Creative ways to turn my bottling bucket back to a primary??

Hi Brew Crew -

I did a few searches with no relevant results.

I have two bottling buckets that I acquired but I don't do any bottling.
Can anyone help me think of a creative way to turn this back into a DEPENDABLE primary? I really want the spigot removed and the hole covered. The spigot is a cause for concern for me because it leaks sometimes and if you bump the spigot it can pop right off!

I know the arguments for/against them; I am really looking for a way to turn it back into a proper primary.

If I can't think of any ideas, I will likely just turn them into grain buckets for dry storage.

Thanks all!
MikeRoBrew

its just a bucket dude. leave it and move on.

rawlus said:

its just a bucket dude. leave it and move on.

Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHAHA....oh man I needed that.



Just rack into it pitch and put a top on it. Tightening the lil spigot would work...i dunno?

I'd just go buy a new spigot setup for a couple bucks and call it a day. All my primaries are bottling buckets with spigots, makes life easy. I hate siphons

superjunior I would be curious to know approx how many batches you would say you have fermented in a 'bottling bucket'. Thanks

i've done about 10-15 batches using a 'bottling bucket' for my primary and i've never had a problem with it. Not having to mess with siphons is great. I understand the arguments against it, but if you are just a little more careful i think its a lot more convenient.

I use a bottling bucket as a primary as well, mostly because that's what I have handy. My only problem has been beer leaking out of the actual spigot, not around it, so now I plug the spigot from the inside with a synthetic wine cork. No more leaks.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/INVERT_TUBE_BACKNUT_P179.cfm

I have spigots on all of my buckets and have had zero problems (knock on wood)...that pickup tube/nut from williams is the best invention since yeast.

What about putting a solid stopper or bung in there and caulking it from the outside so it wouldn't go in??

I make no distinctions between my bottling buckets and my fermenters, they are all buckets that hold roughly 7 gallons or glass carboys that hold 5 or 6.5 gallons. Some have spouts, some don't and I've never had a problem using any of them as a bottler or a fermenter, since I use an auto-siphon and bottling wand to bottle (I can even use my 5gallon glass carboys to bottle because I hardly secondary anymore)

dedhedjed - THANKS for the quality recommendation! Can you tell me more about what this item does or how it works please? The description says, "Food grade nylon, custom-molded to include an integral backnut. Keeps beer (and yeast sediment) out of the Transfer Valve during fermentation. Fits our Bottling Valve above, or any valve with 3/4” tapered male pipe threads." My guess is that this is like a nylon cover that fits over the male-threaded portion of the spigot that protrudes inside the bucket. Thanks again!

azingsheim - THANKS for the great sugesstion! This seems like a super simple solution. A rubber stopper might not even need to be epoxied if it were tapped in tight enough.

Just don't open the spigot????

Thanks but that is not a concern. It can get kicked or bumped out, and it is difficult to clean. It's just a personal decision for me - I just dont trust them as much as I used to.

MikeRoBrew1 said:

dedhedjed - THANKS for the quality recommendation! Can you tell me more about what this item does or how it works please? The description says, "Food grade nylon, custom-molded to include an integral backnut. Keeps beer (and yeast sediment) out of the Transfer Valve during fermentation. Fits our Bottling Valve above, or any valve with 3/4” tapered male pipe threads." My guess is that this is like a nylon cover that fits over the male-threaded portion of the spigot that protrudes inside the bucket. Thanks again!

Click to expand...

That is exactly what it does. You orient it so it is pointing down and then it will form a siphon when you connect a hose to the bottling spigot. It does a great job minimizing sediment transfer. Highly recommended.