I have a chance to get a few free 275 totes. Problem is they had an Alcohol-based gel-type hand sanitizer in them. Any idea how I could clean these out for use in sap colection/RO water storage?
Question on cleaning a tote
I have a chance to get a few free 275 totes. Problem is they had an Alcohol-based gel-type hand sanitizer in them. Any idea how I could clean these out for use in sap colection/RO water storage?
2016 - 2 x 4 Randy Worthen built arch and pans 11 taps; 2.625 gallons of syrup!
2017 - 29 taps; 11.625 gallons of syrup!
2018 - 30 taps; 98 pints bottled! New sugar house being built, new equipment coming!
2019 - 125 taps; 50 gallons made! New 2x6 Smoky Lake Corsair arch, drop flue pan, auto draw. Smoky Lake filter press and Steam Bottler
2020 - 173 taps; only 35 gallons made.
2021 - 242 taps; New record! 50.5 gallons made!
2022 - 321 taps; New record! 80 gallons made!
I would imagine lots of hot water under pressure, maybe a little a soap, maybe. Lots and lots of hot water, though. But I might be wary of using those until I did some homework. I've never read a label on a bottle of hand sanitizer to see what exactly is in it. Anything not suited for consumption? You don't think of it as being such, but plastic is a porous material. Has the plastic soaked up any gel ingredients that may transfer into the water or sap? And then your going to concentrate them by boiling it down.
I'm not saying they can't be used- I'm not sure- but you have to be very mindful of used containers. All of my cage tanks and plastic drums were either new or had a food product shipped in them originally.
Steve
2014 Upgrades!: 24x40 sugarhouse & 30"x10' Lapierre welded pans, wood fired w/ forced draft, homemade hood & preheater
400 taps- half on gravity 5/16, half on gravity 3/16
Airablo R.O. machine - in the house basement!
Ford F-350 4x4 sap gatherer
An assortment of barrels, cage tanks & bulk tanks- with one operational for cooling/holding concentrate
And a few puzzled neighbors...
http://s606.photobucket.com/albums/t...uckethead1920/
Read a few different containers of hand sanitizer, if there is a warning about swallowing, I'd be very wary. As Bucket Head said, plastic is porous and they may not be good to use. My guess is that any alcohol in them is wood alcohol and not grain, but that's only a guess.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
Typically sanitizers are made with either isopropyl alcohol or denatured ethanol. Other additives vary considerably (moisturizers, scents, thickening agents, etc.).Originally Posted by maple flats
Maple producers in Canada are being encouraged to NOT use isopropyl alcohol for their tubing cleaning this year due to shortages.
Last edited by DrTimPerkins; 05-15-2020 at 02:32 PM.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
if you can't eat the contents, I'd definitely skip it. And not everything you can eat is suitable for maple processing (soy sauce). I only buy used food grade, usually vegetable oil, containers. They clean up very well.
Gary / Zena Crossroads / 42˚ 00' 24" N / Hobby in Early '70s, Addiction since 2014
175+ taps on 3/16 (60 of which are on two Lunchbox Vac/Releasers)
12x34 timber framed sap house w/attached 10x34 shed roof for storage
2 x 6 Smoky Lake hybrid pan on Corsair arch with AUF/steam hood/preheater/concentric exhaust
7.0 KW Sun Power PV System, Smokey Lake Filter Press/Steam Bottler, Modified NGMP RO - 2 4x40 posts 200 gph
What is everyone's view on using a tote held industrial non-toxic glycerin (sugar)?
I've only bought the following, Apple juice concentrate, Orange juice concentrate, pure vanilla extract, white grape juice concentrate, and canola or safflower oils. All have cleaned out well. My thought is that it must be something with a very mild taste. The 2 oils were tried because both can be used for de-foamers and the vanilla extract was used because one of the component tastes described for maple syrup is vanilla.
Last edited by maple flats; 10-05-2020 at 07:24 PM.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
I had one a few years ago that had some form of syrup in it that was hard to clean. I finally poured about a quart of bleach in it filled with water, let set 12 hrs and repeated. After that I power-washed it and rinsed. It was odor free and clean then. I only used it one year though as it grew algae on the inside over summer. I broke down and bought new food grade tanks after that and I keep them sanitized often with a chlorine solution. They have all been good for a few years. I learned true clean takes a little more effort than I first thought when I started. My advice is bite the bullet and get new food grade tanks and take care of them and they'll last you a long time and your conscious will feel a lot better too.
125-150 taps
Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
Modified half pint arch
Air over fire
All 3/16 tubing
Southern Ohio
I used them for about 12 or 13 seasons for hauling sap from remote bushes back to the sugarhouse. I now only use one to haul fresh water when needed at the sugarhouse. The last time I used them to haul sap I had 3 strapped to a gooseneck trailer. Most of the time I pumped sap into just 2 and the 3rd was carrying clean water for cleaning the tanks just after I emptied them. I used the same pump, a 1.5" Honda pump. I just turned the pump around and drew the water out of tank 3, thru the pump then I had a potable water hose I used. I had an adapter made up that attached to the pump outlet and immediately reduced down to a garden hose fitting. On the other end I had a hose nozzle. Tanks (SS tanks at least) clean up very easily when cleaned within a few minutes of emptying using just a spray of clean water.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
When cleaning a tote that had sunflower oil/glycerin in it, what does everyone suggest as the best way to clean the tote?
Pressure washer or would a garden hose be enough?
Hot water or will cold water be enough?
As you might be guessing, I do not have a pressure washer. I can probably borrow one but it would not be hot water. Renting a hot water pressure washer just for a couple of totes starts to add up for back yarders.
Dawn soap/any soap or no soap? I have read different answers to the use of soap.
Once clean should it also be bleached?
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