IBC Tote Questions

[wnybassman]

I am new to totes, but have used a dome truck tank for several years so I know the downside of plastic containers and how hard it is to clean them, and keep them clean. It will be used as a collection point for a couple years for six or seven 3/16ths lines that will go directly to the tank. Once I upgrade my pump, and am able to obtain a milk tank or a round bottom SS tank, I will move the collection point further down the hill.

The tote I have was used for canola oil. I researched quite a bit before tackling the cleaning. Three evenings in a row I dumped a little water in it and did a Dawn detergent scrubbing and rinsed each time. Then I power washed it pretty good to rinse. Then I half filled the tote on the truck and put in powdered dishwasher detergent. I let that slosh around for a couple days. Drained that out tonight. There is zero oily residue left, and the tank smells way better than the new truck tank I bought years ago. Half filled it back up tonight and put baking soda in there to cut the detergent. In a couple days I'll drain that and put straight water in for a rinse down, then power wash it one more time. Not sure how much more I can do than that.

I am thinking I want to get this tank in the woods asap because I still have vehicle access right now. Once snow arrives, it will have to be slid down the hill about 200 feet. I don't want any nasties to grow in the tank between now and syrup season, and I know how these tanks act as a greenhouse with any kind of warmth and sun. Will simply covering the tank with a tarp drastically cut down on the greenhouse effect? Something better I could do? Should I bother getting it there now?

I bought a different lid for it, that has two 2" bung type screw off caps on it. One of those I hope to get all my lines holes in it leaving the other for access. Near the tank I plan on hanging a dozen or so buckets that are further down the slope. I figure while I'm waiting for the tank to pump out, I can collect a few buckets. Anybody have any clever ideas on how to easily get this sap into the tank? All I can come up with is putting a bulkhead fitting on a 5 gallon bucket, setting that bucket on top of the tote with a line into that other 2" hole.

And finally, should there be some kind of air vent in that tank when the sap is running? Where the lines go in I plan on making those holes pretty tight to help keep rain water out. Just didn't know if air needed to get out as sap is running in.

[Bricklayer]

They are a pain to keep clean. But it is possible. I had a couple of them that I could never get the smell out of after cleaning for weeks. i purchased 2 brand new ones last year. Figured the $200 each was worth it. Probley spent over 200$ pumping water from my well into the old ones to clean them out.
As for the vent, what I did was drill a hole in the side of the screw on lid just above where the threads come to and tightly fit a 5/16 piece of tubing in it and tucked it in the cage and pointed it downward. i had a couple times before I did this when I opened the lid a big gust of gasses came out. Probley the gasses from the trees coming with the sap. Since venting it I never had a problem.

[DocsMapleSyrup]

I use a tote on 50 taps on 3/16". I ended up putting a larger lid in the middle of the tote and transferred the 6" lid with the 2" bung from the middle of the tote to one corner. You can see how I ran my lines in the hole of the bung and you can see how I empty the tote through the larger hole. I had no additional venting. I hope the images help explain.

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