Elevated IBC Totes

[DuncanFTGC/SS]

Evening, I have access to cheap, and clean IBC Totes. I can get 275, or 330 gallon tanks.

Was thinking about elevating them so the valve is 5 to 6 feet off the ground. I'm concerned with building a strong enough platform to hold two of them, plus myself if I need to adjust anything during the season.
What is the safest way to do that?

Digging thru old posts couldn't find anything that specific, but did come across using a smaller head tank, and pumping up from a tote or barrel. Thoughts on that as well?

I'm small time up to about 100 taps, plus I can buy sap. 12v, solar, power unless I run extension cords across driveway. Collecting sap in a small ATV trailer with a 30 gallon leg tank. Want to be able to only pump it, or gravity feed after collecting and dumping it into ATV tank.

[arcticmaple8]

Could stack 2 totes and leve some water in bottom tote. Or put a stack of good pallets under tote. Or build 4x4/6x6 wooden frame with cross supports like x's

[heus]

If you have access to railroad ties, stack them like they do when raising a house

[maple flats]

My head tank platform is 5.5' off the ground. I built it using 4x4 PT posts with 4x4s setting on top of them. I have the legs and the cross 4x4's directly under where the tank legs on my original tank were. The in-ground legs set on concrete blocks down 3.5'. Then above that I have 2x4's side to side 16" O.C. and on those I used 2x6, for floor boards spaced about 1.5" apart. I have one diagonal on the end of the platform and all lumber except the diagonal is PT (pressure treated)
While I don't use IBC totes for a head tank, I originally had a 415 gal SS milk tank on the platform, I then changed to a 200 gal one and I changed again to a 150 gal sap tank. The changes were never because of the weight, but rather because I don't like having that much concentrate ahead. That platform has been up and shows no need for repair in 9 years use. I'm sure at some point I will need to change the in-ground legs but the rest should outlast me. One end of my 8x12 platform is attached to my sugarhouse, which is also on 4x4 posts, 4' in the ground and on big slabs of concrete.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We built the platform for our 4x8x4 (1200G) head tank last year. Ran out of time and money so we used a 500 G poly tank last year but should have the new one this fall. We built it similar to what mapleflats described but with 6x6's due to the size of our tank. It's all about a good foundation, so definitely set it all on concrete blocks.
In regards to a pump, we pump across my buddy's lawn to avoid tearing it up in the spring. Probably 80' of line and a 8-10' rise from where we pump to the head tank. We use the 1" predator pump from Harbor Freight and it works great. Pumps about 13G per minute in our setup.

[mol1jb]

Your answer will depend on what you have to build with or attach to. For my elevated tanks, I have 2x elevated platforms built. Both are built like mini decks. On the building side there is a ledger board attached with bolts through the kitchen concrete block walls. On the other side I used reclaimed 4x6 posts sunk 3ft into the ground. Then build decked platforms beefy enough to support the weight. When estimating weight just use 8 pounds per gallon. One platform has a 550 sap gallon tank and the other is 50 gallon head tank.

You can build the platforms just the size of the tank but my recommendation would be to build it oversized enough to be able to safely stand on the platform and access the tank opening to wash or rinse them out. I usually rinse mine out every time it is empty.

[Road's End]

My sap tank is stacked on pallets behind the sugarhouse so it's 5ft or so high. (500 gallons) Inside I have 2 totes, stacked. The top is the concentrate from the RO/head tank and the bottom is the permeate tank. Having the tanks this way has worked out fairly well for me.

[Kbrooks80]

20209
Here is what I did. The timbers are from large pallets. I also got metal grate material under the totes.

[maple flats]

Remember to provide deck enough to walk around at least 2 opposite side for cleaning. Also, you should be aware that pressure treated lumber gets real slippery when wet or worse when it has a dusting of snow on it. Be careful to walk as if you are on glare ice.
My first 2 tanks (see reply #4) did not give as much extra platform as I like, the 150 gal tank gives me plenty.
On my set up, in all 3 cases the tank sat tight to the sugarhouse so the valve is inside. The current tank (150 gal SS round bottom) does have a close nipple, an elbow and about 6" of a 10x1.5" SS nipple exposed outside, the rest and the valve is inside. I only had to heat the exposed portion to thaw once in the 5-6 years it has been that way. The sugarhouse is not heated (except by the evaporator), but it has never frozen the lines in there. I drain them all at the end of each boil, into the evaporator, just after my last fueling so that concentrate all boils for several minutes. I also now drain the cold sap float box and put that into the flue pan while boiling sap from the flue pan back feeds to the float box. I just started doing that after I had my first ever "ropy syrup event" in the 2019 season during a mid boil cleaning.

[SeanD]

I also now drain the cold sap float box and put that into the flue pan while boiling sap from the flue pan back feeds to the float box. I just started doing that after I had my first ever "ropy syrup event" in the 2019 season during a mid boil cleaning.

Quick hijack - I have been rope-free since I started bringing the back pan to a hard boil after the flood and scooping boiling sap from the pan and pouring it into the cold sap float box. I put a thermometer in the box and keep scooping until I hit 200 deg. I'm curious how you disconnect your cold sap box with hot sap still in the pan.

To the original topic - ditto on having something to stand on to make cleaning easier. My tanks are outside under a lean-to on top of single cinder blocks with pallets laying on top of those. I got this great folding work platform that has been perfect. It's long enough that I can clean two tanks at a time and it's super light to slide over to clean the third tank. It folds up and it's out of the way as needed.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Ladders-55-in-x-14-in-x-30-in-Aluminum-Heavy-Duty-Adjustable-Height-PRO-Slim-Fold-Work-Platform-with-300-lbs-Load-Capacity-GLWP-55A/302159317

[maple flats]

I have a plug that goes in the pipe joining the cold sap float box to the flue pan, but there are 2 adjoining pipes with a partition between them. Each compartment has a drain valve, I plug that compartment, drain it, then remove the plug and that refills from the flue pan. Then I repeat for the other compartment.
The first compartment is where the sap enters from the pre-heater, the second one is where the float is, so it doesn't get affected by the entry of sap's turbulence, just controls the flow according to the flue pan sap level.