55 gallon barrels

suehi · #1 04/24/06, 08:13 PM

A a guy not to far away from me is selling 55 gallon barrrels. They are food grade because the outside of the barrels says kikkoman soy sauce and some says strawberry syrup and they both list the ingredients. the only thing that i was concerned about was that the tops don't come off, but they do have two holes with small lids and some have spigots on them. I am going to probably end up getting them anyway. At only $10 a barrel, it can't be beat. Has anyone ever used these kinds of barrels? Are the water barrels that you buy from storage suppliers made in a way that the tops don't come off but you are able to empty and put water in them.

Suehi

ET1 SS · #2 04/24/06, 08:47 PM

Some steel barrels are made with the topattched with a spring ring that can be removed, others are made with solidly welded tops and a threaded hole for a faucet or spigot. they also commonly have a threaded hole on the side.

$8 to $10 is about the right price from what I have seen and paid.

I have used them for gasoline, and dieseil. but they can be used for anything.

good luck.

ihedrick · #3 04/24/06, 08:53 PM

I have some like that, and use them for storing rain water. you can leave the two holes on the top or you can cut off the tops so you can set stuff inside. Only problem is you don't have a lid then. Just need to figure out exactly what you want them to do. 10 a piece isn't bad price.

posifour11 · #4 04/24/06, 08:56 PM

those barrels are great for what i used them for, just built a stand and laid one on its side. you can even cut out part of the plastic bung and use a regular spigot

SolarGary · #5 04/24/06, 09:26 PM

Hi,
If you have in mind using them for drinking water, it may be difficult (impossible?) to completely remove the taste/smell of what was in them.

I bought a couple plastic barrels of the same size that were used to transport lemon juice, and after several washings they still smelled a bit of lemon juice. I've heard the same from others who have tried this. But, then again, steel barrels may clean up better?

Gary
www.BuildItSolar.com

3ravens · #6 04/24/06, 09:44 PM

The ones I got had been filled with small green pickled peppers. Really added a zing to the rainwater for a month or so!

MoonShine · #7 04/24/06, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3ravens

The ones I got had been filled with small green pickled peppers. Really added a zing to the rainwater for a month or so!

That's funny. I used to go to a fast food place called Rally's and get their empty 5 gallon pickle buckets. You couldn't wash that smell out of them,no matter what.

I've used many of those big barrels for rain water.
They always had the ring around the top,like ET1 SS mentioned. I've seen the ones with welded on lids,but never had to deal with one myself. Hope you can get it worked out because they're really great for water collection. I've tried using plastic ones,but the sides split open eventually.

Mid Tn Mama · #8 04/25/06, 07:34 AM

Are they plastic? Cut a half circle out of the top and put a hinge on it (that allows you to dip into the to of the bucket. Also cut a hole for the downspout. Drill a hole at the bottom for the spigot. Get a walmart goldfish to eat any mosquito larvae and algae. In turn it will fertilize the water for your garden. Good luck!

halfpint · #9 04/25/06, 08:07 AM

We have one of these barrels on a hill above our chicken coops. It is laid sideways with the spigot at the bottom, and we have a hose connected from it to the low pressure watering system for our chickens. Since our coop is 100 yards from our house, we don't have water down there, so with this barrel we only have to hook the hose up about once per week to fill the barrel. Sure beats the old system of carrying those watering cans that long distance every day.
Dawn