I'm incredibly paranoid now that I've read this thread. I use glass carboys, and handle them alone. I'm a pretty strong woman, but manhandling the carboys up and down the stairs to my basement does get pretty tiring. I never drink while brewing and am a pretty careful person by nature, but I'm not sure I should continue to use glass even though I love it.
Broken Glass Carboy Horror Stories Compendium
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TimelessCynic
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Aileen said:
Milk crates seem like the solution. If a break does occur no big shards will make it through. Or paint it with the orange stuff showcased in one of the posts above.
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Just a reminder, click on any picture to go to the original thread from which the picture was taken.
TheSmithsEra
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I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. .
troy2000
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OK, been through this whole thread. A couple of observations: most of the pictures seem to be of carboys with glass a lot thinner than the old water company bottles I use.
I grew up in an area with almost undrinkable tap water, and everyone we knew had a water cooler sitting in the kitchen, with a 5 gallon bottle in it. In eighteen years, I don't remember ever seeing a broken one.
Sudden temperature changes aren't good for glass. I would never pour hot or cold liquid into a carboy, without pre-cooling or warming it first. It doesn't take that much of a temperature difference; I once had a room-temp beer mug crack when I stuck it under tap water to rinse it. It was winter, and our water pipes weren't well-protected.
I'll continue using my old thick jugs. But I'll inspect them closely before each use; I'll be careful not to subject them to sudden temperature changes, or bounce them off hard surfaces and corners; I'll knock on wood every time I dig one out... and I thank the OP for a good cautionary thread.
I grew up in an area with almost undrinkable tap water, and everyone we knew had a water cooler sitting in the kitchen, with a 5 gallon bottle in it. In eighteen years, I don't remember ever seeing a broken one.
Sudden temperature changes aren't good for glass. I would never pour hot or cold liquid into a carboy, without pre-cooling or warming it first. It doesn't take that much of a temperature difference; I once had a room-temp beer mug crack when I stuck it under tap water to rinse it. It was winter, and our water pipes weren't well-protected.
I'll continue using my old thick jugs. But I'll inspect them closely before each use; I'll be careful not to subject them to sudden temperature changes, or bounce them off hard surfaces and corners; I'll knock on wood every time I dig one out... and I thank the OP for a good cautionary thread.
OK, been through this whole thread. A couple of observations: most of the pictures seem to be of carboys with glass a lot thinner than the old water company bottles I use.
I grew up in an area with almost undrinkable tap water, and everyone we knew had a water cooler sitting in the kitchen, with a 5 gallon bottle in it. In eighteen years, I don't remember ever seeing a broken one.
Sudden temperature changes aren't good for glass. I would never pour hot or cold liquid into a carboy, without pre-cooling or warming it first. It doesn't take that much of a temperature difference; I once had a room-temp beer mug crack when I stuck it under tap water to rinse it. It was winter ,and our water pipes weren't well-protected.
I'll continue using my old thick jugs. But I'll inspect them closely before each use; I'll be careful not to subject them to sudden temperature changes, or bounce them off hard surfaces and corners; I'll knock on wood every time I dig one out... and I thank the OP for a good cautionary thread.
Old thicker glass to me means stronger sharper shards to make deeper, nastier gashes. I think that no matter how careful you are, eventually one will break. You can Plastidip it or wrap it with duct tape but unless you use Kevlar or something similar you are still taking a big risk. You might even break a Better Bottle so that it could cut you but it is far less likely. IMO glass of any type/vintage is just not worth the risk unless you have a system where it is never moved!
Hard for me to tell from the pic...is that pallet wrap? How many layers of it did you wrap around the carboy? Really cool idea.
troy2000
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How does thicker glass have sharper shards than thin glass?
You're certainly welcome to avoid any and all glass carboys, and I encourage you to if you don't feel comfortable with them. But consider how many thousands upon thousands of glass water bottles were delivered to homes and businesses over the years, before they switched to plastic. Given the number of them in use all over the country for several generations, the body count seems to have been pretty low... it's by no means a sure thing I'll ever see a broken one.
You pays your money and you takes your chances. I've seen some pretty gruesome photo's of car wrecks, but I still drive. I just drive carefully.
No data or anything else but thicker and stronger to me equals a more serious injury! Any data on the serious injuries to the delivery people of water bottles?? I bet it was more than common, just not recorded as it would be in present days.
And as I previously posted it is more of a necessity to drive than to use glass carboys so the analogy is useless.
OP
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We shouldn't continue to compare brewing to driving. Who here advocates drinking and driving?
Lots of good info for both sides here. It looks like some people fear plastic as much as others fear the glass. I don't fear either but I do respect the glass. I do have a carboy but I use my buckets because they are so much easier for me to use in every aspect brewing. Lighter, easier to clean, built in handle and cost much less. My buckets sit in my basement in a nice tub of 60-68 degree water depending on the beer waiting for bottling day. They don't need me to peak in on them to make sure they are doing their job they just do it. If life gets in the way and they sit a month or three before bottling oh well it's still beer. Meanwhile the carboy sits in its box waiting for that Belgian strong or quad I will someday age in it... or maybe it will find a new home.. Who knows. But in the meantime I will continue to use my buckets and maybe dig out the carboy now and then.
If you fear glass then don't use it.
If you fear plastic then don't use it. Just remember to respect the glass.
Damn that was a long ramble. I need a beer.
If you fear glass then don't use it.
If you fear plastic then don't use it. Just remember to respect the glass.
Damn that was a long ramble. I need a beer.
virginiawolf
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When I think of a glass carboy I think of something that is not able to absorb anything and something that does not excrete anything. After I clean a carboy I believe that it is truly clean. I can see any little particles through the glass and clean them off. I can also see the fermentation clearly through them. Those are my primary and secondary reasons for liking the glass despite the apparent danger.
I know that there are varying grades of plastic and it is all around us but when it comes to fermenting beer I want it happening in glass or if I were to upgrade something like stainless steel. Plastic is just yucky to me. It scratches and gets nicked up. Glass can scratch I know but generally at least the carboys I have clean up very nice. The glass is thick on them. I use plastic for parts of my process like tubing and my autosiphon and airlocks so I am not plastic free but plastic does concern me slightly when it comes to food. Yes it is all through my cupboards. I miss the old glass Tropicana jugs. I haven't even seen them in a while. Almost everything is plastic. My peanut butter still comes in glass. Windshields on cars are glass. I'm guessing for the durability and ability to keep them clean.
I wonder if there is a source of poorly made carboys that is causing people to end up with broken ones. Are the ones that are breaking where the bottoms fall off made by the same manufacturer? If so they should up the quality. Is there a standard thickness? I'm going to have to check mine to see if they are the same thicknesses if possible.
reasons for liking the glass despite the apparent danger. I know that there are varying grades of plastic and it is all around us but when it comes to fermenting beer I want it happening in glass or if I were to upgrade something like stainless steel. Plastic is just yucky to me. It scratches and gets nicked up. Glass can scratch I know but generally at least the carboys I have clean up very nice. The glass is thick on them. I use plastic for parts of my process like tubing and my autosiphon and airlocks so I am not plastic free but plastic does concern me slightly when it comes to food. Yes it is all through my cupboards. I miss the old glass Tropicana jugs. I haven't even seen them in a while. Almost everything is plastic. My peanut butter still comes in glass. Windshields on cars are glass. I'm guessing for the durability and ability to keep them clean.
I wonder if there is a source of poorly made carboys that is causing people to end up with broken ones. Are the ones that are breaking where the bottoms fall off made by the same manufacturer? If so they should up the quality. Is there a standard thickness? I'm going to have to check mine to see if they are the same thicknesses if possible.
troy2000
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I agree with Virginia, pretty much down the line.
One of the reasons I like glass is the pleasure I get from watching the fermenting beer. Beats heck out of watching a plastic bucket with a lid on it....
It's a tactile thing, too: I enjoy not just the look but also the heft and feel of my old water bottles. Plastic doesn't do it for me. Just like I enjoy my genuine leather duffel bag, too. There may be more practical materials in some ways, but none of them look, feel, smell or sound like leather.
One of the reasons I like glass is the pleasure I get from watching the fermenting beer. Beats heck out of watching a plastic bucket with a lid on it....
It's a tactile thing, too: I enjoy not just the look but also the heft and feel of my old water bottles. Plastic doesn't do it for me. Just like I enjoy my genuine leather duffel bag, too. There may be more practical materials in some ways, but none of them look, feel, smell or sound like leather.
bctdi
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"Windshields on cars are glass. I'm guessing for the durability and ability to keep them clean."
Windshields on commercial aircraft are made with a combination of glass and acrylic (plastic).The acrylic is on the outside to prevent the windshield from shattering in a bunch of shards when a bird hits it in flight. Kind of ironic that you used car windshields as an example of why glass carboys are safe when car windshields crack all the time, and apparently plastic was the fix for that in commercial aircraft.
I wonder if there is a source of poorly made carboys that is causing people to end up with broken ones. Are the ones that are breaking where the bottoms fall off made by the same manufacturer? If so they should up the quality. Is there a standard thickness? I'm going to have to check mine to see if they are the same thicknesses if possible.[/QUOTE]
I don't know the answer to that question, but some of my toughest drinking glasses in my kitchen have broken at 1 time or another , so why do folks think that a glass carboy is somehow never going to end up that way too? Humans make mistakes, even when sober, so minor imperfections either in the manufacturing process or from handling (ether between the manufacturer and the reatailer or by the consumer) that go unnoticed can lead to failure of the carboy. So maybe a thorough inspection with a strong light and a magnifying glass from time to time may not be a bad idea if you use glass.
Windshields on commercial aircraft are made with a combination of glass and acrylic (plastic).The acrylic is on the outside to prevent the windshield from shattering in a bunch of shards when a bird hits it in flight. Kind of ironic that you used car windshields as an example of why glass carboys are safe when car windshields crack all the time, and apparently plastic was the fix for that in commercial aircraft.
I wonder if there is a source of poorly made carboys that is causing people to end up with broken ones. Are the ones that are breaking where the bottoms fall off made by the same manufacturer? If so they should up the quality. Is there a standard thickness? I'm going to have to check mine to see if they are the same thicknesses if possible.[/QUOTE]
I don't know the answer to that question, but some of my toughest drinking glasses in my kitchen have broken at 1 time or another , so why do folks think that a glass carboy is somehow never going to end up that way too? Humans make mistakes, even when sober, so minor imperfections either in the manufacturing process or from handling (ether between the manufacturer and the reatailer or by the consumer) that go unnoticed can lead to failure of the carboy. So maybe a thorough inspection with a strong light and a magnifying glass from time to time may not be a bad idea if you use glass.
bja
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Left it in the sink over night to soaking went to clean it and noticed that no water was inside.
That very much appears to be a result of thermal shock.
bja
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Of course you can only speak for yourself. Implying that everyone who uses a carboy will eventually break one is, well, absurd.
bctdi
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TimelessCynic
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People are quite argumentative and passionate in this thread. I think i might unsubscribe soon. I can really only take it when I am the only opinionated person.
Seems like people either love their glass or love their plastic and the usage of the two are more often than not mutually exclusive.
I wonder how many of the plastic lovers started with plastic and how many of the glass lovers started with glass. Maybe the passion and intolerance comes from a difference in the equipment and process so many have come to love.
Seems like people either love their glass or love their plastic and the usage of the two are more often than not mutually exclusive.
I wonder how many of the plastic lovers started with plastic and how many of the glass lovers started with glass. Maybe the passion and intolerance comes from a difference in the equipment and process so many have come to love.
bctdi said:
Wine glasses are fragile and prone to break. I've been married 12 years and still have the full set given to me as a wedding gift. I also have all the plates and bowls, as well as my grandmothers china.
Some people are more prone to break things than others.
bctdi
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I've said it before and I'll say it again.... if you get 2 home brewers to agree on everything....you've made history and it'll be time for me to buy a lottery ticket
bctdi
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What about all your drinking glasses that you use on a daily basis.Do you still have every single one? Maybe you do, but odds are not in favor. That was the only point I was attempting to get across. Most people make some sort of mistake at some point even when being careful. Maybe you use your grandmother's china every day...I have no idea, but if it's sitting on a shelf and not being used much, it's not a good comparison. Not to mention that a plate is just a tad easier to handle than a 60LB glass container of beer.
Married 19 years in Feb and we also still have the wine glasses we got then and the full set of china handed down to us. Daily plates and glasses are a whole different story. As for your last comment some people need plastic everything, rubber sinks, no stairs in their homes and never allowed to drive. LOL
I've said it before and I'll say it again.... if you get 2 home brewers to agree on everything....you've made history and it'll be time for me to buy a lottery ticket
I was wondering what it would take to win the lottery. Guess i should just quit buying tickets.
As i stated in my last post. People are afraid of one or the other for various reasons. If you are afraid of glass or plastic then you should not use it. Its really that simple.
bctdi said:
I actually do. That probably has something to do with my daughter only being allowed to touch plastic though.
Why not make up a batch of StarSan in your plastic bucket them transfer a small amount to the GLASS carboy to sanitize.junior said:
You can then empty the carboy into the bucket & you're set w/ a bucket of SS for sanitizing your other equipment during/after brewing.
TimelessCynic
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I am lost now with all this back and forth.
Bleme you use glass? Bctdi you use plastic?
Bleme you use glass? Bctdi you use plastic?
bctdi
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That's amazing that you have them all. I certainly don't have any of the glasses I bought when I got my 1st apartment 22 years ago except those small tea cups that came with the set that have been sitting on the shelf untouched for 22 years. Like someone said above, some people need to bubble wrap themselves to stay safe. I am certainly not one of those people, but me, my wife, or one of the kids do make minor slipups from time to time. I plan on brewing till I am no longer able to lift a carboy, so 20-30 years is a long time to go without a ding.
bctdi
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TimelessCynic
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bctdi said:yes plastic. guilty as charged
Have you ever tried glass or seen it in action first hand?
bctdi
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yep, I've used it before. Could not tell the difference in the finished beer between glass and plastic.
bctdi
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I think the key word you may have missed is "eventually". maybe you brew once a month for 10 years.... have you even brewed that long? How about 40 years? If you think that you will go 40 years of brewing on a regular basis and never break a 60LB piece of glass filled with beer, well good luck with that. You seem to have a crystal ball and walk on water at the same time, and somehow through the internet you can tell wether or not I am a klutz. Most people on here that like glass realize that it could break, but are ok with that, or willing to risk it, and I can respect that because they just like using glass for whatever reason they want to use. But you seem to feel that you are so untouchable by your perfect process that it won't ever happen to you...talk about naive. Well if it should happen to you eventually, and I hope it doesn't...I wouldn't post it on here after you have reduced this down to name calling.
TimelessCynic said:
When I first started brewing, I went in 50/50 with a friend. Somehow he ended up with the glass carboy, probably because I get free buckets from work. I have used both. I like both. I defend the right of anyone to use what works best for them.
bja
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I didn't miss anything. If you're careful, pay attention to what you're doing and what's happening in your surroundings, you don't need luck.
Johnnyhitch1
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I see a conical in your future!
Right, because your china weighs 50-80pounds and is just as awkward to hold as a full 5gal glass carboy...
OP
OP
Let's be careful when using our glass carboys.
Is there someone here who disagrees with that sentiment? If not, what the heck are you all talking about? This isn't a plastic vs. glass thread - those exist in abundance elsewhere on this forum.
Is there someone here who disagrees with that sentiment? If not, what the heck are you all talking about? This isn't a plastic vs. glass thread - those exist in abundance elsewhere on this forum.
TimelessCynic
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bja said:
I approach things with the same level of hubris.
Add me to the compendium...
I spent 4 hours in the ER today after dropping a carboy full of oxyclean and slicing up my thumb pretty good. We don't think there's tendon damage, but I see a hand surgeon on Monday to be sure.
I'm exceedingly careful with my carboys. I've been brewing since '91, and this is the 1st one I've broken. I had one hand around the neck and the other under the base as I tipped it to pour sanitizer out. I don't know if the neck was wet, or if I just slipped, but either way, I dropped the front of the bottle, which exploded when it hit the floor.
I already own four Better Bottles. This will be my last use of glass. I'm done.
To each their own, but I am dead certain of my preference now...
I spent 4 hours in the ER today after dropping a carboy full of oxyclean and slicing up my thumb pretty good. We don't think there's tendon damage, but I see a hand surgeon on Monday to be sure.
I'm exceedingly careful with my carboys. I've been brewing since '91, and this is the 1st one I've broken. I had one hand around the neck and the other under the base as I tipped it to pour sanitizer out. I don't know if the neck was wet, or if I just slipped, but either way, I dropped the front of the bottle, which exploded when it hit the floor.
I already own four Better Bottles. This will be my last use of glass. I'm done.
To each their own, but I am dead certain of my preference now...
beersk
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Yikes. Hope your hand is okay. I've never broken a carboy, but I think I'm going to buy a better bottle to see how I like it. Mainly just wanting something lighter, but the unbreakable part is a bonus.
troy2000
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Why not? Before the water companies went to plastic, there were plenty of people who spent a lifetime picking up full 5 gallon glass jugs, flipping them upside down and sticking them into water coolers, then pulling them back out and setting them on the floor when they were empty.
You might as well say, "if you think you can go 40 years driving cars without getting into a wreck, good luck with that." Lots of people do....
