Which lids don't crack?

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by monkeyananda, Jun 2, 2016.


  1. monkeyananda

    monkeyananda Troop leader

    Hi everyone,
    My first question, when googled, brought me to this great site, so I joined.
    Now, we all seem to know that the Gamma lids crack, or arrive cracked. Which tells me, not to rely on them.
    I like the lids that come with the Food Safe 5 gallon pail, but after a few times on and off, they start failing.
    So, has anyone found a WELL MADE gamma lid or something like that, which will last and serve its purpose?
    Mylar bags are a given, but do you seal those mylar bags with a heat sealer?
    This is of course, for long term storage.
    Lastly, for those of us, who may have a varmint problem, plastic won't stop them from getting in.
    I just take the 5 gallon containers, and put them inside a galvanised garbage can with a lockable lid. Not the smallest footprint, thats the negative aspect to this plan.
    There has to be hundreds of types of containers that will keep out just about anything.
     
  2. UncleMorgan

    UncleMorgan I like peeling bananas and (occasionally) people.

    My storage system is based on Christmas Cans. Those large lidded tins that popcorn comes in--and cookies, and all kinds of other stuff, all year around. They're usually about 12" tall and are about the same in diameter, but similar tins come in all shapes and sizes, and even the smaller ones are worth having on hand.

    I buy the cans empty from yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores for anywhere from 10 to 50 cents each.

    They are 100% bug and rodent proof, easy to open and re-close, last forever, and can be made essentially airtight with a single wrap of Scotch tape at the lid seam.

    We have a Charlie Chips can that we've used as a kitchen flour bin for more than 35 years.

    I build shelves just tall enough for them to fit, and then increase the storage density on the shelves by stacking cans in the triangular dead spaces behind/between them. That loads the shelves almost as tight as solid packed cardboard cases.

    To get them out of my shelves (which run ceiling high) I tie a piece of macrame cord around each can, with a foot or so of cord dangling. It makes a perfect handle: Just grab and pull, and even the heaviest cans come right to me.

    Why pay $23.90 for one 5-gallon gamma bucket (Amazon, w/ FREE SHIPPING!), when you can put the same five gallons in steel for as little a buck?
     
  3. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    We do the same thing here but on a much smaller scale. We use the tins for pasta, flour, sugar, ect. Never thought of the rope trick, just have a step ladder.
     
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  4. monkeyananda

    monkeyananda Troop leader

    Thanks for sharing, thats a great idea.
    They are all over the place, and cheap to buy. I like your way of thinking!
    I can't believe you brought up charles chips!
    I have not thought of them for quite some time.

    Thanks for sharing, good ideas are contagious! For our house, the key would be not to keep any food storage in the basement , just in case of water, unless the containersbare watertight
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 3, 2016
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  5. UncleMorgan

    UncleMorgan I like peeling bananas and (occasionally) people.

    A goodly while back I posted a message about making shelving cheap and easy. I don't have a clue how to search it out, but it's a slick way to make strong shelves that are perfect for storing cans--as well as anything else. Only three materials required: 1/2" plywood, 1X2 furring strips, and drywall screws. (And it's quick, too!)

    If anyone can find that posting, a link to it from here might be useful.
     
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  6. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

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  7. monkeyananda

    monkeyananda Troop leader

    Thanks Uncle Morgan and Kellory!
     
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  8. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    My pleasure, ma'am
     
  9. natshare

    natshare Monkey+++

    Typically (if I understand correctly), Gamma lids usually only fail/crack, if the buckets are stacked on top of each other. Which only makes sense, since the original style lids are solid all the way across (unless they have a pour spout, like 5-gallon paint buckets), while Gamma lids depend on a screw on/off piece, with a gasket.

    If you're not stacking them one on top of the other, will you still experience this cracking? Perhaps....but I bet it's a lot less often!

    Thus the good idea would be to either store them on shelves you build or buy (already discussed), or just cut a piece of plywood a bit wider than the top of the buckets, line up the bottom row, put the plywood across, stack on top of that for the 2nd row, etc. That way, it's distributing the weight to the top of the Gamma lid (the rim), versus the center area.

    Savvy? (said with my best Johnny Depp playing Captain Jack Sparrow impersonation, of course!)
     
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