5 gal water jugs

Hello all,

Can 5 gallon water cooler jugs be used for fermenting provided you could find a bung that fits or is this just a horrible idea in general?

I've heard of people doing it, you'd just want to be sure they're not too oxygen-permeable or else you run the risk of oxidation. You'd also want to be sure they were clean and sanitized, not scratched inside, etc.

EDIT: Read this thread. But be warned, it's full of BPA fear-mongering, which is just ridiculous IMHO (as a scientist). Posts #13 and #14 will make you feel better, though.

EDIT 2: On second thought, don't bother. I'll boil it down for you: It's safe, it's been done, and since you're only going to be in it for a week or three, you'll be fine even if there is a risk of leeching flavors over the long term. There are some theoretical risks, but you'll probably be alright.

You can use it, just beware of a couple things...

A 5 gallon jug is really only good for maybe 4.5 gallon batches and you could lose up to a gallon or more of wort to blow off. Most 5 gallon fermenters hold 6-7 gallons to allow for krausen.

Use a blow off setup and not an airlock, also due to the smaller volume.

I use them as a secondary fermentor. The ones I use are cube like and fit nicely in my kids college fridge to cold crash before bottling. Haven't noticed a problem. Cleans up fine.

I'm using an office water bottle right now for Ed Wort's Apfelwein. From what I read on this site, as long as the bottle is a 1 rated plastic you are ok. Just like a Better Bottle. A #10 stopper fits these perfectly.

I looked into this also and some info that i found helpful was to look for one that has a recycle code of either a 1 or 2 on the bottom and try not to use one that has a 7 on the bottom and 3-6 is up to you

hope that helps

I'm using one of these now. I'd look at the bottom to see the recycle number but is full of beer ready to be bottled. I haven't noticed any off flavors from using mine. I intended to use it just for a secondary but when I ran short of fermenters it was pressed into use.

I couldn't find a stopper the right size locally so I drilled a hole in the lid and fastened an airlock in with something like "Shoe Goo" and it works fine.

The only issue is batch size....4-4.5 gallons max.

i looked at the bottom of the bottles that i have and all of them say 7 (other) on them and also say "only to be used for water" and "not to be used for any other liquid"...I think im just gonna steer clear of using these bottles. Thank you all for the great advice and warnings.

Good move- most office water jugs are super permeable to oxygen and only really good for keeping water off the floor. Ale pails are cheap if you don't want to spend the scratch on better bottles.

Just a quick thought. If the concern is the life of the bottle, why not "borrow" one from work, ferment in it once, wash and then take back to work to exchange for a newly finished one.

I have one of those water coolers at home and thinking about cycling the bottles through one ferment after each official use before returning for a replacement. So the cycle will be, shop-watercooler-ferment-shop. Luckily mine at work and home are the #1s.

I was thinking about doing 2.5gal batches in future and these would seem like a good size (and would fit in the small fridge currently used for drinks I already have so just need to buy a temp controller and an appropriate stopper). In time I intend on buying a dedicated chest freezer for fermenting/storing but this may be a good interim setup (as it will only cost me the temp controller).