5 g carboys as secondaries

[thedevanzoshift]

I just recently picked up brewing and I have a quick question. I have. 6.5 g carboy which runs about 65 bucks at my local store. I found a really good deal on some 5 g carboys for around 15-18 bucks. I was wondering if I could pick some up and use them as secondaries so I can clear up room in my primary for brews that I wanna age in the carboy for longer such as imperial stouts and such. So do primary in the 6.5 transfer to the 5. Would this be a good idea?

Or any other way I could make use of the 5g?

Hope this makes sense. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jeepinctbrewer]

yup go with the 6.5 for primary and the 5 gallon for secondary

 

[twofieros]

A lot of people do exactly that. Once fermentation is complete I may transfer to a secondary to dry hop or to age/clear a beer while I ferment another in the 6.5. Equipment is limited so use what you have to the best. Transferring isn't needed for great beer unless you are racking to dry hop or put on something else like wood chips or fruit.

 

[thedevanzoshift]

Thanks for the quick responses. I think imma pick one up since they are cheap and may as well. More for the ability to not have a lag in brews if I wanted to ferment longer rather than for the prototypical uses of a traditional secondary

 

[opus345]

They would make excellent secondaries. They would also make good primaries. Active fermentations in a 5 g carboy may need a blowoff tube instead of an airlock.

Glass or Plastic? Both have pros and cons.

Glass is heavy, prone to breakage, easy to clean, easy to sanitize. Plastic is lighter, does not break, needs other techniques to clean, and can be hard to sanitize if interior scratches happen. Search HBT and you will find numerous threads on the subject like this one: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/plastic-pet-carboys-vs-glass-204245/

I have both and have used them for primary and secondary. It really comes down to what works for you and your wallet.

Opus

 

[thedevanzoshift]

Thanks for the tips guys I think imma pick one up. They are glass btw I think used for purified water previously

 

[TBaGZ]

For $15 I would pick up several

 

[osagedr]

Man, I still can't believe how much carboys cost in some areas. You can buy a 23 litre new here for under $25...but why would you since people are practically giving them away on Kijiji (our Craigslist equivalent). You could spend an entire day picking up carboys for $10. I probably have ten 23 litre carboys and fifteen 19 litre carboys--most of which were given to me by people who didn't want to bother trying to sell them.

 

[TBaGZ]

$35 for a new 5g here and I have NEVER seen one on CL.

 

[opus345]

http://omaha.craigslist.org/for/3227536699.html

12 Gallons. Your thinking about it.

 

[TBaGZ]

$60 for a 5gal? Pffft