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Author Topic: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels  (Read 3372 times)

Offline dglucasii

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~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« on: May 29, 2013, 07:57:57 pm »
My wife procured several a coke barrels from my local coke bottler for rain collection.  She brought home a skinny one that I was considering to steal and use as a primary fermenter(with a few mods).  It smells like Sprite, so I figured I would fill it with water in the sun for a few days to soak the residual flavor out.  Questions are: will soaking work to remove the favor?  If not what will?

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2013, 08:08:29 pm »
Maybe a big IIPA ?

Offline dglucasii

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2013, 09:01:03 pm »
LOL...that would probably work.  :D

Offline Slowbrew

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2013, 04:51:26 am »
Are they plastic or metal barrels? 

Metal should clean up fairly easily.  A hot PBW soak and maybe replacing any gaskets and you should be fine.

Plastic may take quite a bit of work to get the smell out.  There was a thread a few weeks ago ago about getting rotten grain smells out of an insulated cooler mash tun that had lots of ideas.

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Offline Jimmy K

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2013, 06:58:00 am »
Honestly, there's probably no way to be sure until you try. You've probably got a good chance though.  I'd add some oxiclean to the soak water to help.

I have a 60 gallon plastic grape must barrel that I got from a winery. I'm sure it smelled like grapes then, but not now.
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Offline denny

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2013, 11:27:38 am »
Baking soda and hot water works wonders to remove odors.
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Offline dglucasii

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2013, 05:13:51 pm »
It's a plastic barrel...I like the baking soda idea...I've had some success with it previously as a safe soap additive.  If the doesn't work, I'll go for the oxyclean
Thanks!

Offline euge

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2013, 05:48:38 pm »
Oxyclean. Soak overnight.

But, ferment one batch and the sprite smell will be gone and I doubt you'd taste it in the beer.
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Offline Jo Diesel

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2013, 09:49:27 am »
I just bought 3 18 gal food grade barrels but they do have a plastic smell that I do not want to come through in my beer. Would Oxy Clean Or baking soda be best or could I mix the two. I was going to soak with bleach

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2013, 09:51:45 am »
Soak in bleach and they'll smell like bleach instead of plastic.
 
I'd do oxiclean or baking soda - possibly alternate the two - but don't mix them. They might react with each other and cancel each other out.
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Offline BrewArk

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2013, 11:31:27 am »
I think I'd start w/a good detergent (Dawn?) first to cut any oily processing aids.  Then I'd hit it w/some PBW - the hotter the better.  I'd use oxyclean only if I were sure there was no fragrance oil in it - plastics can take up oils fairly easily and fragrances are usually oils.  Baking soda works on stinky fatty acids, but that's probably not going to help you.

Bleach is a good sanitizer.  It probably won't eliminate plastic smell because there is little if any interaction between bleach and the plastic.  They package it in polyethylene.  The plastic shouldn't absorb any bleach odor if you rinse it well enough.
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Offline dglucasii

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Re: ~40 gallon plastic coke barrels
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2013, 07:26:03 pm »
Thanks for all the posts...I have had it soaking in water and baking soda for the past few days..sounds like I may need something stronger.