Plastic Toes VS. Bulk Tank

[Eastridgevilla]

"Was" Pete S, now Eastridgevilla:

OK,....………. we have been using plastic totes for years now and have a love/hate relationship with them.

I have 6 of them and now I need to clean them, which isn't easy when they could use a good washing.

BUT was thinking on looking to go to 800-1000 gallon stainless bulk tank instead, and get rid of several.

Experiences? Thoughts? Considerations?

The one thing I can think of is being able to segregate smaller batches of sap.

Other than that,...……….not much comes to mind, other than of course I own these and the bulk tanks are expensive.

Thanks

[motowbrowne]

Bulk tanks are pretty much the best storage solution, with the only downsides being the expense and the occasional situation in which they insulation keeps the sap warmer than it might have been in a single wall tank. I suppose there is also the plumbing issue on some of them, but plumbing is half the game of making syrup it seems. Personally I'd try to find two 500 gallon tanks rather than one 1000 gallon. It is nice to be able to separate sap in some situations.

[maple flats]

How many taps are you running and do you use an RO? The size is related to total tap count and your ability to process. I am set up for about 1000-1200 taps and I can process about 2000 GPD without working all night (At times in the past, pre-RO, I once boiled hard 4 days in a row while at the same time selling almost 1200 gal of sap. I boiled an 18 hr day, then 2 days at 21 hrs each followed by another 18, that was when I decided to buy an RO).
I have a few SS tank but I still haul in totes from my leased bush, hauling two totes. For tanks I have a 415, a 545, and a 300 that I use for sap. I also have a 200 and an 850 I don't use but could, then my head tank is 150 gal and my permeate tank is a 1000.
I wash each tank shortly after it is emptied each time. I thus like the multiple smaller tank approach. If you have just a 1000 gal, and can't empty it and wash it every day, things will head south on your syrup.