Cleaning out drums for E85 storage?

[BigBeed]

I am going to be tuning my car in 2 weeks and I want to run E85 but the closest station is 25 miles away and in the opposite direction of most of my travel so I am going to go fill up a 55 gallon drum to have at my house. I was able to source drums for cheap locally that were only used once. I have the option of plastic drums that contained car wash soap, or metal food grade drums that contained syrup (not sure of what kind).**EDIT: Looks like they contained honey. The phone number that contacted me belongs to a local honey farm** Im not sure which I should go with or how to clean them out as to not contaminate the E85.

Any help is appreciated!

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[Rapid Red]

I'm thinking that's going to get old is a short time .

 

[BigBeed]

I'm thinking that's going to get old is a short time .

It'll be more convenient if anything. Most of my driving is within 15 miles of home. I should only have to go fill the barrel up every 2 1/2 - 3 weeks and then I fuel up at home whenever I need. And I plan on getting 2 drums so I can transfer from drum to drum and I don't have to lift a 400+ pound barrel out of the bed of my truck.

** EDIT: I'll be running a flex tune so if I absolutely can't make it home I can throw $5 of 93 in and I'll be ok.**

 

[Rapid Red]

More power to ya, you're a better man that I am. The fill up will take your whole lunch hour LOL As to cleaning out the honey. Might take the barrel over to one of those car washes .

Cheers,

 

[Jhonda]

I have 4 5 gallon gas cans I fill up while I fill my car up each week. I have a shaker hose to transfer gas from them it takes about ten mins to fill up. The power is worth it

 

[BigBeed]

I have 4 5 gallon gas cans I fill up while I fill my car up each week. I have a shaker hose to transfer gas from them it takes about ten mins to fill up. The power is worth it

The shaker hose fills it with the can being on the ground or do you have to hold the can above the fuel filler?

 

[ORRadtech]

A few thoughts;
*I'd use the metal drums, not sure how plastic would work over time. Might be fine I just don't know.
* Check to be sure the place you plan on getting the fuel from will allow you to pump into a drum and that they will let you fill it up.
* It might be wise to check with your State as well to see if the law allows what you want to do.
* On the drums themselves, be sure you can get a complete, airtight seal. All that alcohol will attract a lot of moisture.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Plastic drums are fine but I’d skip trying to clean honey out of one. There is a million people selling these drums on Facebook for cheap. I bought one for 20 bucks from a car wash. They held soap previously. And I built a pumping station. It beats running to the nearest station for E85. (35 miles away.)

 

[Jhonda]

The shaker hose fills it with the can being on the ground or do you have to hold the can above the fuel filler?

All it is is a easy way to syphon. So it has to stay at least higher than the exit end of the hose

 

[Zooks527]

Are you sure that transport and storage of that quantity of E85 / gasoline in a drum is allowed in a residential location under your local fire codes? If not, you may find your property insurance turns into a pumpkin in the event of a fire. It's also likely that only approved containers are allowed for that type of use, as opposed to what's easily available.

You'll also need to ground whatever you use during storage and transfer. Static can be an issue with plastic drums (or even metal during transfer, for that matter) and grounding them can be problematic.

 

[BigBeed]

I had a suspicion about the food grade lining being different but wasn't 100% sure.

I'm well aware of the dangers and handling of ethanol. I work in a railyard for a petroleum transport company and we deal with 100% pure ethanol, granted it is in rail cars and gets transferred to fuel trucks but I am trained on the product.

In NJ drums can be filled and stored at home the only regulations for containers are

1. Is of sound metal construction or is of approved non-metal construction;
2. Has a tight closure with screwed or spring cover; and
3. Is fitted with a spout or so designed that the contents may be poured or pumped without spilling.

So I'm good on that front. It just hast to be marked with what is inside and I can get a placard for it from work. As long as I have paid the taxes on it and it is less than 119 gallons I am OK to transport it without a hazmat endorsement.

The plastic drums are HDPE so they are approved for storage and transportation of fuel.

I'm probably going to go with the plastic ones as soap is water soluble and easier to clean.

 

[Blue_Stang]

Here's a link to the "Cary Company", who manufacture and recondition drums and containers. There's a phone number on top too: https://www.thecarycompany.com/cont...xTpKxlBto0rtedq-Tri2GVbYFr-E0txhoCTjMQAvD_BwE

Another thing you might want to consider is what you use to dispense your E85. Maybe contact a pump company and get some guidance to make sure you don't accidentally introduce static (spark.....bad ju ju) to your dispensing process?

 

[Kleiss1]

How are you going to fill the barrel?

 

[bluebeastsrt]

I had a suspicion about the food grade lining being different but wasn't 100% sure.

I'm well aware of the dangers and handling of ethanol. I work in a railyard for a petroleum transport company and we deal with 100% pure ethanol, granted it is in rail cars and gets transferred to fuel trucks but I am trained on the product.

In NJ drums can be filled and stored at home the only regulations for containers are

1. Is of sound metal construction or is of approved non-metal construction;
2. Has a tight closure with screwed or spring cover; and
3. Is fitted with a spout or so designed that the contents may be poured or pumped without spilling.

So I'm good on that front. It just hast to be marked with what is inside and I can get a placard for it from work. As long as I have paid the taxes on it and it is less than 119 gallons I am OK to transport it without a hazmat endorsement.

The plastic drums are HDPE so they are approved for storage and transportation of fuel.

I'm probably going to go with the plastic ones as soap is water soluble and easier to clean.

im in Jersey also. Ill sell you the drum in the photo for $20. And if you want the stsinless chemical pump in the photo. $100.

 

[BigBeed]

How are you going to fill the barrel?

One drum to take to the gas station, one drum at home. I'll transfer from drum to drum from the bed of my pickup cause they'll be about 400lbs when full.

im in Jersey also. Ill sell you the drum in the photo for $20. And if you want the stsinless chemical pump in the photo. $100.

Where in NJ are you if I might ask? What station did you fill the drum at? I appreciate it but I have drums secured for free from a relative and I already have a pump on the way :/

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