Carboy Handle Tragedies

Is it really that bad to carry a full glass carboy buy the handle?

Are you talking about a 1 gallon carboy with built in handles or a 5 gallon carboy with a carboy carrier around the neck?

Please be careful how you answer, we're looking for "Darwin" nominees.

If you have a 5+ gallon carboy and a carboy carrier for the neck I suggest you read the literature supplied with it or speak to you retail for recommended use.

5 gallon glass carboy's. And also why are they called carboy's ???

Gotta love google.
Takes less time than typing the question.

ETYMOLOGY: 18c: from Persian qaraba glass flagon.

orfy said:

Gotta love google.
Takes less time than typing the question.

ETYMOLOGY: 18c: from Persian qaraba glass flagon.

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What the F**k

I mean ask google and it tells you.

The word Carboy is derived from the Persian word qaraba (glass flagon).

what's a flagon?

A Flag pole is what you put a Flagon.

Don't make me go all EAC on you.

get a brew hauler other similar device

it's basically nylon webbing with handles that the carboy sits in.



NB and other places sell them and they aren't very expensive

I use milk crates - DO NOT lift full carboys by the handle

If you like to have opposable thumbs then don't use a handle on full GLASS carboys. I rigged mine up and started to lift it and it seemed like waayy too much stress. Promptly disconnected. I use them on the Better bottles with no problems.

AleHole said:

Is it really that bad to carry a full glass carboy buy the handle?

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Only if you don't consider a glass bomb full of sticky wort falling to the ground and severing your femoral artery bad!

I use them to lift full glass carboys out of my chest freezer. I try to put a hand under it as soon as I can though.

Has anyone actually ever had a carboy break because of using the handle to lift it when full? I have only heard of one breaking.

I wasn't physically there while my friend was holding his empty carboy by the handle attached to the neck, and the neck broke off. The carboy hit the ground and shattered. He was cut up pretty bad an required a lot of stitches. His wife called me in a panic. I told her to call an ambulance and I would be right over to watch their kids. I could not believe how much blood there was! I picked up the glass, but I left the blood for them.

Did I mention that my buddy got rid of all of his glass carboys after that and switched to Better-Bottles?

Until recently I carried full carboys with the handles...then I had one slip on the way to the garage. Luckily it landed on the carpet and didn't break but I ordered a brew hauler to use from now on. I plan on transitioning to BB's or going back to buckets, I haven't made up my mind yet.


Dan

I just tilt the full carboy and put one hand underneath, lifting with my back, not my legs, and moan and whine my way to wherever I'm going. I really wish my 15 year old would take an interest in helping me brew. He has a better back!

I keep my carboys in milk crates, thanks to a top from HB_Bill. But, they still kind of freak me out when I'm swirling them with sanitizer or whatever. I was thinking about getting a 6.5 gallon to use as primary, but they are so heavy even empty, I couldn't see trying to move that around safely when it was full of wort. Then, moving around someone's BB full of wort like it was nothing - my next purchase for fermenters will be a BB, no question.

Just need to convince the LHBS to start stocking them...

LOL, The word carboy is from the Persian qarabah, from Arabic qarraba, meaning "big jug". Many times in certain areas of the Mediterranean, certain rocky inlets and coves were named by their shapes.

On a different note, I never use carboy handles, milk crates, straps, etc... when picking up or moving my carboys. Its all brains and brawn instead. I tilt the carboy a little to get one hand under it, the other securely on the neck and lift carefully. I plan where its going, and make sure there is nothing in the way, or distracting, and just lift it.

Plus, Im 6' 270 lbs, so your results may vary...

i bought a handle for mine but i wont carry it with it doesnt seem to safe for me, i have thoughts of it dropping while full of beer and cutting my foot off! ( i brew barefoot ):rockin:

Tony said:

On a different note, I never use carboy handles, milk crates, straps, etc... when picking up or moving my carboys. Its all brains and brawn instead. I tilt the carboy a little to get one hand under it, the other securely on the neck and lift carefully. I plan where its going, and make sure there is nothing in the way, or distracting, and just lift it.

Plus, Im 6' 270 lbs, so your results may vary...

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I pretty much do the same thing except I use both hands under it. FWIW, I'm 6' 180 lbs.

I only use the handle as a something to hold on to when I'm using a jet washer, and even then I have my other arm around the carboy.

FWIW - I've carried mine full using the handle A LOT. This was before I read anything about it being a big no-no.

My guess would be that most carboy breakage is related to: a) clumsiness b) thermal shock, as in hot wort making lots of stress- expand the bottom, and the top will break off.

Has anybody here actually broken one without stairs or other obstructions around? It would have to break on lifting, not carrying, not when setting it down.

the_bird said:

I keep my carboys in milk crates, thanks to a top from HB_Bill. But, they still kind of freak me out when I'm swirling them with sanitizer or whatever. I was thinking about getting a 6.5 gallon to use as primary, but they are so heavy even empty, I couldn't see trying to move that around safely when it was full of wort. Then, moving around someone's BB full of wort like it was nothing - my next purchase for fermenters will be a BB, no question.

Just need to convince the LHBS to start stocking them...

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Yeah, I took Bill's suggestion also. I also took his other one about using dolly to move them around. It makes it nice. Just be careful on the way back down.

casebrew said:

My guess would be that most carboy breakage is related to: a) clumsiness b) thermal shock, as in hot wort making lots of stress- expand the bottom, and the top will break off.

Has anybody here actually broken one without stairs or other obstructions around? It would have to break on lifting, not carrying, not when setting it down.

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I watched while my brewing buddy dropped the hammer we had used to open and then tilt the pail on the secondary. That's gotta count.