Any new news on Home Depot Homer buckets?

[ragutisbrewing]

I have been brewing in Home Depot buckets for years and it works GREAT even though my local beer supply owner gives me strange looks..... I recently purchased two 6.5 gallon carboys so I would see if there is a difference...

 

[RichBenn]

OK, this thread is getting out of hand. The original poster wanted to know if "Homer Buckets" are safe.

The answer is "maybe". HDPE (#2 plastic) is the safest plastic for brewing. However, the Homer Bucket, not being "Food Grade" does not have trace-ability for the plastic, dye, manufacturing release agents, etc. So "maybe". But for a couple bucks more, get the food safe one.

Why? OK, you used a Homer Bucket for years and are still alive. Great for you. I'd be surprised if you weren't. You will probably be fine. It probably doesn't have traces of carcinogens and you won't get cancer. But it will increase your odds, however slightly.

A bunch of us here have spent some change in the process of converting to stainless, glass, and all food safe, non bacteria harboring, non-toxic equipment. We realize we are brewing for the long haul, and having good (and safe) equipment that helps us brew better and safer beer is worth it to us.

A couple of dollars more to get food safe? Seems like a no-brainer.

 

[Brewsday]

I checked out my local Lowes. These are pretty nice buckets. 2 things I like about the lids...(1) they have gaskets and (2) they are smooth inside. Most of my expensive bucket lids have a ring of "ribs" about 1/2" deep by 1.5" long (?) the whole way around the inside just inside of the seal ring. If I aerate by shaking or if the krausen rises all the way up to the lid...1 month later the slots created by the ribs are very hard to clean (soaking helps). So, I bought 3. I do big batches and primary mostly in 7.9 gallon buckets (about 5.5 gallons seems perfect for manageable quantity) sometimes I want to split 12 gallons into 3 x 4 gallons to try different dry hopping hops or quantities or times...or other secondary additions. Can't beat the price.

 

[DogFace_Brewing]

View attachment 109164

Found my new secondary when I need to make room for more batches in my AlePails...thanks for the heads up!

 

[Dynachrome]

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.

Thank you for doing the footwork.

Those are twice the cost of what I have, but still really affordable.

 

[clevernonsense]

Thats not really true. All studies about its effects on health are inconclusive and the FDA has not banned it because there is no evidence its harmful. they banned it on use in baby bottles only and that was just to boost consumer confidence after the furor that came out. its been in many of our food containers since 1960.

Yeah no. A quick google search will show literally hundreds of studies showing it is harmful.

 

[thadius856]

Thank you for doing the footwork.

Those are twice the cost of what I have, but still really affordable.

Why thank you.

The reason I went with the food-grade camping jugs instead of cheaper food-grade buckets or cheaper food-grade water jugs is compactness and... STACKABILITY!

This is my never-before-pictured wine and cider closet. I can ferment or age up to 8 batches at a time in a space that's approximately 57" wide by 13" deep by 29" tall.

 

[Behemoth]

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

Ditto
My first fermenter was a Coopers 19L Food Grade HDPE piece and I haven't used it for like 3 years, but Im still here, alive.
I prefer my 5 or 6 gallon carboys.
If your worried about food grade or food safe maybe you shoudnt be brewing beer since its bad for you and try your hand at Buddhism!

 

[JonSnow]

Why thank you.

The reason I went with the food-grade camping jugs instead of cheaper food-grade buckets or cheaper food-grade water jugs is compactness and... STACKABILITY!

This is my never-before-pictured wine and cider closet. I can ferment or age up to 8 batches at a time in a space that's approximately 57" wide by 13" deep by 29" tall.

Awesome pic, What are those juices you seem to be fermenting on the bottom?

 

[thadius856]

The big ones are my Trader Joe's juice experiments.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/trader-joes-juice-experiments-401225/

The little ones are my blowoffs. I dye my StarSan red/pink so I don't condition my malt and wet my frosty mugs with it. Not that it would make anybody sick (have done both before, intentionally, in a pinch). But still.

 

[latium]

I haven't read the whole thread, but Home Depot and Lowe's both have food-grade buckets, but they're only 5 gallons, in white or black. Also, they do have gamma seal lids, which I just found out about through homebrewfinds.com the other day. The model number on the product page is a hint, but the labels actually did say "Gamma" when I picked a few up a couple days ago after work.

 

[thadius856]

They do indeed carry food-grade buckets at both locations. A common theme through the entire thread was "just buy the food grade ones there".

The OP was about the orange "Homer" buckets specifically.

 

[latium]

Noted. I guess I should have read the whole thread, but I figured I'd just throw that in there while I was posting anyway.

 

[thadius856]

No worries. Thanks for adding.

Don't think anybody had said Gammas were available at Home Depot now yet.

Can also find them at WinCo and Sams Club. Maybe Walmart? Can't recall.

 

[Mozart]

I have a Homer Bucket. Don't ferment in it though. I use it to store my leftover StarSan.

 

[DPBISME]

I suggest you get a "real" brewing bucket....

I mean even if it was $20 it will last forever if you take care of it.

It is the cost of four (4) beers where I live not includiung the tip.

You can find them on Craigslist and you can even BORROW ONE from someone not doing a batch.

HOME DEPOT does not make those buckets and could have 10 manufacturers... even if you get an answer today it might not be true for last week or next week.

Go ahead and use one and chance growing an eye in your forehead but I think it is not worth the risk...

DPB

 

[rico567]

Five gallon buckets are of little use in fermenting five gallons of beer. For other uses, fine. For fermenters, I use the 7 gal. buckets from U.S. Plastics. They are food-grade, and you can get lids* in about 10 different colors. The seal is much better than the traditional "Ale Pail" I started with, which is by no means airtight. The USP buckets have a neoprene 'O'-ring seal in the lid that does the job. I got three buckets and lids, delivered, for $32.

*Putting airlock holes in these are a snap. Bore a 1/2" hole using a new, sharp WOOD or "paddle" bit, trim off the flash, and install the rubber grommet sold by finer homebrew supply firms everywhere.

 

[PerfectD3]

Five gallon buckets are of little use in fermenting five gallons of beer. For other uses, fine. For fermenters, I use the 7 gal. buckets from U.S. Plastics. They are food-grade, and you can get lids* in about 10 different colors. The seal is much better than the traditional "Ale Pail" I started with, which is by no means airtight. The USP buckets have a neoprene 'O'-ring seal in the lid that does the job. I got three buckets and lids, delivered, for $32.

*Putting airlock holes in these are a snap. Bore a 1/2" hole using a new, sharp WOOD or "paddle" bit, trim off the flash, and install the rubber grommet sold by finer homebrew supply firms everywhere.

Link?

 

[weirdboy]

Link?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=US+plastics+7+gallon+buckets

 

[FredTheNuke]

Heck - a 6.5 gallon Ale Pale complete with gallon markings is only $9.85 from labelpeelers.com - why would you bother with something else a few pennies cheaper? Now the 7.9 gallon for wine is a tad more expensive at $14.16 but those measurements sure are darn useful for a few dimes.

 

[bob1852]

Heck - a 6.5 gallon Ale Pale complete with gallon markings is only $9.85 from labelpeelers.com - why would you bother with something else a few pennies cheaper? Now the 7.9 gallon for wine is a tad more expensive at $14.16 but those measurements sure are darn useful for a few dimes.

The pre marked fermenters are notoriuosly inaccurate.

 

[Rucka203]

I worked at HD for a while, and when I asked my managers about it they all gave me different answers. According the the packaging, they're not, so I'd stay away.

They do, however, have some three gallon paint buckets which are, so they'd be good for half batches.

 

[Chadwick]

I'd rather ferment in used plastic milk jugs than take a chance with one of these. That's just my opinion on it. The way I see it, taking gambles with your health isn't worth any odds. Actual food grade equipment may cost more in the short term, but in the long run you may be saving your inheritance for your children/grandchildren. Can an extra ten spot saved now really be worth taking a risk with plastics that are possibly dangerous? I don't think so.

 

[peck_man]

Just skip all this plastic bucket nonsense and get yourself a 6.5 gallon glass carboy. Its worth the couple extra bucks and will last a lifetime.

 

[ShaineT]

Just skip all this plastic bucket nonsense and get yourself a 6.5 gallon glass carboy. Its worth the couple extra bucks and will last a lifetime.

Thanks peck_man I do have carboys as well as an Ale-Pail and soda-kegs all of which are fine vessels for fermenting in. Recently the only way I could ferment 8 gallons of lager in my keezer and still have room for 2 soda-kegs was to stack up two 5gallon HDPE food grade buckets. Smallest footprint I could arrange without spending $270 on a 10 gallon cornelius. I noticed a post on this thread that claimed 5 gallon buckets are 'pointless' for fermenting beer in, point is; use what work best for your current situation as long as the contact surface of your vessel is food safe/food grade. If anyone knows of a reasonably priced 10 gallon fermenting option with no more than 11" diameter please let me know

 

[negativereaction]

For those with a Menards nearby, they have specifically-marked food grade 5gal buckets for $3.97. They look exactly like the regular john deere green buckets they sell for $3.47, except for being white. One wonders if the color is the sole difference, and the buckets are exactly the same otherwise.

 

[funnycreature]

I only use Homer buckets to condition and mill my grains into (after an initial thorough cleaning). Well, and for soaking bottles in Oxiclean (but different bucket). I agree with others that fermentation is not a place to save money. Not sure where cutting corners is possible in brewing but risking your health is not worth it. Ever.

 

[unionrdr]

^^Word man. I use my orange homer cheapo bucket for draining PBW out of fermenters soaked clean,delabeling large numbers of bottles in PBW,that sort of thing. Rinse it out,sanitize it with Starsan,dry out lid on & store. I also use it under my Barley Crusher grain mill. Fits like a glove. The wood base covers the top of the bucket,so no poofy stuff all over everything like bondo dust. I also got a 12oz shiny new scoop to get the crushed grains from the bucket into the biab kettle set up. No more pouring too much & getting it in the burner tray. That $5 bucket sees a lot of brewery uses,but fermentation won't be one of them. 5G fills it virtually to the top.

 

[rjmaster19]

If you live near a Firehouse Subs fast food place, they sell the buckets they get pickles in for a buck or two. Baking soda helps to get rid of the pickle smell.

Of course if you're going for a pickle beer you're in luck! !

 

[GotPushrods]

Just skip all this plastic bucket nonsense and get yourself a 6.5 gallon glass carboy. Its worth the couple extra bucks and will last a lifetime.

Although if you break it and sever your femoral artery, that lifetime would be significantly shorter.