Bung adapters?

[Soundguy]

I'm goint to mess around using a 55 gallon drum on a project I'm working on. Anyone off hand know the bung sizes? is it 2" and 3/4"

Also.. are they pipe.. bolt? tapered? etc. Do they need an oring/boss type fitting to seal.. or if npt/tapered.. should seal up?

Thanks

Soundguy

 

[Egon]

Can't remember the size of the bungs but they used to have pipe threads. May need some sealant or teflon tape.

Please note; all my information is well dated!!

Egon

 

[Glenn9643]

I believe I've seen some with a 2" and a 3/4" bung, and some with two 2".
The coarser (than pipe) thread is called "butress" I believe.
See this thread.

 

[graybeard451]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm goint to mess around using a 55 gallon drum on a project I'm working on. Anyone off hand know the bung sizes? is it 2" and 3/4"

Also.. are they pipe.. bolt? tapered? etc. Do they need an oring/boss type fitting to seal.. or if npt/tapered.. should seal up?

Thanks

Soundguy )</font>

<font color="blue"> </font>

Yes, They are NPT, 3/4 and 2 inch. Yes, you should use a pipe dope rated for whatever you plan on storing in the drum. But not teflon if you are going to use for fuel because the teflon threads in the tape or teflon dope can get into the fuel pump and do damage.
RP

 

[DavidJ]

The other posters are correct about the sizes and the threading UNLESS they are plastic drums them the larger bung is still 2" but can have special threads. There is usually a 3/4" bung in the middle of the larger one and it NPT.

 

[Soundguy]

Thanks guys.

Yes.. metal cans.. I've got access to some emtal cans that had honey, molassis, and picante sauce ( food grade cans? ).. I'm rigging up a watering tank for a small trailer to tow behind my tractor. I'll make the 2" bung my 'fill / vent' adapter and then plumb the 3/4" bung out to a short section of gravity fed spray bar... maybee 1/2" pvc.. a couple/three feet long. with lotsa tiny holes drilled in it.

If I ever get this idea past 'idea' stage and into 'reality' I'll post pics.

Anyone ever try pressurizing those tanks to say 15-20 psi to help with water flow? I have a spare air tank, and campbell hausfield inline cheapyair regulator I could tap in and use a small tire pressure pump to keep a few pounds of air pressure ont he tank to help it 'evacuate'. The tractor can provide the 12v for the pump.. etc. Valving will be simple ball valve.. thought I do have a few spare sprinkler dump valves laying around if I wanted to make it 'electronic'...

Comments?

Soundguy

 

[Egon]

Perhaps think long and hard about pressuring up barrels. They have been know to blow up!

Egon

 

[rswyan]

Like Egon sez .... I'd avoid pressurizing the barrels ...... I had a 55 I was using for diesel that I would pressurize to less than 10 psi to help pump out the fuel. I recently replaced it with a larger storage tote and I got to looking at the 55 after I took it out of service - the drum top is mushroomed up pretty good .... scary.

I had a male quick-couple air fitting in the smaller bung that I would just plug my air line into (after turning down the regulator to less than 10 psi) I would always pull the air line after the pump got prime and pump it from there ..... so the pressure probably never ever got to 5 or 10 psi even. I also would cap the male quick coupler with a plastic vacuum cap - the amount of pressure that would build in the drum from just sitting without blowing off the vacuum cap was amazing.

On the water tanks aspect, I just buiilt a watering rig using two 55's laid on their sides and strapped to small pallet I can pick up with the FEL and pallet forks. It is for spot watering and uses a hose, not a spray bar. To speed up the flow I plumbed the two drums together using plastic fittings and 1 1/4 straight radiator hose from the local NAPA. From the tee I ran a twenty-five foot 1 1/4 flexible plastic sump pump line (cheap - less than $7) and installed a plastic shutoff valve in the end.

 

[Soundguy]

Wow.. I figured those drums would take at least a few psi.. Maybee I'll expirement with say.. 3-4 psi.. just enough to speed up air replenishment in the vent side. The little cheapy ch air regulator is just an orifice valve.. it will regulat from 0 and up. At low pressure like that.. i can't imagine any catastrophic failures.. but I'll look it over good before I test it out anyway.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Soundguy

 

[Egon]

If you do use pressur make sure and have a large PSV. The barrels usually blow up when outlet gets blocked or restricted in some fashion.

Any major employer will have presurizing barrels as a no no.

Egon

 

[have_blue]

Because of the great size of barrels and their flat ends, they won't hold much pressure. I would say anything over 3 or 4 pounds would bulge it. Having said that, it only takes a pound of pressure to really shoot liquid from a barrel. In fact, I use a 55 gal. plastic drum with "air over diesel" to fuel my tractor. I can fill my 13 gal. tractor tank from a 1" hose and 1-2 pounds of air in about 2 minutes... and that's going up hill a little. If you could find a finely graduated air gage, say graduated in .1 PSI, you could control the pressure and be safe. If a barrel blew with less than say 3-4 psi, it would just make a swooshing sound, not a bang.

 

[slowzuki]

Well, a barrel full of water is 1.5 psi or so at the bottom. Setting it down firmly on gravel would probably double that for a moment. I wouldn't be surprised if 5 or 10 psi popped a seam.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The barrels usually blow up when outlet gets blocked or restricted in some fashion.

Any major employer will have presurizing barrels as a no no.
)</font>

I'm only talking a few psi.. probably less psi difference than a closed tank on a hot day figuring hot air expansion.

I'm not talking about rigging it up to a high pressure system. and blowing 315 psi thru it... just enough to give some positive ventilation to the tank while it evacuates.

I also think I'll run it with the 2" bung as the outlet.. and the 3/4 as the vent / fill.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 1" hose and 1-2 pounds of air in about 2 minutes... and that's going up hill a little. If you could find a finely graduated air gage, say graduated in .1 PSI, you could control the pressure and be safe. If a barrel blew with less than say 3-4 psi, it would just make a swooshing sound, not a bang. )</font>

I've got an air regulator and 5 psi gauge.. shouldn't be any problem to regulate at 2 psi.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[djg]

Soundguy, at work we have a pump that screws into a 55 gal drum bung and pressurizes the drum with air pressure. I believe it is limited to 3-4 psi (the gauge is busted, but it is a 5psi gauge). It pumps pretty good. Bought at McMaster Carr. It never hurt a steel drum, but it will bulge the top and bottom of a plastic drum.