3 Infections in a row. Need new fermentation vessels

[Goyagon]

How did the bottom get scratched? Were they used for other purposes? How deep and rough are the scratches? Good scrubbing and thorough sanitation should be able to get them sanitary enough for beer, unless...

The lids, the groove mainly, are bug traps. It's essential to clean everything that touches your chilled wort and beer thoroughly, followed by rinsing, then sanitizing (Starsan). Yes, the rubber grommet and hole in the lid are part of that system, as is the airlock.

Grain dust will settle on everything, but should not get inside your fermenters, until... you open them. To prevent that, before you open, clean underneath the lid rim by spraying or mopping with a washcloth soaked in Starsan. Then clean and sanitize before replacing. Mop the bucket rim too. I'm a strong proponent of mopping with Starsan, not just spraying.

Do you open the fermenters frequently, to take samples and so? There are better ways.

I still use plastic brew buckets from 2013. No problems, ever.
That said, those Fermonsters look like a very viable alternative, if treated right. That spigot needs some attention though.

I’m not sure how they got scratched as I only use them for homebrewing. Sometimes I use to aerate with a plastic mash paddle. But I stopped doing that. I bought 3 fermonsters and it’s 3 weeks in with no signs of infection so I think either the scratches or not sanitizing the lid was the problem.

 

[Miraculix]

I’m not sure how they got scratched as I only use them for homebrewing. Sometimes I use to aerate with a plastic mash paddle. But I stopped doing that. I bought 3 fermonsters and it’s 3 weeks in with no signs of infection so I think either the scratches or not sanitizing the lid was the problem.

I caught an infection again with my new bucket. Last batch, I dumped the unchilled wort directly into it (checked if the plastic can take boiling water beforehand), closed it and let it cool in a water bath over night.

Just opened it a tiny bit to pitch the yeast, bottled it yesterday, no infection.

If everything fails, boiling wort might do the trick.

 

[IslandLizard]

I’m not sure how they got scratched as I only use them for homebrewing.

Maybe they're not scratched, the infections coming from a different source.

As I've said before, the groove in the lid can be a bug trap, same for the rubber grommet, especially the space between the lid and grommet. I always remove the grommet for better, thorough cleaning, and really scrub/clean the lid's groove, as well as the top, having a very irregular surface.

You can't sanitize something that isn't clean.

I had saved the yeast cake from a previous NEIPA fermentation and removed the trub (dry hops mostly) by straining through a boiled and Starsanned fine mesh nylon hop bag. I had done that before, successfully. This time it grew an inch high pellicle within a few weeks, partially due to the fridge not being cold enough, overdue for its "periodic manual defrosting maintenance." Fooey Samsung!

Now I'm glad I didn't use that yeast for pitches, it would have likely infected those batches. I traced it back to not harvesting the yeast right away, after transfer, but leaving it in the bucket for a few more days, with the lid on loosely. Nope, don't do that!