Carboy cracked =(

I used some of the excess hot water from my wort chiller to clean my secondary carboy. I also have a carboy handle on it. I was setting the carboy down using one of the handles that holds onto the neck and I would say I set it down fairly lightly (there was a little thud). Then about 10 seconds later there is a giant crack in the lower side of it and 5 gallons of water with PBW and Star San go all over my kitchen. A whole part of the carboy just cracked out in one piece.
Has anyone had this happen before? I'm wondering if they are not supposed to be filled with hot water or if the carboy handle created some uneven strain on the glass. Or maybe there was just a weak spot? I don't know how old the carboy is, it was given to me.

Never put hot water directly into a carboy. At least have a gallon of water in to soften the temp differential. I would not put anything hotter than hot tap water into a carboy, and be aware if the glass is cold the problem is worse.
Unless, of course, the carboy is made of borosilicate glass, like pyrex, but those are rare and expensive.

you picked up the carboy by the handle while it was full??? thats what did it. those handles are for stabilizing during moving and should never be used when the carboy is full.

They are just so hard to move around while full with nothing to use as a handle though. And carboy parka's are needlessly expensive.

deviousalex said:

They are just so hard to move around while full with nothing to use as a handle though. And carboy parka's are needlessly expensive.

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Use a BrewHauler or a milk crate. It's cheaper than a new carboy and a lot cheaper than a trip to the emergency room.

get a brewhauler, they work great, http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=10995
I don't like those neck handles. But if the bottom broke I would still blame the temperature. I did the same thing once, put hot water in the bottom of a carboy to clean it, and it broke a minute later, just sitting there, the bottom separated.

deviousalex said:

They are just so hard to move around while full with nothing to use as a handle though. And carboy parka's are needlessly expensive.

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believe me i know what your saying. thats why i use a hand truck to wheel mine around. they do have a carboy strapping system that is little more than a bunch of nylon straps connected to a pair of shoulder straps.

check this out. its cheeper than a parka.

Is the BrewHauler adjustable for all sizes? Looks that way from the pictures.

deviousalex said:

Is the BrewHauler adjustable for all sizes? Looks that way from the pictures.

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They are adjustable - I've used mine on both 6 gallon Better Bottles and a 5 gallon glass carboy. I don't have a 6.5 gallon carboy, but I think a BrewHauler would work on that, too.

Brewhauler works with a 6.5 gallon carboy well. That diameter is just about the limit. Using either a milk crate or a Brewhauler I feel super safe carrying it around. Brewhauler fits my 6.5, 5, and 3 gallon carboys with no issues at all.

+1 on the Brewhauler. Great gadget. I won't move a carboy without one.

You are very lucky that you weren't seriously hurt. As a million others have said, never pick a carboy up (especially with liquid in it) by the neck "handle." Also, why would you have PBW AND StarSan in your carboy?

I figured I might as well clean and sanitize at the same time. I rinse it out before I put any beer into it. I've never had a problem doing it.

deviousalex said:

I figured I might as well clean and sanitize at the same time. I rinse it out before I put any beer into it. I've never had a problem doing it.

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i'm not sure if that would work. but if it works for you then cool. StarSan needs cold water to work (or at least keep working) and PBW needs hot water to work.

dantodd said:

You are very lucky that you weren't seriously hurt. As a million others have said, never pick a carboy up (especially with liquid in it) by the neck "handle."

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Does that apply to Better Bottles as well, or just glass?

The temp is what did it and I also recommend the Brewhauler! I made the temp mistake once when i picked up 3 free carboys from the dump, added hot water and Bleach and sat them on the counter to soak for awhile, came back to 2 full carboys and one very clean countertop and floor and a carboy with a big crack from top to bottom! Didnt notice if maybe it had a very very slight crack in before I filled them but will never do that again, they were all 6 gallons at least up until that point!