# 275gallon IBC tote for hot water storage?



## buddha (Aug 3, 2011)

I am getting a boiler soon and wanted to add non pressurized storage to the system.  Since I dont have the cash to throw at a propane tank, I looked into 275 gallon storage totes.  They are made of HPDE, which is suppose to be good up to 230 degrees.  Has anyone tried these? 

There is a picture of one at "http://www.coolantconsultants.com/Schutz tote_small.jpg"

Also, I was planning on making a water to water HX for the above tank out of 1/2" Cu pipe, but I havent figured out how much pipe it will require.


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## jebatty (Aug 3, 2011)

I see the specs on HDPE state 230F (110C) continuous. I haven't seen these totes being used to store continuous high temperature materials, but rather to store much cooler materials. Might work, but I'm skeptical because of possible softening of the plastic over time and failure. Plus plastics of most kinds have issues with their makeup chemicals being released into the water. I don't know whether or not these may have any effect on a heating system.

Hopefully someone has tried these and can report their experience.


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## tom in maine (Aug 3, 2011)

HDPE is pretty inert stuff. It should not break down. I have made liners for these tanks that have stress cracked. The weight of the water, combined with the temps (lower than 230F since they were solar tanks) is a tough structural issue.


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## buddha (Aug 3, 2011)

Were the Liners reinforced with a steel cage?  How long did it take to crack?

The manufacturer of the Boiler uses HDPE 55 gallon drums for storage.  They say they havent had any problems, but I dont know how they hold up over time or if the plastic is thicker than the IBC tote.


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## tom in maine (Aug 3, 2011)

They were a couple years old. I am not sure if they had a steel cage. If they do not, they are usually
thicker plastic.

If the boiler people are using 55g drums, you might get away with that.

I guess it is a matter of how lucky one feels.

I am not sure what 55g does for you other than buffer a bit.
Certainly the structural loading is a lot less on a 55g drum.
There is the issue of sealing it properly since not much sticks well to HDPE.

There are folks on some of the Yahoo solar sites who use 55g drums in series that are
not sealed very well. Although they are not as hot as a wood boiler system, there is still
a lot of evaporation to deal with saturating insulation and everything around it. 

just my 2 cents worth.


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## buddha (Aug 3, 2011)

Sealing should be easy if you use Uniseal bulkhead fittings.  I have used them when plumbing aquaponic tanks and they work great.  I have never used them at high temps, but the manufacturer said they are rated to 225 degrees (HDPE?).

If I can get 1 winter out of them it would be worth it to me.  I just need to give my bank account a season to rebound from these installation costs.

Yeah, I didnt see much benefit to the 55gallon tank, other than they could sell me more antifreeze.


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## tom in maine (Aug 3, 2011)

Certainly nothing lost in trying.

I think the deal with IBC's is that they are capable of tolerating elevated temperatures for filling and emptying as marginally insulated
vessels. 
Plastics (especially ones like HDPE) tolerate heat or pressure well, usually not both at the same time.

Continuous temperatures are different than intermittent exposures.
Insulating the tank keeps the plastic softer for longer.
The cage might help.

I would use it near a floor drain.

If you are on a tight budget and need to get through a season, why not use steel 55g drums with bulkhead fittings.

A DIY tank can be another low cost possibility, check out www.builditsolar.com.


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## Downeast Farmer (Jan 11, 2014)

buddha said:


> I am getting a boiler soon and wanted to add non pressurized storage to the system.  Since I dont have the cash to throw at a propane tank, I looked into 275 gallon storage totes.  They are made of HPDE, which is suppose to be good up to 230 degrees.  Has anyone tried these?
> 
> Did you end up using these IBC tanks for thermal storage?  How did they work out?


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