Plastic bucket from Austin ?

I purchased plastic Fermenter 6.5 gallon from Austin with Lid. The lid does not screw on, or snap on. Is this normal? Will I be able to use if it doesn't screw on or snap on? I don't see any threads to screw on.

A dumb question I now. Just a little confused.

Anyone with same situation?

Thanks,

Mike

Send a pick of the bucket. Is it a Ale Pail or a TrueBrew Bucket? Is the lid blue? If it is any of those, then it shouid snap on. Some of em are just really tight and need a lot of pressure.

Hope it attaches.

I have 2 of those exact ones and mine snap on. You have to apply some pressure to it. The lids can also be a pain to get off at times.

I will try and snap it on.

I tried and don't see how it snaps. Put all my body weight with negative results.

Are you pushing in the middle or around the edges? You gotta push pretty hard all around the edges to get it to go on.

Pushing on edges. Pushed all weight on edge. Don't really see how it will snap. I will keep trying.

IMO, their new lids are a pain in the butt. Once you do get it on, good luck getting it back off.....

I've heard some folks take out the seal thing to make it snap on/off a little easier.

You can also try cutting up where a couple of the notches are on the lid.

If it doesn't snap, will that mess up fermentation? I usually use glass carboy, but plastic bucket will fit in my mini fridge. I then can use my temperature controller.

mjc8870 said:

If it doesn't snap, will that mess up fermentation? I usually use glass carboy, but plastic bucket will fit in my mini fridge. I then can use my temperature controller.

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Probably not. But you may not get any airlock activity because CO2 may be escaping through the side of the lid.

If you have fruit flies, I would be concerned as those buggars can climb into some tight spots, but otherwise it shouldn't be a problem.

Some people ferment with just a cloth towel over their fermenter.

I had the same issue with their buckets. You just have to put enough force and it will snap shut. Then you have to fight like hell to get it off. They loosen a little over time.

it does need to be on airtight. Any air getting into the fermentor is a risk of airborne bacteria and wild yeasts.

I use a rubber mallet to seal all my buckets. I have the same problem with Ale Pails.
Taking off the lid isn't easy either, I have to pry off a small section, rotate the pail, and pry off the next, rotate, etc. Not a big deal since I don't open/close the lids that often.

Those Austin lids look different, as if there is a rubber gasket/sealer.

I have an AHS bucket and lid that do not fit very well so I just went to Walmart's paint dept and bought a white food grade 5 gallon bucket lid for $1.03 and it fits just fine.

If your having problems getting bucket lids off, invest in a bucket wrench. One of the best things I ever did. Most are a PITA to get off.

"I have an AHS bucket and lid that do not fit very well so I just went to Walmart's paint dept and bought a white food grade 5 gallon bucket lid for $1.03 and it fits just fine."

Bingo

Those special lids can be a PITA. I get my 7 gal buckets from US Plastics and use the lids from Wal Mart. Much less expensive.

It doesn't have to be air tight...but having it so makes watching the air lock more fun.

When I first started out I only had a fermenting bucket and a botteling bucket, I wanted to make 2 batches at a time but didn't want to spend $ on more equipment at the time. So I fermented the second batch with tin foil over the top and used a large rubber band to keep it in place, your fermenters do not need to be airtight if the area your using is relatively clean and inside your house. Look into open fermentation if your not familar with it.

We have these bucket custom made and this new round is a much tighter fit. I will look into the issue. It helps to attach the lid with a mallet the first time around. It gets easier but I need to fix the problem. Thanks for the heads up.

Forrest

mjc8870 said:

I tried and don't see how it snaps. Put all my body weight with negative results.

Click to expand...

Looks to me like you have the lid upside down.

mjc8870 said:

I purchased plastic Fermenter 6.5 gallon from Austin with Lid. The lid does not screw on, or snap on. Is this normal? Will I be able to use if it doesn't screw on or snap on? I don't see any threads to screw on.

A dumb question I now. Just a little confused.

Anyone with same situation?

Thanks,

Mike

Click to expand...

Mike you may have the wrong lid. I have several of these buckets that all are about the same size but take slightly different lids. Guess what, sometimes I get the lids mixed up and have to measure the lid and bucket diameter to get them sorted out.

That was so i could demonstrate inside seal.

I think your right about wrong lid.

mjc8870 said:

I tried and don't see how it snaps. Put all my body weight with negative results.

Click to expand...

Uh... I assume you know this, but in the picture you posted the lid is upside down...

The lids upside down problem solved

mjc8870 said:

Hope it attaches.

Click to expand...

couldnt copy your pic.


I made a few vertical cuts where the indents are on the lid. Might have been every other one. Helps to get the lid on and off