Have you ever tried to remove liner from a 55 gallon drum? The first time can be pretty daunting, but the process gets a lot easier after that. Removing liner from a 55 gallon drum is not rocket science, but it does take patience and a bit of know-how. Most people just give up after finding this out the first time. However, there is an easier way to remove liners than you think! This article will teach you everything you need to know about removing liners from your 55 gallon drums.
Cut the tape
Let’s start off with the easy part first. You won’t need scissors or a knife to cut the tape off your liner, a pair of wire cutters will work just fine. Open up the liner and find the section of tape that is attached to the metal pot. The pot is usually yellow, but never try to use your eyes to find it, trust your hands.
Then, start cutting the tape from the pot, not from the metal around it. If you cut the tape from the metal around the pot, you will ruin the pot. Once you have cut the tape from the pot, gently pull the pot away from the liner. You may need to use the tip of a knife to help you with this.
Remove the liner and ring
Now that you have the liner out of the way, it’s time to get to the meat of it! There are a few ways to remove the liner and ring from a drum of 55 gallons, but we will show you the easiest. If your drum is one that came with plastic liner, then you will need to find a scraper to pry the ring off. You can use a flat blade screwdriver to pry the ring off, but we don’t recommend it.
If you are using a steel drum with a liner, there is a great product called Rubber Goo that can be used to remove the liner and ring. We will go over how to use it later in this article. If your drum is one that came with a metal liner, you will need to remove the liner from the drum using a suitable tool. Scrapers can be used to gently lift the liner and ring, but be careful not to damage either the liner or the pot underneath it.
Separate the metal from the plastic
Now you are ready to start separating the metal from the pot. If you are using a plastic drum with a liner, you can use an exacto knife to start separating the metal from the pot. Start by cutting the metal around the pot in one small section. Then, cut the rest of the metal from the pot.
Next, use your exacto knife to separate the metal from the pot. Make sure to leave the pot in one piece and don’t go diving too deep into the pot. Once the liner is removed, use a flathead screwdriver to pry the pot away from the pot ring.
If you are removing a metal drum with a liner, use a small screwdriver to start separating the metal from the pot. Start in one small area and then follow the ring outward. It will come off eventually. Once the pot is separated from the metal, pry the pot ring off the drum.
Dry fit the new drum
Now that you have the liner out of the way, it’s time to dry fit the new drum. This will let you make sure that everything is sitting inside the drum correctly. Dry fitting is a great idea, even if you are not planning on re-using the drum. It will make sure that the drum is sitting right inside the tank.
Many people dry fit the new drum before removing the old one, which is a good idea too. It is a lot easier to make sure that everything is sitting right if you aren’t rushing. Make sure you have put down enough newspapers or a tarp to protect floors and tables. You don’t want to ruin floors or furniture with a drum that is slightly off.
Sand down the metal parts
Now is the time to start sanding down the pot, ring, and metal parts of the drum. You don’t need to go overboard with this, just a light coat should do it. Make sure not to get any sand in the welds on the neck where the drum connects to the pot. Do this on a table or your workbench outside. Don’t do this inside where the sand dust can get into your air conditioning or dust your electronics.
If you are removing a steel drum with a liner, you can use sandpaper to lightly sand down the pot. Make sure not to go too deep or you will ruin it. If you are removing a plastic drum with a liner, then you can spray the pot down with some degreaser and wipe it off with a paper towel. This will make it a bit easier to sand down.
Finish sanding and painting
Once you have finished sanding and painting the pot, you are ready to finish the job. Make sure that everything is dry and then apply a few coats of a high quality primer. This will make your new liner stick better and last longer. When the paint is dry, you are ready to re-install your new liner. We recommend using the same method that you used to remove the old liner, which will usually be using a drill with a screwdriver bit.
How to install your new liner
The easiest way to install your new liner is to cut the liner to length and then use a liner nailer. If you are reusing the same liner that you removed, you can use your liner nailer to install the new liner. If you aren’t comfortable using the liner nailer, you can use a hammer and nail/screwdriver combo. The liner nailer is a great tool because you can use it to install multiple types of liners, just make sure that the nail/screwdriver bit is long enough.
You can also use a drill with a long bit to help you with this. If you are reusing the same liner, you can use a hammer and nail/screwdriver combo to help you with this. Make sure that both the liner and the new liner are dry before you attempt to install it. Place the new liner on your workbench with the seams down and the liner facing up.
Sanding down the liner
To help with the sanding process, you can use a small flap Disc Sanders to abrade the liner. This will help to remove any irregularities from the liner, especially on the edges. You can also use a belt sander to lightly sand the liner for the same purpose.
Installing the liner to the pot
To help you with installing the liner to the pot, you can use a liner keyhole cutter to make a keyhole cut in the liner. This will help you to more easily fit the liner onto the pot. Then, simply feed the liner through the keyhole and gently lower it onto the pot until it seats against the rim. Make sure that the liner is completely seated and not hanging off the edge of the pot.
Tips and Warnings
If you are planning on reusing your 55 gallon drum, you can use a hacksaw to cut the liner to length and then use a hammer and nail/screwdriver to install the new liner. This will also save you the trouble of buying a new liner if you are only replacing the liner in the same 55 gallon drum. If you are removing a metal drum with a liner, you can use a screwdriver to start separating the metal from the liner.
If you are removing a plastic drum with a liner, you can use a rubber mallet to break the pot in half, remove the pot ring, and then slide the liner into place. Make sure to wear gloves and goggles when sanding down the liner and pot, as these pieces are extremely abrasive and can cause serious damage to your hands.
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