I just picked up another SS tank today

[maple flats]

As mentioned a week or 2 ago, a friend gave me an old milk tank. I picked it up today. Looks to be in good condition, the valve and lids (and covers) are all there. It is a Mueller tank. I see no markings for gal or any other info except a single label that was applied (self stick) on one side. Can anyone tell me if Mueller tanks have any markings, maybe hidden someplace?
The tank also had a compressor and I'm going to pick that up to see if this tank can be run to cool again. Just judging by the size I'll guess it might be in the 300-350 gal area. If I can get it running again, I'd use it to hold concentrate for a few days, especially leading up to open houses weekends.
By the way, he said I could have it free, but I'll be giving him some syrup in trade.
If I can't find a capacity, I'll start by estimating the cubic feet and calculating it that way, then sometime I could dump water from an IBC cage tote and figure it that way.
I hauled my 4 ton excavator to load the tank, it's a good thing it wasn't much heavier. The tank was in a pole barn and I used 2 sling straps around the tank, one around each end. Then I attached a short chain to the back side of the bucked, and connected that to join the 2 slings. This is how I always move any of my tanks. The issue here was that I had to extend the main boom down low and the dipper fully to lift so I wouldn't hit the bottom of the trusses in the pole barn. That way, I was lifting about 11' out in front of the machine. The hardest part was when I had to drive under the door header which was 10" below the truss bottoms. I cleared it by about 1/2" while the legs barely off the ground. It became much easier once I got outside.

[sap retreiver]

I just drug one home too. What do you do or use to clean them out. This one has 3 round lids on it agitators still in it. I think it's a 600 gallon tank. I was thinking of bugging the local dairy for help.

[jimsudz]

Dave I'll have to look at my tanks, I have 2- 600g and a 500g mueller .I don't recall them being marked.

[Windy Acres]

Flats, ive got a mueller 545, i did find markings , but i cant remember what it was, i want to say right above the outlet, ill look when i get home

[NH Maplemaker]

Don't any of these tanks have dip sticks? All of mine have then so milk truck driver could stick tank for amount of mike in it! Stick should have gallons on it.

[maple flats]

I'll look closer today, thanks.
For cleaning I first open the valve or remove it, then pressure was it with clean potable water. When it looks clean, I sanitize it by spraying with a 10% bleach solution in a spray bottle. I let it set for about 30 minutes, then pressure wash again. I repeat this 2 more times. Then a 4th and final time I spray it with food hydrogen peroxide, let it set for a day, and pressure wash again. Then I let it totally dry, and it's ready to use. This may be overkill, but I don't want to risk it. My last thing I do is to remove the valve (and put a cap or plug on) then I take the valve apart as much as possible. I then run it thru my dish washer 2X while also running other maple equipment too (like filter press plates, mixing whip, large spoons, scoops or skimmers). I then inspect O rings and seals, if showing signs of wear or damage I replace them, if not I use them but also order a set of spares. If a valve is in poor condition, I order parts to convert it to a new std (one I try to use all the time) valve. I get them here: http://www.partsdeptonline.com/Bulk-Tank-Parts-Valves/products/85/

[BAP]

Don't any of these tanks have dip sticks? All of mine have then so milk truck driver could stick tank for amount of mike in it! Stick should have gallons on it.
The dipsticks don't measure gallons. They are used to measure the pounds of milk. The markings on the stick is used on a chart that is made up to go with the tank when it is calibrated by the state you live in. Milk is bought and sold commercial by the pound not gallons.

[Super Sapper]

You can convert milk pounds to gallons. A gallon of milk weighs 8.62 pounds.

[BAP]

You can convert milk pounds to gallons. A gallon of milk weighs 8.62 pounds.
Only works if you have the original chart that goes with the tank to convert the reading on the dipstick into pounds.

[maple flats]

You also need to have the tank leveled exactly as it was when tested for the stick to give accurate info.
I looked at the tank all over again, except I did not pull the cover on the non valve end. My rough calculations put it at 51 CF, (area of an eclipse X length of tank) If correct the tank is about 380 gal, not bad for the price, especially if I can get the compressor hooked up and get it to cool. I'll go get the compressor soon but won't try connecting it and getting it charged with freon until next year. I have a friend who has his freon license, I'll hire him to do the job.
If that ends up working, I could hold 380 gal of lets say 10% concentrate for 5 days if it will cool to 30 degrees, then I could make almost 43 gal of syrup later without degrading. (I sold sap to a producer who ran it to 8% and held it at 30 degrees for 5 days and made some very nice medium before I had my RO.)

[maple flats]

Correction. I checked the valve and it needed rebuilding. I went to Hamby Dairy and the price was $200+, I then went to Brewers Hardware and ordered a complete 1" valve in the tri clamp type, 304SS for less than $50. When I said earlier that I ordered replacement valves from Hamby Dairy supply, I forgot I had later discovered Brewer's Hardware. Hamby has a replacement valve 1.5" for $179, or a repair kit for $220 but Brewer's Hardware has a 1" butterfly Triclover valve for $47.00 (they also have 1.5" for $47). In the past year I have converted some plumbing to all SS from Brewers Hardware.

[Bucket Head]

Dave,
You might want to have your refrigeration guy come look at it now- just so you know if it can be made to cool again. You'll want to know if the tank has an internal leak, and if so, try to determine if it's repairable or if a "plan B" will be needed for a concentrate tank. It does'nt take long to get one going, but you don't want to find out it leaks just prior to the sap running.
Your guy will have to vaccuum it down and see if it holds or pressurize it with nitrogen and see if it stays up. If its workable, it'll give him some time to run it and fine tune it.
Steve

[mellondome]

Most of those valves use common o-rings... $.15.
As for cooling.. have it pressure tested wih nitrogen and if it holds, hopefully the compressors are newer gas and not the old r-12 or r-22..

For the round tank with 2 agitators and 3 oval lids.... check the end stamp.. it should be able to hold vac. No releaser needed.

[maple flats]

This is a single agitator 60" long inside measure x 55" wide at the widest point and 35" tall inside at the valve end but not into the drain channel. It has 2 bat wing lids, each with a single cover on it.
I'll still wait, because it makes no difference if it will test good or not for freon. This tank was new back in the mid 80's, I suspect it is not a newer gas. I may need to find out if the compressor can be used with a friendlier gas
I'll set it up for sap, but when I test it for cooling , if it tests good, I'll just run power to it and it will still set in the same location as if it were just a sap tank. I'll just build a roof over it.

[BAP]

Dave, I think you will find that the tank is older than the 80's if it has bat wing flat lids. I believe they were banned from new production in this country before that because they weren't self cleaning and the tops weren't sealed insuring sanitation. Is it an ice bank tank? Most of the bat wing lid tanks were.

[mellondome]

We still use tanks with flat lids for milk production. What was "ban" was the use of ice bank tanks. Which is a small percentage of flat top tanks. There is no requirement for self cleaning or sealed tanks. We wash our production tank by hand.
Ice bank tanks will look like a tank inside a tank with a little flip up cover @ one end where the waterbath was able to be inspected. You can unbolt the 2 "tanks" from each other.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Mellondome is correct. Ice bank tanks were a small percentage of flat top tanks. People who have them for milk storage were "grandfathered" and allowed to continue the use of the tank but the tanks cannot be moved from their original location and used for milk storage. I tried to buy one a couple of years ago for sap storage but the owner insisted it was still a viable milk tank and wanted about 4x what it was worth.

[maple flats]

This is not an ice bank tank, I do however have one that I've retired. I was told it originally cooled the milk by cold spring water, flowed in the bottom of the outer tank and out an overflow just below the top. I never used it to cool, but I did use the SS inner tank for sap until 2 yrs. ago.

[maple flats]

I guess I don't know this tank's age, I'm just going by the fact that the barn was extended in 1981 (I did the concrete work in the extension) and the farmer had to get a larger tank. I don't know if it was new or used when he got it. That farmer has long since retired and the new owner is the one who gave me the tank.