Barrels for distillations

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

Hi! I'm looking for some advice.  I just purchased 4 -45gal food grade barrels that we previously used for palm and coconut oil. They are rated food grade as they have what appears to be a sprayed lining in them. I need something to collect my distillate off the still and for proofing down. Would this be sufficient? I can't find any info on the coating of the barrels and am worried that I jumped the gun and bought something that I can't use for this purpose. What do you all use ? I need something that is affordable as we are a small-ish distillery(150gallon still). Thanks! 

[glisade]

This is one of the cheapest places I have found for stainless steel sanitary drums, I assume you mean drum and not barrel (as in wood barrel). They are local to us so no shipping needed. I can't comment on the lining but would be suspicious and wouldn't use it until I really knew that it would not affect my spirit.

 

http://www.bubbasbarrels.com/catalog/stainless-steel-drums-and-accessories

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

Yes you are correct, I meant drums

thank you for the links. I'm hoping to keep the drum cost under $100/drum.  I think in the meantime, I might use them for grain storage, but would be disappointed if they could have been used for temporary spirit storage. 

[navenjohnson]

2nd that for Bubba's 

 

[indyspirits]

4 hours ago, jenschmunk@gmail.com said:

I just purchased 4 -45gal food grade barrels that we previously used for palm and coconut oil. They are rated food grade as they have what appears to be a sprayed lining in them.

Food grade barrels are usually made of HDPE which is fairly chemical resistant.  Have scrubbed with a degreaser like TSP?  SS barrels are nice but never under $100.   We collect all feints in HDPE barrels and in the early days collected final spirit.

 

 

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

Hi! Thank you for your reply. We managed to find these barrels for $25 each. They are in fantastic condition. Do you think it's safe to collect distillate in them? How do I know? I haven't cleaned them out yet. There's still some palm oil chunks left in them, but very clean otherwise.  Would TSP be a good cleaner for them? 

What do you collect in now? I'm on a tight budget and you're right, SS drums are impossible to find cheap. Suggestions?

[Hudson bay distillers]

my suggestion is ss beer kegs there cheep easy to sanitise , easy to lift and handle , easy to seal with 2 inch triclamp cap and clamp . win win 

tim 

 

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

11 hours ago, Hudson bay distillers said:

my suggestion is ss beer kegs there cheep easy to sanitise , easy to lift and handle , easy to seal with 2 inch triclamp cap and clamp . win win 

tim 

 

That sounds like a good option as well. I was hoping to collect all in one tank,  but that might just work. I would then have to dump into a proofing tank of sorts, which then I still have to find. Does anyone know where money trees grow? I could use one right about now. Haha! 

 

Thoughts on these food grade plastic barrels for collection? I'm searching for 500L plastic storage tanks for proofing. Am I heading in the right direction? 

[Hudson bay distillers]

just a heads up on buying food grade barrels off of kijji . first thing is make sure there HDPE plastic , and make sure that you know exactly what was in it . dont believe what the guy thats selling them is telling you he probably doesnt know or is just a straight up liar . if you are buying barrels from the edmonton area beware some of them are crap , we bought oak barrels from edmonton and when they got here they had no corks and were full of dead mice and mice shit . 

best source of new HDPE barrels is U line in edmonton ....used barrels are best bought from the guy that dumped them . not from some one that is peddling them on kijji, 

tim  

[Southernhighlander]

Moonshiners in very poor parts of the world such as Haiti and some African countries use steel barrels that are lined on the inside with a spray on film that makes them food grade.  over time heat breaks down the lining and people get poisoned.  if you need 55 gallon stainless barrels just let me know.  i have some new open heads at better prices than bubba's.  They are made in the USA.

[Southernhighlander]

If you are interested in an inespensive still made from a stainless barrel I can fix you up.  paul@distillery-equipment.com

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

4 hours ago, Hudson bay distillers said:

just a heads up on buying food grade barrels off of kijji . first thing is make sure there HDPE plastic , and make sure that you know exactly what was in it . dont believe what the guy thats selling them is telling you he probably doesnt know or is just a straight up liar . if you are buying barrels from the edmonton area beware some of them are crap , we bought oak barrels from edmonton and when they got here they had no corks and were full of dead mice and mice shit . 

best source of new HDPE barrels is U line in edmonton ....used barrels are best bought from the guy that dumped them . not from some one that is peddling them on kijji, 

tim  

Haha! Ya no kidding! Yuck.  I can't even imagine. Good advice. I'll keep looking. 

[Southernhighlander]

Tim, is giving good advice.  HDPE works great for ethanol receiving tanks. I have done business with Uline for over 20 years and they are fine folks. 

 

Are the drums with the sprayed in linings, painted steel drums?

 

 

 

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

5 hours ago, Southernhighlander said:

Tim, is giving good advice.  HDPE works great for ethanol receiving tanks. I have done business with Uline for over 20 years and they are fine folks. 

 

Are the drums with the sprayed in linings, painted steel drums?

 

 

 

Yes, they are painted on the exterior. 

[Airman700]

5 hours ago, Southernhighlander said:

Tim, is giving good advice.  HDPE works great for ethanol receiving tanks. I have done business with Uline for over 20 years and they are fine folks. 

 

Are the drums with the sprayed in linings, painted steel drums?

 

 

 

PAUL,

I tried to send you a PM, but get a message you are unable to receive them. please contact me at tim.ford@gvdistillery.com. Interested in SS Transfer tanks and quote on a still.

Tim

[Southernhighlander]

12 hours ago, jenschmunk@gmail.com said:

Yes, they are painted on the exterior. 

Some of those painted steel food grade drums have sprayed in LDPE lings which is great for food but it will leach in hi proof ethanol.  Stainless is best for what you want to do and HDPE is 2nd best in my opinion.

[Southernhighlander]

11 hours ago, Airman700 said:

PAUL,

I tried to send you a PM, but get a message you are unable to receive them. please contact me at tim.ford@gvdistillery.com. Interested in SS Transfer tanks and quote on a still.

Tim

Tim,

 

I just emailed you.

 

Thanks

[jenschmunk@gmail.com]

On 8/13/2018 at 7:58 AM, Southernhighlander said:

Some of those painted steel food grade drums have sprayed in LDPE lings which is great for food but it will leach in hi proof ethanol.  Stainless is best for what you want to do and HDPE is 2nd best in my opinion.

Ok thank you. That's what I figured. I will just used them to store excess grains. 

 

Thanks 

[twalshact]

I read somewhere that food grade applies only to the original buyer and when sold they are no longer considered as food grade. I think NSF or USDA site had the information. Plus food grade HDPE is white not black. What about a used soap barrel listed as food grade? 

[twalshact]

 

From Bubba's Barrels FAQ

"Are these Drums Food Grade?
This is probably the most common question we get. Most sellers of used stainless drums list the drums as made from 304 Food grade stainless. That is true as far as it goes, but it is not that simple. Drums are only food grade when they are new. As long as the original purchaser has the drum, it is food grade. They can use it once or hundred times, but when they sell or dispose of the drum it loses its food grade rating. If someone tells you a used or reconditioned drum is certified food grade they either don't know what they are talking about or they are lying. "

[kelbor]

http://www.bascommaple.com/search/drums/

This is who we use. Way less expensive than Bubba's but you got to find stainless bungs separately. The ones that come on them are zinc or some shit. I use plastic drums for lows that I get for $10 bucks at the local bulk foods re-packager. I felt concerned until I got a several free plastic drums from  a local limoncello maker that  that contained organic NGS. They are marked with a "2" on the bottom I believe which is how the drums from the food re-packager are marked (same as the plastic handles of alcohol and even everclear in the liquor store).