out, trim off the top flange with a zip wheel and then run a 2 1/2 hole saw over it to cleanly cut it out. Deburr and tig or mig it to the top. Many of the kegs I got were ones that had damaged necks anyhow, a friend was a salesman for a beer distributer and when package stores would get stuck with damaged kegs, usualy from stupid party tricks or old Italians making wine in them etc, they wouldn't give the deposit back to the package store, so he would give the package store my number and the stores were more than happy when I would come pick them up and give them the amount the deposit was.

[WESTMAPLES]

i buy pairs of sanke keg caps,clamps and seals from ebay for $26.00 shipped. they hold a great seal, all i had to do is pull the stem guts. just un capped the last 15.5 keg 3 weeks ago for packing and boy it had great suction ive even seen others use rubber plumbing expansion stop to seal them also