Advice on turning a bottling bucket into another fermentor

I bought the starter kit from Northern Brewer that comes with a 6.5 gallon pre-drilled bottling bucket. It was leaking due to a poor drilling job. They replaced the bucket with another bottling bucket which works fine.

I'm trying to come up with a way to convert the leaky bottling bucket into an extra fermentor/secondary. What would be the best option here? I was thinking of getting a couple plastic washers and rubber gaskets and putting one of each on the inside and outside of the bucket. I'm worried this solution won't keep it from leaking though. Is there a more permanent solution I could do? I was also thinking of using some silicone caulk, but I have heard that it's not a great idea to use if coming into contact with beer. Any ideas?

Do what you are talking about and add plumber's putty behind the washers. It'll work fine.

I'm not sure i'd even bother going to the trouble. Between the chance for leaking or something nasty getting in there, i'd rather just spend another $10 (probably less) and just buy a new bucket.

hoppymonkey said:

Do what you are talking about and add plumber's putty behind the washers. It'll work fine.

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This would be a permanent solution, right? Do you think there would be any issues with cleaning it or it coming into contact with the beer?

Any thoughts on using teflon tape?

I don't think I'd want to use plumbers putty - what's in it that would get into your beer? I think there is food grade silicone, but that's not really a good solution either. If you do want to make use of the bucket, whatever fix you do needs to be able to be taken apart for thorough cleaning and sanitation. Either fix it so it doesn't leak with a spigot, or use some sort of bulkhead/washer setup.
As jjp36 said, it's probably easier and cheaper to get a new bucket.

plumber's putty is "food" grade. You can run water over it and drink it no problem. That's what it is made for, but I have to agree that is pretty cheap to just buy another

Plumbers putty is generally not used as a pipe sealant, It's generally used in the installation of drains and faucets when they are mounted, since it remains pliable for a long time. It creates a watertight seal where the faucet and drain are mounted, but does not come in contact with the water that is dispensed from the faucet. I don't think i'd want my my beer coming in contact with the putty for extended times, but that's just me.