Bottle bomb extraordinaire

[cracked1]

I want some people to learn from this.

I bottled some cider and a couple days later I left town for the weekend. When I got home there were two broken bottles (bombs) in the crate. I thought I'd do a little experiment and try to pasteurize some of them. Heated some water to 190 degrees with a towel at the bottom of the pot. Armed with face, hand and arm protection I added 8 bottles and set the 10 minute timer. Within 1 minute the first bottle exploded. The other seven blew up within 5 minutes. If I had been unaware of the potential danger and not prepared this could have been very bad. The explosions put 1/4 - 1/2 inch dents in the pot. I would have to say after this experiment that although the process works great if done correctly I would not recommend that anyone pasteurize any bottles from a batch that has already shown too much pressure for the bottles to handle. My SWMBO thought that we should have recorded a video of it and looking back I think she was right. The force at which some of them exploded was incredible!

 

[northernlad]

I have to admit, my first inclination would have been to release the pressure at the cap rather than increase it by raising the temperature...
However, you are right, if you feel the need to atttempt to kill the yeast creating bottle bombs, riot gear is a minimum.

 

[cracked1]

Yes. I relieved the pressure on the rest of the bottles. This was more of an experiment than anything else. I have heard people get what I thought to be bad advice to pasteurize in this situation and wanted to see for sure if they would blow. I never really had the opportunity to test it out until now. I looked like a bomb squad technician putting those bottles in the pot!

 

[Copernicus]

Awesome visual.

PV=nRT

V: Constant, the bottle
n: Constant
R: Constant

So if T goes up, so does P...and KAPOW! Smart thinking putting on the body armour for this experiment.

 

[cracked1]

Awesome visual.

PV=nRT

V: Constant, the bottle
n: Constant
R: Constant

So if T goes up, so does P...and KAPOW! Smart thinking putting on the body armour for this experiment.

So here's a question... I pasteurized a prior batch after about five days in the bottle and everything went great. I know many people have pasteurized this way for years with zero problems. But, I just recently read a post where someone wanted a sweet cider, bottled at about 1.14 and had bombs within 48 hours. What if those bottles hadn't blown but were close to it and he tried to pasteurize at 3 or 4 days...? BOOM! With no way for me to know what the pressure is in the bottle it makes me a little scared to do it this way anymore without being fully armored! Does anyone make any type of cap with a guage or one where you could add a guage? Or am I being overly cautious after seeing this?

 

[Pappers_]

So here's a question... I pasteurized a prior batch after about five days in the bottle and everything went great. I know many people have pasteurized this way for years with zero problems. But, I just recently read a post where someone wanted a sweet cider, bottled at about 1.14 and had bombs within 48 hours. What if those bottles hadn't blown but were close to it and he tried to pasteurize at 3 or 4 days...? BOOM! With no way for me to know what the pressure is in the bottle it makes me a little scared to do it this way anymore without being fully armored! Does anyone make any type of cap with a guage or one where you could add a guage? Or am I being overly cautious after seeing this?

No one should ever pasteurize without first opening a bottle and seeing if the carbonation level is appropriate. You can tell if the bottles are over carbonated by opening one and seeing. You don't need a gauge to measure it, use your eyes - if it gushes (like in a recent thread) or if its really highly carbonated, then the cider was left too long in the bottles and you shouldn't pasteurize it. If it is normally carbonated, it will not explode during pasteurization.

Sorry for the scolding, but it is extraordinarily dangerous to heat bottles when you know they are over-carbonated (from the exploding bombs). Stove-top pasteurizing is quite simple and really has only one requirement - pasteurize before the bottles are over-carbonated. I feel like I've been posting this over and over lately, but I'm very concerned about the lack of common sense some folks are showing and that someone is going to get seriously hurt.

Heating over-pressurized bottles is extremely dangerous. Head injuries, eye injuries, glass shards blown at you under high pressure, extreme burns from scalding liquid are all possible when bottles explode during pasteurization. If your bottles are over-carbonated, do not pasteurize them. Rather, remove the caps and relieve some of the pressure.

 

[oldmate]

I might suggest adding that as a disclaimer to your thread, Pappers.

 

[callmebruce]

I plan on carbing one or two in Pet bottles. I'll know carbonization level just from squeezing.

 

[Pappers_]

I might suggest adding that as a disclaimer to your thread, Pappers.

I did right after I posted above last night, OM - thanks.

 

[truckjohn]

Copernicus makes a good point up in #4... If gas pressure was already at Max Capacity of the bottle -- a 25% increase in absolute temperature = 25% increase in Pressure..... which means Bottle Bombs....

We can't ignore the 2nd culprit -- solubility of a gas in a liquid.....

Solubility of gas goes DOWN as the liquid warms up..... so beer in the bottle gets more and more fizzy as it gets hotter..... Bottles marginally OK on the counter may not be OK in 190* water......

Then, make the mistake of boiling the liquid and solubility hits 0.......... and kapow.

I think Pappers makes a good point -- if you prime bottles.... Always check before pasteurizing.... Always make sure to use a big pot with a lid.....

Even if you don't pasteurize -- it is pretty easy to over-carb bottles to the point that they explode..... Several of Dad's funny college stories revolve around bottles of home brew exploding in the pantry and his buddies being afraid to open the door for fear of flying glass..... They just over-primed the bottles....

The last lesson from this is that if you have over-carbed bottles... You might be able to salvage them if you Cool them down without freezing them.... Set them outside in the cold (Non-freezing) weather or maybe stick them in the fridge.... It should stop yeast activity as well as reduce the internal pressure a bit.... Maybe enough so you can open them up without them busting.... I would wear gloves and cover them with something anyway....

Thanks

John

 

[MeadWitch]

Heating over-pressurized bottles is extremely dangerous. Head injuries, eye injuries, glass shards blown at you under high pressure, extreme burns from scalding liquid are all possible when bottles explode during pasteurization. If your bottles are over-carbonated, do not pasteurize them. Rather, remove the caps and relieve some of the pressure.[/QUOTE]

Pappers, after removing the caps and letting them air out for a while, is it a possible to recap and pastuerize at this point? They would still have some carbonation but not to the point of bottle bombs.

 

[Pappers_]

Pappers, after removing the caps and letting them air out for a while, is it a possible to recap and pastuerize at this point? They would still have some carbonation but not to the point of bottle bombs.

Exactly, MW.