Replace Old Bottling Bucket?

[BrewNow]

Hello HBT,

I've got this bottling bucket that is at least 10 years old. It’s been about 5 years since I've used it for bottling. It serves as part of my sanitization system using it to soak the chiller, funnel, tubes, etc... In 2 weeks I will need to bottle 5.5 gallons of brew. I'm worried of scratches that will harbor wild bacteria. Should I replace the bucket? Should I just replace the spigot?

 

[BeerEagle]

Hello HBT,

I've got this bottling bucket that is at least 10 years old. It’s been about 5 years since I've used it for bottling. It serves as part of my sanitization system using it to soak the chiller, funnel, tubes, etc... In 2 weeks I will need to bottle 5.5 gallons of brew. I'm worried of scratches that will harbor wild bacteria. Should I replace the bucket? Should I just replace the spigot?

Why take the risk? I would get a new one. It's not going to break the bank.

 

[Southernmost11]

Replace the bucket. The bacteria can really degrade the taste of your beer. You may also consider racking into another carboy and bottleing out of it using a siphon and a bottle filler. This makes for very little mess.

 

[BrewThruYou]

Yeah, I would definitely replace it if it's been 5 years since you used it.

 

[BrewNow]

Settled then. $15.00 for a new bucket will save me a spoiled batch of beer.

Thanks all!

 

[BBBF]

If I were you, I'd just put the beer and priming sugar into a keg and use the CO2 to push it into bottles.