How to separate stuck buckets?

[sanddrag]

I constantly find myself wrestling buckets stuck inside one another. The problem seems worse when they are a little wet when I stack them. It usualyl takes a combination of two people pulling and prying. I've thought of perhaps drilling a small hole near the tops of my buckets where I could stick compressed air into to possibly relieve pressure between them. Any ideas?

 

[ddawg16]

If they are wet....take a heat gun and warm up the bottom one....the air and water will expand and push them apart....

Heating up the side of the outside one will also cause it to expand and allow them to come apart.

 

[CharlieM]

Try spinning them...

 

[bmwpower]

always wondered the same thing.

how about hot water in the bucket?

 

[Dale B]

Stick a screw driver inbetween them to create an airspace.Using a HI VOLUME air blowgun ( I have one made of 5/16 copper tubing ), blast inbetween them , they'll slide apart, I just did a bunch at work.....

 

[BlindViper]

I normally put my feet around them at the bottom and pull but I do have size 13 boots so it helps. When you get them unstuck put a squard of 2x4 in the between each bucket.

 

[Scout Driver]

I finally just quit stacking them inside eachother

Scott

 

[therealjakeg]

Dont stack them...

 

[hetkind]

a good quality rubber mallet...helps to get them warm first.

 

[nate379]

Have always just used a hammer.

 

[TOOLOW4I75]

Have always just used a hammer.

I concur, I work for a construction co on occasion and we use a hammer to separate them, works great.

 

[BackTracker]

Well whatever method you choose, don't forget to curse while doing it. It always seems to add just that little bit of extra oomph

 

[nissan_crawler]

I just usually use the two feet and twist method. I had one so bad lately I had the bottom one chained to a receiver hitch, and the top to the cherry picker and couldn't get them apart.

I drilled a 1/4" hole in the bottom one, filled the space between with water, and stuck the air nozzle against the hole. That did the trick. I rtv'd a screw in the hole.

 

[brownbagg]

who ever could invent a bucket that would not stick together could make a fortune

 

[Torque1st]

who ever could invent a bucket that would not stick together could make a fortune

That is easy, just mold a few small vertical ribs on the outside.

 

[Ironcrow]

who ever could invent a bucket that would not stick together could make a fortune

I use square plastic kitty litter pails. Square pails do not stick together so bad as the shape and slight warp in the sides prevents them from making a seal.

 

[dclafleur]

I leave them somewhere that my wife sees them, grab a beer and wait for her to try and take them apart. Doesn't usually get them unstuck but good for a few minutes entertainment.

 

[Miter Wrench]

Cuss and make a funny face...

Squeeze the bottom bucket with your feet and twist the top one.

 

[Brad1234]

Place wood blocks between them when you stack them.

 

[bazzateer]

How do I release the wood blocks that are trapped between the stuck buckets?

 

[slopecarver]

I've only ever dealt with dirty buckets(dried dirt ironically), they don't stick together!

 

[mrb]

The thing with buckets is, you must not stack dissimilar buckets. For example, if you put a blue bucket you inherited from an organization who no longer has a blue bucket inside an orange homedepot bucket they will become stuck together not unlike that self fusing silicone tape. I think home depot may have engineered their buckets to become permanantly attached to other buckets, although I have yet to come up with their motive in doing so.

 

[Torque1st]

The thing with buckets is, you must not stack dissimilar buckets. For example, if you put a blue bucket you inherited from an organization who no longer has a blue bucket inside an orange homedepot bucket they will become stuck together not unlike that self fusing silicone tape. I think home depot may have engineered their buckets to become permanantly attached to other buckets, although I have yet to come up with their motive in doing so.

That is a mating ritual and you must not disturb the buckets for at least 6 months or you will not get any new buckets.

Seriously, just drop a string down the inside or a wire... -Anything to break the air tight seal. Otherwise you are fighting air pressure to pull them apart.

 

[lawfarm]

I use a small amount of semtex...

Used to have a neighbor with an even better method. All of his buckets were oily on the inside. So they were easy to get apart...but once you had one, you didn't really want to use it!

 

[nolatoolguy]

I personally wist as i pully up and that usally works, if not i just pull harder, and when all else fails i just try to get the top 2 or something like that

 

[mustangmccance]

just drill a small hole in the bottom of the bucket and use an air compressor with a rubber fitting to force air between the buckets. of course then you have a hole in your bucket, but as professor lockhart would say the important thing is they are no longer stuck.

 

[msnow]

Here are a couple ideas for you.

 

[jklingel]

I just wait till it's at least 20 below, then hit them w/ my 12 gauge and a 3" magnum w/ #6 shot. I've not had any two pieces stuck together after that. If you do that in your unheated garage, wear good ear protection.

 

[mrb]

Here are a couple ideas for you.

those appear to be stagehand people. I bet their pay is far greater than the cost of a bucket for the time spent trying to get a pair of buckets unstuck.

 

[Racecarl]

We have a powerwasher at work that puts out HOT water. I heat the bottom outside bucket with the pressure washer and usually the buckets will come apart.

 

[mrb]

hmm, just had an idea. could keep a foot long piece of rope attached to the handle, then when stacking buckets put it into the bucket before putting in the next bucket.

 

[no2tracks]

All s ya gotta do is hold yer tongue just right...:tard:

 

[onewaydave]

The thing with buckets is, you must not stack dissimilar buckets. For example, if you put a blue bucket you inherited from an organization who no longer has a blue bucket inside an orange homedepot bucket they will become stuck together not unlike that self fusing silicone tape. I think home depot may have engineered their buckets to become permanantly attached to other buckets, although I have yet to come up with their motive in doing so.

Whats interesting is that $.59 bucket we pay $2.99 for is cast to such high tolerances that msnow has to go to such extremes in engineering to deal with unintended consequences.

Stickers will solve the problem and unlike jklingle you don't have a mess to clean up that was a hell of a lot of fun to make.

 

[Finley]

a little baby powder where the 2 buckets contact works

 

[Donn]

It is quite clear that you need to build a bigger shop, that way you would not have to stack your buckets, you could just line them up nice and neat!

 

[ihredo4]

One thought comes to mind. It involves a small hole, ether and a match. My problem is I never know which side of the bucket to stand on. After multiple tries I still havent found the right spot. I am about ready to just glue them all together and leave it at that.

 

[jklingel]

...and unlike jklingle you don't have a mess to clean up that was a hell of a lot of fun to make.

Mess? Hell, I take them over to my neighbor's property. The tolerance issue is a good point; I don't see much made to the specs of a freaking bucket.

 

[jackportd]

Hello,
Invert the buckets and pour hot water over the bottom of the outer bucket. Holding the rim of the inner bucket between your feet, grasp the rim of the outer bucket and pull it off the inner one.

 

[diogenes]

semtex...

12 gauge and a 3" magnum w/ #6 shot

ether

I have GOT TO party with you guys!

 

[Rigmaster]

Wow, this has gotten a bit of track to say the least--- but VERY entertaining!!!


On a somewhat-related note, does anyone have any tricks for getting the lids off 5 gallon buckets? I'm talking about the "UN" rated lids that don't have the little notches around the rim of the lid.


There's a tool called the "bucket buster" that says it will take the lids off no problem, but I don't know if we really need that. I'm looking for any tips/trick to get them off with "normal" tools.


We have a bunch of these buckets at work that need to have the lids removed so we can rinse them out then reuse them.


Thx.