How long do you use a plastic bucket for?

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calimainer

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I recently bought some secondhand fermentation buckets that were made in 1996! I didn't realize this until the transaction was finished, but is this an issue? They are a bit dusty, but they don't seem to have any scratches or cracks? A bit of yellowing though.
How long is it safe to keep using a bucket?
 
No way I'd use them for fermenting. It's not worth the chance of something infecting or contaminating the contents..
 
hard to tell. i've had a couple of my current 1's for years, but have taken really good care of them. 1996? i'd bleach them really good, then again, then rinse a few times, then sanitize with star san or iodophor, then use
 
there are people here that have been using the same buckets for decades. all of my buckets/better bottles are scratched but i practice good sanitation and have never had an infection yet, besides the intentional sours i make. all of my beer, sour or not, is made with the same gear but i practice good sanitation.
 
+1 to lumpher's post. Visually inspect, take a flashlight and look for scratches. If well taken care of, should be fine. If you don't feel comfortable using them, trust your gut.
 
thanks for the response guys. lgilmore and eastoak: I'm looking at the buckets now and I see some worn marks, where a brush was used to aggressively, but no deep scratches. Is that good enough?
 
make sure before you use that you've treated the bucket heavily. I would do a bleach full soak at least a couple days. Rinse, dry and treat with another sanditizer one more time.
 
calimainer said:
thanks for the response guys. lgilmore and eastoak: I'm looking at the buckets now and I see some worn marks, where a brush was used to aggressively, but no deep scratches. Is that good enough?
Click to expand...

if the scratches look like they were made with a knife, deep enough to catch your nail and hold it, i might worry. other than that your sanitizer will be able to handle the bugs easily. like someone pointed out; they are yeast and bacteria, not evil spirits.
 

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