How many uses can you get out of PET bottle caps?

I have been brewing for about 5 batches now and my caps are all still holding pressure, but I was just wondering if there was a specified amount of times you can use caps before you should replace them?

also on the subject of glass bottles when they do explode is it very loud? I would love to switch to glass but I live in a unit with a few elderly people in the units next to me and I really don't wont to have loud explosions going off in the middle of the night or while I am at work or any time for that matter.

cheers

Before I was kegging, I did a lot of bottling in PET. I had some caps I'd re-used 5 times. The only thing I was worried about was contamination, but it never happened.

aussie114 said:

I have been brewing for about 5 batches now and my caps are all still holding pressure, but I was just wondering if there was a specified amount of times you can use caps before you should replace them?

also on the subject of glass bottles when they do explode is it very loud? I would love to switch to glass but I live in a unit with a few elderly people in the units next to me and I really don't wont to have loud explosions going off in the middle of the night or while I am at work or any time for that matter.

cheers

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I've never re-used mine, but it's kind of expensive at $5 a batch. I think I'll sanitize this latest batch and reuse them. I only use mine for sodas. I use glass for beer. I have no idea how loud an explosion they make (and hope to never find out!) This really shouldn't be a problem if you are making sure you reach target FG before bottling and use 4-5 oz priming (or equivalent) and are using standard 12 oz bottles. I've also used 22 oz bottles for beer. Although I have several dozen grolsch style swing tops, growlers and the like, I have only used them for mead or dry wine.

and unless you really screw up don't worry about the bombs they can happen just as easily in plastic as in glass and are probably louder in plastic mandown

Plastic will still hold about twice as much pressure as glass. I forget where i found that info... Gotta go surf.

I've used mine 5 or 6 times maybe? I am starting to notice that certain ones are a bit low on the carbonation side (and they shouldn't be), but with my growing glass collection the PET bottles have now been dedicated to cider for the girl friend. She likes the cider less carbonated anyways so I think I'm just gunna keep using the same caps.

I've also never had a bottle bomb so I wouldn't know how loud they are but unless you add way too much priming sugar, it shouldn't really be an issue.

I had a PET bottle bomb this winter with a bottle of cider that I'd back sweetened in a keg, bottled from the keg, then put in the closet instead of the fridge... It sounded like a 9mm going off in the hallway and I couldn't figured out what had happened until I ran though the apple juice on the floor.. The bottle shot through the drywall in the ceiling, and that's where it stayed I'll try to post a pic if I get around to it !!

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/AdvancedBottleConditioning.pdf
According to their chart, PET is ~3x 12 oz bottle.

I've got some PET bottles and caps left over from my Coopers starter kit, and I started to notice what I believed to be oxidation in a few of them after as few as 4 uses. Not all of them, not even most, really. Just a few.

But since I have lots of glass bottles now, I err on the side of caution with my PET. I mark the caps and the bottle neck rings and throw caps and bottles in the recycle bin after the 4th use.

I plan on using PET bottled from a keg for beach and boat this year, and glass for parties/transport... I don't plan on replacing anything this summer, we'll see I guess!

I'm always trying to save a buck, for beach beers I'll recycle soda caps

hudsonj6 said:

I've used mine 5 or 6 times maybe? I am starting to notice that certain ones are a bit low on the carbonation side (and they shouldn't be), but with my growing glass collection the PET bottles have now been dedicated to cider for the girl friend. She likes the cider less carbonated anyways so I think I'm just gunna keep using the same caps.

I've also never had a bottle bomb so I wouldn't know how loud they are but unless you add way too much priming sugar, it shouldn't really be an issue.

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Exactly what I did gf gets the plastic

I've only had one bottle ever blow up but I have no idea what it sounds like. I assume it sounds like glass breaking rather than an explosion.