Thoughts on using these 4 gallon water bottles

So did a bit of shpping online and found these 4 gallon water bottles that total price comes out to about $10 a peice

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/office...gal-bottle/prod6940075.ip?sprodId=prod6940075

any thoughts on using those as a carboy. Would it work? Be safe? and what size stopper would fit it?


thanks...

 

We'll curiosity killed the cat. I ordered one to have a closer look.

Hope mead doesnt eat thru plastic or something. I'm very new to all of this.

 

If you were careful with it and rinsed it well and didn't scratch the interior it would probably work fine as a primary for meads and ciders. I wouldn't age anything in it though; oxygen would dissolve right through that thin plastic.

You can probably find a drilled bung that would fit it at your LHBS. In a pinch I have simply covered the hole with sanitized plastic cling wrap and a rubber band - still releases gas but seals tight under vacuum.

 

Can't see from the picture but if it has a cap that allows its use on standard water coolers, then the cooler cap usually has a rip tab that allows refilling, and when its removed, better bottle caps fit fine.....the ones with a hole to take an air lock are excellent......

 

Ok cool so...

by aging do you mean like when it's done fermenting and time for bottling??

could i do all of my fermenting in these things?

 

You can do your primary fermentation in these, but once it's no longer actively fermenting, you need to start thinking about racking to glass or better-bottles (brand).

 

I personally prefer to age in glass, but I've got 10 gallons of last years fresh grape pyment aging in plastic because I couldn't get new glass quick enough.

I'll be able to do comparisons soon enough as theres another 10 gallons of the stuff in glass as well.....

 

I like only one thing about this, that these bottles are plastic free & doesn’t release substances of plastic.