I'm thinking Better Bottles suck!

This is bull****! Just had to toss another Better Bottle. Second one this month and third one this year. They were my oldest. Probably 3-4 years old. They all developed a small crack and very slowly leaked (thank God). I did notice the bottoms were a bit soft. I've got a couple 5 gallon BB's that are newer and I can tell the difference between those and the ones that crapped out. I have heard they don't like PBW and I now believe it. I also use Oxyclean. Have not heard if this is also bad. I do soak over night. Once in a blue moon it might soak for 2 days. I'm not buying anymore. I'll stick to stainless, pails and Spiedel fermenters from now on!!!

I have 5 better bottles and have not had issues with any of them. The better bottle website does have cleaning instructions that recommend against extended soaks with PBW so that may be an issue. I use the washcloth cleaning method so I've never had the need to soak over-night.

I've never had an issue with Better Bottles. I've been using mine for about three years now. I usually let them soak in iodophor a night or two prior to brewing.

I have one that's 5 years old that is serving me well.

Better Bottles Rock!! you must be doing something out of the ordinary

PackerfaninSanDiego said:

Better Bottles Rock!! you must be doing something out of the ordinary

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probably not out of the ordinary, just used to more durable fermentors like thick plastic, glass and Stainless.

better bottles can't handle heat, or long soaks in anything alkaline.
they scratch easily, they flex, the flexing will cause cracking if its ever creased.

If you are willing to to use cleaning processes designed around these shortcomings they can be fine. but if you treat them like more durable materials you get problems.

I've only been brewing for a little over a year but outside of the first batch I brewed, I've never had to soak any of my better bottles for longer than an hour to get them sparkling clean/clear. I usually rinse them within an hour or so after racking the contents out the them and then fill them half way with PBW and hot water at the recommended mix. I cover the top with a piece of saran wrap and the same stopper I used with the airlock, turn it upside down and put it in the blue carboy dryer. The nice thing about having the ported carboy is that I can open the valve preventing the hot water from creating a vacuum and sucking in the side walls. After 30 minutes, I give it a good shake and then turn it right side up for another 30 minutes. I then rinse very well with hot water, followed by a little bit of RO water. My tap water is super hard, so this allows it to dry without any water spots. Thus far I've had no problems.

Jeez, folks, BBs are made by forming many chemical linkages called esters. Yes, like flavor esters, but in PET plastic, many billions of ester units form tough, solid films(plastics). Unfortunately, as esters they are probably(not certainly, but probably) susceptible to attack by the same chemicals that smaller ester molecules are, namely acids or alkali and their solutions.
Not a good idea to soak for prolonged periods if solution is acidic or basic(alkaline). MUCH worse is elevated temperatures.
I use percarbonate, warm, and scrub with a sponge tied to the end of a Swiffer. Rinse well, dry inverted.

I hear your noise people. I've tried the wash cloth thing. Some brews are so stubborn that the wash cloth does not do the job. Thus, I began soaking. I still use the wash cloth after rinsing. The problem I have is these things are called "Better Bottles". They are supposed to be better than a glass bottle. I can soak pails, glass, stainless and not have any trouble! I just found out recently that they do not like being soaked in PBW. Of course they do not mention that when you're shelling out your $25! I emailed them about my situation 2 weeks ago and have not got a response. They will get no more of my moola!!!

I use BEST sanitizer. Almost never soak more than a few hours. No problems.

Why not use a bucket? Dry hopping with bags is a cinch, cleaning with a sponge is a breeze. Capacity is much larger. Handle is much more egonomic when full. And the plastic will probably never crack.

The washcloth thing usually works for me. When I get some stubborn kraussen gunk, a 30-60 minute soak in warm OxyClean does the trick!

I do think they are "Better" but because they are cheaper than glass and they don't break like glass. Been very happy with mine!

I have 6 or 8 of them. Bought most b1g1 free so about 15 bucks each with shipping. I soak for extended periods (lazy) and have never had an issue. Although I'll keep it to an hour or so after reading this thread.

I have 8 Better Bottles and I love them. Just follow manufacturers recommendations on use and you will be fine.

grathan said:

Why not use a bucket? Dry hopping with bags is a cinch, cleaning with a sponge is a breeze. Capacity is much larger. Handle is much more egonomic when full. And the plastic will probably never crack.

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This. When I started brewing, all I used is better bottles, now all I use is buckets. Way easier to clean, easier to handle, more capacity, cheap to replace, etc.

I also had issues cleaning mine and nothing seemed to work and tried all the methods you could find. That is why I switched to buckets.

The thing I hate most about better bottles is the lack of a 7-10 gallon option. Can people really fill a keg using these?