Any good ideas on testing the seal on my plastic fermentation bucket??

[boomtown25]

I was planning on cranking up the brewing again and my equipment has been in the closet for quite some time. I wanted to use my fermentation bucket for primary and rack into my bottling bucket for secondary (ultimately filtering into keg). I am concerned that the buckets being in storage may have aged so much the seal in the lids may be compromised. The last thing I want is an infection or oxidation of my beer in my first batch back. Any cool ideas on how I can test the seals in these buckets???

 

[chickypad]

Regardless of the seal I would not secondary in a bucket, there is too much headspace. Even with a good seal there can be some small backward transfer of oxygen through most types of airlock after active fermentation. Most beers don't need to be transferred to a secondary vessel, but if you insist on it I would get a smaller container with a small opening like a carboy and fill it as close to the top as you can. FWIW on the rare occasion I use buckets for primary I never fully seal them, I just package shortly after final gravity is reached.

 

[Steveg229]

Most bucket lids do not seal very well even when they are new. This is not really a big deal as there will be positive pressure from fermentation pushing everything out, and as long as the lid is on there is no way for anything to get in there.

 

[ancientmariner52]

Is the plastic still soft and flexible? If so, they will probably seal as well as they ever did. I've had old buckets shatter like glass, probably due to extreme heat in storage. Give 'em a good squeeze, you'll know right away if they are bad.

But as many others will say, you don't need an air tight seal to brew good beer.

 

[seilenos]

Seal the bucket.
Put a 3-piece airlock filled with water in the bucket lid.
Press very gently on the lid of the bucket.
You should see an air pocket grow/shrink in the airlock as you apply/release gentle pressure.

 

[mj1angier]

Fill bucket 1/4 with Sani-star solution, seal it up, shake the crap out of it. If it hissing, its leaking, lol

 

[C-Rider]

I'd be worried more about scratches than the seal. I just paint buckets and NONE have the rubber seal that fermenting buckets come with. Not a problem at all. As stated above internal pressure will keep the bad stuff out.

 

[boomtown25]

Regardless of the seal I would not secondary in a bucket, there is too much headspace. Even with a good seal there can be some small backward transfer of oxygen through most types of airlock after active fermentation. Most beers don't need to be transferred to a secondary vessel, but if you insist on it I would get a smaller container with a small opening like a carboy and fill it as close to the top as you can. FWIW on the rare occasion I use buckets for primary I never fully seal them, I just package shortly after final gravity is reached.

I would agree, but I plan on racking it onto some strawberries after about 3 days in primary......

 

[MaxStout]

Leave the bucket outside over night to cool down. In the morning attach the lid (trapping the cool air inside). Bring it inside and invert it on the counter. Spray some Starsan solution around the rim of the lid. Watch for bubbles as the air inside warms up and expands.

 

[boomtown25]

Leave the bucket outside over night to cool down. In the morning attach the lid (trapping the cool air inside). Bring it inside and invert it on the counter. Spray some Starsan solution around the rim of the lid. Watch for bubbles as the air inside warms up and expands.

Excellent suggestion MaxStout, but I have to laugh a little. I live in Mississippi (compared to MN) so comically I have to ask, "What is cool air???"

 

[Dimax]

Excellent suggestion MaxStout, but I have to laugh a little. I live in Mississippi (compared to MN) so comically I have to ask, "What is cool air???"

I'd say 36 degrees at night is cool

 

[MaxStout]

Excellent suggestion MaxStout, but I have to laugh a little. I live in Mississippi (compared to MN) so comically I have to ask, "What is cool air???"

I had noticed you're in Biloxi, so I assumed overnight lows in the 50s. If you were up here, I'd say "bitter cold air."

It only needs to be cooler than the inside of your house. A few degrees temp difference will still provide enough expansion to tell if it's leaking.

 

[Velnerj]

Water and alka seltzer, seal the lid and put on airlock. See what happens...