Reconditioned IBC Totes

What it looks like

Expect scuffs on the bottle, a few marks on the cage and a clean valve. Inside, the bottle should be free of film and stain after washing, though the plastic may hold a slight tint from past contents.

The plate shows the retest date from when it was certified, which sets when it is next due.

How a tote gets this grade

The tote is emptied, washed and inspected, and the bottle and cage are tested and certified. Reconditioning is a process on a known tote, so it needs a known last contents; a tote with no traceable history is not a candidate for it.

Unlike a rinse, reconditioning includes a test. That is the difference you are paying for.

The jobs it suits and the ones it never does

Suits

Rain catchment, with a screen on every opening.
Irrigation, fertigation mixing and spray water.
Wash-down and shop water.
Chemical refill, with a current retest date and a compatible past.

Never

Drinking water, unless the history is food-grade and documented.
Storing a product that reacts with traces of the old one.
Fuel in a plastic bottle.

What to check before you say yes

The last contents, written down.
The retest date on the plate.
A clean smell and no film inside.
A valve that seals.

In South Florida

This is the grade a grower can ask for when the use is irrigation or fertigation. It is clean enough that a fertilizer mix is not a worry, and a farm can use it for washing equipment as well.

For households, it is the rain barrel grade: UF/IFAS says stored rainwater is not for drinking, so the bottle does not have to be food grade, only clean and screened.

Mistakes we see

Buying reconditioned for drinking water without asking the history.
Skipping the screen on the fill cap.
Assuming a clean bottle has a current retest.
Mixing incompatible products in a tote that was cleaned for one.

Reading the paperwork and the plate

Pay attention to how the seller describes the washing. A reconditioned tote should come with a plain statement of what the last contents were and how the bottle was cleaned. Vague words such as spotless or like new tell you nothing; a named product and a named method do.

Smell is the quickest test you have. Take the cap off in the open air and breathe in once from a distance. A faint plastic smell is normal. Anything sweet, sharp, soapy or sour means the bottle still carries its last contents, and a rain tote that smells like a cleaner will smell like it for months in the Florida heat.

Next to its neighbors

The grades on either side of this one.
Grade	Bottle	Where it usually goes
Rebottled	New bottle, used cage	Drinking water
Reconditioned	Used bottle, used cage	Rain, irrigation, refills
Rinsed	Original bottle, flushed	Irrigation, wash-down

Questions people ask

How is reconditioned different from a rinse on the plate?

A reconditioned tote shows fresh test and inspection marks. A rinsed tote keeps the marks it had, which may be out of date.

Can I ask what the tote held before?

Yes, and you should. The seller should give the last contents; if nobody knows them, treat the tote as unknown.

Reconditioned versus rinsed?

Reconditioned is washed and tested. Rinsed is flushed only, with no pressure test.

Is reconditioned safe for drinking water?

Only if its last contents were food-grade and documented. When in doubt, choose rebottled or new.

How do you know what it held?

From the label and the SDS the seller provides. If nobody knows, grade it down.

Does reconditioned include a new valve?

Not always. The valve has to close and seal; ask whether it was replaced.

What does certified mean here?

The tote was inspected and tested to the retest rules and the plate marks show it.

Need totes?

Count, size, grade and where. Say the last contents.

Ask for totes

Keep reading

Next stops

The eight grades