Grain storage in trash cans?

[vtchuck]

Local hardware store has 32 Gallon snap top plastic garbage cans on sale for $10 each. Any idea how many pounds of grain can be stored in a 32 G container?

TIA

 

[elmetal]

I'd say 15 lbs per 5 gallons but I'm not experienced. by my math that gives you....almost 100 lbs?

 

[Ohio-Ed]

I can put 50lbs in 2, 5ga buckets.

I would be careful with a trash can... It will most likely NOT be airtight. If you put your grain in an air tight bag/container then into the trash can you may be alright, but I wouldn't dump my grain in an un-sealed can.

Temperature and Humidity are problems with grain storage. Temp is really not a problem until you introduce humidity, then you get bugs. If you seal your grain in an air tight container it "should" hold the humidity to no more than it was when you closed the lid.

Ed

 

[The Pol]

I seal mine in plastic bags

 

[elmetal]

Ive heard sealing in 4-5 lb packs using foodsavers is a good way to store them

 

[Ohio-Ed]

I seal mine in plastic bags

The buckets give me a bit of comfort that the grains are physically protected (more problem for rodents to get through the bucket than just a bag). The buckets also stack and store nicely.
I put all my specialty grains in zip lock bags... squeeze all the air out I can then seal. Then the bags go into a Homer bucket. I started out doing the same with base grain, but now just dump the base grains into the bucket without the bags and seal the lid. I use painters tape on the outside of the buckets to identify and age the contents.

Ed

 

[The Pol]

These are heavy plastic bags, sealed with a foodsaver, 1-18 pounds each, stored indoors so I have no danger of rodents. They arent in rigid containers, but they are very easy to stack, and they only take up as much room as there is grain. I dont have a 30 gallon container with 10 pounds of grain in it, taking up 30 gallons of space, just 10 pounds of grain.

 

[Ohio-Ed]

These are heavy plastic bags, sealed with a foodsaver, 1-18 pounds each, stored indoors so I have no danger of rodents. They arent in rigid containers, but they are very easy to stack, and they only take up as much room as there is grain. I dont have a 30 gallon container with 10 pounds of grain in it, taking up 30 gallons of space, just 10 pounds of grain.

I've read enough of your posts to know you'd have it covered
Looks like you have a very nice storage process worked out.
My reply was for the benefit of the OP.

 

[jspence1]

I a big fan of the grape juice buckets, a sack fits nicely into 2 buckets. If you have a BOP place close you can usually buy them for $1 with the lids. If you have more than one place around check out the buckets, not all buckets are created equal. The ones from one store stack much nicer than the other.


EDIT

I would also recommend the food saver for the specialty grains. I found that the larger bags took a long time to get the air out of and it worried me I was going to burn out the pump. 5-6 pounds seems like a nice amount and doesn't take too long to seal.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

Garbage cans are generally not food grade plastic.

I am not sure about the garbage cans, but some trash bags are treated with insect repellent chemicals.

Make sure anything you store food in (and beer ingredients are "food") is food grade.

 

[Synovia]

I'd say 15 lbs per 5 gallons but I'm not experienced. by my math that gives you....almost 100 lbs?

Its closer to 25lbs per 5g. So, about 150 lbs.

 

[leboeuf]

Just store each sack in its own trash bag and throw them all in the can? Really grain storage doesn't require a vacuum sealer....
Just make sure you take the right can to the curbside when you're nice and groggy on Tuesday morning.

Edit: Actually you may want to do some research on grain storage depending on the humidity of your storage area. Apparently in the south farmers package their grains so that they can breathe. You get spoiled when the environment you live in is so dry the air acts as it's own grain dryer...

 

[The Pol]

I dont care to vacuum them... but the sealing strip works great to seal them!

 

[springer]

Before I got the food saver I used those space bags. They worked rather well in fact I still have 25lbs in one of the bigger ones that's held a seal a good three months . I use a shop vac and the grain is hard as a rock in it once the air is removed

 

[leboeuf]

It's probably just that I'm jealous of everyone's vacuum sealers
I really need to get one to deal with bulk hops.... My parents get pissed after I keep theirs for 2-3 months out of the year....

 

[BrewBeemer]

I have four 6 gallon food grade buckets with sealed lids grom General Foods, used a unibit and cut 2 clean round holes in the lid 1/2" diameter a couple inches apart. On one inserted a 3' length of stainless tubing until it hit the bucket bottom with a valve at the top. The stainless tube was set at 15 psi off my Argon gas Tig bottle (280 cu/ft) then let it flow for two minutes at 70 CU/FT an hour. This purged out the oxygen then pressed in tapered rubber plugs. Since my back injury out of brewing I had a friend brew with these 1 and 2 year old buckets of grain from my basement storage they both came out the same at the tap later vs freshly purchased grain.
Dodged the bullet on wasting grain, I will apply this process even later with short term storage of grain.
Now if you can locate stainless 5-10 gallon can with silicone sealed lids that would be the best storage system vs any plastic container. I have my doubts with the white food grade 55 gallon barrels I have as the tops are sealed and to add and take out grain thru the bung might be a PITA unless a syphon system were used to remove the grains.

 

[Ohio-Ed]

Now if you can locate stainless 5-10 gallon can with silicone sealed lids that would be the best storage system vs any plastic container. I have my doubts with the white food grade 55 gallon barrels I have as the tops are sealed and to add and take out grain thru the bung might be a PITA unless a syphon system were used to remove the grains.

Did you just identify yet another use for corney's ?

 

[BrewBeemer]

Did you just identify yet another use for corney's ?

I wasn't going to mention corny's as I once use one for extra grain storage and forgot it had a quart or rinse water in it. A month or so later not only did it smell rotten it also created gas pressure. I felt like an idiot for doing that on.

Yes they would make a great storage chamber, I have 25 corny's at the moment. I would still purge thru the liquid out tube with Argon gas.
I can see it now another order of 20 more corny's, pleasing to the wife yeah right.

 

[jpc]

I was using 5-gallon buckets for my grain storage, but I stumbled upon these last night while strolling through my local Costco:

It's a 60# Vittles Vault; typically, these things are listed for anywhere from $36 to $60 each, but Costco wanted less than $30 per. I now have three waiting to be deployed...

 

[jasonh]

Those Vittles Vaults look pretty convenient...I know they say "60lb" but will each one actually hold a 50-55lb sack of grain?

 

[jpc]

Those Vittles Vaults look pretty convenient...I know they say "60lb" but will each one actually hold a 50-55lb sack of grain?

I'm not sure, but I'll let you know in a couple days. I was tired last night and didn't feel like cleaning them up, so I'll do that this weekend. Of course, I don't have any full sacks around right now (four half-used ones) so I'll have to extrapolate a bit.