I just broke the second plastic bottling bucket spigot. Once again it broke during bottling. It must have been cracked earlier because there is some beer grunge inside the break ( I was bottling lemonade) As I said this is the second one I have broken and both broke at the same spot ( where the threads start against the solid part) is there a better spigot , maybe one made out of something besides plastic?
A better spigot for my bottling bucket?
- Thread starter OHIOSTEVE
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Someone else asked this before. I guess you could mount a brass or SS ball valve in your bucket and use it for a spigot. But it seems like overkill...Couldn't you just try to be more gentle? I've used them for years and never physically broke mine. WHat kind are you using?
Mine is this one....
I've replaced it once, but that was because I thought perhaps there was too much hop gunk inside and may have caused an infection....but not a mechanical issue.
Mine is this one....
I've replaced it once, but that was because I thought perhaps there was too much hop gunk inside and may have caused an infection....but not a mechanical issue.
i've had this same issue, i was bottling and the stupid thing just snapped off. luckily it was on the very last bottle, otherwise i would have been pretty upset.
There has to be some kind of metal spigot at home depot you can put onto the bottling bucket on the day of bottling so it wont snap like the neck of a kitten being pet by lenny...
There has to be some kind of metal spigot at home depot you can put onto the bottling bucket on the day of bottling so it wont snap like the neck of a kitten being pet by lenny...
What are you guys doing? Full contact bottling????? 
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
Someone else asked this before. I guess you could mount a brass or SS ball valve in your bucket and use it for a spigot. But it seems like overkill...Couldn't you just try to be more gentle? I've used them for years and never physically broke mine. WHat kind are you using?
Mine is this one....
I've replaced it once, but that was because I thought perhaps there was too much hop gunk inside and may have caused an infection....but not a mechanical issue.
thats the one revvy.. I am not really rough on them. it seems to be a design or manufacturing flaw as they both broke in exactly the same spot. I am trying to load a pic from my cell and having a hard time but I will get a pic up of the break.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
What are you guys doing? Full contact bottling?????
well we gotta show the beer who's boss right? seriously revvy I rarely even take mine apart. It MAY be an over tightening issue if I have to nit pick my use of it.
I'm curious....Of course, you know how everything is made for crap these days. SO at the same time I'm not surprised.
I would be interested to see if you go the ball valve route.
I would be interested to see if you go the ball valve route.
The one on the left is the kind that i use. I agree, there must be some defect specifically designed so people keep coming back for them. Mine broke right at the base when i was simply trying to take the tubing off. Quite annoying...
NorCalAngler
Well-Known Member
Wait, you can take these things apart? I've been trying to figure it out, but every time I try to take the handle part out it seems like I'm going to break the plastic. I clean it and sanitize it while spinning the valve, but I'm sure there are plenty of nasties that stay behind. A couple bottles from my last batch just turned into gushers so I put the rest in the fridge. Now I need to firebomb all my stuff. Care to share how to take these things apart?
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
by take apart I meant remove it from the bucket and clean the threads etc. I have no idea if they can be broken down further.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
OK I have been contemplating this and I THINK I can make one using a stainless ball valve and some fittings. The inside of the bucket will be more of an issue than the outside but I have a piece of threaded stainless that might just work... Anyway a ball valve with a 90 degree elbow coming out and a barbed nipple out of that to attach the bottling wand to. I have some big stainless washer if I need em also.....hmmmmm.
I do have a concern that you may want to kinda be aware of. I'm wondering if in order to get a good seal around hole in the bottling bucket, if you would put undue stress on the plastic wall of the bucket. So be careful with that when you are tightening it.
The nice thing is you can get various sized ball valves.
Be sure to take pics of this, it could be a really good thing. ANd it could then be added to my bottling tips thread. It would be the first true tip we've had in awhile. I kinda thought we maxed out ideas on bottling, so this is awesome.
The nice thing is you can get various sized ball valves.
Be sure to take pics of this, it could be a really good thing. ANd it could then be added to my bottling tips thread. It would be the first true tip we've had in awhile. I kinda thought we maxed out ideas on bottling, so this is awesome.
OHIOSTEVE
Well-Known Member
I do have a concern that you may want to kinda be aware of. I'm wondering if in order to get a good seal around hole in the bottling bucket, if you would put undue stress on the plastic wall of the bucket. So be careful with that when you are tightening it.
The nice thing is you can get various sized ball valves.
Be sure to take pics of this, it could be a really good thing. ANd it could then be added to my bottling tips thread. It would be the first true tip we've had in awhile. I kinda thought we maxed out ideas on bottling, so this is awesome.
I have access to about any stainless fittings I need . I think a smaller valve would be better for the reason you stated. A big assed washer might actually crack the bucket when it is drawn up tight.
NorCalAngler
Well-Known Member
Any update?
danorocks17
Well-Known Member
well i broke my bottling spigot today. luckily the bucket was just full of sanitizer, but ti broke right at the point where the threads meet the actual spigot. I was pretty pissed at first because that meant I had to make a trip over to LHBS, but as I was driving over i thought it was a good thing it was just full of sanitizer and not beer!
It looks to me like the barbed spout on the spigot could be the culprit. It'd make the tubing fit tighter,but conversely make it hard to pull off again. May take excessive force to pull it off,breaking the threaded part in the direction of the torque being applied at the weakest point of leverage.
BBL_Brewer
Well-Known Member
Here's the type I use. Although I have never broken one, I have had some leak on me. I occasionally ferment in a bottling bucket and have had a clogged blow off tube here and there. The pressure builds up inside the ferementor and "stretches" out something on the spigots causing them to leak. I too would like to find something a bit more beefy, but Revvy's right, a SS ball valve seems like overkill.
That's the kind I use on my bottling bucket bbl. They leak at the attachment point if they're over tightened. The seals squeeze out of place,& it leaks around them. Sometimes will leak if the spigot handle isn't turned just right/squarely in place. Otherwise,the racking tube is easier to get off,& doesn't leak.
FastEddie212
Member
I use the red and white style as well and have no problems other than getting it tightened properly on the bucket so it doesn't leak. The pictures shown earlier in this thread intrigue me though because the look to be made of a different type of plastic like Nylon or ABS which are both more brittle than the red and white polyethylene ones. Someone who has one could test this by seeing if it floats in water or not. Polyethylene should float. Polyethylene is generally food grade while many of the others often are not.
this is an old thread but I have concerns. I don't like the bottling spigot either. So I have an extra 5 g kettle....if I don't sell it, couldn't a person just use that if I put a cheap bv on it? I'd much rather use one of those free be cheap kettles from NB than that plastic thing...but that is just my opinion and I'm still fairly new to brewing...
danorocks17
Well-Known Member
I think that would work
Renoun
Well-Known Member
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