Dear beeliners: We are trying to determine how to construct an outside tank for storage of high fructose corn syrup. Presently we store approximately 40 fifty gallon barrels in a shop, however they do take up a large amount of space and we have a somewhat sticky mess year round between the barrels. Our original plans were to place a poly tank in the shop, however, it was determined that the floor was not built to support a 2000 gallon tank filled with syrup. So this forced us to look at putting the tank outside the building. We have thought about having the pump portion inside the shop and piping coming in through a wall. I am writing to find out if anyone presently uses or knows of anyone who uses a tank which is kept outside of a building and if so what kind of precautionary measures they use to prevent such things as sugaring of the syrup in the tank or freezing of the contents during the winter. Another question we have is would it be beneficial to build a protective building or walls around the tank to help prevent freezing during the winter months. We are also curious of how the syrup is piped or pumped into feed containers for distribution. We have checked with several suppliers here in Iowa and in near by states and have been informed that we would probably have to have a double walled metal tank and circulate either hot water or steam to prevent the product from freezing. Because we are not dealing with individuals who know about storage of corn syrup, they are basing this information on either chemical storage or other feed stuff (human or livestock). Any information that would clear up any of these questions or if anyone could direct me to either a supplier or other individuals who may have diagrams showing a layout or deal with syrup tanks it would be appreciated. Sincerely, Steve J. Hanlin Entomologist - Controlled Pollination USDA; ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station State St. & Mortenson Rd. Ames, IA 50011 Phone - 515-294-1936 Fax - 515-294-1903