Is a 5 gallon water bottle the same as a carboy/better bottle?

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earwig

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Are the 5 gallon water bottles that are typically in offices on the water dispensers the same thing as a 5 gallon better bottle/carboy? Can one of these be used as a fermenter? I saw some filled with water without the handle for $6 at a local convenience store/gas station. Thank you.

Water_Bottle_5_Gallon_3_Gallon.jpg
waterdispenser.jpg
 
Yes they can be used.... There is a site that sells them for 10 dollars as fermeters online. I'm not sure how long they old up but they keep oders out of water so must be okay.....
 
Hey,

While I am new at this I will still give you what I have learned about this. I too asked that question of myself... Then researched on the internet and came up with the following pieces of information/opinion

(1) There is a reason that the better bottles cost what they do - you get what you pay for
(2) The better bottles are less permeable to oxygen that the water bottles which is better for beer
(3) Most posts I read (over a few days of looking at different sites) said it can work to use water bottles... but they arent recommended.

I would imagine it would WORK to use the water bottle... but most of what I came across recommended against it.

Think of it this way... if you spend $15 or so more on the right kind of bottle... Over the course of 10 batches it is 3 cents a beer more if you get the better bottle.

Hope this helps (and is reasonably correct)
 
I am also new at this and also had that question. So I read the thread stickied at the top of this forum entitled "FAQ - please read BEFORE asking a question" and the answer was in it.

Simply put, look at the bottom of the bottle for the triangle made of arrows and a number in it. If the number is 1 or 2, go for it. If the number is 7 or higher, definitely not, (these ones are suspected of leaking chemicals into water). 3-6, It might be okay, but do you want to risk your beer to find out?
 
Cool, thanks for the replies... so is a bottle with a 1 or 2 on the bottom just as good as a better bottle/carboy?

Again, I am just thinking that if it was as good as a carboy better bottle and its 1/3 the price... would carboys be out of business?

I think when I was looking the BEST that I heard anyone say of the water bottles is that "they could work" or it "wouldnt be the end of the world" or "you would probably be ok".

In the grand scheme of things and the cost of everything... Might be worth it to go with the better bottle. I think one of the big things is that even it is a good water bottle... water bottles are not as concerned about oxygen permeability as beer is. So while it may be good for water... it may *not* be good for beer.

Also, try using the search... then the "advanced search" feature (and click "search titles only") as you will find some good reading material beyond what you will get in just one thread....

Good luck!!:rockin:
 
If you scroll down to the bottom of the tread you're reading you'll also find a "similar threads" section. Most of the time you'll find other threads on the exact same subject posted by previous seekers...

-Tripod
 
I going to be using one for my secondary. I can see no scientific reason why I shouldn't. If your water jugs are recently manufactured, they're made from PET (#1) or HDPE (#2) (both versions of polyethylene). This is the same material the Better Bottle is made from (#1). After looking at the Better Bottle 5gal carboy, it almost looks as if it could have come off the same tooling as the Absopure bottle. ;)
 
I think the Better bottles are a bit better (lots of b's) due to the fact they seem like they would be a bit more resistant to being dropped. They are tough and have a little give where regular plastic water bottles seem a bit more rigid/hard and more prone to break. That beign said I use both though!
 
Hey,

Make sure it is NOT a PVC (#3) bottle. I went to Walmart and bought a water bottle, stupidly assuming it was the same stuff culligan uses for their water bottles which I used before without issue (they use #7). It imparted a nasty plastic rubber taste to my mead and I wasted about $50 worth of ingredients and my time.

#7 polycarbonate = okay

PET = okay

#3 = not okay
 
I got into this craft for a lot of reasons and cost was one of them.

That being said and after brewing for a while, I would never compromise on something that could affect the taste or shelf life of a product that I personally put forth so much effort into.

As jalgayer stated above, the price difference between the two is small.

So, do you want to take a chance?

Bull
 
I just finished with my first batch (a Bock). I used a 5 gal. clear plastic Ozarka Bottle as my secondary fermenter. It worked great! I have access to several of these and as long as they work that well I will continue using them.
 
I got into this craft for a lot of reasons and cost was one of them.

That being said and after brewing for a while, I would never compromise on something that could affect the taste or shelf life of a product that I personally put forth so much effort into.

As jalgayer stated above, the price difference between the two is small.

So, do you want to take a chance?

Bull

Better Bottles are a rip off, IMO. You're just paying for a brand. The same type of plastic used in Better Bottles (PET) is also used in the 5-gallon water jugs. Just go to your local supermarket, flip some bottles over and look for a "1" inside a triangle. That means its PET. I just bought two 5 gallon PET bottles filled with generic spring water for $6 each! There is no difference in the type of plastic and the bottles seem very durable. They have a handle on the side so it will be easier to move than a better bottle. The handles are solid, so I won't have to worry about cleaning out the hollow handles that a lot of these bottles have. It seems ridiculous to spend $30 (plus more for shipping) for a 5-gal empty PET bottle that says "Better Bottle," when you can save 4/5 of that money and get a 5-gal PET bottle that is filled with some nice spring water that you can use for your wort. Its 1/5 the price (not including the shipping costs), so saying that the price difference is small is inaccurate to me, especially considering that I got 5 gallons of spring water with each of my bottles. I only minored in chemistry, but I really don't see any important difference between the bottles.
 
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