Any new news on Home Depot Homer buckets?

[doctorRobert]

you don't get it. I'm not saying that it is half-assing because you are going with the cheaper option. It's half-assing because you can't fit 5 gallons of fermenting beer into a container that is only 5 gallons! Its half-assing because the fermenting beer has no where to go in that 5 gallon container and you lose 0.5 gallon to blow off, only leaving you with 4.5 gallons.

How many gallons of beer will you lose before you realize you actually would have saved money with the larger bucket, just by minimizing blow-off losses?

Penny-wise, pound foolish.

Wow...

And why can't you comprehend a fact that he can split a batch into 2 buckets? :rockin:

Do you have problems with people that do 10 gallon batches, and split it into two carboys? :fro::fro: What about using a bucket at all? Isn't that half assing when the pros use conicals?

And why do you HAVE to brew 5 gallon batches. Why can't somebody do 4 gallon batches? Not everything has to be done your way.

 

[AnOldUR]

Wow...
And why can't you comprehend a fact that he can split a batch into 2 buckets?

Me, me, me . . .
I said it first. Post #11.

 

[unionrdr]

I agree with using the right tool for the job. After being a mechanic & working at ford where I could even fix the machines,I can def attest to this fact. don't go too cheap on something,because it WILL bite you in the shorts later. I still do that once in a while. It's not an insult to anyones ideas. It's just that going too cheap can hurt the process where volumetric efficiency is concerned.

 

[doctorRobert]

I agree with using the right tool for the job. After being a mechanic & working at ford where I could even fix the machines,I can def attest to this fact. don't go too cheap on something,because it WILL bite you in the shorts later. I still do that once in a while. It's not an insult to anyones ideas. It's just that going too cheap can hurt the process where volumetric efficiency is concerned.

Well I have two thoughts on this then, 1 don't buy buckets to begin with, because they won't last long and will need to be replaced. Or - buy the cheapest buckets possible, because those won't last long.

Splitting a batch to two 5 gallon bucks, will have zero effect on the finished product. Anyone saying otherwise, is just trying to justify their purchase of over price ale pales, which you dont need to do - if that works for you, more power to you. There are still beneifits to haveing one single large bucket, like cleaning, etc.

 

[geckholm]

If your splitting a 5 gallon batch into two buckets, how are you handling the yeast? Are you purchasing additional yeast, or splitting your purchase into two?

 

[unionrdr]

Well I have two thoughts on this then, 1 don't buy buckets to begin with, because they won't last long and will need to be replaced. Or - buy the cheapest buckets possible, because those won't last long.

Splitting a batch to two 5 gallon bucks, will have zero effect on the finished product. Anyone saying otherwise, is just trying to justify their purchase of over price ale pales, which you dont need to do - if that works for you, more power to you. There are still beneifits to haveing one single large bucket, like cleaning, etc.

You also have to be concerned with the large head space. It has to produce enough co2 to absorb all that o2. it doesn't just displace it,they mix to a certain degree. So if it doesn't produce enough co2 to accomplish the intended goal,than it's not a money saver. And pails in general do not wear out as you say. Properly cared for they last a long time. Mine are 2 years old & still work like new. So that's wrong. Abuse anything & it'll have to be replaced often. Take care of it,& it'll last. Period. Any one that argues different is trying to justify being a cheapskate. The right tool for the job. Always the better coarse of action. Buy cheap & you get cheap. But those cheap buckets do have there uses. I have one for cleaning,draining PBW from fermenters,etc.

 

[AnOldUR]

Are you purchasing additional yeast, or splitting your purchase into two?

Splitting starter or slurry.

My method:
Decant
Add wort to flask
Stir real well
Pour half in each fermenter using graduations on flask.

 

[doctorRobert]

You also have to be concerned with the large head space. It has to produce enough co2 to absorb all that o2. it doesn't just displace it,they mix to a certain degree. So if it doesn't produce enough co2 to accomplish the intended goal,than it's not a money saver. And pails in general do not wear out as you say. Properly cared for they last a long time. Mine are 2 years old & still work like new. So that's wrong. Abuse anything & it'll have to be replaced often. Take care of it,& it'll last. Period. Any one that argues different is trying to justify being a cheapskate. The right tool for the job. Always the better coarse of action. Buy cheap & you get cheap. But those cheap buckets do have there uses. I have one for cleaning,draining PBW from fermenters,etc.

Too much headspace? I guess you've never seen an open fermenter...

2 years old, is not very old. . If your buckets last a lifetime, good for you. But that's not a reason why somebody can't save a few bucks and split a batch between 2 buckets, or brew a 4 gallon batch.

Don't tell somebody else how to brew. I'm not bashing your system, there's no reason to tell other people they can't do xyz, that's just closed minded, and pointless. That's not the purpose of this fourm.

 

[unionrdr]

Y'all proved my earlier point. "I'm right cause I said so.". Y'all don't read accurately,like you see only the points you want to see. I'm just saying why make life harder,even a little bit,just to save a couple bucks? And the head space comment isn't telling you what to do,so get off the friggin soap box already. Closed minded my a$$. This stuff is really startin to get on my nerves. Made a statement of fact from experience & common sense. I'm a retiree with a big mortgage & 6 kids. but I refuse to go too cheap on anything. Because I've found out through personal experience that going too cheap leads to disaster sooner or later. It's not entirely my fault that you took it as a personal assault. Remember how many threads where we've disscussed the good & bad aspects of head space & too much thereof?

 

[doctorRobert]

Y'all proved my earlier point. "I'm right cause I said so.". Y'all don't read accurately,like you see only the points you want to see. I'm just saying why make life harder,even a little bit,just to save a couple bucks? And the head space comment isn't telling you what to do,so get off the friggin soap box already. Closed minded my a$$. This stuff is really startin to get on my nerves. Made a statement of fact from experience & common sense. I'm a retiree with a big mortgage & 6 kids. but I refuse to go too cheap on anything. Because I've found out through personal experience that going too cheap leads to disaster sooner or later. It's not entirely my fault that you took it as a personal assault. Remember how many threads where we've disscussed the good & bad aspects of head space & too much thereof?

A bucket is a bucket. The cost of the bucket doesn't make it perform any better than another bucket. We're talking about $4 buckets here (for the white food grade one), and you act like the dude is wasting thousands of dollars on a crappy ford.

I really don't understand your beef with a cheap 5 gallon bucket. Anybody can brew a 4 gallon batch and negate your phony headspace issue. Or brew 7 gallons and split it into 2. In fact, that would be a great way to experiment as you can use different yeasts for the same wort.

 

[Darwin18]

I utilize buckets in my brewing set up to hold the runnings from the mash, runnings from the sparge, and generally to just hold liquids that I'm transferring from kettle to mashtun. I've never used it in fermentation but to each their own I suppose.

 

[Turner5]

Regardless, leaching isn't a practical concern. The FDA, or any other government agency is terribly overly cautious. Plus, the FDA isn't saying there is a problem. They're basically just saying be aware that they don't regulate recycled material. Also, all pails are dyed. Even white ones. The biggest difference between the homer buckets and brew buckets in my experience is that the homer buckets are typically a little thinner and less durable. They are more prone to cracking.

Considering you don't know what the plastic was used for before it was recycled it is a practical concern. If the plastic was storing some sort of poison before it was recycled you definitely don't want that in your bucket. The FDA isn't saying there's a problem they're saying if you want to use recycled plastic in a food container you need to submit to them tests showing the recycling process removes possible contaminants and a description of the proposed use of the plastics. If a company doesn't do that they can't mark it food grade and therefore you don't know what is in the plastic. Having worked with the FDA in my industry, I disagree they are overly cautious. I think there is an extremely good reason for them to regulate what people are potentially putting in their body.

 

[thadius856]

Woah, holy **** this thread is exploding. And all for the wrong reasons.

The linked sites about the FDA and recycled plastics are not the reason why the Homer buckets are not food safe. A non-food-grade HDPE bucket is not food grade because they use a mold release agent that is toxic to help get the molded bucket off the bucket mold at the factory. Food-safe mold release agents are available, but cost about twice as much, so you can pretty safetly assume if a manufacturer does not specify that it's food grade, they've used the cheap version. This is almost certainly the case with Homer buckets because of the rock bottom low price.

OP, if you want to go cheap on the fermenter, then Homer buckets aren't the way to do it. No offense, but the posters say they're not safe are correct. The cheap way is to buy 5 gallon water jugs designed for camping trips. They cost about $6, come with the lid included, and can be drilled in one of two places for either an airlock or a blowoff tube.

I buy mine at WinCo Foods, but their website is really just a landing page, so it's no help. Here's some pictures I snapped during my last trip, for just a topic such as this:








Here's where I chose to drill out for a 5/16" vinyl blowoff tube (leftover piece from a autosiphon):




Or you could drill out the lid for an airlock or blowoff tube. I wanted to preserve the lid in case I ever decided to use them for something other than fermeters later, and drilling the lid also does not allow you to stack them.



There's also some food safe buckets in the picture at a price you might like more than the $15 6.5-gallon fermenters most of us use.

 

[TyTanium]

..A non-food-grade HDPE bucket is not food grade because they use a mold release agent that is toxic to help get the molded bucket off the bucket mold at the factory.

Your thoughts on Homer Bucket for grain storage?

 

[broadbill]

Well I have two thoughts on this then, 1 don't buy buckets to begin with, because they won't last long and will need to be replaced. Or - buy the cheapest buckets possible, because those won't last long.

Splitting a batch to two 5 gallon bucks, will have zero effect on the finished product. Anyone saying otherwise, is just trying to justify their purchase of over price ale pales, which you dont need to do - if that works for you, more power to you. There are still beneifits to haveing one single large bucket, like cleaning, etc.

I missed the part where stratnor said he was splitting 5 gallon batch into 2 buckets, which is why he was buying the smaller buckets. Oh yeah, he didn't say anything about it.

 

[highgravitybacon]

If you are balking at a $15 bucket then this hobby is not for you.

If you're surprised people are trying to find a cheaper way to accomplish the same thing, this forum isn't for you. There is an entire DIY section on the forum where people, instead of buying a Blichmann Top Tier for instance, actually try to make their own stuff cheaply. And it works.

 

[broadbill]

If you're surprised people are trying to find a cheaper way to accomplish the same thing, this forum isn't for you. There is an entire DIY section on the forum where people, instead of buying a Blichmann Top Tier for instance, actually try to make their own stuff cheaply. And it works.

Ok....explain to me how you DIY 5 gallons of beer into a 5 gallon container and not have significant losses from blowoff.

I'm all for DIY, but the point is that is should be a workable solution.

 

[thadius856]

Your thoughts on Homer Bucket for grain storage?

Less of a problem than because of lower contact surface and lessened transfer rates, but why take the chance when a food grade 5 gallon bucket is only $1 or so more? ($3.98 in the above picture, plus $1.28 for a non-gasketed lid)

Ok....explain to me how you DIY 5 gallons of beer into a 5 gallon container and not have significant losses from blowoff.

I'm all for DIY, but the point is that is should be a workable solution.

4.5 gallons of a lager with 5 drops of FermCap, no problem. There are guys on here that fill to the 5-gallon weld mark on corny kegs, use FermCap, then put on a blowoff lid and have no problems lagering in them.

In fact, that ultimate cheapo way to get primaries going would be to split a 10-12 gallon batch across 3 ball lock cornys with blowoffs into a single Gatorade bottle of StarSan. If ball lock corny prices keep rising like they have been, you could probably turn them around after 10 years of use and sell them at a profit. 12 gallon batches in a 1/2 bbl Sanke keg would be even cheaper.

I use my 5 gallon camping jugs for Apfelwein. I drink 8 oz of juice, dump in the other 632 ozs of juice, add 2# of dextrose, add a packet of champagne yeast, and shake like hell. Champagne yeast only needs 1/4" to 1/2" of headspace.

 

[TyTanium]

Less of a problem than because of lower contact surface and lessened transfer rates, but why take the chance when a food grade 5 gallon bucket is only $1 or so more? ($3.98 in the above picture, plus $1.28 for a non-gasketed lid)

Because I already have a bunch of Homer Buckets. So $1 more becomes $6 x 4 = $24 more

 

[jbaysurfer]

Wow..glad I clicked on this thread!

in effort to address the topic. I've never fermented in homer buckets but I HAVE used them to store wort overnight on a couple occasions with no problems.

 

[harrymanback92]

^^^ Oh my god I was gonna post this exact same thing.


This thread's gone full retard.

 

[TyTanium]

in effort to address the topic. I've never fermented in homer buckets but I HAVE used them to store wort overnight on a couple occasions with no problems.

Define "no problems"?? I would imagine that the trace amounts of the aforementioned "mold release agents" would not cause an immediate problem. Neither would a hunk of lead sitting in the bucket.

I'm not a foil hat kind of guy, but I'm also not thrilled about unnecessarily exposing myself to known poisons. Just trying to ascertain if that's the case here.

This thread's gone full retard.

Why? What's retarded about discussing the costs & benefits of certain brewing equipment?

 

[jbaysurfer]

Define "no problems"?? I would imagine that the trace amounts of the aforementioned "mold release agents" would not cause an immediate problem. Neither would a hunk of lead sitting in the bucket.

I'm not a foil hat kind of guy, but I'm also not thrilled about unnecessarily exposing myself to known poisons. Just trying to ascertain if that's the case here.




Why? What's retarded about discussing the costs & benefits of certain brewing equipment?

As in...I show no signs of growing another head and the beer tasted good.

I get your concerns, and I tend to think the same way...but "food safe" vs. "food grade" sounds like a revenue generation distinction (for the Dep't of Ag) more then anything.

As far as storing grain in buckets...I'm pretty sure homebrewers would be showing some effects at this point if it wasn't safe.

Sure I could be wrong, but I know for a fact that the risk of a prescription drug killing you from an undetected long term effect is exponentially higher.

 

[nDub]

I like the OPs question because I live in an area where there is no LHBS but there is a Lowes. So in a pinch it is nice to know that I can use one or two food grade buckets from that store. I know there are online places but then I have to consider S&H, wait time, etc. Also I like knowing I can get stuff to homebrew from non-homebrew places like lowes or grocery stores (oats, corn, rice etc.)

 

[bob1852]

I'm also not thrilled about unnecessarily exposing myself to known poisons.

Like alcohol?

 

[jbaysurfer]

I like the OPs question because I live in an area where there is no LHBS but there is a Lowes. So in a pinch it is nice to know that I can use one or two food grade buckets from that store. I know there are online places but then I have to consider S&H, wait time, etc. Also I like knowing I can get stuff to homebrew from non-homebrew places like lowes or grocery stores (oats, corn, rice etc.)

Modesto is probably your closest LHBS? FWIW, If you haven't been, they have a pretty good one, and some of the cheapest corny kegs in the state ;-)

 

[TyTanium]

Like alcohol?

I said uncessarily

 

[highgravitybacon]

Ok....explain to me how you DIY 5 gallons of beer into a 5 gallon container and not have significant losses from blowoff.

I'm all for DIY, but the point is that is should be a workable solution.

You can't. You make less beer. I make 4 gallon batches without issues. Just scale recipe.

 

[nDub]

Modesto is probably your closest LHBS? FWIW, If you haven't been, they have a pretty good one, and some of the cheapest corny kegs in the state ;-)

I've been there but I usually make a trip to the Morebeer showroom a couple times a year. If I'm going to drive an hour and a half might as well drive two. I went to school in SB. Shouldn't have moved away...

 

[integra93ls]

I go to a local winery n they have buckets of grape juice and I get them from there for like $5 with lid.