Has anyone ever used the Orange Home depot buckets???

CheapBrewer said:

I only use fermenters a couple of times before I retire them to cleaning/sanitizing containers.

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Doesn't really sound like something a cheap brewer would do. You must have quite a bucket collection. If you really only trust plastic for a couple of uses, then even with what you'd save by getting them at a big box store instead of a brewing retailer you're probably better off in the long run investing in a stainless steel fermenter.

I have a couple of the 5 gallon food grade buckets that I got at Lowe's several years ago. I use them for brining birds for the smoker. Never used them to ferment. They have a faint smell of vinegar, but so what? I have three 6 - 6.5 gallon buckets that I ferment in. They smell like beer even right after a thorough cleaning, but again, so what? I don't see any reason to retire them unless/until they get scratched up, and I don't clean them with anything that should do that.

DBhomebrew said:

Field to consumer might take a couple years. Time spent in silo, truck, warehouse, truck, warehouse, store shelf, etc, etc. I doubt the last few weeks or months in a cozy CO2 environment will change much.

That's not to say you shouldn't keep it dry and protected from vermin.

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I understand. My supplier states that sometimes the grain shows up with grain beetles already active on the pallets. His remedy is a period of freezer storage to supposedly kill the eggs and bugs. I don’t have excess freezer capacity for grain.
The bugs need oxygen, hence the CO₂ to deprive them. No bug, rat, mouse; not even a fire ant can get in a sealed up corny.
I have a few banged up, unattractive corny kegs I picked up really cheap. They’re ugly, but they hold pressure. I plan to give it a try before I spend more money on more containers.

Cheers!

Personally, I would only use food grade containers if I'm going to be consuming whatever is stored in the container. You may not notice any off flavors or side effects but there are chemicals that could/will leach into the product that could be harmful over time. Especially if you are going to be reusing the product over a long period of time.

FREE at your local supermarket with in-store bakery. They throw the frosting buckets away all the time. I usually score one first or second try. Obviously food grade, smell delicious.

wdavis2003 said:

Personally, I would only use food grade containers if I'm going to be consuming whatever is stored in the container. You may not notice any off flavors or side effects but there are chemicals that could/will leach into the product that could be harmful over time. Especially if you are going to be reusing the product over a long period of time.

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Ditto that. Consider, even using “approved” containers poses some risk. How long was it OK to put BPA in our water bottles until it was determined to be hazardous.

Closet Fermenter said:

I understand. My supplier states that sometimes the grain shows up with grain beetles already active on the pallets. His remedy is a period of freezer storage to supposedly kill the eggs and bugs. I don’t have excess freezer capacity for grain.
The bugs need oxygen, hence the CO₂ to deprive them. No bug, rat, mouse; not even a fire ant can get in a sealed up corny.
I have a few banged up, unattractive corny kegs I picked up really cheap. They’re ugly, but they hold pressure. I plan to give it a try before I spend more money on more containers.

Cheers!

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Those grain weevils often hatch from eggs already present in the grain. It doesn't matter what container you store the grain in, if there are bug eggs, they'll hatch. Be curious to hear how CO2 will affect them. I don't think CO2 will impact the viability of the eggs, though it may smother the emerging insects--if you get almost all the O2 purged.

Quentin Nelson said:

FREE at your local supermarket with in-store bakery. They throw the frosting buckets away all the time. I usually score one first or second try. Obviously food grade, smell delicious.

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Call a few restaurants and talk to the head cooks. They get all kinds of things shipped in food-grade buckets, and will probably give you some empties.

MaxStout said:

Those grain weevils often hatch from eggs already present in the grain. It doesn't matter what container you store the grain in, if there are bug eggs, they'll hatch. Be curious to hear how CO2 will affect them. I don't think CO2 will impact the viability of the eggs, though it may smother the emerging insects--if you get almost all the O2 purged.

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That’s the impression I got; they are there, freezing will kill adults and eggs, but any survivors from the deep freeze will need oxygen to make it.

They definitely won't survive the boil.

DBhomebrew said:

They definitely won't survive the boil.

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And they can’t drink much!