i tried search no luck water bottle secondary?

Can i buy a $7.00 upright 5gallon watter bottler from walmart drill a hole add the rubber gasket and make it my secondary fermentor? It has a screw on top. Thanks

 

Yes you can.... Water bottles come in polycarbonate and PET. Usually Polycarb.

With Polycarnonate, some worry about biphenal B (but then, it's the same worry for drinking water), others argue about the possibility of oxidation. The first is up to you, the second in my opinion is a myth.

I have yet to hear of anyone that has oxidised their beer from using plastic fermenters... of any food grade plastic.

 

No offense, but a search on "water bottle" turns up plenty of info about the primary debate on using regular ol' water bottles for fermenters. It's about oxygen permeability.

Now, go type "water bottle" into the search, and read a few threads to see what the general consensus is.

 

Yea about that, how fast does oxygen permeate this plastic? some people makes it sound like it just pours right in there and will kill a beer over night.
is that how it really is, or just fear mongering?
I'm guessing its not, but the fear thing is cool anyway.

 

IMO it's blown way way way out of proportion.

 

I agree, I firmly believe that that was simply a myth propagated by the glass carboy industry to dissuade people from using a cheaper method..and people blindly spout it, yet plenty of people use them for wines, meads AND beers....and people spout the same things about buckets....

Although I no longer secondary and opt for a month long primary, I ferment plenty of my small batches in 3 gallon water bottles with no ill effects...

If you want more info, I have posted a ton of it on the use of plastic water bottles...just do an advanced search for Plastic water bottle posts by revvy....

And everyone conveniently forgets that almost immediately (or at least within 72 hours) there is little O2 actually in the fermentors and secondarys...it has been replaced, as you all know by carbolic acid (co2) which swaths the beer and pushes outward (at the minimum to make the airlock bubble that you all so ardently look for).....and as we say repeatedly, "if co2 is pushing out...then nothing is getting in." And guess what? That includes oxygen.

SO even if some thing indeed is oxygen permeable......it is also CO2 pushable....and that is happening first....

 

yes you can and a balloon with a needle hole in it will work as an airlock, condoms get more laughs

 

I think I'm going to rig a whoopy cushion up to my airlock. I use 13g white plastic carboys, and the tend to build up pressure a bit then release it rather than being steady like a glass carboy.

Be great for apfelwein. If it's going to smell like elephant farts it should sound like elephant farts.