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"IBC totes" caged fluid tanks 275 gallon ??

Marctrees

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Mar 5, 2015
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TX/LA border - Toledo Bend
Going to do a lake water system, feeding one or two of these, then a little pump for a large garden emitter system.

Just askin any experience buying the used IBC.

How will I know what it previously contained? Labeled?

Haven't looked closely at them yet.

Will check poly for solar degradation by hammer smacking, checking for pliability.

Will shade it once in place.

Plumbing no problem.

Just asking about the container itself.

Anything else to consider?? Marc
 
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Kaizen

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Jan 9, 2015
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New England
it depends. the plastic is not marked but sometimes it has a label of the manufacturer. craigslist usually has some for sale and they seem honest about which are foodgrade and which are not. you can always get a new water storage like for a farm. tractor supply has 1500 gallon ones for 750.
Here's just one from my area. looks like buying from a company that has to get rid of them is your best bet. https://nh.craigslist.org/grd/6103293327.html.
 

bdbecker

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Might just be easiest to ask the seller what was previously in them. If he can't give you an answer, then I wouldn't use them.
 

ken w.

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Western New York
I buy these quite often for $ 75.00 in CNY. They contained food grade juice. I use them for water for trees and driveway sealer. I've never had a problem with them yet.
 

Brian_WK

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Jun 30, 2015
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NE South Dakota
Around here the big fertilizer plants give them away. Most of them contained pesticides and such so I wouldn't use them for drinking water. Round-up can be neutralized with a gallon of bleach and a triple rinse safe for watering a garden. I have one that was this way and going on 3 years collecting rainwater and the garden still grows like crazy. The other one I got was propylene glycol. This one was just triple rinsed as propylene gycol is perfectly safe in small doses infact its in alot of foods.
These containers are a throw away item for companies no deposit usually, so find a place that you see a bunch of them sitting outside and ask the plant manager if they need disposal of them.

Brian
 

ForceFed70

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BC, Canada
I've got one - it contained Flax Seed oil. Most should still have the sticker/label on the tote from whatever it originally contained. I'd be wary about taking anything that doesn't have the label unless you trust the person selling.

My tote is blue plastic which I like for the additional UV blocking and because I was planning to put water inside.

My advice - look closely at the threads on the output valve. The one I got uses some weird fitting that absolutely nobody seems to be able to tell me what it is or how I can adapt to NPT. Major PITA. I'm going to have to find some way to use a piece of rubber hose or something similar to adapt.

Cleaning them out is a PITA. Just a 8" hole on top. Next time I'll look for a tank that contained something water-soluble so I can clean it out easier.
 

EOC_Jason

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Bentonville, AR
Yeah, the few I've bought had a label and the seller told me what they contained. Unless they rinse them out usually you can just open the lid and look / smell as there is always a little in the bottom.

I knew a guy that did industrial cleaning, would have the blue poly 55gal drums that basically contained bleach... Can't beat that for a clean barrel! lol
 
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PugetDude

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My advice - look closely at the threads on the output valve. The one I got uses some weird fitting that absolutely nobody seems to be able to tell me what it is or how I can adapt to NPT. Major PITA. I'm going to have to find some way to use a piece of rubber hose or something similar to adapt.

http://www.frankberg.nl/ibc-valve-thread-size.html


http://www.jmesales.com/catalog/pro...Vs88R75fe6-Is-RGsg3VZHtxhLq6GlB_qgaAl8b8P8HAQ

https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=231510715129&lpid=82&&&ul_noapp=true&chn=ps

http://www.bayteccontainers.com/mau...wKXM7bOsQUwzQ6Ym5Heg4lRC31MlijUR-oaAqkD8P8HAQ
 

rsanter

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visalia ca
a friend works at a place that makes fertilizer.
some of their base stock comes in these. I can have as many as I want for the $50 return deposit fee.
you don't need food grade if you know what was in it if you are getting it from a source like I have

bob
 

ForceFed70

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BC, Canada

Thanks. I'll take another run at it. I've already spent a good 2 or 3 hours searching the net and sites like linked to for the info I was looking for without any luck.

But it's been over a year, and the 1st site actually shows valves that look fairly similar to mine so it's worth another shot! I'd hate to order a $30 fitting from the UK only to have it not fit when it finally arrived.
 

PugetDude

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Thanks. I'll take another run at it. I've already spent a good 2 or 3 hours searching the net and sites like linked to for the info I was looking for without any luck.

But it's been over a year, and the 1st site actually shows valves that look fairly similar to mine so it's worth another shot! I'd hate to order a $30 fitting from the UK only to have it not fit when it finally arrived.

Google:

IBC tote output valve thread

375,000 results to sort through...:lol:
 

nes999

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Aug 1, 2014
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IL
I wouldn't worry about poly degradation. I used to clean ibc totes for a living. They are left outside year around used, cleaned, and repeat. The only ones that didn't get reused where ones where a forklift had punctured the side.

There are two types of valves I've dealt with a normal threaded style or a quick connect style similar to fire fighters.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
 

Jhoff310

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Jan 2, 2012
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876
Location
Perrysburg Ohio
I have had 2 in back of my garage for over 7 years now for rainwater. My contained acid at one time. A few big boxes of baking soda and water neutralized what remnants there were. I rinsed them out a couple of times and havent had any problems.
Mine sit in the sun, the plastic has held up just fine. Mine have even froze solid over the winter (forgot to drain them) with no ill effects. I do need to get a couple new threaded valves, as one is broke and the other has a hairline split in it
 

wasfuzz

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Nov 16, 2010
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755
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Mn
Go to your local TSC or Farm Supply store and buy a bottle of Tank Cleaner, made for removing residue from farm chemical spray tanks when switching between chemicals, will clean and neutralize most of the stuff out there except for the really ethyl methyl bad stuff.
 
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