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Grand Rapids, MI · est. 2007
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Built in-house

When a tote can't be refilled, we give it a new job.

Tanks too damaged for re-fill go to our fabrication corner. They come out as planters, rain catchers, mash tuns — and ship anywhere the freight makes sense.

Start the conversation

Same form, every page. Tell us once — we route it to whoever's closest to your tote.

01Who you are
02Where you are
03What you need
⟁ Replies within one business day · no phone calls
Best seller

Rain Catcher 275

Top-cut tote with screened inlet, brass spigot, overflow port. Fits under standard residential downspout in under 10 minutes.

Garden

Raised Growing Bed

Tote sliced lengthwise into two waist-high beds. Drainage holes drilled, cage cleaned and re-painted.

Brew

Mash Tun Build

Insulated 330 with sparge fitting, internal false bottom, removable lid. 1.5 BBL working volume.

Aquaponic

Hydroponic Sump

Tote with two siphon ports, pump pad, optional UV pre-treat. Designed for media-bed loops.

Site work

Construction Water Caddy

Used tote on heavy-duty pallet with 12V pump, 25 ft hose, dust-suppression nozzle.

Wellness

Hot-Tub Base

Tote shell repurposed as soaking tank base. Wood-clad finishing optional. Ships flat, builds in a weekend.

Got a stranger idea?

If you can sketch it, we can probably weld it.

Past requests: tournament BMX water jumps, aquarium sumps, emergency-shelter water reserves, chicken-coop integrated feeders, kombucha continuous-brew rigs.

Custom build

See the custom-build service →

How a sketch becomes a quote becomes a delivery.

Get a quote →
The fab corner economics

Why repurposing makes sense for tanks we can't refill.

Not every tank that comes in qualifies for resale or reconditioning. Repurposing is what we do with the ones that don't.

Where the input comes from. Roughly 8% of inbound tanks have bottle damage we can't safely undo — through-cracks, deep stress whitening, valve seat damage that breaks the seal. These tanks can't go back into liquid service. They used to go to the recycler. Now they go to fab.

What we make. Rain catchers are about 35% of the output. Raised growing beds are 18%. Mash tuns and brewery accessories are 11%. The remainder is a long tail of custom — site water caddies, hydroponic sumps, hot-tub bases, BMX water jumps, compost-tea brewers, chicken coop water towers.

Why the prices work. A new rain barrel from a garden center is $80–$140 for 50 gallons. A repurposed 275-gallon IBC rain catcher from us is $145–$185 for 275 gallons. The per-gallon math is dramatically better, and the input cost (a tank we'd otherwise scrap) is nominal.

Lead times. Standard builds (rain catcher, raised bed) ship in 5-10 business days from order. Custom builds are 2-3 weeks because we need to scope, quote, and schedule fab time around our retail line.

Key takeaways

If you only read one section.

  1. 01Repurposing rescues tanks that failed reconditioning and would otherwise be scrap.
  2. 02Standard builds: rain catcher, raised bed, mash tun. Ships in 5-10 days.
  3. 03Custom builds: bring us a sketch. Quote in 3 days, build in 2 weeks.
  4. 04Per-gallon math beats new garden-center rain barrels by roughly 4x.
  5. 05Most builds expose the cage and original tag — the honest industrial aesthetic is a feature, not a flaw.
Common questions

Repurposing questions.

Are repurposed builds food-safe?
Depends on the build. Rain catchers and growing beds aren't food-contact. Mash tuns and continuous-brew rigs are built from Grade A reconditioned tanks with chain-of-custody documentation. We mark food-contact builds clearly.
Can you ship a repurposed build?
Yes — most builds ship LTL on a pallet. Larger builds (multi-tote setups) ship in pieces and assemble onsite. We include assembly instructions.
Can I bring my own tote for repurposing?
Yes — bring it to the yard with your sketch. Pricing is labor only ($45/hour shop time) when you supply the tote. We can also pull a tank from our scrap stock if you'd rather.
What's the weirdest thing you've built?
A BMX track water-jump landing pool from six totes welded into a single basin, with custom drainage and shoreline reinforcement. Shipped in pieces, assembled onsite over a weekend.