# Plastic drum for wine making



## krohmal (Dec 9, 2011)

Hello, 
I have a plastic drum with marking on it





Please let me know whether I can use it for wine making.
Thank you!


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

As far as I know these are fruit juice concentrate barrels. I use them for bulk grain and food storage without a liner. Should be fine. Is there a symbol on the bottom, usually a triangle with a number inside, a 2 or lower means food grade.

BB


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl (Jun 23, 2011)

Let me know when the winemaking is complete!


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

Based on my small experience with making wine, trying to make 35 gallons at one time probably will not produce a drinkable product unless you are already an experienced volume vintner! you will have to 7 times most any recipe and I don't think they make an air lock big enough to fit that barrrel.


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

*Absolutely INCORRECT*



bunkerbob said:


> As far as I know these are fruit juice concentrate barrels. I use them for bulk grain and food storage without a liner. *Should be fine. Is there a symbol on the bottom, usually a triangle with a number inside, a 2 or lower means food grade.
> *


Nothing but WRONG info that never seems to die and is almost to an urban legend proportion ....

The recycle symbol .... a triangled #2 ..... only means that the plastic can be recycled ..... has absolutely no type of designation for indicating food grade ..... for a container to be certified FDA food grade, there are numerous manufacturing conditions, materials and testing requirements ....

this false rumour got started because food grade containers will always be manufactured from virgin plastics .... never any re-cycled allowed .... so a food grade container will always be acceptable for recycling and will be marked with the triangle #2 .....

.....


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## Domeguy (Sep 9, 2011)

Close Iwarrior, the #'s in the triangle are actually for identifying what kind of plastic is used in the container for recycling. Several different types af plastic can be food-grade. See ehow link below

About the Recycling Plastic Symbol | eHow.com


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## krohmal (Dec 9, 2011)

Unfortunately, haven't found this triangle on the bottom, except information about marking on the barrel:
*first line 1H2/Y60/S 10:*
1H2 - means plastic drum, 
Y - Packaging Group II: Medium Danger - medium hazard level, 
60 - volume?
S - solid
10 - year of manufacture 
*next line IL/PMI 261:*
Il - Country where container was manufactured, Israel 
*PMI 261 -?*
I am not sure, if the barrel made in Israel, it has to be marked with triangle ?, in any way this question is opened
Thanks everybody for answers!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

When I was a kid, my dad used similar barrels for wine making, the original content of his were malt extract from the local home brewers supply.

I was a teenager and my brother and I would sneek into the basement and do some sampling after it was bottled, we were not wine connoisseurs but I can vouch for its alcahol content.


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## Domeguy (Sep 9, 2011)

Plastic is plastic. It's more important to know what's been stored in the barrels previously. If food has been stored in it since it was new, it's probably ok now. Of course if it's had pesticides, etc, then never. Even food grade barrels might not be suitable. There is a place close to here that has food barrels, they had sausage casings in them. When they set in the sun you can smell it. Ok for food or water, sure, as long as you like sausage flavored. I would never use a barrel that i didn't know the history of for food or drinking water.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I don't use any plastics for my wine making.. only glass.. alcohol can leach nasty stuff out of plastic... the same way alcohol leaches stuff out of the burned oak barrels that they use to age not only wines but whiskey and rum and other fine drinkables.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Emerald said:


> I don't use any plastics for my wine making.. only glass.. alcohol can leach nasty stuff out of plastic... the same way alcohol leaches stuff out of the burned oak barrels that they use to age not only wines but whiskey and rum and other fine drinkables.


I'm with Emerald, Go with glass.


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

IlliniWarrior said:


> Nothing but WRONG info that never seems to die and is almost to an urban legend proportion ....
> 
> The recycle symbol .... a triangled #2 ..... only means that the plastic can be recycled ..... has absolutely no type of designation for indicating food grade ..... for a container to be certified FDA food grade, there are numerous manufacturing conditions, materials and testing requirements ....
> 
> ...


Please use correct info with research such as these... http://www.hdpe-plastic.com/
and ... http://www.rejoiceinlife.com/recipes/containers.php
and... Plastic Containers - Chasing Arrows Symbol Reveals Plastic's Chemical Makeup
when offering advice. If you are quoting from another source please indicate so.

BB


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