Safety Issues in Homebrewing

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brewmonk

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Do you fireproof your brewing area? Brew with a fire extinguisher, a CO detector, first aid kit, ventilation? wood v.s. metal? gfci's? drink while you brew?

Please share any ideas. I'd love to see what I can incorporate in my brewroom.

_____

I built out a basement room (waterproofed cement walls) with metal studs (pressure treated footplate), cementboard walls, and as much tile as I could afford. I'll add more later.

I'm trying to slope the ceiling next, so condensation runs off more easily. And venting the steam should help. That's mostly for sanitation, but fireproofing as well.

I have not had my N.G. line extended yet. (I have to get electrical roughed in and inspected first.)

_______

I found this:
.... indoor propane
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/safety-using-propane-burner-indoors-51463/
.... and I'm about to listen to this podcast (in a rather untimely fashion)
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/propane-safety-tips-basic-brewing-podcast-97069/

.... electric
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/electrical-primer-brewers-145019/
 
I brew outside, on a 20x30 cobblestone patio, I have a fire extinguisher on hand, I dont enjoy a homebrew until after the hotbreak. I should have a firstaid kit by me, but I do have one in the kitchen. I use welding gloves whenever I move hot stuff so I dont burn myself. I usually brew in shorts and a t-shirt, I wear nonslip work shoes (no flip flops on brew day).

MississippiSlim, I would suggest wearing buttless chaps while brewing so your knees dont burn while boiling :D
 
Actually I am alot more conscious when I am cooking. You boil over your brew you make a mess. You boil over your turkey grease or Fish Grease...You have a FIRE!
 
for safe brew days i avoid driving to the brew store. whenever possible i order online. getting run over by some woman who is texting while driving down the freeway in her 4000 lb suv can realy f$#k up your bbrew day
 
for safe brew days i avoid driving to the brew store. whenever possible i order online. getting run over by some woman who is texting while driving down the freeway in her 4000 lb suv can realy f$#k up your bbrew day

Brad... you only worry about getting run over on brew day? I am in the final stages of recovery from a head-on collision. A guy ran off of the road onto the shoulder and jerked his steering wheel hard left... all I remember is seeing the front end of his car coming at me and hearing the most God-awful noise I ever heard.
Funny... I never worried about that kind of thing before... now I do not go anywhere I do not have to... doctor, hospital lab... My wife makes all of the other trips... grocery store, etc.
Bill
 
Very sorry to hear about that HillBill, I was one car BEHIND a head on, saw their headlights go out, and slammed on my brakes. Dind't really know what to say, other than "You've been in an accident, don't move." The drunk got pinned in her Camaro by the dash and engine.

I also brew when my family is home (I watch my girls in the playroom nextdoor while mashing), so I really want as safe a system as possible, as easy to clean as possible, as good looking as optimal (beauty in functionality), and collapsible for storage or mobility without any sacrifice.


BTW, I do most of the cooking in our house. Havn't had a fire yet, but insurance should cover it. Trying to make sure that includes the basement too.
 
I brew inside (propane) in cold weather, but it's a converted garage; concrete floor with a large window and the backdoor open. And a CO monitor.

I almost had a head-on a couple months ago. Some bozo decided to pass in a spot where he didn't have anywhere enough room. He guessed right in that I got my van out of his way.
 
My safety argument w/ SWMBO for pumps an valves is the burns-n-slipping possibilities. I guess an anti-slip matt may help.
 
Do you fireproof your brewing area? Brew with a fire extinguisher, a CO detector, first aid kit, ventilation? wood v.s. metal? gfci's? drink while you brew?

Please share any ideas. I'd love to see what I can incorporate in my brewroom.

_____

I built out a basement room (waterproofed cement walls) with metal studs (pressure treated footplate), cementboard walls, and as much tile as I could afford. I'll add more later.

I'm trying to slope the ceiling next, so condensation runs off more easily. And venting the steam should help. That's mostly for sanitation, but fireproofing as well.

I have not had my N.G. line extended yet. (I have to get electrical roughed in and inspected first.)

_______

I found this:
indoor propane
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/safety-using-propane-burner-indoors-51463/

I was a little surprised to look around under the stickies on this forum and discover that apparently no list of safety precautions exists. Oh, well.

1. I agree with a previous post, that basically all safety precautions used when cooking carry over to brewing. After all, what you're doing is heating / boiling stuff. Things are hot, particularly that large volume (3 gallons or more) of liquid that you're boiling, and this can cause very serious burns.

2. There's a lot of variance on this forum, but I'm in the camp that says the tubes don't get cracked until the wort is in the fermenter, i.e., no drinking while brewing.

3. I don't wear sandals or etc. while brewing; lace-up shoes only.

4. Lots of accidents seem to involve glass carboys; there have been some pretty gruesome ones detailed on this forum. Observe all safety precautions relating to glass. Don't knock the carboy against anything, don't put hot liquids (or very cold liquids) in a carboy. Any of these things can shock the glass, leading to a fracture, and glass is funny stuff, but not in a comical way. My glass carboys have been relegated to long-term secondary use only, and I've worked out my logistics so that I never have to do a lift / carry of a full carboy more than 5 feet. Ideally, do all lifting /carrying of a carboy in a Brew Hauler or milk crate.

5. Cooking with gas. On a regular indoor stove or cooktop, you're OK. Some people will bring a propane burner indoors to brew, but not me. If you must do this, ensure that you have a working CO (carbon monoxide) detector installed in the space you're using. I brew in the garage, but with all doors open. (Note that it is a detached garage- I won't live in a house with an attached garage, which may seem eccentric, but a look at the contents of many of them, they're just a disaster waiting to happen.)

6. Using electricity. I don't claim to be an expert on electrical safety, but I'm assuming that any electrical circuits that are brought into the brewing process should meet the NEC (National Electrical Code) for your type of operation. Given that liquids are involved, this probably means GFCIs, etc. There is a lot of good information on this subject on the Internet.

7. Distractions from whatever source should be minimized, and other persons around the brewing area can just mulitply the hazards. It may be fun to have friends or fellow brewers around, but the latter are probably best, since they know what they're doing. I brew alone, and don't mind.

That's all I can think of right now....
 
There was a letter in the latest issue of Zymurgy about a guy who damn near cut his hand off when a glass carboy broke. I know the chances of that happening are pretty slim, but I've been thinking about making the switch to Better Bottles. Some kind of carboy carrier would probably be a good idea to have as well.
 
I think adding some sort of protection to your carboy would be a good idea. Rubber pads on the bottom and also around the side. It won't protect it from being dropped, but maybe from smaller incidents. My friend's friend broke a carboy because it tapped the one next to it. (There were no injuries though)
 
I've phased out my 6gal carboys. I'll use a 3.5 if I want to make a starter that can offer some "samples", 'cause I can lift that when full. I'm using a 50L keg with a dip tube, I can not yet get myself to drill holes in it.
 
I had no idea I should be so worried about boiling water!

well what you need to be concerned about is that we are lifting/moving boiling water and its easy enough to say drop the pot your holding and have that hot freaking water splash up into your face. also when your boiling your wort its also a sugar solution so it tends to stick to bare skin.
 
Yes guys, carbon monoxide is CO and it is the stuff you should really worry about.
Carbon Dioxide CO2 is not nearly as dangerous. You'd know you're in danger if there is too much CO2.
 
well what you need to be concerned about is that we are lifting/moving boiling water and its easy enough to say drop the pot your holding and have that hot freaking water splash up into your face. also when your boiling your wort its also a sugar solution so it tends to stick to bare skin.

My problem is seeing something start to fall - it's tough to stop from trying to grab it, boiling or not. Sharp or not.
 
There was a letter in the latest issue of Zymurgy about a guy who damn near cut his hand off when a glass carboy broke. I know the chances of that happening are pretty slim, but I've been thinking about making the switch to Better Bottles. Some kind of carboy carrier would probably be a good idea to have as well.

I had just broken my little toe on my right foot on Wednesday and was brewing on Saturday. I had bare feet because it was summer and no shoes felt better. So I was carrying a six and a half gallon carboy full of was to the sink and I smacked that broken toe into the metal kettle stand. Dropped the carboy that broke all over the place. So now I have broken, wet glass right where I'm standing in bare feet with a broken toe.Fortunately my wife heard the noise (and me crying like a baby in pain) and came out and cleared a path to the house.
 
well what you need to be concerned about is that we are lifting/moving boiling water and its easy enough to say drop the pot your holding and have that hot freaking water splash up into your face. also when your boiling your wort its also a sugar solution so it tends to stick to bare skin.

Maybe you need a chiller? I only move wort at 70 degrees. :confused:
 
Don't carry full carboys by the handle only...

photo-29.jpg
 
uh, DAMN!

I haven't used my glass carboy yet, but with my next stout I will. I have a handle - how do you recommend carrying/moving it when it's full?

One hand on the handle and another under the bottom of the carboy. Others will say put it in a milk crate, but I find that too bulky.
 
Before I knew that I didn't know better, I poured straight from the kettle into my first carboy (through a funnel of ice). Not enough to chill it, I found out.

I heard a 'CRACK', but everything looked normal. Except for the wort on the floor. The carboy had cracked all the way around, along the outside of the thicker base.

So I had a big glass funnel sitting inverted on a glass frisbee, slowly dribbling hot wort all over the kitchen.
 
Buy a brew hauler for $35 and don't worry about handles. Those handles just lead to broken carboys.
 
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