Plastic vs stainless

[Gareth68]

So,


Glass is out....nit an option. I am too clumsy.

So, I went plastic.

I Have two big mouth bubblers which I don;t care for with their added nooks and crannies, ****ty lids, and thin walls.

I have three nice thick plastic carboys.

Great....except for cleaning.

Everyone says not to use brushes on plastic as you may leave scratches which may harbor bacteria due to surface tension.

Which seems logical....but nobody brings it up when talking stainless.

Most used stainless has some scratches.

Somehow, it never seems to be a problem.


I have had a carboy sitting on my mark2 kegwasher for 5 days and it's not clean.

I am real close to saying screw scratches and buying a brush.

Why shouldn't I....real experiences.


Has a brush scratch ruined your brew?

 

[brewbama]

I think stainless is better. I started getting off flavors from my plastic fermenters despite the bleach bomb. I attribute that to scratches gained over time though I never used a brush on either of my plastic buckets. So I went stainless brew bucket and no more off flavors. ...but I do not use a brush on it either. I use craftmeister tablets and a shop towel. YMMV.

 

[mesooohoppy]

Stainless ftw.

Alas, I am poor and have to settle for glass carboys..

 

[Presto]

Scratches in plastic tend to change shape and size with the temperature and stress on the material. Crud that gets inside the scratches can be held onto. Scratches in stainless stay basically the same, open, and can be cleaned without much hassle.

 

[Calder]

I have 3 plastic fermenters that are 35 years old. they are HDPE, cylindrical with roughly a 2 inch diameter hole in the top (with a screw-on adapter which takes a stopper and airlock). Really hard to get in to clean.

I use one of those plastic brushes on them almost every batch to clean up the ring around the top and the crud that deposits on the underside of the lid.

When I'm done cleaning, I add in a gallon or so of sanitizer, seal and turn upside down for a few hours.

Never had a problem.

 

[Dixon9717]

This is what I use on my glass and plastic carboys. Haven't had a problem yet. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1457088358.663364.jpg

 

[Gareth68]

This is what I use on my glass and plastic carboys. Haven't had a problem yet. View attachment 341584

That looks like a winner to me.

 

[Vandulus]

I've used plastic, glass and stainless and I prefer stainless by far:
- Easy to clean with PBW and a scouring pad designed for stainless (doesn't scratch) or nylon brush
- Durable and long lasting. Some plastics can become brittle after time and can be easily scratched if you're not careful.
- No odors or stains after cleaning. I've had plastic buckets that reeked of hops for weeks after fermentation and were permanently stained.
- Easy to move and carry. The handles on the side make it incredibly easy to grab and move wherever I want it.

Yes they are much more expensive than many of the other options, but to me they're worth every penny.

 

[BrunDog]

I have Spiedel fermenters and think they are fantastic. I let them soak in hot water, then either rub off krausen crud with my fingers or a soft microfiber towel. Then a PBW soak, and they come out spotless. Spigot valve comes apart, the lid is large, the airlocks are too big to clog easily, and they are reasonably priced. The 30l easily handles 5+ gal batches without a blowoff tube and runs ~$60.

 

[BobBailey]

I've been using a couple of Bigmouth Bubblers for a year or so and love them with the exception of the indentations which make them hard to clean. There is a similar produce that came out recently that I'm going to get as soon as my LHBS gets them back in stock. http://thevintageshop.ca/products/fermonster.html

 

[Sepanik1986]

Why not just use a microfiber cloth when cleaning the bucket. Let it dry upside down over a towel for a week as long as it is in an area with minimal traffic, and it will dry just fine. I'm still using my first bucket and bottle bucket using this method (2.5-3 years old)

 

[RM-MN]

So,


Glass is out....nit an option. I am too clumsy.

So, I went plastic.

I Have two big mouth bubblers which I don;t care for with their added nooks and crannies, ****ty lids, and thin walls.

I have three nice thick plastic carboys.

Great....except for cleaning.

Everyone says not to use brushes on plastic as you may leave scratches which may harbor bacteria due to surface tension.

Which seems logical....but nobody brings it up when talking stainless.

Most used stainless has some scratches.

Somehow, it never seems to be a problem.


I have had a carboy sitting on my mark2 kegwasher for 5 days and it's not clean.

I am real close to saying screw scratches and buying a brush.

Why shouldn't I....real experiences.


Has a brush scratch ruined your brew?

I've never used a brush but I have plastic bucket that I use a scrubby on and have for years. I don't scrub hard but I still guess that there are tiny scratches that have accumulated over the 10 years that I have had my oldest and I still haven't gotten a bacterial infection in any batches. It is fairly hard to get a bacterial infection in the primary. The wort is too acidic for many varieties of bacteria, they have to fight the massive numbers of yeast cells, there is CO2 covering the beer which limits the oxygen loving bacteria and soon there is alcohol too.

 

[hezagenius]

I've been using a couple of Bigmouth Bubblers for a year or so and love them with the exception of the indentations which make them hard to clean. There is a similar produce that came out recently that I'm going to get as soon as my LHBS gets them back in stock. http://thevintageshop.ca/products/fermonster.html

Ordered one of those things a few weeks back. It was supposed to be here yesterday in time for my brew day, but nope. Should be here tomorrow. I'm curious how this compares to the Big Mouth Bubbler. The plastic BMB is very thin and the lid can't seal worth $#!t. Hopefully the Fermonster is better.

 

[Gareth68]

Ordered one of those things a few weeks back. It was supposed to be here yesterday in time for my brew day, but nope. Should be here tomorrow. I'm curious how this compares to the Big Mouth Bubbler. The plastic BMB is very thin and the lid can't seal worth $#!t. Hopefully the Fermonster is better.

Let me know.

It intrigues me.

As does the spiedwl.

 

[BrunDog]

That's a nice looking fermenter. Needs a dang spigot IMO, but that's certainly easy enough to add.

 

[hezagenius]

Got the Fermonster today. Opening is ~4", maybe 4.125". Diameter is ~11.5". Height is ~21". Sides are smooth inside and out. There is an indentation for a spigot. The thickness seems a little thicker than the Big Mouth Bubbler but not as thick as a Better Bottle.

The lid is 1 piece with a rubber seal that sits in a groove. When the lid is screwed down, the lip of the carboy fits into the groove ro compress the seal. I think some keg lube would probably help get the lid down even tighter.

 

[hezagenius]

Mine is the 7 gallon size

 

[mongoose33]

Do you know if there's anything designed to carry it like a harness or clamp-on handle or some such?

Sure looks to me like it's superior to the BMB. The spot for the spigot looks a little high--would it require a dip tube?

 

[hezagenius]

If you wanted to get all the way down to the bottom, yes you'd need a dip tube.

The bottom is punted as well.

 

[jigtwins]

I've got buckets, carboys, and 2 spiedels. by far the spiedels are my favorite. 1 30l and 1 60l. big opening and seals well, easy to clean. they have heavy duty handles and spigots. The air locks are huge.

 

[BrunDog]

The airlocks on the Spiedel are designed not to clog or ingest sanitizer when the pressure drops (eg temp reduction). They are big though!

 

[Beerbeque]

I love my Spiedel 7.9l fermenter. Never a blowoff. It is relatively easy to clean with a terry dish towel. I never use the airlocks and think they are completely unecessary. I just keep a loose cap on it.

 

[BrunDog]

Interesting! I do find limited utility in the airlock for showing fermentation, because when the freezer kicks and the temp in the deadspace drops the lid sinks down and as it warms up it is more active, which can fool you into believing there is active fermentation going on.

 

[Gareth68]

Well, two speidels en route.

 

[TennBrewer]

I've been using a couple of Bigmouth Bubblers for a year or so and love them with the exception of the indentations which make them hard to clean. There is a similar produce that came out recently that I'm going to get as soon as my LHBS gets them back in stock. http://thevintageshop.ca/products/fermonster.html

Love the look of the fermonster, very clean and simple design, I think I'd like to try one. Like you said, I have BMB's also and really like them, they are light, clear, and won't break if it slips out of your hand while you're trying to clean it. I have not had any problem cleaning the BMB, I can stick my arm all the way to the bottom and wipe down the sides with a soft cloth. After cleaning and thoroughly rinsing, I throw in a little sanitizer, close up with a lid and solid stopper and swirl. I also use plastic buckets but recently I've tried out a tip I read somewhere where the bucket is lined with a food grade plastic liner. At the end of the primary, I siphon out the good stuff and leave the bad stuff in the bag at the bottom of the bucket. Pull out the liner and toss it in the trash bin, bucket is clean and dry and no persistent odors or stains. Pretty cool. I still like the SS Brewbucket fermenter, easy clean up, should last for years, and good customer support. There, that's my 2 cents.