#7 stoppers are the DEVIL!

I have had it with the peice of crap #7 stoppers popping out of my carboys!

I am going to the brewstore tomorrow to get either universal stoppers or carboy hoods. Anyone have insight into the advantages of these options?

Carboy caps are the way to go. The stay on, they can't be pushed inside and they facilitate easy siphoning. Haven't use a stopper on a carboy since I've got them.

I use the universal stopper on the secondaries and the carboy cap widget on the primary better bottle. I do this b/c the cap is just a little too loose on the glass 5gal, evidenced by the airlock water level staying the same on both sides. The universal stoppers are nice b/c you can turn them upside down and use them on beer bottles for storing yeast.

Brewsmith said:

Carboy caps are the way to go. The stay on, they can't be pushed inside and they facilitate easy siphoning. Haven't use a stopper on a carboy since I've got them.

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Yeah, except that some of them are too loose on my 6.5-gal primary carboys. I have two of them, both the same color, they look EXACTLY the same, but one is very, very difficult to get on (but gets a good seal), the other one slides on easily and doesn't hold a seal---spins in place on the lip. Plus, for some reason, it seems that the lips on some of my 5-gal secondary carboys are actually bigger in diameter than those on my 6.5-gal ones. All this makes for a frustrating time when using caps.

My favorite by far are the universal bungs that are molded plastic instead of the solid foam rubber. They can't be shoved into the carboy accidentally, and they never pop out of the neck.

And to the author of this thread, here's a tip to make sure that the bungs don't pop out: sanitize and dry off the bung and the inside of the carboy lip. If either surface is damp, it reduces the friction and is more likely to pop out.

Evan! said:

And to the author of this thread, here's a tip to make sure that the bungs don't pop out: sanitize and dry off the bung and the inside of the carboy lip. If either surface is damp, it reduces the friction and is more likely to pop out.

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Strange... I always make sure the stopper is wet before putting it in the mouth of the carboy so it is easier to insert and get a good, tight seal. I just dip it in iodophore solution before inserting it.

I don't know what a universal stopper is. My stoppers are not the solid rubber sort with a hole drilled through. They are shaped like an open cup with a central flexible core that rises up in the middle. The core is drilled for insertion of an airlock. Actually, the whole thing may be injection molded rather than drilled. They are more flexible than a solid rubber bung. I can't see how they could possibly pop out. After all, the gas escapes through the airlock, so they are not subjected to any appreciable pressure.

beer4breakfast said:

Strange... I always make sure the stopper is wet before putting it in the mouth of the carboy so it is easier to insert and get a good, tight seal. I just dip it in iodophore solution before inserting it.

I don't know what a universal stopper is. My stoppers are not the solid rubber sort with a hole drilled through. They are shaped like an open cup with a central flexible core that rises up in the middle. The core is drilled for insertion of an airlock. Actually, the whole thing may be injection molded rather than drilled. They are more flexible than a solid rubber bung. I can't see how they could possibly pop out. After all, the gas escapes through the airlock, so they are not subjected to any appreciable pressure.

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What you're describing is precisely what I was referring to when I said "universal stopper". Injection-molded, with an open-cup design. They don't pop out, and it's not a concern if they or the carboy mouth is wet. But when you're using solid drilled rubber-foam stoppers, moisture makes a difference, especially when the bung is on the larger side. The only way I can ever get those kinds of bungs to stay put is to dry them and the mouth off first.

Which, again, is why I like the universal bungs.

I use the universal stopper. The bucket I have using a small stopper though. The universal one is nice though as you won't push it through. The one carboy blow I had was with the carboy cap. Tossed it out and never used another one since so I can't realy say too much on them.

yea i just got my first carboy with a number 7 stopper and it doesnt seem very tight. does it hav to be as tight for secondary fermentation?

I use carboy caps, but have 6.5 bungs that fit perfectly in my carboys.

I got carboy caps from my LHBS. They distribute the Better Bottles and the caps are 2 different colors. orange for the 5 gal and brown for the 6 gal. I know it's strange, but on the glass carboys, the 6.5 gal has the smaller cap size. I won't ever goback to the rubber stoppers. The caps make life so much easier.

I've used the "universal" stopper but have also had problems with it sliding up. Never completely out as I have to check it every day and push it back in. But then I always put mine in wet. Maybe next time I'll try drying it. My latest secondary has a "carboy cap" on it and so far so good but I question if I'm getting as good of a seal as with a stopper. But so far it seems to be working ok ...

since i learned to put the airlock in the rubber stopper before i shove it into the carboy, i've had no problems with el cheapo rubber stopper with the drilled hole.

JimiGibbs said:

... My latest secondary has a "carboy cap" on it and so far so good but I question if I'm getting as good of a seal as with a stopper. But so far it seems to be working ok ...

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The only time you have to worry about a good seal is with the stoppers as the "interface" between the stopper & the carboy is facing up and there is potential for some nasties to get into the crack there and possibly fall in when you open it. When I used the stoppers, I always swabbed the area with alcohol before opening it.

With the carboy cap, the nasties cannot fall in as the cap covers the part of the bottle that they would fall onto. I still use the alcohol swabs though. Just a habit.

Kevin K said:

I use carboy caps, but have 6.5 bungs that fit perfectly in my carboys.

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Same here - I use 6 1/2 stoppers for both my 6-gal carboy and the growlers that I use for starters.

I also found the day-glo orange carboy cap to be waaaay too loose to make a good seal. Now I'm a bung-holer

skifast1 said:

Now I'm a bung-holer

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Ok, if you say so. (running & ducking)

EdWort said:

Ok, if you say so. (running & ducking)

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I was going to end that post with a *rimshot*, but I figured that'd be a bit much :cross:

i use either the 6 1/2 gum stoppers or the universal. sometimes the 6 1/2 does get sucked into the carboy just enough to be a pain to take out