Storing bulk grains

[Nagorg]

Would that be enough to keep mice out?

Plastic wont keep a determined rodent away. If you have that as a problem, you could get a galvanized trashcan and store your grain bucket in it. A long while back, I learned that lesson with dog food I kept in the garage. The little B@$+@rds teeth cant get through steel!

 

[Broothru]

Those rodents have amazing teeth. A rat chewed all the way though the corner of this lid in one night. Chewed a couple others buckets as well.
View attachment 718748

Caught the bastard in a trap baited with peanut butter the next evening.

Truth^^^

I've got three large Rubbermaid tubs with snap down lids that hold vacuum sealed grain bags. Just a minor obstacle for a determined mouse. Living in an agrarian part of the county, we have an understandable 'issue' with field mice from time to time that the barn owls and chicken hawks fail to convert to dinner. Not an infestation, but certainly a concern from time to time.

Good old fashioned snap traps work wonders in eliminating the occasional interloper. It was never a problem when we had an Indoor house cat. When she died (after 18 years!) we did get one or two per year, but the traps would get 'em within a day. They get ripe within a hour or two, and often you'll hear the trap spring. They just can't resist the peanut butter bait.

This year I set some electric traps. Batteries charge a capacitor that zaps the intruder when they "complete the circuit", and then it sends a wi-fi alert to my cell phone. Got one trap next to where the grain bins are stacked, along with a couple snap traps. No nibbling guests this year, despite ~100# of various grains nearby. Bins and bags won't stop them, but traps and PB&J will.

Brooo Brother

 

[Beer Viking]

Plastic wont keep a determined rodent away. If you have that as a problem, you could get a galvanized trashcan and store your grain bucket in it. A long while back, I learned that lesson with dog food I kept in the garage. The little B@$+@rds teeth cant get through steel!

Good to know! How many pounds of malt can you fit in a trashcan?

 

[The Mad Brewer]

I may be late to this Conversation but I just started all Grain and have some Barley in bulk I want to store. I can get 5 Gallon buckets, food grade form my local Fareway Grocery store (they have them in the the front of the store for sale 3-4 bucket, then will get some Gamm lids. I think the store has them this time of year for people who do Maple sap collecting, as I don't recall seeing them other times, though they prolly have them in the back.

 

[Nagorg]

Good to know! How many pounds of malt can you fit in a trashcan?

I probably wouldn't store my malt in a trash can alone unless it was short term. You cant get a good seal with them. It would probably be fine if you go through grain quickly..
I was just suggesting that you could put your plastic buckets inside of a steel trashcan, or any other steel container for that matter, to keep the rodents out.

 

[PCABrewing]

Any suggestions for storing specialty grains (3-10#)? Some of these will sit on my shelf a longer than base grains.

You can store them in their original bag or a zip lock and place those inside buckets with Gamma lids. I have three decoted to that and between 2 -6 different grains in each bucket.

 

[PCABrewing]

Those rodents have amazing teeth. A rat chewed all the way though the corner of this lid in one night. Chewed a couple others buckets as well.
View attachment 718748

Caught the bastard in a trap baited with peanut butter the next evening.

I had birdseed stored in one outside the garage service door. A squirrel did the same thing.
I keep my brewing grains in the basement in gamma-lid buckets and have not had any problems in ~8 years.
I do have traps set in strategic locations.