Cleaning balsamic vinegar barrels
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jeff williams
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Open both caps and stick a pressure washer in the one hole and work the wand around insideI got some 58 gal barrels that had balsamic vinegar in them. Is there anyway to clean them without cutting the top off? Here is the top
mcarroll
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Not even a pressure washer – not even if you cut the top off. 
IMO, if you're going to put up with the smell – which is harmless, if not unoffensive
– you should get a screw-off top like you get on an olive barrel (or pickles, etc). Makes for a much nicer mixing station barrel.
Like these:
IMO, if you're going to put up with the smell – which is harmless, if not unoffensive
– you should get a screw-off top like you get on an olive barrel (or pickles, etc). Makes for a much nicer mixing station barrel. Like these:
mcarroll
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That pic was from a post here on R2R where someone was selling them. (search R2R for "pickle" or "olive" and you pretty much only get barrel posts)
I got mine locally from a post on craigslist.
It seems like there's someone one craigslist selling them just about everywhere.
I think I paid less than $30/ea for mine, but your mileage may vary.
(Those closed-head barrels make pretty good rain barrels if you get a conversion kit. Good planters too if you cut them in half. Lotsa good uses!)
I got mine locally from a post on craigslist.
It seems like there's someone one craigslist selling them just about everywhere.
I think I paid less than $30/ea for mine, but your mileage may vary. (Those closed-head barrels make pretty good rain barrels if you get a conversion kit. Good planters too if you cut them in half. Lotsa good uses!)
LobsterOfJustice
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Soak in tap water for a week, soak in RODI water for a week, and you should be good to go. Vinegar is harmless and organic so you could honestly probably put them right into service after a rinse out with the hose but a soak would just be extra precaution. Using any kind of cleaner like soap or bleach would not be a good idea since all you're trying to clean is vinegar which is less dangerous then any kind of cleaner you would use on it. Plenty of people add vinegar to their tanks on purpose.
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After some rinsing with water, it will be fine, even if it smells slightly.
Fin
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I have the same kind of barrels. I wanted to be able to clean them out easily and keep pumps in both barrels. So, I cut a hole in the top and installed these PVC clean out fittings with the screw off top. Been using them like this for years.
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Tsev03
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I have the same kind of barrels. I wanted to be able to clean them out easily and keep pumps in both barrels. So, I cut a hole in the top and installed these PVC clean out fittings with the screw off top. Been using them like this for years.
That's awesome! I think that's what I'm going to do. Thank you
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Tsev03
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I have the same kind of barrels. I wanted to be able to clean them out easily and keep pumps in both barrels. So, I cut a hole in the top and installed these PVC clean out fittings with the screw off top. Been using them like this for years.
That's awesome! I think that's what I'm going to do. Thank you
mcarroll
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After some rinsing with water, it will be fine, even if it smells slightly.
+1
I kinda forgot to say that out loud, but that was my experience too.
I pressure washed mine with a little detergent to get the oils off the plastic and then pressure-rinsed really well and let them sun dry....but the smell was nowhere near gone when I put them into service. They reeked for a good while – but no issues.
