3 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy?

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bfinleyui

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I've got a 5 gallon better bottle, and was thinking of doing a smaller, 3 gallon biab ag batch on my stove (apartment living means no garage or yard to do full ag batches)... I know too much head space in secondary could cause issues, but i'm assuming that if I use the 5 gallon bb as a primary, that would be filled with co2,and not cause issues?
 
I worry about what is in the headspace before the CO2, and never getting it all out. I might try inverting the bottle, flushing it with CO2 while it's upside down, and then carefully racking the brew into it. Still, I'm kind of paranoid about airborne microbes.
 
My advice (if you want to secondary) is to do a 3.25-3.5 batch and get yourself a 3 gallon carboy. That way, you will completely fill the secondary and not have to worry about headspace. Hope this helps
 
I've done several 3 gallon batches in my 5 gallon carboy without any ill effects. The extra space is especially nice when racking onto fruit and the like.
 
I commonly brew 7-8 gallon batches and split the wort between two 5 gallon carboys.

So, I'm another one saying, no problem.
 
I do 3 gal batches in my 5 and 6 gal carboys all the time. Just never secondary in a vessel with that much headspace and you'll be fine.
 
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