Sorry folks, I haven't had a chance to do the test yet. It's on the schedule for tomorrow afternoon, so I'll post the results tomorrow evening.
Trying to solve the carboy problem
- Thread starter feedbag
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
Here's what I did to test this idea:
I bought a 14 oz can of Plasti Dip, cleaned the outside of the carboy with soap and water, then cleaned with rubbing alcohol using a paper towel, and then painted the Plasti Dip (without diluting it with anything) onto the carboy with a sponge brush. The 14 oz can gave me enough to apply four coats to the carboy.
Once dry, I took it outside, placed it in a cardboard box, filled to about 3/4 full with water, then tried hitting it with a hammer. The box didn't allow much room to swing the hammer with enough force to break it, so I decided to try dropping it. The first couple of drops were on the lawn, which seemed to give a little when being impacted by the weight. I then placed a piece of slate under the box, and tried dropping it on that. The first two attempts weren't successful, but I was determined, so I dropped it a third time. With the final drop, I tried to direct it onto the corner. That did the trick.
I quickly grabbed my camera to take pictures of the aftermath. Notice the water level in the box. There were several small holes in the coating that were spraying water out. It won't save the beer, but it will slow the loss down.
Though it isn't 100% safe from shards of glass puncturing the skin, it does seem to add a measure of protection. I will be doing this to all of my remaining carboys in the near future.
I bought a 14 oz can of Plasti Dip, cleaned the outside of the carboy with soap and water, then cleaned with rubbing alcohol using a paper towel, and then painted the Plasti Dip (without diluting it with anything) onto the carboy with a sponge brush. The 14 oz can gave me enough to apply four coats to the carboy.
Once dry, I took it outside, placed it in a cardboard box, filled to about 3/4 full with water, then tried hitting it with a hammer. The box didn't allow much room to swing the hammer with enough force to break it, so I decided to try dropping it. The first couple of drops were on the lawn, which seemed to give a little when being impacted by the weight. I then placed a piece of slate under the box, and tried dropping it on that. The first two attempts weren't successful, but I was determined, so I dropped it a third time. With the final drop, I tried to direct it onto the corner. That did the trick.
I quickly grabbed my camera to take pictures of the aftermath. Notice the water level in the box. There were several small holes in the coating that were spraying water out. It won't save the beer, but it will slow the loss down.
Though it isn't 100% safe from shards of glass puncturing the skin, it does seem to add a measure of protection. I will be doing this to all of my remaining carboys in the near future.
feedbag
Well-Known Member
Great job and thanks for the sacrificial carboy, I would consider this a great success and a way for many people to be able to protect their carboys in the future. This could save a lot of people from trips to the emergency room.
Like me...
After reading your idea, I had to try it out. I will be buying the spray cans to do my remaining carboys, and hopefully I never break another one. But, if I do break one again, I hope I can just stay home and sulk over a broken carboy instead of doing it in the ER.
Thanks for the idea.
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
Obvious man says "Do you know what else could save you a trip to the ER and is not made of glass?".
As I posted on another thread:
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
I understand your plan and it makes sense...The was "obvious man" talking.
Was that one of the voices in your head? Some of the voices in my head say strange things too.
You can get a generic 7 gallon HDPE bucket + lid for less than what you're paying to coat these carboys. I don't understand the appeal. You are losing the transparency, or at least enough of it that that's really no longer an advantage vs. the bucket. There is no worry whatsoever about shards when you drop a bucket, and buckets are more resilient to drops anyway.
And that's only if you're paying for your buckets. I went to the grocery store near my house and the nice ladies at the bakery were more than happy to give me all the food grade buckets they had. So, you can spend $10+ coating each carboy or spend 0-10 upgrading them.
Also, buckets are easier to clean.
Really...I just don't see the appeal of this whatsoever.
And that's only if you're paying for your buckets. I went to the grocery store near my house and the nice ladies at the bakery were more than happy to give me all the food grade buckets they had. So, you can spend $10+ coating each carboy or spend 0-10 upgrading them.
Also, buckets are easier to clean.
Really...I just don't see the appeal of this whatsoever.
Kauai_Kahuna
Well-Known Member
I like my glass carboys and I think this is a great thread, and thank you very much for sacrificing a glass carboy to test the concept.
hexmonkey
Well-Known Member
Isn't it kind of thread-jacking to keep suggesting the most obvious non-solution? Especially when the OP has already said that the point is to make carboys less lethal, not to find a non-breakable fermenter?
If you want to start a glass vs plastic debate, why don't you start a new thread?
lamarguy
Well-Known Member
I think people are entitled to express their opinion on a concept. The OP acknowledges this is a temporary band aid, NOT a solution to the sudden and violent glass breakage problem.
Besides, I think this concludes the glass vs glass debate:
Honestly, I just hope the OP doesn't get sued by someone who tries his technique and still manages to land themselves in the ER when their carboy violently shatters. Most of the injuries have occurred from the bottom falling out during cleaning or transfer (implies a large amount water weight). A thin plastic coating certainly isn't going to hold the bottom on...
I think I will duct tape my carboys. Criss cross the bottoms and up the sides multiple times, then bands around the circumference. Maybe four or five bands would do it and this would still allow you to see inside. It won't guarantee carboy safety, but it seems like it might be good insurance. Some of that Gorilla duct tape might be a durable choice. It's not cheap though and it's going to take quite a bit of the tape. The thought of a severed artery gives me the willies.
Well we managed to get through nearly 70 plus posts before the armchair quarterbacks started chiming in with negative.
That's gotta be some sort of a record.
The "point" of doing this, is to see if it will be beneficial to do it....Just like someone decided to use a turkey fryer, or a gott cooler, or an coil of copper referigerator tubing plunged into boiling wort with cold water running in it, or the stone at the bottom of an aquarium hooked up to a red oxygen bottle.
We don't think twice about any of the above non traditional/non brewing gear...but at some point someone thought out of the box and decided to try it.
It is how new ideas get incorporated into things....New ground gets broken.
There have been countless threads about broken carboys, so if this makes them safer then it's a good thing...there have been threads about how great opaque carboys would be and even using glass paint on them to make them more light tight...so if this helps then that is another niche that this could fill.
So there are enough reasons why this could potentially have merit. And I bet if the op HAD just posted a complete thread with it done...even you nay saysers and can't understand whyers would be sporting a chubby about how great it is....but no...because people actually want to collaborate, to brainstorm you feel the need to pee in our potty?
Why dontcha start a "why plastic dipping won't work on a carboy" thread of your own, instead of taking a dump in here? I don't walk into your home and pee in a corner. Why do you nay sayers feel the need to do it here?
That's gotta be some sort of a record.
The "point" of doing this, is to see if it will be beneficial to do it....Just like someone decided to use a turkey fryer, or a gott cooler, or an coil of copper referigerator tubing plunged into boiling wort with cold water running in it, or the stone at the bottom of an aquarium hooked up to a red oxygen bottle.
We don't think twice about any of the above non traditional/non brewing gear...but at some point someone thought out of the box and decided to try it.
It is how new ideas get incorporated into things....New ground gets broken.
There have been countless threads about broken carboys, so if this makes them safer then it's a good thing...there have been threads about how great opaque carboys would be and even using glass paint on them to make them more light tight...so if this helps then that is another niche that this could fill.
So there are enough reasons why this could potentially have merit. And I bet if the op HAD just posted a complete thread with it done...even you nay saysers and can't understand whyers would be sporting a chubby about how great it is....but no...because people actually want to collaborate, to brainstorm you feel the need to pee in our potty?
Why dontcha start a "why plastic dipping won't work on a carboy" thread of your own, instead of taking a dump in here? I don't walk into your home and pee in a corner. Why do you nay sayers feel the need to do it here?
babalu87
Well-Known Member
Well, I think its fairly simple really
An AH can help but be an AH no matter the situation
I hope I don't get sued either, so I'll add my disclaimer here. Plasti Dip on a glass carboy MAY or MAY NOT prevent injury, so use at your own risk. I tested it because I had the bottom break off while cleaning, as you mentioned, and wound up in the hospital with a severed tendon and nerve. I'm still recuperating, and I'm a little leery of using the equipment I have, so I figured that this may give me a little more reassurance that this incident won't repeat itself. Again, it MAY or MAY NOT prevent me from getting injured again. The thin coating of plastic did hold the majority of glass shards in my test. There were several very small shards that escaped through the holes that resulted from the impact, but the larger pieces remained within the plastic coating. The small shards could cause injury, but it's the large ones that I'm worried about. That's what caused so much damage to my arm.
feedbag
Well-Known Member
AMEN! I haven't been posting on this forum for too long but every time I see Revvy posting he his looking out for the little man! And please no one sue me! I was just trying to come up with some new ideas for adding safety to a glass carboy, it might not be the most practical way but most people love their glass for fermenting and I wanted to help improve on something they already have and love. Please see disclaimer below and forward all further complaints to my law team.
feedbag
Well-Known Member
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hexmonkey
Well-Known Member
Wait a minute! I posted a "go away start your own thread" before Revvy did! Howcome he gets all the credit?
Wait a minute! I posted a "go away start your own thread" before Revvy did! Howcome he gets all the credit?
I hereby give you any credit meant for me.
(and blame as well.....
)
chumprock
Well-Known Member
P.S. Do not taunt happy fun ball.
Back on track...
Ok, so plastic dip seems to do a decent job of containing the breakage from a carboy accident. Well and good.
But I propose a test using kitchen plastic wrap as well. The way I see it, several layers of Saran Wrap would help prevent flying shards as well. It might not do quite as good as the plastic dip, but the point is to contain the glass as much as possible, and I think that plastic wrap would certainly help keep the glass from exploding and cutting.
It would be cheap and easy to apply at time of use. It could also be used to hold a thermometer against the carboy if you were taking temp readings. It's a non-permanent solution, of course.
Basically it's like wrapping pallets of boxes at the shipping dock. Several thin layers applied fairly tight ought to help hold the glass in place, and it can hardly cut if the edges are not exposed.
Ok, so plastic dip seems to do a decent job of containing the breakage from a carboy accident. Well and good.
But I propose a test using kitchen plastic wrap as well. The way I see it, several layers of Saran Wrap would help prevent flying shards as well. It might not do quite as good as the plastic dip, but the point is to contain the glass as much as possible, and I think that plastic wrap would certainly help keep the glass from exploding and cutting.
It would be cheap and easy to apply at time of use. It could also be used to hold a thermometer against the carboy if you were taking temp readings. It's a non-permanent solution, of course.
Basically it's like wrapping pallets of boxes at the shipping dock. Several thin layers applied fairly tight ought to help hold the glass in place, and it can hardly cut if the edges are not exposed.
How about some of that Tyvek heat shrink wrap? I've seen that used to shrink wrap very large items like boats amd RV's for storage and such. I don't know if you could use multiple layers or not, but seems like you could. It would be very inexpensive per car boy, but buying a roll of that stuff may be costly. Could be hard to find in small quantities.
I think this is a perfect solution for someone like myself who already has 3 (remaining, already lost one) carboys that are currently in the attic collecting dust. This will give me more confidence in using them. If you already have them whats another $14-15 to save an ER bill and more importantly, the use of your hand(s). I guarantee you couldn't put a "non-protected" carboy in a box and hit it with a hammer and it not break. No matter what your swing limitations are.
OP, thanks very much for taking the time and sacrificing a carboy to try this.
OP, thanks very much for taking the time and sacrificing a carboy to try this.
I'm not the OP of this thread, but I did kinda steal it by sacrificing a carboy to the glass carboy gods. To you Yambor, and to all the others who thanked me, or will thank me in the future, you're welcome. Though I didn't sacrifice the carboy for anyone else's benefit per se, (I did it for my own piece of mind) if it prevents someone else from making a trip to the ER, then it was well worth it.
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