Carboy Quality?

I've only been brewing since January, used this carboy 3 times, twice as a secondary and once for Apfelwein. After bottling the Apfelwein I noticed a crack in the bottom while cleaning it. I was using tepid water and only used about 1/2 gallon to rinse the trub out of the bottom. While pouring out the rinse water I noticed this crack. I can feel a raised edge and feel very lucky that it didn't break while moving it to rack the wein into the bottling bucket.

Does the country of origin have anything to do with the quality? This came in a Kit, my LHBS sells individual caryboys that are made in Italy. Should I get one of those or just go with Better Bottles? I was planning to do a long secondary for my Wee Heavy!






Made in Mexico!

I will have to check on my 6.5 Gal glass carboy when I get home to see where it was made, but I had an issue with a crack/bubble in the glass of mine. I didn't notice it until I filled it with the dubbel... Mine didnt look like a crack, but a long skinny bubble that would flake away if you picked at it...

Maybe your carboy has the swine flu??

Yikes, good catch.

Most all of the carboys around were made in Mexico before the factories shut down; when production shifted to Italy, the prices shot through the roof.

Doesn't take much to weaken the carboy, especially if it's full of liquid. Do you keep the carboy in a milk crate? Good for protecting the bottom and makes for easy transport as well.

No, I didn't learn about the milk crate carboy caddy in time....

Do you think I should be able to get a refund from my LHBS?????

woollybugger2 said:

No, I didn't learn about the milk crate carboy caddy in time....

Do you think I should be able to get a refund from my LHBS?????

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Hard to say - only one way to find out.

flyangler18 said:

Hard to say - only one way to find out.

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I'll take it back today... and at least let them recycle it. for me....

I'd take it in an ask, you should get a lifetime or two use out of a carboy. The ones made in mexico the last few years were pretty crappy. I have some old ones that are very sturdy, I also expect the new Italian ones are better quality.

woollybugger2 said:

I'll take it back today... and at least let them recycle it. for me....

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Even if they don't offer you a refund, you may want to hold onto it- perhaps for storing StarSan solution. I assume it's just a surface crack? A StarSan leak is far less painful than a lovingly crafted beer, ya dig?

I'm not sure if it's just a "surface" crack.... and, although you can't see it in the photo the crack goes up the bend in the bottle. I would rather not trust it for anything.....

use it to hold all your pennies !

I got some good advice when I started many years ago, and that was to check your new carboy over very well before taking home. The quality on them were suspect.

Know who told me this? The guy at the LHBS who was selling me the carboy!

all my new ones seem to be made in italy.

glad you didn't lose anything when that crack happened.

I wouldn't put it back into use for starsan, pennies or anything else. A crack is a serious weak point, and one day it's going to finish the job. Given the injuries that some people have had with broken glass carboys, I'd get rid of it one way or another (refund/trash).

LHBS wouldn't take it back, "it had been used". Said that he had a whole batch in that he sold at discount because of "spider" cracks and he had never heard about any problems with them. Said my crack wasn't anything to worry about. This is the same guy that charges $3.75 a pound for grain...

too scary for me to use so it's going into the recycle bin...

woollybugger2 said:

LHBS wouldn't take it back, "it had been used". Said that he had a whole batch in that he sold at discount because of "spider" cracks and he had never heard about any problems with them. Said my crack wasn't anything to worry about. This is the same guy that charges $3.75 a pound for grain...

too scary for me to use so it's going into the recycle bin...

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The guy at your LHBS is an a$$hole and will be lucky not to be sued into oblivion knowingly putting all those faulty and dangerous carboys out there. Take your business elsewhere.

woollybugger2

You seriously need to find another LBHS or buy exclusively online. From what you describe, I wouldn't buy a pack of Juicy Fruit there.

I can tell you that I look over the carboys before shipping and would never sell anything at a discount with spider cracks in them. Any problem with a carboy is too dangerous to ignore. A severed artery is not worth a few bucks no matter how frugal someone may be.

The more I think about the response you got from your LHBS, the more pissed I get. I'd take it in the store, fill with water and a whole bunch of food coloring. Then I'd dare him to move it.

keelanfish said:

The more I think about the response you got from your LHBS, the more pissed I get. I'd take it in the store, fill with water and a whole bunch of food coloring. Then I'd dare him to move it.

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Fill it with crystal violet dye