Smaller Capacity Round Bottom Sap Tanks

[wnybassman]

I went around today and cleaned buckets and tanks for a potential run after a hopeful freeze tonight. One of the tanks I rinsed was my 210 gallon dome top truck tank I have in the woods. I absolutely hate that tank. lol Just seems like a breeding ground for nastiness and no good way to clean it. I bought a 300 gallon milk tank for a holding tank next to my shack and instantly fell in love on how easy it is to clean it. A 5 gallon bucket of water and a scrubby on a two foot handle, and in less than two minutes it is reasonably clean.

Anyway, if I only get one thing for next year, I hope it is a tank to replace my truck tank. Looking for a 150-200 gallon stainless tank that has a 100% drain out. I run a short run of tubing into it, but it mostly a dumping station for buckets so I don't have to haul them all up the hill to the shack. Gotta love it when the shack is the highest part of my operation. lol

Other than finding another small milk tank, what other options for small round bottom tanks are out there?

[Bucket Head]

I don't know who designed those truck tanks, but they should go back to whatever they were doing prior to becoming an engineer. They don't drain and they are unserviceable.
Those small bulk tanks are really hard to come by, but their out there. There is a stock tank made by Behlen that is of food grade plastic. I'm thinking about those myself for a couple of locations. I like the cage tanks too. They drain completely and I cut out the port-hole opening on top to about a 16"-18" square opening for cleaning. Its a big help. When laid on its side, I can crawl halfway in and reach the entire inside to scrub it if I need to. But with the big opening you don't have to lay it over- anything with a handle can be worked through the square.

Steve

[maple flats]

Basically those tanks were designed to haul water to livestock, then dump the load and just fill it when you need to haul more water. While we try to use them to haul sap that has lots more issues than does livestock water.
I like the caged totes too, but I buy good clean ones that have only been used once for a food product with no strong odors or one that held a food that is sometimes used to describe subtle after flavors in maple syrup (for example, one I used originally held real vanilla extract and one of the subtle flavors in maple is sometimes vanilla, but I still washed it well). Then I generally use each caged tote 1 or 2 seasons before it is either repurposed or sold. For example, I sold one this week, to a horse farmer for exactly what I paid for it 2 years ago, they will be using it to haul water for the horses. I had bought 4 new ones this year, 2 for sap and a third to haul water to clean the tanks after I pump them out, before they get more sap, the 4th is for a spare, just in case.
For other tanks, SS is nice but costly, tanks made to be sap tanks can be had, but cost plenty, I only have 1, a new head tank at the sugarhouse. Then I have in milk tanks a 1000 gal vacuum tank I got for $600, another 1000 gal was $700, a 415 gal for $100, a 200 gal (no lids, I had to make lids) for free, an 850 gal for $500 and a 545 gal for $300. Each of these were bought just by watching to see what was around, watching the local for sale, Penny savers and Craig's list. It just takes time. You may notice, in all of those I only bought 1 new, the Head tank , 150 gal and it was $650.
Just keep your eyes open and it doesn't hurt to have friends looking for you too.

[Sugarmaker]

I agree cleaning tanks anytime can be a pain if the said tank was not built for cleaning! I have 4 dairy tanks all Dari-Kool brand. I like these rectangular tanks for most of the same reasons you mentioned. mine are low profile, drain completely easy to clean and not extremely heavy if the outside is removed.
My truck tank is a leg tank and I bought one with a large 16 inch dia opening just so I could clean it easier. But it does not drain well/ complete.
The hobby industry could use some good small inexpensive tanks for sure!
Regards,
Chris

[Bucket Head]

I should have added that I do use a truck tank- a 450 gal. one in the back of my pick-up. Before I put a drop of maple sap in it I built a pallet-like platform to mount it on and cut a hole in the bottom for a fitting and an elbow for hooking the hose on to and to completely drain it. Next thing I did was cut a circular hole in the top, dead center, a little more than a foot in diameter for cleaning purposes. And I run my discharge hoses (gas engine pump & bilge pump for bucket dumping) into that opening as well.

They can be great sap tanks, it just takes some ingenuity and creativity to make them work.

Steve

[wnybassman]

I should have added that I do use a truck tank- a 450 gal. one in the back of my pick-up. Before I put a drop of maple sap in it I built a pallet-like platform to mount it on and cut a hole in the bottom for a fitting and an elbow for hooking the hose on to and to completely drain it. Next thing I did was cut a circular hole in the top, dead center, a little more than a foot in diameter for cleaning purposes. And I run my discharge hoses (gas engine pump & bilge pump for bucket dumping) into that opening as well.

They can be great sap tanks, it just takes some ingenuity and creativity to make them work.

Steve

Thanks for that idea. This year I mounted a bulkhead fitting/elbow/valve on the side of a white 55 gallon drum just below the top, and built a wooden rack that held the drum up horizontally, and at a slope towards that fitting so it nearly drains completely. Same idea. I have more offsite trees for next year, so maybe I'll do the same thing with that truck tank if I can find a replacement for the woods tank.

[Ed R]

If you can't find a milk tank I'd get a quote on a round bottom stainless tank from Darrick Hilton, he is 3rd gen on this site and on SBI. He made a round bottom for me and I love it.

[bowtie]

I have a 210 pick up tank,125 leg tank, a 50 gallon tank all plastic, and a 500 lapierre sap tank as, and a 400 dairy kool tank. I hate cleaning the plastic tanks. I usually mix bleach with water and literally roll the tanks around to mix it up, then I rinse them and use a shop vac to completely empty them. I also use the shop vac every couple of days to clean the tanks during the season, I have found keeping them as dry as possible helps keep the nastiness from growing in them. However they are poorly designed for sap but are really the only cost alternative choices out there for collection and transportation.

[Bucket Head]

I know everyone doesn't have access to a hose with clean water at their sugar house or boiling location, but if you do you should rinse out the collection tank after each use. That's the best way to keep it clean- to not let anything linger and dirty things up. Yes, it takes a little more time but it's well worth it. You'll never have to scrub it if nothing is left in it to turn into nastiness. Fresh water won't do anything if a little is left in it.