Food Grade Barrels for RO Water

[shafiq_hossain]

I'm thinking of picking up two 55 gallon barrels, one to store RODI water and the other for mixing. Is it safe to purchase used barrels. I made sure they're food grade. I went as far as limiting my selection to barrels which only stored pickels. I was thinking of washing them out, filling them up with tap water, pour in some vinegar (not sure how much) and let sit for a number of hours. Anyone had any experience going this route? Will this suffice or will my fishes end up with a sudden craving for a tuna sandwich?

Thanks...

 

[dakota9]

LOL,

I wouldn't bother with the vinegar. That's what pickles are packed in........ If the odor bothers you, I'd scrub the insides with a paste made of baking soda and water, and then rinse well.

Advance Drum in Mableton is a great place to purchase re-conditioned (used) drums. We sell new drums, but at a higher cost, and we have a $250.00 minimum purchase required.

Good Luck

Edit: When I write "we", I mean the place where I work. I'm in packaging sales.

 

[rdnelson]

LOL I came real close to posting basically the same comment. :thumbs: I guess sick minds think alike. LOL

Dakota9;709324 wrote: LOL,

I wouldn't bother with the vinegar. That's what pickles are packed in........ If the odor bothers you, I'd scrub the insides with a paste made of baking soda and water, and then rinse well.

Advance Drum in Mableton is a great place to purchase re-conditioned (used) drums. We sell new drums, but at a higher cost, and we have a $250.00 minimum purchase required.

Good Luck

 

[thbrewst]

Dakota9;709324 wrote: LOL,

I wouldn't bother with the vinegar. That's what pickles are packed in........ If the odor bothers you, I'd scrub the insides with a paste made of baking soda and water, and then rinse well.

Advance Drum in Mableton is a great place to purchase re-conditioned (used) drums. We sell new drums, but at a higher cost, and we have a $250.00 minimum purchase required.

Good Luck

Edit: When I write "we", I mean the place where I work. I'm in packaging sales.

Any ballpark what a used 55 gal drum might run? Don't need one now, just wondering for future reference.

 

[dakota9]

We sell them new for about $60.00. I have no idea what the reconditioned price would be.

We have a $250.00, and I believe Advance Drum has a $100.00 minimum order, but could be wrong on that one.

 

[gnashty]

Ive heard of people using a salt paste to scour and scrub the food grade barrels out before use. Baking soda like dakota said is a good idea too for the smell..

Now im craving a tuna fish sandwich :doh:

 

[dcruce]

Hodges Army / Navy in Marietta (or any other Army / Navy store)... They have new 55 or 60 gal HDPE drums for about $75 or so. I picked up a couple from them last year to store water in at the hunting club.

A few years back I also picked up 4 HDPE drums from the Coke bottling plant in Marietta. They ship the syrup in them. Just called and talked to the warehouse manager and he gave me 4 of them.

 

[captain copper]

if you are really that worried about the contents, just fill it with water/bleach or water/vinegar. Prime will neutralize leftover bleach remnants, and vinegar wont hurt anything (hell, people use it in vodka dosing recipes).

 

[shafiq_hossain]

Okay, I got my barrels and washed them out with water. I sprinkled some baking soda on the inside. I wasn't able to apply a paste since the opening was too narrow. I washed out the barrels again but do notice some baking sode residue on the inside of the barrel. Is that okay? Will baking soda (although minimal) affect the water quality or fishes? Will they start thinking I'm prepping them to be baked for dinner?

Thanks....

 

[dakota9]

If it's just a minimal residue, it's no big deal.

Sounds like you went with tight head drums with double bungs?

I originally thought you meant open head drums.

Where'd you buy them?

 

[ichthyoid]

FWIW- Any residue will help buffer your water at a pH of 8.2

 

[db366]

BigJohn;714524 wrote: Some places give away steel drums.....some sell them. Lots of car washes toss out the plastic barrels that they store the chemicals in. Maybe you can talk to one and get one that they stored soap in. The other chemicals are harder to clean out. I used to work at a car wash, so i know some stuff about them. I never thought much about taking one of the barrels until after I left.

I'd be weary of using drums that had soap in them, unless it was like dawn or something along those lines. I heard that Mayfield give them away, or maybe people were just taking them?

 

[grouper therapy]

BigJohn;714538 wrote: I wouldn't be to wary if it were just soap. But I wouldn't dare using one that had polish, sealer or wx in it. I'd be interested to know what people in my area come up with. Would steel drums be safe? Or would the metal be bad?

Edit:

I know metal is bad with saltwater, but why not clean water?

Rust

 

[shafiq_hossain]

I made sure it was food grade. It had cucumbers before. My nose can attest to that with certainty. I picked up from Craigslist for about $20 a barrel. I like these particular ones for a number of reasons:

1. they're slimmer than the blue ones
2. tops can be screwed off
3. they're slimmer
4. the top is also airtight.