WTF?? Carboy Self-Destructs???? No Help from Me

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jetgorilla

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I'm sitting in my kitchen and I hear a pop down the hallway and then a flood of beer comes rolling down the hallway. Any ideas? The carboy self destructed apparently. It was a secondary, with a air lock, and htere was no gas anyway as far as i know.

The carboy looks like it cleaved vertically because it was all sitting on top of itself.

I'm curious as to WTF happened so I can make sure it doesnt again in the future.

NEW RULE at The Compound Brewery: Never put a carboy in the house.
 
I am assuming glass carboy? What vendor did you get it from? I hope you know I'm going to have nightmares now...
 
Is it possible there was a relatively drastic temperature change? Cold fluid in hot glass container can cause breakage. I imagine the same goes for hot fluid in a cold glass container.
-edit-
Or maybe even a heater vent blowing hot air onto a cold carboy full of cold beer.
 
temp change would prob shatter it not cleave it in two- did by any chance have a thin gauge wire run tightly around it with eah end of the wire hooked to a terminal on a car battery, did you? you have to post pics of the remnants!
 
I'm sitting in my kitchen and I hear a pop down the hallway and then a flood of beer comes rolling down the hallway. Any ideas? The carboy self destructed apparently. It was a secondary, with a air lock, and htere was no gas anyway as far as i know.

The carboy looks like it cleaved vertically because it was all sitting on top of itself.

I'm curious as to WTF happened so I can make sure it doesnt again in the future.

NEW RULE at The Compound Brewery: Never put a carboy in the house.

Can't say what happened but the answer is PLASTIC.
 
I didnt think to take a picture. I was tryin to keep the flood from getting to the wood floors.

I'm a new brewer, I was told to get glass, so i did. It wont be replaced. I dont think it was thermal. the carboy and primary were in the same room for a month and fluid that went into the carboy was 76 degrees.

I guess I'll hace to buy a conical!! hehe
 
I have to use a fermentation chamber.

My dream fermentor would be a 8 gallon stainless steal pot, with a sealable lid. I would buy 4 of them, brew in them, and seal them up.

Switch to plastic ale pales, easy to clean, and carry.
 
On the other hand, glass generally lasts forever, there's never a question of slow air leaks, it's not made from funky chemicals, and unlike the plastic bucket and its undeniable utility, a glass carboy doesn't have to be replaced annually because it's scratched.

Plus glass is old skool cool. :D
 
temp change would prob shatter it not cleave it in two- did by any chance have a thin gauge wire run tightly around it with eah end of the wire hooked to a terminal on a car battery, did you? you have to post pics of the remnants!

I've seen thermal shock cleave glass on more than one occasion working in restaurants (though not a carboy). Seems to be pretty common when putting ice or ice water in a piping hot glass (straight out f the dishwasher) that has a heavy bottom. Pop! and the bottom falls out, a lot of times one perfect, clean break.
I'd bet that this carboy either was defective and had some sort of internal stress from production or had been banged around at some point and had a microscopic crack that just decided to give out.

I switched to better bottles over two years ago and love them.
 
AngerManagement said:
On the other hand, glass generally lasts forever, there's never a question of slow air leaks, it's not made from funky chemicals, and unlike the plastic bucket and its undeniable utility, a glass carboy doesn't have to be replaced annually because it's scratched.

Plus glass is old skool cool. :D

I don't get leaks in my buckets and I've had three of them for 5 years now without infection (no scratches)

And what funky chemicals? It's plastic, same thing that holds 99% of our food.
 
1/4 bbl sanke kegs for fermenting my normal size batches (6.5-7 gallons in, 6 gallons out)... I have a 50L keg that's also been converted into a fermenter (used it for my larger batch of MO SMaSH that I kegged on Thursday, 9 gallons into kegs).

Glass can shatter/break easily (compared with plastic of stainless).
Plastic can warp if it gets too warm, and isn't 100% light fast.
Stainless is the only thing that won't care what temperature the wort is at going in, won't shatter, won't split, and can be steam sterilized IF you ever get an infection. :rockin:
 
passedpawn said:
I"m guessing you know (?). Operator error, not one of these WTF posts.

I just can't get the picture of the carboy rigged up in the life preserver out of my mind ;) classic
 
I still have the same two glass carboys I started with 15 years ago. Never an issue. I also have 1 Better Bottle and my primaries are all buckets. never an issue with any of them other thn occasionally popping the top on the primary. :cross:
 
or had been banged around at some point and had a microscopic crack that just decided to give out.

.

I think the banged around part part is the answer to all the broken glass. Carboys and hydrometers.

I still have the same two glass carboys I started with 15 years ago.

I'm right there with you, but its 11 not 2 :mug:
 
some of those are tied up for months and months with wine/cider and its a mix of 5, 6, 6.5 gallon
 
I don't get leaks in my buckets and I've had three of them for 5 years now without infection (no scratches)

And what funky chemicals? It's plastic, same thing that holds 99% of our food.

Before lead based paint was bad it covered 99% of homes. Whats your point?
Glass does not leech antimony, phthalates, carcinogenic styrene, estrogenic alkylphenols, and a host of other ****. Yes, it breaks, still not a good reason not to use it.
 
Dangerous? LMFAO! A little melodramatic don't you think?

If flying glass shrapnel causing massive blood loss and even severing an Achilles tendon is melodramatic then so be it.

I'm not saying they aren't fine under normal and safe circumstances. But accidents happen... and soapy glass is slippery.
 
Before lead based paint was bad it covered 99% of homes. Whats your point?
Glass does not leech antimony, phthalates, carcinogenic styrene, estrogenic alkylphenols, and a host of other ****. Yes, it breaks, still not a good reason not to use it.

Do you have any scientific evidence that any of this occurs with plastics?

Dangerous? LMFAO! A little melodramatic don't you think?

This:

Search the forums. I believe there is at least one near-death story on here. There's more than I can count with serious injuries. The most recent was maybe a month ago from what I recall.

Lets see if the adamant pro glass brewers will feel the same after a visit to the ER.

Not quite a "not if but when" situation but pretty close. IMO it is definitely
not worth the risk. And I am not getting any younger and have no desire to mess with heavy slippery glass carboys.
 
If flying glass shrapnel causing massive blood loss and even severing an Achilles tendon is melodramatic then so be it.

I'm not saying they aren't fine under normal and safe circumstances. But accidents happen... and soapy glass is slippery.

+ 1. I've seen quite a few pics of stitches on here from broken carboys. NOne of it has been enough to completely deter me since I have 1 glass carboy, 1 converted sanke and 3 buckets for fermenters. :drunk:
 
Search the forums. I believe there is at least one near-death story on here. There's more than I can count with serious injuries. The most recent was maybe a month ago from what I recall.

Many cut tendon, lost feeling in fingers, etc. And an actual death. I have all the links. Here's some:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/carboy-dangers-potential-death-232037/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/broke-carboy-today-123232/
http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/carboy-brewing-accident-313454/#post3896960
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/broken-carboy-club-314087/#post3904957
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/first-screw-up-boy-pic-264043/

52705d1331858161-carboy-brewing-accident-hand-photo.jpg
 
I didnt want to say death because I wasnt positive, but I sort of recalled it. It was a friend of a friend thing right?

Edit: brother, just saw it. I remember reading that thread awhile ago. Might have even been what made me give away my glass.
 
Between the breaking glass carboys, and melting plastic carboy/bucket reports, I'm beyond glad I'm using neither for my beers. I've probably used the one 5 gallon glass carboy I have for the last time (made a mead in it, but it's out of that now). I have zero fears of breakage, melting, or any of the other issues associated with either glass or plastic. It's beyond easy to convert a sanke keg into a fermenter. You can do it for a couple of dollars (orange carboy cap), or you can go more involved (like I have) and spend more.

One of the extra benefits of having the sanke kegs outfitted as I do is their use as aging vessels. I have my wee heavy in one now, completely sealed off (purged the air from it with CO2 after transferring it into it's current keg). I also have three batches of mead aging in other sanke kegs that are also sealed off. I vent the mead kegs from time to time to ensure no excess CO2 pressure builds up (don't want them to become carbonated at all). The wee heavy has been left alone for almost two months now (aging with oak cubes).
 
Wish i had a 2-gallon stainless steel fermenter!Id be all about it. Now im thinking why not a pot? I recall a post of at least one death from a glass carboy from a brother of a brewer.Complete with crickets after his post.It makes me want to pull my airlock or blow tube before grabbing every time to move them.
 
Wish i had a 2-gallon stainless steel fermenter!Id be all about it. Now im thinking why not a pot?

A SS canning pressure cooker with a lid drilled for an airlock/hose makes a fine fermentor.

Ever really looked at a the top of a blickman 7 gallon conical?
 
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