Used Tote with Advacado Oil

[BAP]

Does anyone have any experience with Advacado Oil? Will a tote that had it in it clean up to use for sap? If they won’t clean up well, what are the best ones to get? Thanks

[PerryFamily]

I have used theses. The avocado can be a bugger to clean but with good hot water they are not bad.
No issues

[Russell Lampron]

I haven't had to clean oil out of a tote but added manhole covers to my totes to make them easier to clean. I can lay the tote on it's side and reach in to scrub the sides and top. I got the covers on Amazon.

1922919230

[BAP]

Thanks guys. I see someone in Springfield, VT selling them for $50 and was wondering if they were worth the hassle or not. I think I am going to need more storage for flexibility in boiling time this year. I don’t really want to spend too much money.

[maple flats]

I've never cleaned out Avocado, but have cleaned apple juice concentrate, O.J. concentrate, Vanilla and Safflower oil. Those last 2 are ok I thought, minor flavor in maple taste tests for the vanilla and the safflower oil is used by organic producers as a defoamer. I still cleaned them out well.
At $50 I'd suspect something, that is well under the norm for good, once used IBC totes.

[western mainer]

So Russ what are lids - covers call on Amazon? Can't seem to find them.
Thanks Brian

[Russell Lampron]

This is the cover that I used. I can't seem to find it on Amazon anymore either. https://shop.snydernet.com/tank-accessories/16-inch-high-density-polyethylene-vented-threaded-lid-and-ring-with-4-inch-center-lid-norwesco-60038.asp

[Ghs57]

The going price here for a used IBC was $140. I needed one this year. It held vegetable oil, and was not too bad to clean with a power washer. I will probably have to pick up another one next year, and would be delighted if they sold for $50 and were completely cleanable.

[western mainer]

Thanks for the info ,these will make it easy to maintain.
Brian

[jrgagne99]

Do those IBC tanks drain completely like the stainless sap tanks from the maple equipment producers? Or is there a bulkhead fitting on the bottom/side that prevents complete drainage?

[Ghs57]

They are designed to completely drain when on a flat level surface. However I have had small pools of liquid remain inside. My tanks may not be completely level. If you pitch them toward the drain, liquid can pool on either side of the drain opening, getting trapped by the inward bulge for the drain fitting. But overall, they drain well.

[t-ciccarello]

I just picked up 2 IBC tanks that held white vinager. Already rinsed it out with water and baking soda, pressure washed with some simple green, then clean water rinse. Anything else I should do to reduce the chance of a taste spreading to sap? multiple soaks? Bleach? Or is it just worth buying liners?

[n8hutch]

You should be fine. Just get it clean and let it breathe, leave it vented. Should be fine for sap come next spring.

[Russell Lampron]

I just picked up 2 IBC tanks that held white vinager. Already rinsed it out with water and baking soda, pressure washed with some simple green, then clean water rinse. Anything else I should do to reduce the chance of a taste spreading to sap? multiple soaks? Bleach? Or is it just worth buying liners?

Make sure that you get all of the Simple Green out of them before you use them. Leave them open to the air and the vinegar smell should go away before you're ready to use them.

[NH Maplemaker]

This is the cover that I used. I can't seem to find it on Amazon anymore either. https://shop.snydernet.com/tank-accessories/16-inch-high-density-polyethylene-vented-threaded-lid-and-ring-with-4-inch-center-lid-norwesco-60038.asp
Just noticed that Bascom's sells the 16" covers and rings in there catalog on page 41 lower right hand corner.

[GotSap?]

So Russ what are lids - covers call on Amazon? Can't seem to find them.
Thanks Brian

If you search for "Catch Covers", you should be able to find a very similar product that I have been using. They are covers designed for the floors of ice shacks, but work great in the top of totes. They make cleaning MUCH easier! I also use kayak hatches on the ends of 55 gallon drums to make cleaning easier.

[thomashansen871]

Russell, did you use any form of gasket under the ring? i am getting ready to install mine, and there is no gasket or anything. thanks for the info on using the larger lid, it should make cleaning out the 330 gallon ones that i have so much easier.

thanks for any info.

[220 maple]

The tanks available in our area come from two sources, Poultry Processing Plants, and McKee Bakery, makers of Little Debbie cakes. The employees that get them sell them for 50 dollars or less, sorta crazy they are not reused, all are 300 gallon tanks in a metal cage, The chemical in the poultry tanks is something they spray on raw chicken before freezing, so I would guess it is food grade for you guy's that buy poultry from a grocery chain? The tanks are rinsed clean before they are given or sold I guess to the employee who resells them. I was told the Bakery tanks had some type of syrup ( most certainly not maple ) in them. I was told the person that got several for resale paid 20 dollars each, I will try to find out more info on them, I guess if a person with a trailer could buy a load at 20 dollars each it would be worth while to haul them north for 100 dollars each?
Mark 220 Maple

[maple flats]

I'm not familiar with those totes, but I read on some I got which had things like apple juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, safflower oil or Pure vanilla extract that had a tag on them, recyclable, call to have them picked up free of charge. No mention of any refund or credit value. Maybe our economy is too designed to discard rather than recycle too many things. If that's the case on all of them, if a company can get $20 each from an employee they are far ahead.

[calvertbrothers]

I’m cleaning organic sunflower oil out of my totes. I’m trying Dawn dish soap. They claim it will take oil off a duck. We used it when we milked cows so figured it be safe for maple. I used 1/2 gallon of dawn soap then fill it to the top. Let it Sit for a few hours, drain it, rinse it. Then 2 pounds of baking soda, fill it, let it sit for a day, then rinse. The baking soda is supposed to get rid of the soap residue. Anyone else use this method? The wife isn’t happy about her dawn soap missing.