Careful with Glass Carboys

This weekend, I received an email from Midwest Brewing about an employee, "Andy H", who injured himself when a glass carboy broke while being cleaned.

Not interested in starting another flame war. Just reminding people to be very careful with large glass containers. One brewer who has to have surgery is too many. Better safe than sorry.

You can check out Midwest Brewing if you want. BTW I have no association with Midwest - I do most of my business with Texas homebrew shops for convenience reasons.

L

One less brewer who needs surgery? Jeez, what do you have against surgeons?

In all seriousness, I have two better bottles and one glass carboy, and the glass hardly gets used anymore.

Glass carboy master race reporting!

Well I'm still pretty new to brewing. Have 4 glass carboys and 1 plastic bucket. So far no problems but I've only been brewing a little less than 2 months. Anyone have any trouble with glass in the past? I'd like to hear some horror stories

I had a carboy break, it was sitting on the counter and a cabinet door swung into it. The handle of the cabinet knocked a hole about the size of a pencil eraser into the carboy. I sacrificed my finger tip like the little dutch boy against the flood. I hollered for someone else in the house could get me my 7 gal bucket, they got it sanitized, I then transferred it into the bucket. I picked up a new carboy a day or so later and transferred it into the new carboy. I managed to save about 95% of the batch.

What. Be carefully with liquid filled 6 gallon glass carboys? This is news to me! Who knew!

Just because people are clumsy you should not blame the vehicle. I have never heard of a glass carboy breaking all by itself.

82 batches. No problems at all.

TheDom said:

One less brewer who needs surgery? Jeez, what do you have against surgeons?

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I don't have anything against surgeons. In fact, I am one. Not a hand surgeon, although the thought of needing hand surgery makes me very unhappy.

L

Grinder12000 said:

What. Be carefully with liquid filled 6 gallon glass carboys? This is news to me! Who knew!

Just because people are clumsy you should not blame the vehicle. I have never heard of a glass carboy breaking all by itself.

82 batches. No problems at all.

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I think he was just reminding folks to be careful, not laying blame. 95 brews for me, 2 carboys broken, one cut finger, both my fault.

jldc said:

I don't have anything against surgeons. In fact, I am one. Not a hand surgeon, although the thought of needing hand surgery makes me very unhappy.

L

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Man, leave one smiley face out and people take you all seriously! Lousy text being a difficult medium through which to convey sarcasm.

Grinder12000 said:

What. Be carefully with liquid filled 6 gallon glass carboys? This is news to me! Who knew!

Just because people are clumsy you should not blame the vehicle. I have never heard of a glass carboy breaking all by itself.

82 batches. No problems at all.

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Congratulations!
Hope that the next 82 batches go without a trip to the emergency room.

For me I would be careful and probably not have a problem but it is also a risk that I am not willing to take because it is so easy to avoid altogether.

Plus, I am not getting any younger and the savings in weight are well worth it to me to avoid glass.

Every time I lift a full 6.5 glass carboy outta my ferm freezer the thought of it slipping goes through my head. Fingers crossed...so far so good....

I have never even seriously considered getting a glass carboy... Well, unless I come across a wine drinker who buys 5 gallon wine bottles

1776 said:

Anyone have any trouble with glass in the past? I'd like to hear some horror stories

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Here are a couple (posts 1 and 4 in this thread):
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/broke-carboy-today-123232/

And there are several others you find by searching with words like "carboy" "broke" "emergency room", etc.

Yambor44 said:

I think he was just reminding folks to be careful, not laying blame. 95 brews for me, 2 carboys broken, one cut finger, both my fault.

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Yes, just a reminder. I've expressed my concerns about glass carboys on several occasions, but I'm just saying "be careful." I think of a glass carboy as kind of like a chainsaw - very useful, but you have to be continuously mindful that it can hurt you. Similar to propane burners, pots of boiling wort, bottles of carbonated beer, etc. If you never take it for granted, you dramatically reduce your chances of injury.

L

Airplanedoc said:

I sacrificed my finger tip like the little dutch boy against the flood.

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As a fairly large Dutch boy, I approve of this method

jldc said:

Yes, just a reminder. I've expressed my concerns about glass carboys on several occasions, but I'm just saying "be careful." I think of a glass carboy as kind of like a chainsaw - very useful, but you have to be continuously mindful that it can hurt you. Similar to propane burners, pots of boiling wort, bottles of carbonated beer, etc. If you never take it for granted, you dramatically reduce your chances of injury.

L

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I couldnt agree more! I mean you could fall down the steps and get hurt but that doesnt mean not to use them. Just have to be careful. Now dont get me wrong i want to use plastic buckets instead of glass just b/c its cheaper and well im accident prone! If your careful whil doing anything i dont think you would have a issue but dont blame me when you get cut by a large chunk of glass Remember those old kerosene glass jars we use em for spare change and we have had a few bottoms fall out of them so one thing to think about is i guess stress weight eventually takes it toll on the glass and moving it around and bumping here and there. I wouldnt drop my guard on anything geeze one time i poured room temp soda in hot glass and it fell apart! I didnt expect that to happen lol Things happen though maybe 1 in a million but if it were me id be bite by a shark win the lottery(lose the ticket) attacked by carboys and fireants killer bees struck by lightning then run over by a mac truck FORWARD AND BACKWARDS! in a matter of 15 minutes lol Things seem to go from bad to worse for me! Plastic it is

mtk6006 said:

I couldnt agree more I mean you could fall down the steps and get hurt but that doesnt mean not to use them. Just have to be careful. Now dont get me wrong i want to use plastic buckets instead of glass just b/c its cheaper and well im accident prone! If your careful whil doing anything i dont think you would have a issue but dont blame me when you get cut by a large chunk of glass Remember those old kerosene glass jars we use em for spare change and we have had a few bottoms fall out of them so one thing to think about is i guess stress weight eventually takes it toll on the glass and moving it around and bumping here and there. I wouldnt drop my guard on anything geeze one time i poured room temp soda in hot glass and it fell apart! I didnt expect that to happen lol Things happen though maybe 1 in a million but if it were me id be bite by a shark win the lottery(lose the ticket) attacked by carboys and fireants killer bees struck by lightning then run over by a mac truck FORWARD AND BACKWARDS! in a matter of 15 minutes lol Things seem to go from bad to worse for me

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Here is a song for you since you are accident prone: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zab7V3_xDfw]The Lovin' Spoonful-POW - YouTube[/ame]



I have several glass carboys that I keep in crates as it makes them easier to move.

Two tips to carboy handling; don't handle them under the influence of your favorite beverage and use these:

https://www.google.com/search?q=bre....,cf.osb&fp=d4d349ba659f65b3&biw=1280&bih=864

When I move a full one, keep it as low as possible. If you have an incident, there is a lot less energy dropping from 6-8" than 4' -scrap carpet is also your friend when working on hard surfaces. That said, I only use for 2ndary and only secondary if I have to (fruit, bulk aging, slow ferments).

Bottom line, be careful.

Cheers, Werbi

Heres another thought Im pyrotechnician think i will hand fire when theres e-fire systems that are readily available? NOPE! Safety first! Why take the risk with glass? Some people say they cut their wrist! I mean you could die over a batch of beer! Then everybody gonna be talking crap about "IT SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!" I can hear it now one bad accident and everybody thats anti boose gonna be trying to get their 5 minutes of protest fame. To me its just not worth the risk I take a broke foot over severed tendons any day of the week! Dont get me wrong here you wanna go glass you go right ahead im not trying to convince anyone otherwise

Be careful use the scissors when you open your hops. THOSE THINGS CAN CUT OFF YOUR FINGERS. You are more likely to slam your hand in a car door.

This whole argument is stupid. If you are afraid to use glass. Use plastic. NO ONE CARES. It goes in the YOUR CHOICE part of brewing.

People have reported glass carboys breaking basically spontaneously, or from completely normal handling. So all the "don't be clumsy" arguments are missing the point.

Why would this whole argument be stupid? Im sure the people that have gotten injured or had their beer pour all over floor were not too happy. Im not asking you to justify anything im just curious why if there COULD be danger or ruined beer involved why would you do it anyway? Thrill seeker? or just dont care?

Grinder12000 said:

Be careful use the scissors when you open your hops. THOSE THINGS CAN CUT OFF YOUR FINGERS. You are more likely to slam your hand in a car door.

This whole argument is stupid. If you are afraid to use glass. Use plastic. NO ONE CARES. It goes in the YOUR CHOICE part of brewing.

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Exactly dude. If you are scared to use glass then DON'T. Simple as that

I have used the same 5 glass carboys with wine and beer for 12 years. I carry them with my barehands, no fancy attachments. No problems yet. I worry more about myself and my kids during the boil

mtk6006 said:

Heres another thought Im pyrotechnician think i will hand fire when theres e-fire systems that are readily available? NOPE! Safety first! Why take the risk with glass? Some people say they cut their wrist! I mean you could die over a batch of beer! Then everybody gonna be talking crap about "IT SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!" I can hear it now one bad accident and everybody thats anti boose gonna be trying to get their 5 minutes of protest fame. To me its just not worth the risk I take a broke foot over severed tendons any day of the week! Dont get me wrong here you wanna go glass you go right ahead im not trying to convince anyone otherwise

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Who do you shoot for? My old man does sales for Zambelli out of Myrtle Beach and we shoot the shows he sells (mostly electronic, some computer, although I miss the thrill of a good old fashioned hand lite).

Theres a few times i've been concerned that my carboy handle is going to slip and the whole thing is going to crash into the ground, but I don't do much moving of them.

Every glass carboy I have lives in a milk crate. I only take them out of the crates for cleaning, and I'm very careful about it- pretty much try to handle them in a way that if they broke right that moment, I wouldn't get hurt too bad. I have a Better Bottle as well, and I do use it regularly as well, but I like being able to clean glass with my carboy brush. Does anybody make a brush with plastic bristles that are softer then BB plastic?

Hmmm, wouldn't you be better off with a milk crate than a brew hauler? The crate would cushion any impact and would help contain the broken glass.

I have a bucket and a carboy and specifically asked for a kit with a carboy for Christmas from my SWMBO, before I was aware of the safety issues. Now I'm thinking the carboy is never going to leave the basement, but I still need to move it around for siphoning and cleaning, so l'm looking for the safest way to handle it.

Mike

I think we better all start using plastics cups for drinking too

flabyboy said:

I think we better all start using plastics cups for drinking too

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LMAO! have to think though big ass glass carboy gonna do more damage then a small glass I think the biggest issue is when it breaks or falls is peoples first thought is to try and catch it! LET THAT THING GO! If it slips get the hell out of there!

mtk6006 said:

LMAO! have to think though big ass glass carboy gonna do more damage then a small glass I think the biggest issue is when it breaks or falls is peoples first thought is to try and catch it! LET THAT THING GO! If it slips get the hell out of there!

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I know. I feel bad for the guy, but accidents happen no matter what we do. Everytime we get into a car we are that much closer to getting ourselves killed. People need to relax. Just be careful and try not to drop your carboy with the precious beer in it. My carboys are 12 years old and are in perfect condition. There are certain drawbacks to using plastic, including durability and increased risk of infection over time

I saw someone lift a 5 gallon glass by the neck with one of those neck handles and the whole neck snapped off, then the carboy fell, shattered and spilled beer all over the place... that said I still use glass... theres really no excuse except that I think it looks cooler... and my empty plastic ones always smell like beer but the glass ones smell like nothing..

I like the glass over plastic. Plastic always makes me nervous with scratches and bacteria and all that. And I like to be able to see the beer without prying the lid off.

I haven't broken on yet, although I was cleaning a rocks glass to take a sample of afelwein the other day to make sure it was fermented and managed to break the glass and then slice up my knuckle trying to clean it up.

MikeWI said:

Hmmm, wouldn't you be better off with a milk crate than a brew hauler? The crate would cushion any impact and would help contain the broken glass.

I have a bucket and a carboy and specifically asked for a kit with a carboy for Christmas from my SWMBO, before I was aware of the safety issues. Now I'm thinking the carboy is never going to leave the basement, but I still need to move it around for siphoning and cleaning, so l'm looking for the safest way to handle it.

Mike

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Mike,

I bought several plastic milk crates online (google them) and as mentioned earlier, each one of my carboys now has a plastic milk crate home.

dukesbb37 said:

I saw someone lift a 5 gallon glass by the neck with one of those neck handles and the whole neck snapped off, then the carboy fell, shattered and spilled beer all over the place... that said I still use glass... theres really no excuse except that I think it looks cooler... and my empty plastic ones always smell like beer but the glass ones smell like nothing..

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I was just telling a fellow brewer this yesterday. everyone say's plastic doesn't harbor any bacteria. Obviously it is permeable enough to harbor odors/hop & beer aroma which has always made me wonder what else it may be harboring. Maybe nothing, but who nose....<--- I crack myself up sometimes.....

mtk6006 said:

LMAO! have to think though big ass glass carboy gonna do more damage then a small glass I think the biggest issue is when it breaks or falls is peoples first thought is to try and catch it! LET THAT THING GO! If it slips get the hell out of there!

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Amen brother...

Would it make sense to wrap duct-tape around part of the carboy to mitigate damage should it break? Specifically those incidents where the carboy suddenly breaks during cleaning, of course this wouldn't make a bit of different should someone drop the carboy...

Maybe 3 rows of tape vertically and 3 horizontally around the bottom.

That way, should it break, the tape would help hold it together rather than it immediately slicing into your body without warning.

A few pieces of tape on the outside wouldn't really obstruct anything.

Grinder12000 said:

This whole argument is stupid.

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There is nothing stupid about discussing the pros and cons of various pieces of equipment, nor is there anything stupid about homebrewers discussing why they chose one piece of equipment over another.

Not really an argument either

i've gone all plastic since my two little girls are always trying to "help" me on my brew days. if anyone in the sf bay area wants 2 glass carboys i have them for $20 each.

My son was taking beer glasses off a shelf to put out for a party. He left one too close to the shelf edge and somehow it fell off. It bounced off a sack of malt and hit a carboy full of brett hefewiezen. We were about 15' away and just heard a strange "clink" sound, then the aroma and sight of brett hefewiezen running through the garage hit. No one was hurt but I did waste 5 gallons of excellent beer that would have been kegged within a week. Now I do secondary in the keg.

So if I read correctly in 39 posts there have been only 2 people who have personal experience with a glass carboy breaking.

FWIW I still use glass carboys.