A good word for Better Bottle

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yeoldebrewer

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Just wanted to put in a good word for customer service at BetterBottle.

They consistently helped me work out a stubborn cleaning problem via email as we tried various methods until finding ones that worked. The problem is now solved.

I've always found them to be notably detail oriented.
 
There was a faint but very persistent ring, translucent white in color. It's location corresponded with the location of the foam ring at peak krauzen. It looked like just a light, hard water mineral deposit but didn't respond to soaking with full strength PBW or vinegar.

I was finally able to remove it by vigorously shaking the carboy with a cotton dish towel inside, alternating with hot water/PBW and 9% vinegar.
 
I love better bottles.

glass is too dangerous for me although I do own one glass carboy. I always read about the accidents with them and I don't want that happening to me
 
I own 4 glass carboys... I love them, I hate plastic... However the BB seem to be a bit better at what they do when comparing them to buckets...
 
Glass carboys are out of the question for me due to a bad back and other health problems.

And the BB PET plastic is in a different league than pails and most other plastic items. Not as hard as glass, of course. But many times harder and tougher than the kind of plastics we usually use.
 
The website says that the "nominally amorphous (clear)" PET bottles withstand 140 F and the "nominally crystalline (opaque)" PET bottles withstand 167 F.
 
I have mixed feelings about better bottles... I have 4 that are great, 2 that are not.. The 2 bad ones have what appear to be a ring of tiny craters in the bend where they begin to narrow from full diameter to the neck.. Looks to me like there were air bubbles or something that created the imperfection... I traded emails with them several times including pictures of the imperfection but they never offered to correct the issue and I honestly didn't continue to push it. Functionally I do not like that when I pick up a full better bottle the bottom expands slightly and they suck the fluid out of my airlock into my beer..
 
JamieT said:
Functionally I do not like that when I pick up a full better bottle the bottom expands slightly and they suck the fluid out of my airlock into my beer..
Click to expand...

If you're using the three-piece airlock, you're probably filling it too full. It won't suck liquid back in if it's filled less.

The one-piece "triple bubble" airlocks might still allow suckback, but I never use that kind.

Also, this doesn't happen if you use something else to support/carry the BB, like putting it in a milk crate. Probably better for your back, too.
 
If you are worried about suck back from the airlock use vodka in it. Nothing grows in vodka and it will not mess with your beer other than give it a tiny abv boost.
 
josiahcox said:
If you are worried about suck back from the airlock use vodka in it. Nothing grows in vodka and it will not mess with your beer other than give it a tiny abv boost.
Click to expand...


I do use vodka.. The suck back is not a big issue, just an annoyance and difference from my glass carboys. In the grand scheme of things I much prefer the safety of the Better Bottle to the glass carboy... The accessories are pretty nifty as well.. I just wish I didn't have these 2 that are basically relegated to use exclusively for secondaries because I am concerned I will never be able to properly clean the pitted areas..
 
I agree with yeoldbrewer, even those little craters should be able to get cleaned and sanitized if you are being thorough about your process. Have you tried to go primary with one of those two yet? If not I would give it a try. I'm willing to bet that if you brought it up with the company and they said it was okay then you should be fine.
If you get an infection then I would bring it back up with BB but I'm guessing you will be fine.
 
I only use better bottles now. My glass carboys are heavy and just sit on the shelf now.

Good to know you can put a cotton towel in to help with the scrubbing.
 
It's really not worth the risk for me to try.. I can buy a new better bottle for the cost of the ingredients that would potentially be destroyed if it did get infected. I can assure that I am extremely thorough about my cleaning and sanitation process, that is the exact reason why these defective bottles wont be used in any portion of my brewing process wherein I am susceptible to infections..
 
Better Bottles can't take much heat. Last batch of all grain I put the 6 gallon better bottle just a little too close to the Banjo Burner... Yikes!

I managed to use the air compressor to blow most of the wrinkles out, it's still usable, but they sure can't take much heat.
 
OK.. I just re-read my "contributions" to this thread and have realized that I don't think I have effectively communicated my feelings and position towards the Better Bottles.

In my opinion Better Bottles are a fantastic product, at a very reasonable price, that have many desirable features. I believe that Better Bottles have contributed in a very positive way to homebrewing by eliminating a significant safety issue with the shattered glass carboy. I fully believe that Better Bottles will continue to grow in popularity and adoption and eventually become the standard for homebrewers. Unavoidably, even with the best companies on earth, slight problems arise on occassion with product quality. I am convinced that my experience in coming into possession of the defective bottles is by far and away the exception and is not representative of the Standard of Quality that drive the success of the organization, today or in the past. I will be using Better Bottles for my brewing needs moving forward.

There.. I feel better.
 
I soak my Better Bottles immediately after use in hot tap water and dish detergent for a few hours. I then use the same carboy brush that I use on the glass carboys. I rinse well then throw in a little sanitizer and slosh it around. I then dump it and let it dry. Been doing it for 2 years and have had no problems yet...
 
I thought you couldn't use a carboy brush with Better Bottles... or is that just the plastic bucket fermenters?
 
youre not supposed to. I bet you can see streaks of scratches. but he's very sanitary about it so he's ok. I am too afraid to try it.
 
Hey, I didn't mean to question the poobah... :D

Actually one of the coolest things about brewing is conflicting info and contrasting advice. Took me a little while to get over it, but I think that's what makes it unique.
 
That PET bottle is pretty tough. Can't see how nylon can scratch it. The metal maybe but just be gentile. Anyway I don't see what the big deal about a few minute scratches. Scratches don't cause infections. People cause infections! (I made a funny). If the scratch is clean, it's easy to sanitize. I guarantee those pails have more scratches than my better bottle. Those things are stacked into each other and then bounced around during shipping. Take a magnifying glass sometime and take a look. Especially the top foot or so. Doesn't matter if you keep it clean. :rockin:
 
I've never had to scrub my BB. Rinse it right away after emptying it, fill it with hot water and OxiClean, let it soak for an hour or two, and rinse, rinse, rinse. Has worked every time for me (crosses fingers).
 
My "No" was meant in answer to the question about pouring boiling hot liquid directly into a BetterBottle. I probably should have use the "Quote" function to clarify.

Don't know about sanitizing the craters.

+1 on using Vodka in airlocks.
 
"Better-Bottle carboys tend to dry out more quickly when they are placed on their sides than when they are inverted on the sort of stand that is used for draining glass carboys."

Interesting.
 
Oscbert said:
"Better-Bottle carboys tend to dry out more quickly when they are placed on their sides than when they are inverted on the sort of stand that is used for draining glass carboys."

Interesting.
Click to expand...


A big +1 on that. They take forever to dry inverted.

I propped mine on its side and covered the opening of with a crude sleeve/tube made of paper towels and tape. This to keep out airborne nasties. The carboy was dry within 48 hours.
 
J have been having good luck using the BB as primaries, and the Oxiclean does a good job..havn't needed to use the cloth towel technique yet
 
On my first better bottle, I did as mentioned before and used an L-shaped carboy brush to clean. That was a bit over a year ago. After cleaning that way through 8-10 batches, I got anal and heard about scratching plastic. I do notice now some circular scratches in that BB that show themselves at certain condensation levels. Since then I've bought 3 more BB's, and I made the rule never to touch the inside with anything but liquid.
By the way though, I still use that first BB (with the visible scratching) when I am out of other carboys, and I have NOT developed an infection in it. When cleaning it now, the scratches hold onto gunk longer than the clean parts of it do... so I'd have to tentatively recommend against using a brush. No biggie though.
Those are my personal experiences,
Cheers
 

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