How not To Clean a 6.5 gal Carboy

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budbo

Beer is good
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Do not while rinsing it out with the hose, pick it up by the handle then grab the bottom with slippery hands to tip it, unless you are holding it high enough so that when the hand slips off, the bottom doesn't hit the edge of the porch.

If this does happen, Absolutely under no cicumstances just wrap your bloody hand in a paper towel and attempt to pick up the yeast soaked shards of glass before rinsing them, putting on gloves, and (optional) going to the hospital.

This is a public service announcement brought to you by the Idiot with 6 stiches in his hand, and a finger lacerated almost to the bone. :eek:
 
Awe damn man, sorry to hear about that. I've been saying for years not to use those carboy handles. If you can't pick up a glass carboy bare handed then maybe you shouldn't pick it up at all.


Hope your recovery is quick and relatively painless...



Thanks for posting this. It may help someone.

:mug:
 
Thank you for this valuable advice. Is that your neighbor you're talking about? It was nice of you to type this up for him, since his hand must be in a huge bandage.
 
Umm no I am a gamer I type one handed almost as well as with two. :p
The bandage isn't that big actually, just gauze wrapped around a couple fingers and the thumb and tape around the palm to hold it on.
 
Budbo,

Sorry to here about your misfortune. I guess having a cut hand is better than a foot.

When you get around to replacing the carboy you might consider a "Better Bottle"

http://www.better-bottle.com/index4.html

You may recall there was several postings on this awhile back.

If your set on using glass, an alternative to the handle is a nylon sling. I saw some on the forum's recommended websites.

I take it that hand won't be dunked in any Iodofor or Starsan. Ouch :eek:
 
Wow that's not the first time I've read a post like that. I have got to get the carboy jackets for my carboys, cuz I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it happens to me too.
 
Budbo,

I forgot about this, I regularly transport my carboy in a milk crate. It fits pretty good and has solid handles.

Somebody else also stated they use a hand truck.

We could probably start a new thread on how we all carry carboys... doing so in your honor :)
 
This is exactly why I won't use glass carboys. I am a klutz and I KNOW that I will drop every piece of brewing equipment that I have at least twice. I've heard crazy horror stories, and seen terrible pictures of what happens when people drop carboys even as short as 1/2".

I moved straight from plastic "Ale Pail" buckets to those PET Better Bottles (some of you may recall that I asked about them a couple weeks ago). I just made a mead in one last weekend, and wil be racking an ESB into another this weekend. What's neat about them is that when I drop them, even it they are full. All they do is bounce. If I dropped them from chest height though, I think that they would break my floor, and possibly shoot the stopped across the room. From what I can tell though, they are pretty much indestructible.

I'm not sure about their abilites to work for long aging (they say that they have a negligable oxygen permiability), but as I said, I have a mead in one, so I'll let you know in January.

Now if only I could find a plastic hydrometer. I haven't managed to break mine yet, but I might as well plan on it.
 
I hope you didn't sever any nerves. I once put a beer bottle down too hard on a metal grille (don't ask), and it shattered in my hand. One sliver found its way into the fleshy part in the crook between the thumb and the hand. I was dripping blood the rest of that day.

Whenever I touch the tiny scar tissue or try to stretch my thumb, I am rewarded by a sort of tingly feeling like the digit has gone to sleep. Apparently (in the lucid glow of post-party sobriety) I'm lucky to still have the use of that thumb...
 
Very sage advice. This is one reason I am also converting to BetterBottles. I do have some concerns about longer term aging though (for meads in particular.)

For those not in-the-know, where can you get milk crates? I have asked around and just get vacant stares from store owners. >:-(
 
BrewStef said:
For those not in-the-know, where can you get milk crates? I have asked around and just get vacant stares from store owners. >:-(
Walmart and Dollar General stores.:D

They don't have to be the superheavy duty ones either (but they are better), just don't lift them from the top handle if you get the cheaper/lighter ones. I had one break.
 
BrewStef said:
Very sage advice. This is one reason I am also converting to BetterBottles. I do have some concerns about longer term aging though (for meads in particular.)

For those not in-the-know, where can you get milk crates? I have asked around and just get vacant stares from store owners. >:-(
The Northern Brewer catalog specifically mentions Better Bottles in it's section on what mead equipment somebody needs.

You can always pick up milk crates behind the grocery store :)

Careful not to get caught though.
 
When I worked as a custom framer (Artwork, not house frames) we had cloth gloves with little rubber nubs all over them that we used to handle large sheets of glass. I wonder how they would work when dealing with wet carboys? I couldn't find them online, but I'm sure you could get them at glass suppliers.

I use Better Bottles but just got a couple 5 gallons glass carboys that were thrown in with a Corny keg and tank. Now I'm afraid to use them!
 
In my 20 years of brewing I have broken only one carboy.

Broken is a loose term as the built up gasses did the actual breaking, I was asleep at the time.

BTW, want to know how much 5 gallons of beer is ?

About 250 square feet I would say.

The bottom of the carboy blew out cleanly about 1 inch off the bottom and the beer simply flowed out in all directions covering the kitchen and dining room floors.

Sure glad it was a rental....

On the other hand ( pardon the pun) there is a reason why, in a world where everyone else owns a skill saw, I own an "un-skill" saw. According to SWMBO anyway.

The worst part was feeling the blade decelerate on the bones in my finger.

Kind of a buzzing then the slow roll to a stop.

Only 14 stitches too.

Cheers,

knewshound
 
knewshound said:
The worst part was feeling the blade decelerate on the bones in my finger.

Kind of a buzzing then the slow roll to a stop.

Only 14 stitches too.

You're lucky. I have a friend who we now call "Nubs".
 
TWolf10 said:
When I worked as a custom framer (Artwork, not house frames) we had cloth gloves with little rubber nubs all over them that we used to handle large sheets of glass. I wonder how they would work when dealing with wet carboys? I couldn't find them online, but I'm sure you could get them at glass suppliers.

I use Better Bottles but just got a couple 5 gallons glass carboys that were thrown in with a Corny keg and tank. Now I'm afraid to use them!

TWolf10,

I work as an engineer at a window company. I commmonly spec out glass handling gloves.

http://www.glovespecialties.com/index.html?SessionID=5289c43f7f48e7f2b4315c01adad6367&ScreenID=54

These are what we use to handle all forms of glass. Especially wet glass out of a washer. They are totally cut resistant.

These are wholesale, if you are serious about using gloves look online or shop for any kevlar knitted glove. Its better to get a rubber coating for grip.
 
FYI...I was at O'reilly auto parts last night, and they have the rubber coated gloves for $4 a pair. Picked up a pair and will see how they grip glass when wet and let everyone know.
 
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