5 gallon carboy at different fill levels

[Cider Wraith]

... put this together for my own use and thought maybe someday someone else might find it useful ...with 5 gallon carboy primary looks like about 4 gals or thereabouts is about right ... anyway ...

 

[505-Brewer]

Wheres the 5 gallon one?

 

[Cider Wraith]

... legit question - here ya' go ... that's what 5 gals in a 5 gallon looks like

 

[hotbeer]

Probably one of the reasons so many spew beer with their first few brews in the fermenter. No recipe ever tells them you can't put 5 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy. Or in my case, 1 gallon in a 1 gallon jug.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Something I will add to this topic...Blue Painters Tape! It might not work with the OPs carboys since it appears to have ridges, but when I was using glass carboys I applied a strip of tape along the outside and marked that with volumes. A decent quality tape will stay in place through several washings. When that strip started to get warn, I would add a new one next to it, and transfer over the markings. With my PET carboys, I just marked directly on the fermenters.

I don't use my large glass carboys much these days (I personally have a friend that had to make that trip to the emergency room after a broken glass carboy...so be safe if using them), but here is a small 1 gallon jar I use for starters:

 

[T Murph]

I'm in the process of converting a 1 3/4 gal SS beverage dispenser into a small fermenter to make one gallon batches of melomel. No way can you make a gallon of melomel using real fruit in a one gallon jug. Same applies to a 5 gal carboy. For 5 gal batches I use a 7.9 gal kegmenter. A 5 gal carboy works for 3 gal batches but it's a PIA getting the fruit in and back out.

 

[kmmuellr]

I use a strip of duct tape marked w/ a sharpie on most of my carboys.

K

 

[mashpaddled]

There were brewers back in the day acid etching carboys with measurements but unless you aggressively wash the exterior it seems a lot easier to just mark it with tape.

 

[InspectorJon]

I did this and it has worked out well. Other marking methods I use all eventually cam off.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...-markings-to-glass-carboy-illustrated.464611/