Safely Painting IBC Totes for Rainwater Harvesting
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2021
- Neal demonstrates how to safely paint food grade IBC totes for rainwater harvesting / rainwater catchment. This is a proven way to paint tanks so that the paint does not peel and it also doesn't leach into the water. Preventing algae from growing in your water tanks is critical and painting them stops its growth. Painting is a more permanent solution rather than using tarps or plastic that disintegrates in a few years. I've painted multiple tanks over the years and had no issues with paint contaminating the water.
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VLOG #126 - Навчання та стиль
An alternative to painting is to use scrapped colorbond steel sheeting and light gauge steel framing. Use it to surround the tank on four sides and the top. It's a bit more expensive than painting it but the end result looks good and lasts for decades.
That's a great idea and sounds like it would really last longer. No matter how well you prepare a surface, ultimately some paint releases. Metal wouldn't. Super!
I painted my tanks black some years ago. I used a paint for plastic and it has worn off everywhere there is contact between the tank and the cage and some on the tops.Green inside once again! I put 6 mil black plastic around the outside temporarily. This winter, when I drain my tanks I'm going to wrap them in painted wood. My home will serve as one of the 4 walls and I'm going to build a top also. I'm guessing a couple hundred dollars, but they will be shaded, and I'm painting the outside white to match my home. My roof is shingles as well and I use fish tank filter foam in the down pipe that goes into the tank. I simply wash it out after a rain. I also have a first flush and leaf eater.
Thanks for the info. Good luck.
hey Neal, nice water catchment system you have there. the plants will love the rain water.
Thanks Joey 👍
So smart ! I need to try something like this for the new house garden.
Please let me know if you do.
Good job.
Thanks! I've been putting this off for some time and thought it was about time to get it done.
That is a great demonstration and answered my long-standing question about what type of paint to use to paint the IBC Totes. Thank you very much. I wanted to know if you painted the bottom of the Totes as well; I just want to make sure. Also, can you please mention the exact paint you used and how many such cans I will need per 330-gallon tote? Thanks in advance! We appreciate your taking the time to educate us.
You’re welcome! I did not paint the bottoms as they are fully covered by the metal cage. Also, I used Rustoleum enamel (which is alkyd enamel) that I sourced from Home Depot. I used spray cans of Dupli-color adhesion promoter (CP199) to treat the tanks before spraying with black paint…so it would stick. I reduced (thinned) the black paint with about 25-30 percent mineral spirits. Hopefully that information will help you get through the job. Let it dry well before putting the tanks back in the cages. My totes are still holding paint well years later.
Also, I think I only used two gallons to paint 6 totes. I also used about one to 1.5 spray cans of adhesion promoter per tote.
Thank you Sir, appreciate your help 👍
Interesting detail on the painting. Have you looked inside after painting to see if any light penetrates the applied film. I am curious as I received a low quality tank of 3,000 gallon capacity that allows a great deal of light through the green pigment . Before placing it in service I want to correct that. Thank you.
Yes I have and very little light penetrates, only where little spots get scratched. It has totally stopped algae growth. They now have been in service for a number of years and still work great as well as others I have in operation. Thanks for asking and watching.
what type of plastic adhesion promoter did you use?
Dupli-Color CP199
I've done just this but I connected my ibc's at the outlets so they will all fill together from the bottom
I did that to my first configuration but it freezes and bursts in the winter. This one doesn't burst.
Is your roof shingles? What type? I was told only use metal roof for rain catchment. Because shingle roof has chemicals from the shingles. I am using half Of my metal roof car port for rain catchment.
Yes, my roof is asphalt shingles. I use a First Flush system to get cleaner water. I also do not drink this water but exclusively use it on my garden.
Just curious, wouldn't using a brighter color be more beneficial for UV protection? It was my understanding that black absorbs UV/Heat versus something brighter that would reflect said UV/Heat...What are your thoughts on this?
Black prevents algae growth.
Would using black as an addition layer underneath have the same benefit? i.e. 1st coat adhesion promoter, 2nd black, 3rd white etc. What do you think? I Just want to achieve the best possible results.
I'm positive that would work. As long as sunlight cannot penetrate into the container then you will have no algae growth. Putting a final outer coat of a lighter color would keep the water somewhat cooler and in all probability slow UV deterioration of the plastic. Great suggestion!
Thank you very much, I greatly appreciate your feedback. Wish you well, take care.
will the water based urethane alkyd enamel work? i noticed you were using the rustoleum oil base
Yes. What is most important is that you use adhesion promoter before painting.
I want to paint my newly picked up IBC totes. The guy I got them from told me not to paint them because the paint will penetrate the plastic and get into the water. Can you confirm or deny if the paint will get into the plastic? TIA
I can confirm that the paint does not leach into the water, that is if you only paint the outsides of the tanks. The plastic insides of mine are clean and white. The water is crystal clear. Be sure to spray your tanks with adhesion promoter before painting so the paint will stick. After you are done you will see that the paint is only on the surface layers of the plastic because you can scrape it off if not careful when putting them back into the metal containers.
What I understand if the ibc tank is food grade, the paint will not leach anywhere.
do you leave water in these over the winter and if so, are you afraid they will crack?
Yes, and I have seven at my mountain cabin and nine here. They freeze but I've never had any leaks.
@@ReturningtoBasics that is good to know, thank you.
Can the paint seep through the plastic and get into the water?
That is an excellent question Kenny. No, that is a myth. I was an automotive paint specialist all through college and after I retired for another 9 years. The insides of my tanks are pure white and my water is crystal clear. The paint only adheres to the top layers of the outside of the plastic tanks.
@@ReturningtoBasics thanks for answering the question!
@@ReturningtoBasics I trust you 100%. I've been looking for solid published research on this or some sort of site that can explain this, that the paint toxins cannot sleep through plastic. Is there anything you can think of that can point me in the right direction? I've been scowerring the internet with no luck. Thanks so much.
Even though I'm a university doctoral researcher (retired), I have no scientific research that I've conducted on these tanks other than anectdotal observations. VOC's in paint products evaporate as they dry and dissipate into the air. I'd encourage you by saying that once the solvents from the adhesion promoter and paint have completely dried you should have no worries. Otherwise anything that is painted that may ever hold water or food would potentially transfer toxic material to us. A good, somewhat scientific test for this would be to purchase a Zero Water pitcher at your local dept. store, take the water test meter supplied on the top lid of the pitcher and test the water in your painted tote for solids. Those meters are very good. Compare those results to water in another container you consider safe such as glass or an unpainted plastic pitcher. The water in the 'safe' container will be your baseline measurement. Any extreme deviation (change) from that should give you an indication that there may be contamination. That should give you some definitive information about anything leaching through from the surface and potentially contaminating the water. Of course, to make the test as valid as possible, make sure the tank you test is thoroughly cleaned and rinsed inside or your results may be influenced from what may have been in the tank previously. My tanks contained food grade peroxide used in chicken processing factories. I was able to dilute what remained in the tanks with fresh water, drain them, and then thoroughly clean them with Dawn dishwashing liquid and high pressure water. It's not easy nor quick and may take a couple of times to get the tanks thoroughly cleaned. If you can smell anything in the tank then it is not completely cleaned and your test results could be influenced by other variables (contamination other than painting the outside). I'm not questioning your preparation or anything you've done, just trying to help you perform a test to see if painting the exterior can be detected in the water inside. You may be the first to do some 'solid research' on this topic. If you decide to do this I'd be interested in hearing your findings. Good luck with your water catchment project Kenny. Great comments and questions!
@@ReturningtoBasics thank you so so so much ! God bless you sir ! Beautiful shot video of the tanks and flowers and your voice and pace is lovely too reduced my anxiety big time around this and in general . May angels guide and protect you always
Too expensive. How many cans per tote were used.
I appreciate your point about costs, especially with inflation out of control. I used 1.5 cans of adhesion promoter per tote so it wasn't too bad. Keep in mind, if you don't use adhesion promoter the alkyd enamel paint will not stick and peel off (14 years in the automotive paint business). Oh, it will stick temporarily but then start peeling and you'll have a mess. Good luck with your project.