Posted: 1/4/2009 12:52:23 PM EDT
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So I had the future Mrs bring home some pickle buckets (works at a Middle School) that she was able to get for free. I had packed some rice,beans, etc in them in mylar but have taken my time putting the lids I bought on them, Well decided to finally get around to putting away and the lids are too big, so I tried a few others still to big,
Luckily HD had buckets a on sales for $2.78 and Lids for $0.98 so I was able to swap the contents over and get them put away. Looks like the pickle buckets were a little small (go figure) it was more evident when the mylar was placed in the HD buckets as there was about a quarter to half inch on each side or the mylar. Thought that was a good price on the buckets and lids though. |
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I don't believe that the home depot buckets are food grade. However, I'm going to email the manufacturer to find out. I just ordered buckets from Yankee Container. Got them two days after I ordered. It was about the cheapest I could find on the internet. I think I paid 4.81 per bucket and .85 per lid. The buckets are also .90 thick and not the flimsy ones you get elsewhere. They are food grade. Got tired of trying to scrounge free buckets locally.
Brett 
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http://www.uline.com/BL_8150/Plastic-Pails-And-Lids
Safely store or ship your products in these durable pails.
High density polyethylene construction withstands temperatures up to 180°F. Stackable but easily separated due to tapered design. FDA, USDA and NSF approved. FB ETA: 6 colors to choose from @ $4.29/each |
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Quoted:
Where do you all buy the Mylar liners? I have not used them, but they get great reviews... http://sorbentsystems.com/mylar.html More Mylar options then you can imagin + O2 absorber & Desiccants too. FB |
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I have gotten Mylar from a couple of differenct places places,
http://www.aaoobfoods.com/ they were a little slow shipping to me but I thin they were pretty busy I can find the other place but they were a little slow as well, I did not worry about food grade buckets since I was putting in Mylar. |
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The general opinion is that food grade is not important if using mylar. However, I do not believe that anyone has done a study on it. I do recall reading that mylar does allow some absorbtion although in very miniscule amounts. So my thinking is better safe than sorry. A couple of bucks a bucket is worth my peace of mind. Again, maybe I'm over-reacting, but then again I have family members who say that about my prepping in general.
The other issue I had was that there is no opinion on whether the release agent on non food grade buckets has any chemical reaction with mylar causing it to breakdown. But given all that, your probably fine with mylar and non food grade. Brett 
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Quoted:
The general opinion is that food grade is not important if using mylar. However, I do not believe that anyone has done a study on it. I do recall reading that mylar does allow some absorbtion although in very miniscule amounts. So my thinking is better safe than sorry. A couple of bucks a bucket is worth my peace of mind. Again, maybe I'm over-reacting, but then again I have family members who say that about my prepping in general. The other issue I had was that there is no opinion on whether the release agent on non food grade buckets has any chemical reaction with mylar causing it to breakdown. But given all that, your probably fine with mylar and non food grade. Brett  I just quickly ran the numbers from sorbent's web page. The O2 transmission rate for their 5 mil food grade Mylar is .0006cc/100sq in/day. So, that is about 3.5cc/year of 02 transmission in a 5 gal pail sized bag/or five 1 gal sized bags. They specifically say O2 and not Air, so I have no idea if it is a proportional amt of Air, or about 5 times as much, as Air is only about 21% O2. Then you would have to figure out the concentration of contaminants in the Air and if they had similar transmission rates, etc. So, in the end, it is all just guess work w/o any Scientific data to back it up. Just so I would sleep better at night, I would go Food Grade, but some folks think I am a bit Paranoid because I carry a gun. 
FB |
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I have confirmed through the manufacturer of the home depot that their "homer" buckets are not food grade. The manufacturer is Leaktite. On the upside, they responded to my email in two minutes. That's exceptional customer service. So if anyone needs any non food grade buckets, I would throw some business their way if you could.
Brett
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I used the 20x30 from Sorbent Systems. Quite frankly, I probably could have gotten by with something a little smaller as 30 inches leaves a lot of left over. On the upside, it makes it easy to manipulate when sealing the top and also gives you enough excess so that you could open and then reseal if neccessary. On the down side, takes up more room in the top of the bucket as you as you have to fold the excess down. My suggestion, for your first order get the 20x30 but order a couple of smaller bags as well to experiment with. YMMV
Brett 
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Quoted:
I have confirmed through the manufacturer of the home depot that their "homer" buckets are not food grade. The manufacturer is Leaktite. On the upside, they responded to my email in two minutes. That's exceptional customer service. So if anyone needs any non food grade buckets, I would throw some business their way if you could. Brett You have contact info for them? I was under the impression (from my amateur research) that HDPE 2 buckets were acceptable food grade...the Home Depot buckets are HDPE 2, but thinner than the normal 5 gal buckets used for food (Dunkin Donut, or pickle buckets are also HDPE 2).... Just want to confirm... tks |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I have confirmed through the manufacturer of the home depot that their "homer" buckets are not food grade. The manufacturer is Leaktite. On the upside, they responded to my email in two minutes. That's exceptional customer service. So if anyone needs any non food grade buckets, I would throw some business their way if you could. Brett You have contact info for them? I was under the impression (from my amateur research) that HDPE 2 buckets were acceptable food grade...the Home Depot buckets are HDPE 2, but thinner than the normal 5 gal buckets used for food (Dunkin Donut, or pickle buckets are also HDPE 2).... Just want to confirm... tks http://www.leaktite.com/ |
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Yes it is confirmed with the manufacturer. Went to Home Depot and found out who manufacturers the buckets (not tough to do as it's printed on the bottom, LOL) and then emailed the manufacturer. The difference between food grade and non food grade is the release agent used in the molds. The food grade buckets use a non toxic release agent. Why aren't all buckets made with this? Because it's more expensive than the standard (toxic) release agent. The HDPE2 designation refers to the type of plastic and does not designate that they are food grade. Hope this helps
Brett |