cleaning water container

[roundman]

I was given a plastic 55 gal drum for a water storage container. The person that gave it to me said that they use them for water at the hunt club. I found out that it had antibacterial biodegradable soap it. Is there a way to clean this out or should I chunk it and get something different?

Thanks

 

[glxtrix]

I would think you could rinse it out with vinegar. Tho i dont know how well that would work. You could probably also use rubbing alachol. Although I wouldn't know the guarantee of it completely ridding any trace parts of soap.

 

[victor626nj]

fill it up put some bleach in let it sit .....then take all out ...let it dry fill it back up add water conditioner.or prime .let it sit then dump that out ...add ro

 

[cameron]

IMO, I wouldn't risk it personally however in theory several bleach rinses should take care of it.

 

[victor626nj]

also make sure its food grade cause if not it will leach some nasty stuff into the water

 

[mojo]

I wouldn't risk it either.... How much is the container worth? How much are your corals / fish worth?

I personally knew someone one time that lost everything during a move b/c he used garbage bags that had an antibacterial coating. I realize that's more direct than what you'd be using, but still- it does show that the coating is toxic...

 

[roundman]

Thanks I was of the same opinion that is why it is still just sitting. Think I will just have to buy something else

 

[dannybradley]

Definitely do not use any sort of detergent. It will leave a residue. Bleach will work great for disenfecting it and a 1:20 bleach:water ratio is enough to kill influenza. If you leave chlorine in the sun for a day it breaks down into two harmless chloride ions Cl2 -> Cl- + Cl-. You can use Prime if you want to be EXTRA safe, but it's not necessary. Don't use a scented bleach, just Chlorine bleach.

1. Fill it with bleach water in a 1:20 ratio
2. Let it sit like that outside for a day
3. If there is any bleach smell left, risne out and let air dry outside.

 

[lifestudent]

Thanks for the "How-to" info Danny!

 

[skriz]

use bleach. Bleach is basically water and salt. make sure you rinse it well. I wouldn't bother rinsing it with ro, just use tap water and let it dry before filling.

 

[roundman]

OK so if I do this will it be ok to use or not. Now I am confused.

Sorry but don't want to screw up but it is a nice size container.

 

[mojo]

If the container didn't have an antibacterial coating in it, then I'd agree that bleach or vinegar would probably prepare it just fine. But while bleach or vinegar would easily kill bacteria, I'm not convinced that they'll take off the coating.

If you want to chance losing all your livestock, then go for it. It's just not worth the risk, in my opinion.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

I dont think the bleach will remove any residual detergent. Sure, it will disinfect, but wont get riod of the aspects of the saop that are detergent (as far as I know). I vote do not use it.

 

[schwaggs]

It isn't worth it... Use a new container...

 

[cameron]

This always falls into the: Do you want to risk your entire tank on a sub $100 item?