Plastic Primary Question

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cd2448

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I got a basic starter kit and this included a plastic primary. Is this potentially a problem if I leave the beer in here too long after it has finished fermentation? In the sticky thread, it seems there is no major diff (getting the beer off the trub notwithstanding). But I'm wondering if having the beer in this plastic container too long after fermentation was part of the cause of the oxidation that badly affected my first batch. The batch had reached the started FG, but was still bubbling too much to consider that fermentation was completely over.

Any thoughts would be well appreciated!

PS: The beer was only 7 days in primary, before a somewhat noisy move to a glass carboy (the likely real source of the oxidation) - maybe I'm over-analyzing here.
 
Plastic buckets are slightly oxygen permiable but it's only an issue if you let it sit for months. I suspect you're right in that oxidation was caused by a splashy transfer to secondary. Grab an autosiphon and make sure you have enough 5/16" tubing to reach all the way to the bottom of your secondary so there's no drop. You want the outlet to get under the beer as soon as there's enough to cover the outlet of the hose. You need to take same care with every transfer including secondary to bottling bucket and bucket to bottles.
 
Plastic buckets will not cause any problems for the time period you are talking about. You more than likely splashed it around too much prior to bottling.
 
Many depositions that I read until today speak that the glass is better of the the plastic, since I made the first beer always used the plastic and I never had problems. Obviously that the quality of the plastic can interfere, I use a bucket with very resistant material as those for milk (http://www.unipac.com.br/produtos2.asp?id=9) . Those buckets are appropriate and therefore they should resist, I already left 4 weeks and it continued great.
 
Thanks guys - I'm pretty sure the splashy move to secondary was at fault - my problem was a new hose that I couldn't direct well enough to keep it down into the carboy. I'll have a solution next time. The ironic thing is, I only did the transfer to practise the process, I might as well have left it longer in primary then moved to bottling bucket and then bottles. Might have avoided the issue.

If I leave stuff in plastic primary for two weeks, that is still ok?
 
:mug: There are quite a few leaving in primary for 2 to 3 weeks and skipping secondaries altogether with no problems. just one less step.:mug:
 
Willy Boner said:
:mug: There are quite a few leaving in primary for 2 to 3 weeks and skipping secondaries altogether with no problems. just one less step.:mug:

Will this help to clear the beer like a secondary would? I'd prefer to do this so as not to disturb it in the move between fermenters.
 
:mug: I think it would depend on what you are brewing,and if clarity is an issue. It will clear more sooner or later. I have only left mine in primary 14 and 20 days on 2 different occasions so far no problems but I have done a stout and a pale ale. I have not ever put it in a secondary for more than a day or two. I believe if you left it in primary for three weeks and put it either in a fridge for a day to crash cool, you would have a more clear brew. With what I brew, clarity is not much of an issue.:mug:
 
cd2448 said:
If I leave stuff in plastic primary for two weeks, that is still ok?


I leave all of my beers in a plastic primary for two to three week with no issues. You should be good.
 
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