Cleaning Plastic Drums

[MFarmall]

Picked up (6) 50 gallon heavy plastic drums, sealed top with 2 bungs, last week from a Pepsi bottling plant. I flushed them with boiling water, then with a 5% bleach solution, more boiling water then put water and baking soda in each one for 24 hours, then flushed with cold water. Still get a slight Mountain Dew smell, if just putting sap in, from collection tank, long enough to run through the evaporator, think it will flavor the syrup? Or should I flush them again before use them next spring.
Going to pick up a skid of 5 gallon buckets from the bakery section of a local Sam's Club this weekend, they said could be 60-80. figure for free :) can't have enough buckets. They are easier to get buckets from than some other places.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone
Mel

[Uncle Tucker]

Flavored syrup is getting to be the next big thing!!!

[3% Solution]

Mel,
We have some plastic droms that grape juice came in.
We have been using these drums for 8 years and there is still is a slight smell still.
Bleach them out at the end of each season.
Have never tasted anything in the syrup.
As a matter of fact I have never tasted anything in the sap.
I think you'll be fine!

Dave

[MFarmall]

Maybe I should get a couple more of the drums and leave the excess mountain dew syrup in them and try a batch just for me. Might be the next taste sensation, course I'm kind of partial to root beer.
Mel

[gmcooper]

Mel
A Pepsi rep gave me a Mountain Dew drum when we first got started years ago. we never did get the smell out. Years later I cut it in half for water tubs for cattle. You could still smell the Mountain Dew syrup when I cut it in half.
Not sure they would transfer that flavor on or not. The cows didn't complain!
Mark

[lmathews]

I had pepsi drums washed them sanitized them and no matter what I did I could not get rid of the cross contamination.I ruined alot of sap in 2 days.Ended up cutting them in half and using them as planters.Be carefull if memory serves right the barrels say corrosive contents.Just my experiance.
Lee

[MFarmall]

Yeah, there were 2 separate piles of drums. One section had the sticker that stated contained corrosive materials. The other said only contained syrup. I picked mine from the syrup pile. Think will still flush again with boiling water and baking soda before using. And try to keep the amount of time the sap is in them to a minimum.
Thanks for all the info.
Better get going, deer gun season starts in the morning for a week. :)
Mel

[Buckeye mapler]

What part of Ohio MFarmall? I am in the process of doing the samething, cleaning 55 gallon drums. I got mine from a place that makes flavoring. The ones I got either had maple syrup or maple flavoring in them. I have thoroughly rinsed them and now I am going to fill them and put a bleach mixture as you have described. I was suprised when I read your post, because I thought about using baking soda too and didnt know if anyone had tried that yet. It seems like it would absorb odor and flavor. I was considering storing my drums with a cup of baking soda inside, although I haven't figured out how I would get it in the drum without spilling it. I will experiment on a couple of barrels using different mixtures of baking soda as it may require a pretty good concentration of it to be effective.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have dill pickle buckets that I have been using for years for sap and storing hot syrup in and they have never imparted any off flavor.

[MFarmall]

Buckeye I am about 30 miles south of Columbus.
I put about 2 cups of baking soda in the 2 drums that had the most "aroma" in them, I just used a tablespoon and dumped it in then rolled it around to spread it inside. I am going to put some boiling water in them this weekend, slosh it around and let it set for a few days to see what that does.
My mother-in-law said to try a gallon of white vinegar with a cup of baking soda, slosh around and let set for a day or 2, then flush with boiling water.
Got my baking soda at Sam's club, 12# for $6
Mel

[Buckeye mapler]

I am in clinton county (Blanchester area) to be exact. First off, as a fellow deer hunter, how did the last few days go? Any decent bucks? One thing these big time maplers don't know is, we hold the trophy bucks. I have a really nice 12 pointer that I have had my sights on since September waiting.
a 12 pointer in any other area may not be BIG, but in Ohio, well enough said. Could be a record buck
Any ways, I have had alot of advice on certain things, but the only thing I know to do is experiment and let people on here know my outcome. Being so close, we should have similar experiences on many things. Good to know you are close by. So how many years you been doing this? Pretty addictive huh? I hope to rid any evidence of prior use of the barrels with a thorough cleaning. We will see though.

[PatS]

Might want to be carefull with the vinegar. I've got barrells that smelled like fermented Hawaiian Punch, so I soaked them with about a half gallon of vinegar with water. Now they smell pretty strongly of the vinegar. I'm working with a solution of baking soda & water right now to hopefully get the vinegar smell out.

I'll still use the vinegar with water on the next couple (got seven), but I'll go a lot lighter on the vinegar.

[Buckeye mapler]

well the snow is blinding here and it don't look like i will get to mess with the barrels today like i had hoped. maybe later it will calm down. i was going to begin building a cupola on the shed this weekend too, but..... there is this white stuff falling from the sky.

[MFarmall]

Buckeye, how far (or how long to get to) are you from Court House. I'm about 40 minutes (+ or -) east from there.
This was my first year trying syrup, been thinking about it for a few years so figured better at least try it. Yeah, I got bitten by the bug big time.
No luck so far this week, have a problem around here with people who ride around on atv's from 8:00 on trying to chase up a deer. They do only it is going full bore for the next township.
Got a call yesterday with a chance to hunt, the 20-21st and muzzleloader, a friends place south of here. They have a buck that was rubbing 2 rows of corn when it walked down it. They plant 30" rows, would be doubtful but local game warden saw it about 3 weeks ago and said it was at least 30". new record?? May have to make the drive down there.
Mel

[Buckeye mapler]

I am about 40 minutes from WCH. i didn't ear anything about snow in the forecast or i would have been friday evening. heck even knocking down a county record would be a big trophy and you may have that chance cause either that thing is walking sideways or he has a bumber mounted to his head.
i also hunt the woods i will tapping in hillsboro and that is some really deep woods. couldn't do much with the barrels yesturday cause of snow and my hose was frozen. need a good thaw so i can finish these things up. starting framing a cupola for the sugar house. at first i wasn't sure how big it should be and i got on here and found a discussion about that very subject and proceeded from there. this website is awesome and just full of information.

[newman_maple]

I use drums that had Mt. Dew in them. I never did get rid of the smell, but there is no noticeable contamination. The smell is less noticeable this year after use and additional cleaning.

So where bouts are you Farmall? I know you said South of Columbus.

[MFarmall]

Newman, I am Just east of the Pickaway-Fairfield Co. line by about a mile, kind of east/northeast of Circleville. About 20+ miles south of Columbus.
Going to plead ignorance of Ohio geography, where abouts is Adams co. I know Buckeye is west of here the other side of Washington Court House.
Mel

[newman_maple]

Mel, I am about an hour from Chillicothe so less than 1 1/2 hr. from you I suppose. Adams County is between Brown and Scioto along the river. I am In the north part of the county. I am about 30 minutes E of Mt. Orab along 32 and 30 minutes SE of Hillsboro. Specifically, I am between Seaman and Peebles.

[mountainvan]

Newman, my stomping ground. Paint creek res., rockyfork, brush creek, etc.. good fishing! I have a great aunt buried in Seaman. I'm from xenia originally. As for cleaning drums, I rinse with hot water, put in some water and a couple drops of dawn blue dish detergent, roll around for awhile, and then rinse very well with cold water. I stick some paper towels inside the barrel to soak up the last bit of water.

[newman_maple]

From Xenia to the Catskills. You definately moved a ways off!! Part of Brush Creek is only a mile down the road from me. What was your Great Aunt's last name? I grew up here so I know or know of most of the families around the Seaman area.