Broke my 6 gal carboy on brew day!

I've had this 6 gallon carboy for, oh, at least 12 years, and have moved it with me through multiple states and homes... I had it filled with a bleach/water solution in my basement and it broke from the handle when I lifted it! Ack..glass and water all over the basement floor. Ok, I'm pretty much over that part...but my 5 gallon batch is almost ready to come off the boil and all I have is a 5 gallon carboy. I'm wondering if it would make sense to rack it to the carboy overnight and get a 6 gallon or so bucket tomorrow and pitch the yeast then.
It's already 6:30 pm on Saturday...my wife just ran out to the supermarket and she is going to ask in the bakery if they have any extra buckets.
Am I asking for trouble if I leave the wort in a sealed carboy overnight?

This is my 2nd batch in years and I want this to come out well (it's an all-grain Fullers ESB clone BTW).

Thanks!!

While it's not ideal, you should be fine to leave it for a day if you seal it up quickly. I've had to leave a batch for about 12 hours after I lost my yeast packet and the LHBS was closed for the day. It turned out to be one of the best beers I've brewed.

Good luck!

It will be fine in a 5gal carboy, just get a blowoff tube. A better bottle would be a nice investment. And a note for next time, NEVER lift from the handle, use it for stabalizing, but not lifting, the neck isnt that strong, milk crate is the way to go.

If you don't have a cap that'll seal on the carboy, you can stretch some plastic wrap over the opening then put your drilled stopper in.

I say pitch your yeast and rig up some sort of blow off tube.
JJ

^That's what I was going to suggest

Thanks for all of the quick feedback! My wife called from the supermarket -- the bakery gave her a food grade bucket and she'll be home soon. I just finished cooling the wort.
I don't really have suitable blowoff tubing on hand for the 5 gal carboy, so if the bucket is right, I'm going to sanitize and ferment in that.
Whew.

I'd make sure its more than 5 gal. If its all scratched up, then I think you are better off with the carboy.

Schlenkerla said:

I'd make sure its more than 5 gal. If its all scratched up, then I think you are better off with the carboy.

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Regardless.... I think you would be better off w/ the carboy
Just my .02
hope all ends well for ya
Cheers
JJ

I gotta say go with glass and a blowoff. If you do not have a blow off just cover with plastic wrap or tin foil and place it in something to catch the mess.

I would rack about 1 gallon less and fit a blowoff tube. If you don't have one just put an airlock on and get one tommorow. Just eat the 1 gallon and save the whole batch rather than chancing losing the whole 5 gallons by letting it sit overnight.

I did the same thing sort of on my last brew day. I picked up my glass carboy that was full of sanitizing solution with one hand on the neck and one on the bottom, but my hand slipped and BOOM - glass and water went everywhere. Fortunately for me, I wasn't using that as my fermenter for this batch.

Good luck on your fermentation and invest in better bottles.

I put all my carboys in canvass tote bags, both the glass ones and the better bottles.

They not only make the carboy easy to move, they also block light, and the provide some cushioning to the glass ones.

The free totes than Olin pool chemicals used to give away are the best. Perfect size and very sturdy.

I wound up pitching the yeast in the carboy last night. My wife came home with a 5 gallon bucket from the bakery, so that wasn't going to be any better. I was able, to my surprise, to fit a 3/8" hose into the rubber stopper as a blowoff hose.
When several of you mentioned investing in "better bottles", I was confused..didn't know if you meant better quality carboys (?)...then it just occurred to be to Google better bottles... nice. Are they susceptible to being scratched by the carboy brush, though?

Pickngrin said:

Are they susceptible to being scratched by the carboy brush, though?

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No. If you don't use a carboy brush.

They are PET so they rinse well and never need scrubbing.

In fact I store all of my empty fermentors in bleach water. 5 gallons: 2 oz bleach.

Using this solution I have never needed to use my carboy brush to clean a fermentor. (glass or PET)

Pickngrin said:

I had it filled with a bleach/water solution in my basement and it broke from the handle when I lifted it!

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What kind of carboy/handle was this? The metal ones that clamp around the neck are *not* designed for use when the carboy has anything in it.

Yes, it was a metal (coated with vinyl) handle... well I learned my lesson after many years. I am going to look into a 6 gallon Better Bottle.
Most importantly, I forgot to mention, it looks like my ESB is off to a nice, healthy fermentation this morning. There's no blow off in the pitcher, though.

Pickngrin said:

Yes, it was a metal (coated with vinyl) handle... well I learned my lesson after many years. I am going to look into a 6 gallon Better Bottle.

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I use the nylon strap style, they are great to use and would still work for carrying a BB.

carl spakler said:

What kind of carboy/handle was this? The metal ones that clamp around the neck are *not* designed for use when the carboy has anything in it.

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Those things should come with a warning label glued to them, telling you to never lift a full carboy with them.

Schlenkerla said:

No. If you don't use a carboy brush.

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That's the magic of Oxy Clean.

Midwestsupplies has the 6 gallon better bottle for a good price. Can't beat the price really.

6 gallon Better Bottle :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

Midwestsupplies has the 6 gallon better bottle for a good price. They are 21.95 plus about 11.00 to ship. I can't find them cheaper anywhere else really.

6 gallon Better Bottle :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

gjg130 said:

Midwestsupplies has the 6 gallon better bottle for a good price. They are 21.95 plus about 11.00 to ship. I can't find them cheaper anywhere else really.

6 gallon Better Bottle :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

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Thanks! I need to get one.