Don't do this with your Glass Carboy!!!

A while back I posted that I would do an experiment with a Better Bottle to just see how unbreakable it really is. Well, I finally got around to doing it.

I filled a 5 gallon Better Bottle with water and slid it off a table at the height of 36 inches to the concrete surface below. Here's how it went.

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End Result Pics. Other than some abrasions, it came out unscathed. If I had done this inside on a tiled or carpeted surface, the Better Bottle would not have these marks on it. The main thing is the inside is still perfect and it is completely intact and usable. On the extra plus side, you should be able to save a majority of your beer/wort/wine/Apfelwein if this happens.





In Summary, Better Bottles Rock! :rockin:

Tough Love!

Nice. But for a proper control you need to go buy a glass one and repeat the experiment.

If that happened with beer, you would lose about 1/2 gallon of beer and not be bloody. Very nice.

Beerrific said:

Nice. But for a proper control you need to go buy a glass one and repeat the experiment.

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True, anyone care to donate a victim?

Ed - Why the hell would you do that to a perfect good better bottle??

Seriously! - The inside is not damaged but the outside is now all mucked up. I'm guessing you don't use carboy caps. Just stoppers. That spout will not seal w/ a carbody cap.

Sweet Ed! I am a BB convert as well.

Schlenkerla said:

Ed - Why the hell would you do that to a perfect good better bottle??

Seriously! - The inside is not damaged but the outside is now all mucked up. I'm guessing you don't use carboy caps. Just stoppers. That spout will not seal w/ a carbody cap.

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Curiosity got the best of me, but it still worked out. This is pretty much a worse case scenario as most folks have smooth flooring inside. The outside of the Better Bottle really does not look bad. Carboy cap fits fine and still seals. It's still OK for my next batch of Apfelwein.

Yeah, let's see your glass carboy do that beyotches! Seriously Ed, thanks for risking $20+ buck in the name of science. Glad the experiment worked out.

One question comes to mind...and it's not just for you to answer, is how does a carboy "slide" off a countertop? I've never seen it or heard of it done.

Pushed, yes, slide, no... Color me confused...

Besides, all my used carboys are placed in milk crates...:rockin:

EdWort said:

Curiosity got the best of me, but it still worked out. This is pretty much a worse case scenario as most folks have smooth flooring inside. The outside of the Better Bottle really does not look bad. Carboy cap fits fine and still seals. It's still OK for my next batch of Apfelwein.

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Ok - I treat my gear w/ much care. I couldn't see myself doing that being schnockered. Maybe not if it was Biermuncher's BB!!

Schlenkerla said:

Ed - Why the hell would you do that to a perfect good better bottle??

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I quote from the book of Jeep:

Chicks love body damage

homebrewer_99 said:

One question comes to mind...and it's not just for you to answer, is how does a carboy "slide" off a countertop? I've never seen it or heard of it done.

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All simulation. How many have "bumped" one off a counter or had one slip out of their hands at counter height and hit the floor? Same concept, but with the Better Bottle, it's pretty hard to let is slip out of your hands because it is so light. Drop and empty one and they bounce. Drop an empty glass carboy and the result is the same, shards of razor sharp glass everywhere.

The milk crate idea works wonders though for handling the glass puppies, but will only contain a some of the shards if someone racks too hot a beer in a cold carboy.

homebrewer_99 said:

One question comes to mind...and it's not just for you to answer, is how does a carboy "slide" off a countertop? I've never seen it or heard of it done.

Pushed, yes, slide, no... Color me confused...

Besides, all my used carboys are placed in milk crates...:rockin:

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I'm guessing the idea was wet hands. Maybe wet and slippery like you get if your hands are in One-step.

I reminds of how women will say they got pregnant by accident. .... He was walking across the room naked, tripped on a tennis shoe, stumbled and fell which caused his schwanse to get stuck in my... Really, that's how it happened!

I've never heard or seen anyone bump their carboys off a counter.

You must know a lot of clumsy incompetent, oh, sorry, I was reading a speech about MY co-workers...

I'll never see it because I never move a full or wet carboy without a crate...NEVER!

I only use carboys for secondaries I know what hot liquid does to glass...and skin. I used to run the vacuum (removes moisture from candy...) at James Salt Water Taffy in Atlantic City and burned myself with boiling liquid sugar.

Safety first...to me it's just common sense.:rockin:

Nice experiment BTW.

vary nuyce:cross:

you would be able to save that batch, sweet!

Edwort, you are truly dedicated. Makes me glad I use BBs.

I have some comments on this experiment. I actually perform drop tests as part of my job.

If you wanted to actually test these accurately, I would suggest the following:

Drop the BB at w/e height you choose, however drop it so it lands flat on its bottom. The cylinder won't have the ability to dampen the shock pulse when it hits the impact surface. I would also try dropping it in a manner to hit a corner of the bottom edge. Objects rarely fall in a "rotational" manner.

Just my 2 cents... I drop multi-million dollar equipment for a living.

NoClueBrewMaster said:

If you wanted to actually test these accurately, I would suggest the following:

Drop the BB at w/e height you choose, however drop it so it lands flat on its bottom. The cylinder won't have the ability to dampen the shock pulse when it hits the impact surface. I would also try dropping it in a manner to hit a corner of the bottom edge. Objects rarely fall in a "rotational" manner..

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Ok, I'm up to the challenge. I will put down a thin plastic sheet though next time to prevent any further scuffing. Stay tuned.

A very cool thing to do Ed. The next fermenter I get with defiantly be a BB.

I think I shall subscribe to this topic... Seems like it will become very informing in the near future...

NoClueBrewMaster said:

I drop multi-million dollar equipment for a living.

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Video please?

i <3 BB.

all this unbreakable stuff is well and good, but the number one reason for me is being able to add a spigot and never needing to siphon again.

BakerStreetBeers said:

Video please?

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I think the correct internet meme would be "Pics or it never happened."

wow....Ed you have had way to much apfelwein over the years

although, that's a great experiment!

Ed- PM me if you want a thorough manner in which to conduct your testing...

As for the video requests, I can't really publish that kind of information as most of the testing is proprietary.

I've accidently dropped partially filled BB's a humber of times. I now understand that it is only necessary to wet the inside of any container with your preferred sanitizer and then start the clock for exposure time, but I used to put a gallon in the BB's and then set them in various orientations for a couple minutes. More than once I layed the BB on its side and turned around to set the timer. With the liquid sloshing around, a number of times the bottle rolled off the countertop and bounced off the floor. Never even a mark that I could find. The only thing that worried me is if it were to land on the racking port. I wouldn't be suprised to see it snap off from direct hit.

Do it again! But this time drop it straight down.....I wanna see it bounce

That was some hot beer Pron.