275 Gallon Plastic Tote with Detergent

[bix]

I recently purchased a 275 gallon tote and it had detergent in it. The detergent had an orange scent to it. What can I do to get that scent out of the tote?

I have a 2x8 evaporator, and I am curious how much fuel oil I would burn per hour if I decided to switch to fuel oil fired instead of wood fired?

[heus]

bix,
I've cleaned my 275 tote (that had pop syrup in it ) several times and it still smells like Coke. I purchased it from Atkins in Ontario. I put my first sap in it today. Waiting to see if I have Coke flavored syrup. If so I will have a tote for sale real cheap.

[Haynes Forest Products]

NO NO NO dont even try. If you cant wash a SS tank with soap because it will leave a bad taste What the heck do you think that thing would do to sap. Use it for diesel fuel. Then when the soap smell is gone clean out the diesel smell and use for sap...JUST KIDDING:lol: Sometimes you just have to say NO.

[3rdgen.maple]

Haynes you can only haul concentrate for Ocean spray if you had fuel in it. But seriously I would be thinking of finding another tank that did not have scented detergent in it.

[Sugarmaker]

I might try some Clorox and water, or vinegar and water. After that if the smell is still there try some sap and the taste it after a day to see if you pick up the taste.

Good luck with the tank.

Chris

[KenWP]

I tried to wash out a big Tide plastic bottle and it dosn't seem to want to let go ofthe smell either. It's not worth bothering to wash it further anyways but the tote is big enough to worry about. That or sell it to Haynes.

[mapleman3]

If you add some bleach and fill it... leave it for a day.. then empty and pressure wash the inside extremely well, I used a tubing bender and curved my pressure washer wand to get all areas of my truck tanks inside. works well.... just remember to air it out for a long time.. you may mot use it this season if it still stinks. some just don't ever get rid of the odor. good luck

[TF Maple]

[QUOTE=Sugarmaker;99996]I might try some Clorox and water, or vinegar and water. After that if the smell is still there try some sap and the taste it after a day to see if you pick up the taste.

Make sure you don't try both bleach and vinegar together. The acetic acid from the vinegar will release poisonous chloride gas. Not that you were going to, just a word of warning.

[KenWP]

Just put a 45 degree on the end of you wand to wash the top and sides, Works great as lons as you don't try and hold it out side the tank. It whips around like you wouldn't believe. Trying to find the stuff to wash plastic tanks with but so far lost the link.

[3rdgen.maple]

Heck just fill it with your choice of cleaner and throw it in the back of the truck and drive around for a week.

[Haynes Forest Products]

TF Maple so what your saying is it was stupid of me to save time by mixing all my hot tub chemicals in a plastic bucket and then walk out to the hotub. Made it out the door before it started spewing green gas and melted the bottom out of the bucket. :o I dont have to worry about nose hairs anymore:lol: But really be carful with the chemicals.

[Sugarmaker]

TF,
Thanks for the alert on the gas.
I did not mean to make it sound like you should mix them. Good catch.
Regards,
Chris

[chadsoare]

I would like to know the results of your attempt to clean the tote. Did the smell transfer to your sap or what combination of cleaners did you use to remove the smell?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Get a bag of tennis balls some with holes in them and food grade tote cleaner (Dawn soap) 25 gallons of water and as 3rdGen said drive around town in rush hour traffic for a week.

[mapleack]

I personally think there's a big difference between eating out of something cleaned with soap and out of something that STORED soap. Buy another tote that had a food substance in it, or go to TSC and get a new tank that's never had anything in it.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have a tote that was used once for guava oil and it didnt smell or taste. I powre washed it drove around town with it full of cleaner and it still took time to get the oily film out. I use it to water trees and it is about as clean as it can get....but I wonder:rolleyes:

[wanting to get into it]

I bought a couple of these totes last year. They had honey in them previously. Went to a home brew store and got cleaner from them. I believe it is called one step. Cleans them, gets rid of odor, and leaves no taste, film, etc.

[S Culver]

I just bought a new 275 gal tote that had never had anything in it for $ 75.00 From D&G Equipment in Agusta WV. It has the valve and a standard thread on it. They get them from somewhere in PA Ask for Glenn 304-496-8685

[Bucket Head]

Years ago I bought some 15gal. plastic containers that had Dr. Pepper flavoring in them. Prior to using them, I filled one with water and let it sit 24hrs., and then I sampled the water. It smelled like and tasted like Dr. Pepper! Needless to say, they went out back and were never used for sap. And even today, they still have a strong odor to them! Be carefull of what you put sap in.

Steve

[heus]

bix,
I've cleaned my 275 tote (that had pop syrup in it ) several times and it still smells like Coke. I purchased it from Atkins in Ontario. I put my first sap in it today. Waiting to see if I have Coke flavored syrup. If so I will have a tote for sale real cheap.

Just wanted to update my post last winter. I ended up using the tote with no problems. It still smells like Coke when I smell it, but it never had any affect on my syrup or sap last season.

[lew]

THis is a little different but somehow the same. Several years ago there were many (100's) Dr. Pepper soda syrup barrels that came onto the market here in New York. 30 Stainless steel, nice heavy gauge barrels. They stunk to high heaven of Dr. Pepper naturally. I and others tried all sorts of different scenarios trying to get rid of that smell. We ended up using live steam and that didn't cut the smell. That Season we filled the barrels with syrup and and sampled throughout the year. No off flavors or smells were found. HOwever, when we steamed the barrels to clean them after syrup storage, they smelled like Dr. Pepper. I ended up selling the barrels (along with a lot of other equipment) when I foolishly thought I was getting out of the syrup business. The new owner can still smell Dr. Pepper to this day.

So, the smells may be imbedded in the plastic tote forever, but, MIGHT not transfer to whatever is stored in it.

Food for thought (Not sure if pun was intended or not).

[nymapleguy607]

I found someone with 300 gallon totes that said they some had iodine in them and that other had some type of chloinated cleaner. According to him he has had lots of people buy these for sap, but I think I will keep on looking. The olny reason I was interested was they cost 100 bucks each, but I don't think it is worth the risk of cross contamination. Any thoughts

[Goggleeye]

I would pass on them, or anything with a cleaner or strong odor. Keep looking, you should eventually run in to some that had some type of low odor food product in them. The ones I have came from an ice cream plant and had some water soluble ice cream additive. I've also used butter flavored cooking oil barrels (lots of blue Dawn and even lots more rinsing with lots of hot water). I've had no off flavors to speak of. As a matter of fact, I've had several customers tell me that my syrup tastes better than any of that fancy stuff they bought from locals while traveling the northeast:D.

[Monster Maples]

As a matter of fact, I've had several customers tell me that my syrup tastes better than any of that fancy stuff they bought from locals while traveling the northeast:D.

That is funny!!!!!! Mid West syrup is best?????

[OneLegJohn]

Two things: plastic totes with flavor concentrate and refurbishing stainless. I wouldn't worry about a plastic container that had a food product. It gives a whiff every now and then but it won't flavor syrup if you bleach and hot water wash. Soap and cleaner tote, however, I would NEVER use one I didn't sell to a food producing customer and I knew it was a chlorinated cleaner meant to be rinsed.

Secondly, I sell chemicals for a living. There are processed used to clean and revamp stainless. We do it all the time for breweries and pharma customers. However, the chemistry is nasty. These facilities are setup to use and dispose of chemicals I wouldn't give to a "careful friend."