Better Bottle Problem

I recently switched to better bottles, and really like them. However, I've got a problem! I have the made-for-better-bottle snap-on blue carry handle, which is advertised as Good to carry the bottle while it's full. However, I have now had a full-of-wort bottle slip out of the handle and crash on the ground twice. It seems like the neck is deforming and slipping straight down.

I used to use a standard rubber stopper, but recently bought one of the insanely-expensive hard plastic caps made for better-bottles to try and keep this from happening again. Is this likely to work? Has anyone else had this problem and found a solution?

Thanks!

I also use better bottles. I carry them in my arms. I've never used the snap on handle.

Rubber stoppers work OK. The orange carboy caps also work well. These stoppers are the best http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=11582&osCsid=19a4690b7d1b2d0fa2793266dd4a9d6e and much less expensive then the BB brand plastic type.

rubber stoppers are a pain. I've only used the bungs (see post just above) and they are the best.

That blue carry thing didn't look too hot. If you want something better, just get metal ones with the orange rubber coating that tighten around the neck with a wingnut. I have one of those attached to a BB and it's not going to slip. I still don't think it is a good idea to carry any kind of carboy by the neck, but the handle gives you something to grab that is not slippery.

It's on the middle carboy here:

I carry mine around in a milk crate. That way they don't deform when you pick them up.

stevo155 said:

I carry mine around in a milk crate. That way they don't deform when you pick them up.

Click to expand...

I do that with both the Betterbottles and the one glass carboy I own.

+1 on using the bung provided in the link. I only hold my BBs by the neck is when I'm just picking it up. Otherwise, it's in my arms and held closer to me than SWMBO.

lastly, if your gonna use better bottles you really need to have a plan for blow off. They are just to small to contain 5.25 gallons of fermenting beer with a basic air lock. I get a huge blow off on every batch. I use the orange caps and jam a 1/2" ID tube on the fatter of the two openings.

I did a 10 gallon batch of Arrogant Bastard clone recently and had the mosy explosive blow off. both tubes clogged and the caps flew off. Made a huge mess of my fermentation fridge. Cleaned all up hooked every thing back up and it freaking did it again the next day! Two explosions in one batch! Hot damn that is gonna be one hell of a beer!

Well, according to the BB website, they are OK to be picked up, when full, by the neck.

My blow-off solution is Fermcap. It works very well.

Revvy said:

I do that with both the Betterbottles and the one glass carboy I own.

Click to expand...

+1. I have a capacity of four BBs in my fermentation chamber, and use four milk crates to carry them down from my brew room (kitchen).

Whenever I move a full Better Bottle, I take out the drilled stopper, and replace it with a SOLID stopper...NO hole. That prevents the bottom of the bottle from pulling down and trying to reshape the entire bottle. When the bottom pulls downward, the neck is pulled, as well, and the slip-on handle can come out. Using a solid stopper prevents the pull-down.

glenn514

For blow off, I take a rubber stopper and use a 1" drill bit and drill out a hole, then shove a 1" ID blow off tube that I use for my glass carboys in there. makes an air tight seal and make me feel better that I have a large blow off tube.

as for carrying? I use the nylon carboy carrier, but I think I want to get a milk crate.