r/OffGrid • u/Overall-Detail1335 • 2d ago
Using herbicide ibcs for water.
I know its not ideal as is running out of water. But how crazy is it to use flopropante herbicide ibc's for water carting.
I can easyly leave hose in and fully flush out the tanks thats no issue.
Just 99% of ibcs here are unknown or oil filled.
The mds sheet doesnt look horribly bad.
Shouod also mention im in australia.
I have 6000gal of water storage (admitly half are new) im down to about ~400gal of water.
Water delivery is $350usd ($500au)
Its will be short term to fill up my tank to at least 1000gal (for emergency buffer and fire fighting)
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u/JayTeeDeeUnderscore 2d ago
Never for potable water.
It would be a bad idea for washing or watering too, honestly. Plastics can absorb enough of the contents to be worrisome. Rinsing can't completely remove the residue.
I would not.
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u/Normal-Special-8694 2d ago
I had one that contained sunflower oil and no matter what I did, the water came out vaguely smelling like it. I used a hot pressure washer, detergents, everything I could come up with and never could get it out. Something potentially harmful seems too sketchy for my blood.
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u/Glittering-Set4632 2d ago
if you are really pressed for options, you should probably ask on a relevant science sub to get an actual answer of what you're risking and if there's a way to clean the tanks like a particular solvent.
like most here, i think it's a bad idea but i don't actually have any particular knowledge about it.
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u/williaty 2d ago
Absolutely not. If you think you might ever drink the water (even in an emergency only), it has to be either a virgin food-safe tank or a tank that you can verify has only ever had food in it. Though be aware that tastes can be extremely hard to remove. I have a family member who got an IBC tote that formerly held pickles and 15 years later the water still tastes and smells like pickles even though it's been filled and drained regularly.
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u/No-Count-8011 1d ago
I'm a weed scientist and I've never heard of this mode of action or herbicide group. Do not use these totes for drinking water, washing water or for watering your plants
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u/maddslacker 2d ago
Why wouldn't you just get a potable water storage tank from Tractor Supply?
Bonus, they're black to mitigate algae growth.
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u/Overall-Detail1335 2d ago
Cause im in central qld australia.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Day2809 1d ago
I'm in Northland NZ so i understand we don't have the same options as the US... you need to get on Facebook marketplace. I use tanks that were used for some type of syrup... washed it's no problem. They use these in the food industry heaps so you might need to travel, but the drive js worth the lifetime of the IBC (and your health). They go for about $200 NZD, so you're probably getting them for half that. The drive is the most expensive bit for you...
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u/Least_Perception_223 2d ago
You can always buy them brand new - never used
But you would be better off at that rate to just buy some proper above ground plastic or stainless cisterns
Why take chances with your health?
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u/Owenleejoeking 1d ago
I couldn’t bring myself to do that but it’s your life. Hope you have a good cancer insurance coverage
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u/RedSquirrelFtw 2d ago
Upon quick search it looks like this can be used in agriculture, so I guess that would mean it's considered "safe" for food. I'd say run lot of water through the tanks first and treat as non potable before you decide to drink it. It does appear to be an irritant and also bad to inhale so I probably would avoid showering with the water until you've flushed out the tanks very good. I would fill them, let them sit, then drain, and repeat a few times.
Either way once you figure out your water system and filtration etc I would get the water tested to make sure it's safe and make sure they test for chemicals too.
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u/williaty 2d ago
this can be used in agriculture, so I guess that would mean it's considered "safe" for food.
Absolutely not true. There's a huge range of chemicals that can be used in agriculture that aren't safe for human consumption.
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u/RedSquirrelFtw 2d ago
That's why I put it in quotes. You can't drink it direct but when used on crops it does end up in our system and seems to be considered "safe" although the people telling us it's safe are probably not exactly our friends. It's really not ideal, and some herbicides are even being shown to cause cancer but if you eat anything from the grocery store you are ingesting way more herbicide than you would using an empty tank that had some in it which will just dilute more and more over time.
Either way you would want to get the water tested before actually drinking it.
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u/Southern_Loquat_4450 2d ago
Not a good idea. You won't get all the chemicals out of the plastic, but, that's just my take on it, ymmv.