Big Mouth Bubblers are dangerously thin

So I brewed up a nice cream ale yesterday and transferred the wort into my 6.5 gallon glass Big Mouth Bubbler. I picked the vessel up by the straps on the harness and a big chunk of glass broke from the side due to the pressure from the harness! I love the idea behind the Big Mouth Bubbler but the quality of these things is just terrible, and they're dangerous! I am lucky the entire thing didn't shatter. I wanted to share here, as I haven't seen any other threads talking about these things breaking. Check out how thin that glass is!

Ok, that's scary thin glass to be picking up 40 pounds of beer.

If they're all like that and that's not just a production defect that picture is one heck of a purchasing deterrent ...

Cheers!

eff that noise

Wow, I'll stick with my buckets.

Cottonmouth said:

Wow, I'll stick with my buckets.

Click to expand...

The plastic BMB is pretty neat, not wortht he extra $$ though IMHO. I won't be buying anymore unless they get a bit cheaper.

There was another thread, possibly in the broken carboy horror stories thread where nearly this exact same thing happened. Northern Brewer needs to get their **** together with this chinese crap in which they supposedly have full control over the production process. Here is the link, post 305:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium-376523/index31.html

It cant cost that much to stick a guy with a nylon mallet at the end of the assembly lines to tap these things to make sure they aren't stupid thin like this.

They will send you a new one and a kit to replace the beer though.

barnaclebob said:

There was another thread, possibly in the broken carboy horror stories thread where nearly this exact same thing happened. Northern brewer needs to get their **** together with this chinese crap in which they supposedly have full control over the production process.

Click to expand...

it was a hole on the bottom side and the guy found the thickness was varying all over the glass bubbler.
NB is great about warranties and will replace but I'd go plastic. Those reviews when they first hit said the glass seemed thin and now they're failing. It's terribly dangerous.

That is really way to thin for it to be by design. I would consider it defective manufacturing. Seriously, that's like 'light bulb' thin. Might be a good idea to get in touch with both the seller and the manufacturer and let them know.

Hopefully, it's a fluke.

ruger988 said:

The plastic BMB is pretty neat, not wortht he extra $$ though IMHO. I won't be buying anymore unless they get a bit cheaper.

Click to expand...

REALLY?? i freaking LOVE my plastic BMB! Honestly i think its WAY worth the money!! my 2 cents, but i use a lot of different things in secondary and the plastic BMB majke it SOOOOOOOOOO much easier. Buckets worked ok, but i had an issue with the seal on 2 of mine and got some pretty nasty oxidized beer out of them.

barnaclebob said:

They will send you a new one and a kit to replace the beer though.

Click to expand...

REALLY? They send a kit too? thats honestly pretty awesome. I had no idea

frettfreak said:

REALLY?? i freaking LOVE my plastic BMB! Honestly i think its WAY worth the money!! my 2 cents, but i use a lot of different things in secondary and the plastic BMB majke it SOOOOOOOOOO much easier. Buckets worked ok, but i had an issue with the seal on 2 of mine and got some pretty nasty oxidized beer out of them.

Click to expand...

+1

I totally agree about the plastic BMB. They are really great so far. I love the 6.5 gallon volume, it lets me brew 6 gallon batches and I don't have to worry about blowoff. Clean up is way easier than my better bottles as well.

All the more reason to stick w/ my Better Bottles!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I ordered a 6.5gal glass bmb and it arrived broken. I was also surprised to see how thin it was. I called NB and asked if I could get a plastic bmb replacement and accessories to offset the cost difference and they agreed.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

r/Homebrewing now has a huge warning pinned to the side about how unsafe glass Big Mouth Bubblers are.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing...consider_putting_a_big_mouth_bubbler_warning/

Might want to consider doing the same here. It's sort of absurd Northern Brewer continues to stock them.

Dustbowl said:

+1

I totally agree about the plastic BMB. They are really great so far. I love the 6.5 gallon volume, it lets me brew 6 gallon batches and I don't have to worry about blowoff. Clean up is way easier than my better bottles as well.

Click to expand...

My only gripe with the plastic BMB is their dimensions. I wish they would have kept the same sizes that the glass BMB's have - the 5gal is just too tall for what it is.

I'd get more, but they don't fit my ferm chamber due to height.

Wow! A lot of responses to this. I had heard horror stories of people breaking carboys but I always felt that it had to be because of carelessness. I see now how easy something like this can happen by complete accident.

I'll be switching to plastic as my primary fermenter from now on. I have some 5-gallon carboys I like to use for aging and I feel pretty confident in them, seeing as how the glass is significantly thicker and I use the Big Mouth harness to haul my regular carboys as well.

I'm torn on whether to make Northern Brewer replace this unit with a plastic Big Mouth or simply switch over to the Better Bottle that I hear so much about. There doesn't seem to be many negative reviews of the plastic version of the Bubbler. Then again, it's pretty obvious that Northern Brewer is filtering their reviews, seeing as how there's not a single negative review of one breaking on their site but a simple google search turns up tons of results.

I have a 6.5 gallon glass BMB and I can confirm mine is indeed SUPER thin.

Very scary!

PASS ON THE GLASS! Lots of better options IMHO...cheers and be safe.

So guys I just called Northern Brewer and told them what happened. This was probably the BEST and EASIEST customer service I've ever had. I talked with Steve and he immediately offered a replacement. I told him I'm now scared of their glass product and would prefer to switch to plastic. He's sending me a plastic Big Mouth, the harness for it, a stick on thermometer, and an all-grain kit so I can brew another batch (I'm positive I'll be able to filter out any broken glass that made it's way into this current batch, but hey, I figured I've earned a free batch for the trouble). Very impressed with the customer service. Honestly, I'm wondering if maybe they've been getting quite a few calls on these things breaking so now they're just replacing them no questions asked. He literally didn't even ask me what happened, he just immediately said he'd replace it as well as all accessories.

I have broke 2 big mouths. Been brewing for 5 years and only used glass carboys ever and I have never broken a traditional one. The first on that broke it was empty and I sat another traditional carboy down next to it and it just barely tinked the bmb and it cracked. The other one I was pouring water into a keggle and I let it rest on the lip of the keg and the whole thing just shattered in my hands. I won't ever purchase another. I should have called northern brewer but I didn't just decided I didn't want another one.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

tinman717 said:

So guys I just called Northern Brewer and told them what happened. This was probably the BEST and EASIEST customer service I've ever had. I talked with Steve and he immediately offered a replacement.[...]

Click to expand...

Looking at that glass you KNOW these things are failing all over. Probably grateful they're not facing a damages suit...

Cheers!

How long till these hazards are off the market?


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

A beer mug is thicker

I dropped this in another thread, but it's appropriate here as well.

From HBT member magic-rat:

Passed, it actually looks like it is the thickness of an eggshell or just above. Obviously there is an issue with the quality, no way anyone can doubt that one bit; however, before the lynch mob starts with Northern Brewer, I have it on very good authority that they're refunding people or replacing if they so desire. They're also giving away kits to replace lost beer.

The next step absolutely needs to be that these are no longer available for purchase until they can make them at least the thickness of a quarter (it is proven that they're thinner by some other guy measuring the thickness with calipers).

Stainless steel, dudes!!

Hello said:

Passed, it actually looks like it is the thickness of an eggshell or just above. Obviously there is an issue with the quality, no way anyone can doubt that one bit; however, before the lynch mob starts with Northern Brewer, I have it on very good authority that they're refunding people or replacing if they so desire. They're also giving away kits to replace lost beer.

The next step absolutely needs to be that these are no longer available for purchase until they can make them at least the thickness of a quarter (it is proven that they're thinner by some other guy measuring the thickness with calipers).

Click to expand...

Filtering reviews to make a product look better than it is and knowingly selling inferior and dangerous goods is a serious breach of trust in my book regardless of how they deal with it after a failure. It will certainly make me think twice about buying any new whizbang product from them in the future before its been vetted by others.

barnaclebob said:

Filtering reviews to make a product look better than it is and knowingly selling inferior and dangerous goods is a serious breach of trust in my book regardless of how they deal with it after a failure. It will certainly make me think twice about buying any new whizbang product from them in the future before its been vetted by others.

Click to expand...

Curious, in my line of work making a claim like that usually is backed by some proof. Are you certain they're filtered?

yes they "audit" all lower rated reviews and don't post them. there is some proof "for your line of work" even though that has nothing to do with this forum.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/2c53y4/i_emailed_midwest_about_issues_with_their_glass/

poptarts said:

yes they "audit" all lower rated reviews and don't post them. there is some proof "for your line of work" even though that has nothing to do with this forum.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/2c53y4/i_emailed_midwest_about_issues_with_their_glass/

Click to expand...

No need to be snarky. My experience with NB in the last 3 weeks has been that they sent out a new bubbler to me when I merely mentioned there was a design flaw. So you can be snarky, or a jerk…whichever you prefer, but I am simply seeking information before I join your lynch mob. It is funny how asking some questions that could possibly defend anyone on this forum is met with such snark. But I will show a bit of grace and say thanks for the link and your "contribution."

It was a valid question, thanks for posting the link that describes how they filter the reviews. Using reviews to help customers is a good idea but they should only be deleting the reviews after its determined that the customer was using the product wrong. Quality defects and justified reviews about a product being a POS should be left.

Hello said:

No need to be snarky. My experience with NB in the last 3 weeks has been that they sent out a new bubbler to me when I merely mentioned there was a design flaw. So you can be snarky, or a jerk…whichever you prefer, but I am simply seeking information before I join your lynch mob. It is funny how asking some questions that could possibly defend anyone on this forum is met with such snark. But I will show a bit of grace and say thanks for the link and your "contribution."

Click to expand...

Wow!

You asked, Brother.

He may have taken your input as "snarky"........

I know I certainly did.

When posting a "my line of work" response shouldn't the poster provide proof that this is his line of work?

iaefebs said:

When posting a "my line of work" response shouldn't the poster provide proof that this is his line of work?

Click to expand...

Yes, or possibly a receipt from a holiday inn...


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

I would toss that batch. Glass is the last thing you want imbedded in your throat. I doubt you can filter out the tiny shards and if it gets into your throat you'll need surgery to have it removed.

I've had my plastic BMB for a few months now, zero complaints. I like it much better than the Better Bottle I have (size is easier to maneuver and a helluva lot easier to clean) which has been resigned to Ed Wort Apple Wine duty.

On my fourth fermentation in my plastic BMB and love it. Looks cool too!

Glass scares me no matter what, with fluctuating temps and kids in the house, so I stick with buckets and my plastic BMB.

Redhook said:

I would toss that batch. Glass is the last thing you want imbedded in your throat. I doubt you can filter out the tiny shards and if it gets into your throat you'll need surgery to have it removed.

Click to expand...

If we can filter out yeast and micron level particulate, we can filter glass out.

A piece of nylon hop bag material tied over the end of a racking cane won't let anything big enough to cause any problems through...

Cheers!

wilserbrewer said:

Yes, or possibly a receipt from a holiday inn...


Wilserbrewer
Http://biabbags.webs.com/

Click to expand...

What's that supposed to mean? I just took that as you referring to me as a whore or something. You should be downright ashamed of yourself. And here you are as a vendor ****ting on another member and former customer on a matter that probably doesn't affect him. That's cute.

Where do I send my resume? I did not intend snark but i most certainly wanted to see where this guy got his info. The lynch mob cannot blame me for that but clearly, you all do. I'm woman enough to apologize for any unintended snark on my part. I thanked the guy for his link but again, it's easier to continue an attack online than it is to just move on.