Bottom broke out of carboy

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petrolSpice

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Several days ago I racked my saison into my Northern Brewer 5gal secondary glass carboy for fruit addition. About 5 hours later I heard a loud crack, and then the following morning I noticed a puddle around the carboy. There was a crack about halfway around the bottom of the carboy that was leaking.

Luckily I managed to salvage most of the brew back into my primary. I took the carboy outside and dropped it from about 6" into the trash can and the entire bottom broke out. I'm glad it broke when it was empty and didn't cut my arm off.

Is this a common issue?

Definitely leaning towards Better Bottles now.
 
Some people go through their entire brewing time without breaking one. Others have issues. Including (I read) a death due to breaking carboys. When I started I made the decision to go with Better Bottles mainly due to weight. They are durable and if you don't use a brush to clean them who knows how long they will last. I soak overnight with Oxyclean then rinse well, add about 1/2 gallon water and a washcloth, swirl around, remove the cloth and rinse some more. The longest time in washing is filling it with water.

I am glad I made that decision 2 3/4 years ago and will never use a glass carboy.
 
The bottom of my 6.5 gal carboy broke out a few months ago. Had it filled with some water and oxi-clean and was having dinner with my son when about 45 minutes later heard a load crack from the kitchen. I went out to investigate didn't see anything at first, and then when I placed my hand on the carboy to look around it it just let loose dumping 6.5 gal of water all over my kitchen floor. Luckily have the kitchen gated off so my 2 year old couldn't get into the kitchen.

After that I pretty much swore off glass carboys and will probably start investing into some Better Bottles. There was a very noticable difference in weight between the bottom portion that broke off and the rest of the carboy; the bottom was probably about twice as heavy as the rest.
 
Well... three months later the bottom just broke out of my 6.5 gal Northern Brewer carboy while 2.5 days into fermenting my IIPA. It was sitting all by itself, hadn't been touched for 2.5 days. Luckily it was in the garage and not inside on carpet. This batch cost be around $75... These carboys a ^&%*ing garbage!

Better Bottle FTW.
 
I broke my first carboy the first time I started brewing, a little over 18 months ago.

I almost immediately switched to Better Bottles, and have been using them exclusively. I complete my primary and secondary fermentation in the Better Bottle and age my beers in kegs.

I enjoy the ease of using these lightweight bottles.

Brent
 
I'm sure glad no one was hurt in these glass carboy episodes. It further reinforces my disinterest in every having glass carboys.
 
I've only had one break, due to "accidental user error" ....was transporting it by the handle, had bad allergies, and suffered a violent sneeze, which allowed the bottom to bump the basement floor, which broke it, but....no injury, basement (old old house) had drains in the floor near the washer and hot water heater), so cleanup was relatively easy compared to if it had happened upstairs somewhere. I brewed beers and a few meads over 10 years up in MI, that was my only glass related problem. Have gotten back into fermenting (concentrating on meads this time 'round), and now always put glass carboys into milk crates for moving around. I have no problems with the safety of glass, as, had I not sneezed, I'd have had 5 more gallons of my house IPA to drink :)
 
I've been brewing and making wine for 12 years (off and on). Only broke 1 glass carboy when I was in a rush and it slipped out of my hands as I putting it in the carboy drying stand. YRMV.
 
I suppose I got a bad batch of carboys. Having both 5 and 6.5 gal carboys break, on their own, after maybe 5-6 uses, is just ridiculous not to mention downright dangerous.
 
fuelish said:
I've only had one break, due to "accidental user error" ....was transporting it by the handle, had bad allergies, and suffered a violent sneeze, which allowed the bottom to bump the basement floor, which broke it, but....no injury, basement (old old house) had drains in the floor near the washer and hot water heater), so cleanup was relatively easy compared to if it had happened upstairs somewhere. I brewed beers and a few meads over 10 years up in MI, that was my only glass related problem. Have gotten back into fermenting (concentrating on meads this time 'round), and now always put glass carboys into milk crates for moving around. I have no problems with the safety of glass, as, had I not sneezed, I'd have had 5 more gallons of my house IPA to drink :)
Click to expand...

Not trying to be a nitpicker but... if the IPA had of been in a Better Bottle you might not have lost much (maybe any) even with the sneeze.

I have a glass carboy that was gifted to me a while back but I only use very occasionally. And every time I do I feel nervous whenever I have to pick it up. I am still plenty capable of handng the weight but a glass carboy is awkward at the best of times and I'm pretty clumsy. The horror stories I've been reading on here lately (from lost batches right up to death - yikes!) have me pretty much convinced that I should get rid of it and buy another better bottle. The near misses (no injuries but beer was lost and rooms flooded) reported in this thread only serve to strengthen this conviction.
 
petrolSpice said:
I suppose I got a bad batch of carboys. Having both 5 and 6.5 gal carboys break, on their own, after maybe 5-6 uses, is just ridiculous not to mention downright dangerous.
Click to expand...

I think its more a matter of they dont make them like they used too

You notice the common theme? Everyone who loves their glass carboy here has had them for 8+ years. I suspect that the newer glass carboys are just manufactured poorly.
 
FuzzeWuzze said:
I think its more a matter of they dont make them like they used too

You notice the common theme? Everyone who loves their glass carboy here has had them for 8+ years. I suspect that the newer glass carboys are just manufactured poorly.
Click to expand...

There are those that have 8 + years on a carboy. Those were probably better and may not break unattended. But they still can break and ARE dangerous.

These stories keep affirming that I made the right decision to NOT buy glass carboys.
 
Not to say that better bottles cant break because im sure they can, but I would defiantly rather deal with 5 gallons of beer on the floor over 5 gallons of beer on the floor while im heading to the hospital.
 
poptarts said:
Not to say that better bottles cant break because im sure they can, but I would defiantly rather deal with 5 gallons of beer on the floor over 5 gallons of beer on the floor while im heading to the hospital.
Click to expand...

I agree, I'm sure they can break. Perhaps with age the plastic can become more brittle.

But this youtube video is convincing:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
poptarts said:
Not to say that better bottles cant break because im sure they can, but I would defiantly rather deal with 5 gallons of beer on the floor over 5 gallons of beer on the floor while im heading to the hospital.
Click to expand...

I shall defiantly deal with you, beer on the floor! I DEFY YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!
 
petrolSpice said:
I suppose I got a bad batch of carboys. Having both 5 and 6.5 gal carboys break, on their own, after maybe 5-6 uses, is just ridiculous not to mention downright dangerous.
Click to expand...

Or maybe it's something you are doing to them?

Is it possible your cleaning protocol is causing heat stress on the glass?

Do you cold-crash your beers? Do you keg? If the answer to both questions is "yes," then I would expect at some point in your process, right after you rack your cold beer from the carboy to the keg, you're left with a dirty, very cold carboy, right? If you're like me, the easiest way to clean carboys is to fill them with a hot PBW or Oxyclean solution right after you've emptied it, before the hop gunk and yeast has a chance to dry onto the inside of the carboy.

Do you perchance fill said freezing-cold carboy with bucket of piping-hot PBW/Oxyclean? Or do you rinse it a few times with progressively-warmer water, allowing the glass time to gently warm up before filling it with the hot Oxyclean water?

If this isn't you, then it's possible/probable that you did indeed just get a bad batch of carboys. But I post this as a warning to others who might not realize the stresses they're subjecting their carboys to if they're going straight from kegging cold beer to filling the carboy with hot cleaning solution.
 
I just started brewing over the weekend and I use a glass carboy. Fear ensues after these horror stories. Thanks guys! :eek:
 
I am of the opinion that newer glass carboys seem to be made differently than the older glass carboys. Even still, glass + water + any cleaning solution is definitely a recipe for disaster. I knew I would be part of the broken glass carboy group right away so I went with buckets and better bottles from the beginning.

I think you can brew for decades with glass without incident and most do. It is when they break that it seems they sever limbs to a scary degree. Someone bought long gloves that look like they would continue to grip even when wet. That is something to consider. As for spontaneous breakage, there has to be a reason behind it. The glass was compromised previously due to rapid temp fluctuations or the floor beneath is changing temps. There has to be some explanation.
 
Tempted to get this since my glass carboy fits perfectly into my fermenter. Nothing bigger could fit. Just worried about the stitching on the handle... but on the other hand if it breaks...



Sorry, not trying to hijack this thread...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
boicutt said:
Tempted to get this since my glass carboy fits perfectly into my fermenter. Nothing bigger could fit. Just worried about the stitching on the handle... but on the other hand if it breaks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7qqCcD0e9U

Sorry, not trying to hijack this thread...
Click to expand...

Seems like a silly idea, what kind of dimensions are you looking at for your fermentation chamber? Buckets are a possibility as well...

I fully expected that video to show him dropping the carboy and then being like see..totally not broken...that would be a product worth buying for sure.

When it shattered i was like Lol, its a carboy shaped heavy duty garbage bag.
 
Hello said:
Even still, glass + water + any cleaning solution is definitely a recipe for disaster.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's necessarily true. Why would water and a cleaning solution be a "recipe for disaster" with glass carboys? The only problem (and it's a big one) would be wide fluctuations in temperature, such as filling a cold carboy with hot water. The presence/absence of PBW or Oxyclean is immaterial - it's the hot water that's stressing the cold glass, creating weak spots and priming it to eventually fracture under otherwise tolerable loads.
 
FuzzeWuzze said:
Seems like a silly idea, what kind of dimensions are you looking at for your fermentation chamber? Buckets are a possibility as well...

I fully expected that video to show him dropping the carboy and then being like see..totally not broken...that would be a product worth buying for sure.

When it shattered i was like Lol, its a carboy shaped heavy duty garbage bag.
Click to expand...

I just thought that if one broke at least the chances of cutting myself are minimal.

As for the bucket, I have two, they don't fit in my fermenter (it's a danby mini-fridge with the inner door cut out). I have a 23L "italian style" carboy, tall and slim. Fit's like a glove, couldn't fit anything larger in diameter, as for height, I still have room. I will post the exact dimensions when I get home! (Can't get homebrew off my mind even at work!)

Note: I'm a 5ft3 man, im obviously small, but I can lift more than my weight easily (I sit at 130lbs), so moving a full glass carboy without anything is asking for trouble. I may have the strength but size to size ratio, not much I can do about the length of my arms and height haha!
 
I know two things about glass carboys.
1) Avoid the Chinese ones like the plague.
2) One bump against a hard object can cause a tiny crack nearly too small to see. It will become a larger crack eventually. Inspect your glass carboys regularly.
 
The bottom of my carboy broke out today as well... I was cleaning it when a small piece broke off from the side. I was carrying it to the trashcan and the entire bottom just sheared off. Not sure what the deal is.
 
boicutt said:
I just thought that if one broke at least the chances of cutting myself are minimal.

As for the bucket, I have two, they don't fit in my fermenter (it's a danby mini-fridge with the inner door cut out). I have a 23L "italian style" carboy, tall and slim. Fit's like a glove, couldn't fit anything larger in diameter, as for height, I still have room. I will post the exact dimensions when I get home! (Can't get homebrew off my mind even at work!)

Note: I'm a 5ft3 man, im obviously small, but I can lift more than my weight easily (I sit at 130lbs), so moving a full glass carboy without anything is asking for trouble. I may have the strength but size to size ratio, not much I can do about the length of my arms and height haha!
Click to expand...

Well if the 6G fermenters fit in but nothing else you may just be stuck with them, that said i doubt your door will close once you wrap your carboy in that protective thing if your really that close i bet it adds some width.
 
kombat said:
I don't think that's necessarily true. Why would water and a cleaning solution be a "recipe for disaster" with glass carboys? The only problem (and it's a big one) would be wide fluctuations in temperature, such as filling a cold carboy with hot water. The presence/absence of PBW or Oxyclean is immaterial - it's the hot water that's stressing the cold glass, creating weak spots and priming it to eventually fracture under otherwise tolerable loads.
Click to expand...


Because cleaning solutions make things slippery. At least what I use which is PBW. Maybe you have super tacky skin on your hand but I don't.
 
Hello said:
Because cleaning solutions make things slippery. At least what I use which is PBW. Maybe you have super tacky skin on your hand but I don't.
Click to expand...

A simple fix to that problem is a $5 carboy handle.

I've been using carboys that were once my grandpas (they're around 45ish years old) and have yet to seen one break. I hope they never do, but if your careful with them they can last a long time.
 
Hello said:
Because cleaning solutions make things slippery.
Click to expand...

Ah, OK that makes sense. Sorry, I thought you were suggesting that cleaning solution is somehow corrosive to glass and could weaken it.

JEnglish said:
A simple fix to that problem is a $5 carboy handle.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about the little metal loop thingys that grab the carboy by the neck and give you a handle to grip, I don't trust them. Even with an empty carboy, it seems to me that it would subject the glass to very uneven stresses and eventually snap the neck/top off. With a full carboy, it's suicidal.

I carry my full carboys with BrewHauler straps. When cleaning, I wear thick leather work gloves which both give me better grip, and protect my hands and wrists in the event one should ever break on me during cleaning.
 
kombat said:
Ah, OK that makes sense. Sorry, I thought you were suggesting that cleaning solution is somehow corrosive to glass and could weaken it.



If you're talking about the little metal loop thingys that grab the carboy by the neck and give you a handle to grip, I don't trust them. Even with an empty carboy, it seems to me that it would subject the glass to very uneven stresses and eventually snap the neck/top off. With a full carboy, it's suicidal.

I carry my full carboys with BrewHauler straps. When cleaning, I wear thick leather work gloves which both give me better grip, and protect my hands and wrists in the event one should ever break on me during cleaning.
Click to expand...
Nah, not at all. If it is then we have bigger issues I would think.
I wash my dishes by hand, I know just how clumsy I can be with glass and soap. Luckily pint glasses seem sturdy enough to fall 6" and not break. Carboys and me probably would not have similar happy results.
 
RPCidery said:
I know two things about glass carboys.
1) Avoid the Chinese ones like the plague.
2) One bump against a hard object can cause a tiny crack nearly too small to see. It will become a larger crack eventually. Inspect your glass carboys regularly.
Click to expand...

This. Especially #2. It's also very important to make sure your carboy isn't subject to rapid temperature fluctuations.

While PET carboys are obviously safer in terms of the risk of sustaining some gnarly lacerations, the fact that they degrade and leech harmful chemicals into the beer-- however slightly-- when exposed to things like ethanol, is enough for me to not want to use them.
 
I'm sorry what do those links prove? You posed it as a fact but neither source claims that PET degrades from ethanol exposure or leaches chemicals....
 
kwikness said:
This. Especially #2. It's also very important to make sure your carboy isn't subject to rapid temperature fluctuations.

While PET carboys are obviously safer in terms of the risk of sustaining some gnarly lacerations, the fact that they degrade and leech harmful chemicals into the beer-- however slightly-- when exposed to things like ethanol, is enough for me to not want to use them.
Click to expand...

Seriously your worried about leeching chemicals from a PET bottle?

You do realize what damage that alcohol is doing to your body is infinitely worse than any minuscule of plastic you may get over years of using a PET carboy?

Obviously dont ferment in a lead container or a non food safe bucket, your going to be dead of alcohol poisoning long before you should worry about leeching plastic from a PET carboy.

Also as others have stated, your not posting a scientific document..your posting some guy on a chemistry forum the equivalent of Ask Yahoo.

:mug:
 
I've got a batch of skeeter pee finishing up right now in my one and only "carboy" (I don't classify my 5 liter jugs as carboys, but that's a different topic). I bought this carboy in 1998 and it has been through 7 house moves, including 2 international. I've used it more times than I can remember - I don't keep logs. It's a 5 gallon glass carboy Made In Italy.

Anyway, I'd never buy a carboy again - glass or better bottle. The shape absolutely sucks for the purposes of fermentation as well as cleaning. Demijohns are far superior in both areas - both in terms of headspace minimisation as well as having a shape that actually lends itself to proper cleaning. That, and they come with locking baskets that make carrying and cleaning easy peasy lemon squeezy.
 

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