DR. Pepper Reefsafe?

[blakeoe]

I found a plastic drum i want to use for my ro/di holding tank. It was previously housing what i think is Dr. Pepper syrup. Can i still use this? What should i clean it with?

[lllosingit]

Find out for sure what was in it. If it was dr Pepper syrup It should be fine, its a food grade container so all you need to do is clean it out.
I have several 55g plastic barrels that contained apple vinegar. To clean them out I just filled them with tap water and let them sit for a couple day then drained and refilled and let it sit for a couple days before draining again.
After that you could hardly smell anything in them.

[Norboo]

Wash it out really good with water and vinegar (small amount). Rinse well with clean water, let soak few days and rinse again. let it dry and you are in business.

[hahnmeister]

I wouldnt even worry. high fructose corn syrup wont do much except maybe feed some anaerobic bacteria.

[dodgersfan25]

where do you guys get these old/used soda drums from? i hear several people with them and i sure could use one!

[SoCalReefs]

I have found my Drums at livestock feed stores, where they sell hay and other horse supplies. They use them as water troughs.

[lllosingit]

Check around your area and see if you have any juice bottling plants nearby, The get juice concentrate in plastic 55g barrels.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8501912#post8501912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dodgersfan25
where do you guys get these old/used soda drums from? i hear several people with them and i sure could use one!

[dodgersfan25]

ok well ill try to find the nearest bottling company (any soda or juice factory) and see if they have any leftovers

do they usually charge? or is this just their trash that we seem to treasure

[lllosingit]

I offered to buy a couple and they just gave them to me, My brother works there and told me they just send them to be recycled.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8504803#post8504803 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dodgersfan25
ok well ill try to find the nearest bottling company (any soda or juice factory) and see if they have any leftovers

do they usually charge? or is this just their trash that we seem to treasure

[newtophish]

Just start calling around to bottleing plants. The one in Fort Worth sells the barrels really cheap-15 gallon $2, 35 gallon $5 and 55 gallon $10.
They are the blue food grade plastic and the 55 and 35 I got cleaned up easily.
Good luck in your search.

[dodgersfan25]

sweet! ive been looking for cheap transportation for water (in large quantities). this makes life much easier!

[lowbudget]

yeah, my friend got me two from a soda company and used it to hold water for my freshwater tank. dr pepper should be fine

[fillibar]

The only thing to be careful with is that some syrups are super-concentrated. Usually by the time they are in drums small enough for us to handle they should be OK, but some syrups are actually so concentrated they are toxic (there was a truck that jacknifed a few years ago and hazmat had to deal with the syrup it leaked, if I recall it was a Cola tanker).

[96p993]

I will try to find the thread but someone was using several of these from Coke I think and had all kinds of issues with it....He had let it sit for several days with bleach and water in it but still had problems.....

[king1522]

Your future occupants of your tank may act a little funny around 10,2 and 4. :D

[Jester]

I can understand the issues with high concentrated syrups... there has been stories about the things that those syrups can do in a really concentrated form.. like eat away nails to nothing... it could be rumors.. but I dont know...

[widefx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8508294#post8508294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jester
I can understand the issues with high concentrated syrups... there has been stories about the things that those syrups can do in a really concentrated form.. like eat away nails to nothing... it could be rumors.. but I dont know...

we need the myth busters. Had to say it because I am watching them now

[dodgersfan25]

haha, well i agree. lets find out the truth!

[fillibar]

They did a Cola myths one time. They tried some of the these (if I remember the results):
Clean chrome - plausible
Clean blood - busted
Eat away a penny - busted
Eat away at teeth - busted (with quantities that wouldn't kill you in the first place).
Of course that was not the syrups. In any case, the barrels should be fine if you give them a thorough cleaning.

[dodgersfan25]

oh thats cool! so they have tested it........

so coke doesn't eat away at teeth.........after all those rants from my mom about how it does

im getting thirsty now

[manderx]

test for phosphates. i guess they would clear out eventually, but the syrup is corrosive because it is phosphoric acid.

[reverendmaynard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8507023#post8507023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 96p993
I will try to find the thread but someone was using several of these from Coke I think and had all kinds of issues with it....He had let it sit for several days with bleach and water in it but still had problems.....

It was probably the bleach he was having problems with. I would never use bleach on plastic that I was gonna use for the tank.