7.9 Gallon Fermenter lid at AHS

So I was racking some brew tonight out of my new 7.9 gallon fermenter I recently got from AHS. I've been using these buckets for years and LOVE them! I decided it was time to freshen up the bucket stock after a round of wild brews and bought a new one. So the bucket in and the thing seems the same as my 2-3yr old ones, except for the lid. The lid is made out of this SUPER rigid plastic. I dropped in some beer, tossed it in the basement for a month and went to rack it tonight.

Taking off this new style lid was a painstaking endeavor. The lid attaches to the bucket so securely, it is damn near PERMANENT. I had to employ liberal use of alcohol consumption to calm my temper, a set of pliers, and an insane amount of elbow grease to release the bucket from this ****ing lids death grip.

So that's enough to make me want to bring this new lid into the back yard, string it up, and set it ablaze with a propane jesus stick. They also added in a new extra large bung style grommet that kinda has me annoyed. I dont know what the thinking was behind this thing, but there is like a 1.5" hole drilled in this lid and you have to use a bung to plug it back up to put your airlock in. I dont know what happened to the old black grommet!! Part of the allure to these buckets is the extra headspace, so I dont have to use a blow off. Using this bung effectively knocks 1/2-1" off the top of the bucket, unless I ferment the thing with one end propped up on a 2x4.

sigh... gripe over... gonna go crack into a bottle of 4yr old dry mead I discovered in my basement tonight

There is a tool that is used to help remove bucket lids. Does AHS have one?

so I have to buy a lid removal tool now? LOL... certainly wont be from AHS! Whats wrong with the old lids a 8yr old could take off?

Imagine them making new super bungs for your better bottles and glass carboys. You need to use a slide hammer to remove them. Tell me you wouldn't be irked.

Home Depot! Or almost any hardware store.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202284228/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=paint+bucket+opener&storeId=10051

still annoyed...LOL

I have three styles of buckets. One does not work with the pain-bucket opener. Rage.

I have a line of "Brewcraft" buckets that are great, though. They're the only kind I use now. Look like this:



8 gal, lid is secure yet comes off without breaking my fingers, semi-transluscent so I can see trub easily when racking. Ballerstatus.

hmm... how spendy are those... I like the looks of them!

I don't remember. They weren't more than any ol' bucket. Only thing is shipping.

Nice part about the big bung is that you can take gravity samples or even rack without removing the lid. I like my ahs bucket much more than the one I bought locally.

Well with the amount of effort required to remove the lid, I can see why they would make it possible to sample/rack without removing it.

At my job, I need to open severel plastic pails every day. The manufacturers of the pails keep coming up with new ways to secure the lids to the pail during shipping. (They are probably also covering their asses because they don't want an 8 year old to be able to open them. What you do with them after you get them is your responsibility.) I have never needed to use a special tool to remove any of those lids. I must admit, however, that if I had one, I would probably use it. Some lids are difficult to remove even for my practiced hands.

Most lids have instructions molded into the plastic. You generally need to cut several tabs or remove a strip from the edge to make it easy to remove and subsequently re-use the lid. After altering the lids they are typically much easier to put back on the pail, also. In the past you may have recieved lids that were already altered for ease of removal and re-use.

Just my $.02 worth. Your experience may be quite different.

True story: I almost threw a perfectly good batch of beer in the dumpster because of that fecking lid.

Even with cutting a couple tabs, it is still a pain in the ass. I only use it for wine/mead now where I use a loose lid anyway.