Suggestions for how to empty and remove/dispose of 55 gallon drums. (Craig: rental, mattress)

[bluescreen73]

So here's the situation. My mother-in-law died unexpectedly a few months ago. We've gotten her estate to the point where we want to put her house on the market, but there's one more obstacle we need to take care of. She has 8-10 55 gallon metal drums that she was using for passive solar in an attached sunroom. We're 99% sure they're filled with water, and they've been in the house for the better part of 25-30 years.

I was thinking about renting a 2" trash pump to drain the barrels figuring that would cover the possibility of rust or any particulates in the barrels going through the pump.

Does this sound feasible or is there a better solution? I could buy a hand pump pretty cheap, but at 12oz per revolution my arm would fall off hand cranking all those barrels dry.

[Therblig]

Put a body in each. The police will come take it away, pretty much free of charge.

It's possible they are filled with something other than water — I forget the technical aspects of solar walls, but in between plain water and solid eutectic salts were quite a few solutions that had better thermal properties than the plain stuff. Mostly fairly benign/nontoxic but there might be issues running the stuff down a drain, or even onto a lawn.

A pump would do the job fast and make the rental worthwhile, IMHO. If you want to cut into the barrels, a submersible sump pump might be something you could borrow from a basement for a few hours.

Getting rid of the barrels might be problematic, as they are often automatically considered hazardous waste and thus subject to special handling and costs. (I had a friend who ran a wrecking yard for years, and watched gas tanks go from steel scrap at $X a ton to special-handling waste that cost $XX a ton to get rid of...)

Nasty situation, even if all for good and benign intentions. Good luck.

[COcheesehead]

1-800-gotjunk

Used them to haul away hundreds of pallets one time. Never so happy to pay someone.

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

1-800-gotjunk

Used them to haul away hundreds of pallets one time. Never so happy to pay someone.

I shudder to think at the cost of hauling very large, empty items. They work, in part, by their disposal costs per truckload, and most people share that cost. This would probably fill a truck.

[Sydney123]

Put an ad in the paper or online for “free” 55 gallon drums. Someone will take them... for free.

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by Sydney123

Put an ad in the paper or online for “free” 55 gallon drums. Someone will take them... for free.

Better yet... BOTTLED WATER (LARGE ECONOMY SIZE) - FREE!

And you could throw in a pack of TP with each.

[Sydney123]

Originally Posted by Therblig

Better yet... BOTTLED WATER (LARGE ECONOMY SIZE) - FREE!

And you could throw in a pack of TP with each.

I am serious... people will take absolute junk... if it’s free.
One man’s trash and all....

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by Sydney123

I am serious... people will take absolute junk... if it’s free.
One man’s trash and all....

I'm not even sure it's that, just... hoarding mentality. I never put anything on CL etc. for free, but put some token cost on it: a stack of good used moving boxes, $5. Screened it down to two serious responders and when the college student who claimed them tried to pay, I told him to get a burger instead, as he'd need it. I didn't want the token money; I wanted not to open the door to some slobbering Marty Feldman rubbing his hands and cackling over his new treasure.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Therblig

I'm not even sure it's that, just... hoarding mentality. I never put anything on CL etc. for free, but put some token cost on it: a stack of good used moving boxes, $5. Screened it down to two serious responders and when the college student who claimed them tried to pay, I told him to get a burger instead, as he'd need it. I didn't want the token money; I wanted not to open the door to some slobbering Marty Feldman rubbing his hands and cackling over his new treasure.

You have described the classic "free stuff" character. I used to put stuff on a site called "freecycle" and at least half of the johnny jump-ups who quickly replied how they wanted it never communicated again or never came by the house. Craigslist is a bit better. I once sold a mattress on CL for $100 and when the woman and her ten year old son showed up with a rental truck it was obvious she was running from a bad marriage, so I gave her the mattress. I'll never do another yard sale. Never. Put out a pristine $30 hardback book for a buck and they want to offer me 25-cents. Good grief.

Back to the barrels, I was thinking a simple siphon could work if there's a few feet of elevation involved. Insert a hose in the top bung opening and let it flow downhill via gravity, no pump to rent. Once 90% empty these barrels can easily be rolled on their rims. Back in Baltimore 50 years ago I knew guy who could roll two full one at a time...

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by Therblig

I shudder to think at the cost of hauling very large, empty items. They work, in part, by their disposal costs per truckload, and most people share that cost. This would probably fill a truck.

I paid $900 for the removal of my hundreds of pallets. As I said up thread when I looked at what my effort would have been, plus renting a truck. I was happy to do so.