55 gallon drum

J

joelarge

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Howdy folks, I have come across a guy in my area selling 55 gallon drums, and I wanted to pick up one to make an UDS. The question I have is how safe is it since the barrel previously held 99.9% methyl alcohol inside it. Is that something that can easily be cleaned out/burned out and not leave anything toxic behind and spoil my food? Thanks!
 
Give it a hot burn and it'll be good. Sand out any remaining liner or rust coating that it might have. Enjoy your new future UDS!
 
Open or closed lid?

If closed lid, be careful when you remove. Either cold chisel it off, or fill the barrel with water before you use a grinder or anything that'll spark and ignite residual contents.
 
The barrels he has are closed lid and he offers to cut them for an extra $5 which I will probably take him up on. I did some reading on here and saw that the WSM 22" lids will fit on these most likely so it seems like a good idea :)
 
Get it, and spend the $5. My UDS held motor oil, and it hasn't made anyone sick, and she's cooked a lot of food. A good burnout will clean it up, just fine. Just make sure you get rid of the liner, if there is one.

Matt
 
I burnt a barrel that used to hold engine oil and it cleaned it out on the first burn. If that can be burnt out then you've got no problem with alcohol
 
Alcohol will evaporate if the bungs are out. Last night I spilled some Everclear(95% Alcohol) on the counter and before I got the dish towel to wipe it up, it was gone.

Happy smoking. You will enjoy your UDS.
 
I can't wait to get started on it. After spending the better part of this week reading through the monster UDS thread and searching CraigsList for drums, I am sold!

I started off about 2 months ago with a cheap secondhand CharBroil offset smoker, however I quickly learned that it will not meet my needs as it is limited by space and heat control. The next logical step for me would be the UDS as it is the best price point. Thanks again folks!
 
Mine had diesel fuel additive in it. Closed lid. Filled with water and soap, drained, rinsed, and cut off the top.
One thing to add...make sure you cut your intake holes before your burn. Helps with airflow to get a good hot fire burning.
 
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