I'm switching to Better Bottles GRAPHIC

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jaytizzle

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
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Location
Baton Rouge
After me being a ******* forced me to spend my day in the ER getting 13 stitches, I've decided I'm too stupid for glass and need to switch to plastic.






















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Jeez, you did all this for the attention? Seriously, glad it wasn't worse. That's just scary. I've only used plastic in the last decade. I don't know if I can even lift glass anymore and don't want to try.
And, those pictures don't make the glass look as thick as I remembered mine from the 80's. Guess they really don't make em like they used to.
 
Jeez, you did all this for the attention? Seriously, glad it wasn't worse. That's just scary. I've only used plastic in the last decade. I don't know if I can even lift glass anymore and don't want to try.
And, those pictures don't make the glass look as thick as I remembered mine from the 80's. Guess they really don't make em like they used to.

Not for the attention at all. Believe me, I am not a happy camper right now. Just figured I'd share... and for those of you who don't buy the broken carboy "horror" stories (like me).

It was surprising how easily it broke. Admittedly I was being a ******* but it happens.
 
I was debating whether to buy glass or plastic for my secondary. My mind is now made up...

So honestly, this has always been the thing that has driven me to plastic vs glass. I understand that many people use glass for their entire brewing career with no incident.... but just for the psychological impact of being able to know this will never happen to me... I'm a better bottle man.
 
Ouch.

get better soon.

I usually only use glass when all my plastic is full. And my glass is in milk crates, less chance of breaking.
 
I still have two glass carboys, your post (with gory pictures) will make me be way more careful handling them. I've already ditched those carry handles for the carboy hauler straps. Sorry for your accident, Get well soon, and chill with a homebrew.
 
I just started brewing in Dec of 2011 so noob here, but I swear after being
"tricked" into buying a glass carboy and thought i needed a secondary
and buying a Better Bottle the first time cleaning the BB holding it up
with one hand and using the hose in the other I had my "aw ha palm
slapping forehead what was I thinking moment" been trying to sell the
glass one ever since.

Hope your doing better.
 
Ouch.

get better soon.

I usually only use glass when all my plastic is full. And my glass is in milk crates, less chance of breaking.


Put the carboy in a milk crate. What an awesome idea! How did I not think of this?

Got a friend who works at a grocery store, guess its time to ask for a favor!
 
Dang dude that is way more impressive than my broken finger! Did it just explode and launch glass at you? How'd it get you in so many places?
 
always a good reminder to others to be careful with this hobby. Stuff happens the second you aren't paying attention.
 
I was pouring from the carboy into a bucket. It was full and I set the bucket on the ground. I started pouring and the carboy slipped from my grip. It hit the ground, busted, and I thought I was ok. I looked down once and didn't see blood. Then looked down again and blood was streaming.

I ran inside, grabbed a rag, and hollered for my wife to get my wallet and phone and take me to the ER. I was holding the rag on my leg trying to stop the bleeding and saw blood still dripping. I thought it was really bad at first. Hollere at her to hurry up or call 911. Went outside to leave (after she wrangled our 3 boxers to the kennel) and my neighbor was outside. He's a ER nurse so I asked him to take a look. He pointed out my hand was cut so that made me feel better. He took a few minutes to clean me up and wrap everything in gauze. Then we headed to the ER. He called ahead to speed up my process.

ER was easy. Checked vitals and made sure I wasn't bleeding badly. Then I ha to get a tetanus update and an antibiotic shot. Finally the nurse took care of the cuts. Lidocaine, clean, stitch. Not much to it.

All in all it's not so bad. I'll heal an chicks dig scars. All I can say about glass carboys is be careful. I should have been smarter. It crossed my mind that I should have been siphoning instead of pouring from the carboy. That would have prevented this 100%. I'm not taking the risk anymore, though. I've got 4 more glass carboys that I'll sell locally and replace them with better bottles. Just a decision I've made to prevent this ever happening again. Good news is that I feel a lot more comfortable with handling the plastic bottles and keeping them clean and sanitary. I saw the cleaning video a few days back where the guy used a rag inside the bottle and swirled it around to clean it and it worked well.
 
Stop, drop and roll is for being on fire, not breaking glass jugs.

Seriously, that sucks, get better by the time those BB's get there.
 
So did they give you the look, and a AA flyer when you told them you were making beer?

Glad you are OK, it could have been worse.
 
We'll need a separate thread to discuss a good name for the beer. Maybe....Shrapnel Suds ? Blood sweat and beers.
 
No, the ER staff didn't look at me like a crazy or a drunk. The nurse who stitched me up said her brother is a homebrewer in Lake Charles, LA.

And there wasn't beer in the jug so no big loss. I'm thinking my first better bottle brew will be Salvation Ale or something. I've got time to think about it.
 
Wow. I am glad it was not worse.

I have used glass for some time and just grabbed a couple used Better Bottles from BrownDog. I try not to carry the glass unless I am using the Brewhauler or my cart.

Get well soon.
 
I broke my fingertip pouring a full 6.5 gallon glass carboy. The thing didn't break but it slipped and smashed my finger good.
 
Haven't brewed yet myself but have ordered my kit already. Just waiting for it to arrive. Anyhow, I think I am gonna duct tape most of my glass carboy so that if it were to break, it would be more likely to stay together. I will also use clear packing tape in areas in which I may need to see into it. I suspect using the tape will help prevent the glass shattering issues. I also like the idea of putting it in the milk crate.
 
I'm going to have to make a protective sack to go around my carboys now. I think I saw a neoprene version somewhere.

I've been hurt and cut deep so many times, I probably would have cleaned it up good and thrown some butterfly closures on the wounds.

I slipped on some wet steps a few years ago while drinking many homebrews. I thought I just scraped my shin as it didn't hurt much. I got to the bathroom to take a leak then looked down at my shin. It wasn't pretty. When I slipped, I landed on a nail sticking out about 3/16 of an inch and tore a 3" gash in my shin. It was pretty deep. I threw on some band-aids and spent the rest of labor day drinking and funneling homebrews. The next morning, I cleaned it good and closed it with 5 butterfly closures. The outside layer of skin was torn up and dead so it left a nice scar. I found out scars are really good chick magnets. I have photos somewhere of the wound and the fat and hair attached to the nail.
 
Damn, KBrew75... that's pretty hardcore. I talked to my neighbor lastnight and he said we could have likely closed it with some butterfly strips and been fine. Glad I went to the ER, though. My hand is pretty nasty and I couldn't have done much with it on my own. Plus they were able to hit me with some lidocaine and clean everything real good... much better than what would have happened without it!
 
damn brother, sorry that you had to go through that. that's the MAIN reason I use ale pails. I'll gladly replace an ale pail for $15 rather than waste $150 for my ER deductible + the cost of another glass carboy.
 
Oof! I'm glad I don't really handle full carboys. I rack to and from it in the basement. It pretty much just stays where it is. When it's empty I bring it over and clean it...but it's pretty light then. I used to lug the full carboy up the stairs to rack to the bottling bucket but I decided it would be easier to lug the bottling bucket upstairs instead.

Good thing we can take care of injuries like those ;). Heal up quick.
 
That's rough, man ... glad to hear you're healing now. When I first started brewing and needed to buy my first secondary, I was considering glass, but my wife just looked at me with that look that comes from being married to me for 10 years and knowing how clumsy I am. She talked me into plastic and I've been happy with it. I've got peace of mind, ease of use, and no one has ever been able to tell the difference.
 
I think I'm with you on the better bottles. Someone gave me one the other day and I've been looking at it because currently I have to lower full carboys in to a chest freezer then lift them out later. I just have this visual of getting shrapnel like you did.
 
Glad you're all sewn up but I bet you got a little pain going on tonight. Those are multiple nasty looking cuts.
 
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