Any new news on Home Depot Homer buckets?

[dcarter]

Only on HBT would brew nerds argue which plastic bucket to use to store stuff in? LOL No offense to anyone, of course, since I did read the thread but this is the most bizarre thread that I have ever read.

 

[thadius856]

Jesus Christ. This thread isn't dead yet?

I didn't read the whole thread, but here is a good reason why HD buckets are cheaper, even if they are HDPE.

HD orders the buckets by the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Each of those buckets costs them a couple of cents. A company that sells "Brew Buckets" are maybe only buying a few thousand at a time.

Lowe's stocks both buckets. I'd imagine they order the food-safe bucket in stupidly high quantities just like their grey bucket. There's no reason for a company the size of Home Depot or Lowe's to order in anything less than cargo ship container quantity at a time.

Also, both logo buckets are probably sold at or below cost. What they really want is to get their big logo into your house or tool shed, where you'll think about visiting them more often. Even better if a contractor takes one on the job with them - free advertising.

Only on HBT would brew nerds argue which plastic bucket to use to store stuff in? LOL No offense to anyone, of course, since I did read the thread but this is the most bizarre thread that I have ever read.

Some of us tend to not like dying ahead of schedule. Funny that, eh?

 

[brewinginnc]

I dub thee thread stay alive

 

[strantor]

FYI I just found at Walmart what I consider to be a better alternative to anything that's been discussed in this thread thus far. Not quite a "better bottle" but definitely better than a bucket IMO. I'm not crazy about the handle being there, but for 6$ I'm not complaining.

 

[thadius856]

Yup. A lot of guys use those as the hoppers for their grain mills.

I'm currently storing base malt in four Vittles Vault 40qt (50#) containers that I got on sale. They're pricey otherwise. Specialty grains are currently in quart mason jars which hold 1# comfortably and can be vacuum sealed with a FoodSaver, and last just about forever. Might move up to the 1/2 gal ones for 2.5# each, but the price is right on the quarts at $10 for 12 of the name brand ones (less if you go with Walmart house brand).

 

[strantor]

Yup. A lot of guys use those as the hoppers for their grain mills.

You addressed grain storage but didn't touch fermentation. Should I take your exclusion as a recommendation not to ferment in one?

 

[thadius856]

Personally, I don't like fermenting in plastic where the only contact cleaning method is a wire/nylon carboy brush. I believe it would be far too easy to scratch the plastic and leave gashes for bacteria to grow while it was stored. So for me, my carboys are glass. But that doesn't mean I'm one of those "only glass or stainless can touch my beer!" type of guys. I have no problem with (and primary almost exclusively in) plastic bucket fermenters because I can get my hands down in them and use a special non-stick cookware sponge on them. The handle is also troubling to me in that it'd be almost impossible to clean inside of.

I do have a few of the camping jug style fermenters, but I use them only for Apfelwein (and soon Skeeter Pee). I'm also planning to only use them for a few batches before tossing or donating them because of the cleaning issue. I'll never leave them dry. Once I rack out of them, I plan to fill with OxiClean, shake like hell, and store temporarily topped off with Star San until I can refill them ASAP. Because these two recipes can be left on lees almost indefinitely, it's a lot easier to time the transfers around my beer schedule than vice versa. I bought them expecting to only use them for three batches, then toss, but I might stretch it out to five batches. At $2 or less per batch, I'd rather amortize the cost like that with a limited life than take the risk of infection and losing a whole batch that costs much more than $2.

So, feel free to use them if you like. Keep your sanitation top-notch to prevent infections. Be gentle while cleaning. Consider replacing them occasionally or going with more scratch resistant (Better Bottles, maybe?).

 

[TyTanium]

Just saw this picture from Jester King Brewery:

 

[AnOldUR]

hmmmmm . . . that belongs in the, "I think they're hot . . ." thread.

I do, yes I do!

 

[TyTanium]

Agreed.

 

[AnOldUR]

Agreed.

Funny (or showing my senility.) The first time I saw that picture I was so taken that I forgot what thread I was looking at. Just saw that it was posted again in the "hot"" thread per my suggestion. This time I noticed the Homer Buckets and came to this thread thinking it deserved to be posted here.

Someone beat me to it . . . Wait . . . What the . . . Oh, I'm a dumb ass!

 

[high5apparatus]

Why chance it when Lowes has food grade with gasket lids. I use them for grain storage and fermentation.

 

[DPBISME]

I read anohther opst a wile back and the guy said he contatced HD and they said they were not Food Grade... I don't remember about "food safe".

But if you are going to brew... spend the additional $10 dolars and get a brew bucket... They are cheap and a one time cost.

 

[fc36]

Menard's carries 5 gal buckets that have "FOOD SAFE" inked on the side. They only cost $2.50 and have screw tight gasketed lids for another $7. Too bad they don't come in 7-8 gallon sizes.

 

[MoeIPA]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23470

 

[fc36]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23470

These are quoted as being FDA safe on the website. Sold, I'm buying a bunch tonight.

 

[broadbill]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23470

That's a good price on that sized bucket. The issue here is that people want their cake and eat it too. They feel that HD/Lowes should carry that sized bucket and only charge 3-4 bucks for it, like they do 5 gallon version.

If they wanted to pay that much, they could go to their LHBS and buy one of those. That seems like the easy solution for me, but I'm told that every this hobby is for penny-pinchers (ha!), that every dollar counts (savings could be spent on hops!, that's not a waste of money!), even when one would expect to get multiple batches out of it.

 

[JonSnow]

Thanks to the OP for the Edits.

I just (two days ago) bought a homer bucket and lid, drilled a hole, installed a grommet and a airlock, and added some applejuice...maybe I ought to have just fermented in the bottles they came in.

'Course, I was 150 miles away from fukushima when it went into meltdown, so I figure the radiation from that'll kill me first ;-)

 

[72Chevelle]

Well the Supplier of Home Depot's white buckets, not the ones listed as FDA food safe is Leaktite. I personally had a batch that was just under 2 gallons that I scaled down. I normally do 1 gallon but i have some friends coming down for St. Pattys day so I needed a little more. Long story short I just read this thread and called Leaktite directly, They advised for me to throw out my beer becasue the buckets are not food grade or food safe in any way. Now I got a decision to make, I think I am gonna take my chances but not serve my beer to my friends, just in case. I am sure the company that makes these uses a release agent that is not food safe and proably very hazardous to our health and I imagine after a week in a bucket it has leeched a little of that chemical into my beer. But in my opinion I grew up drinking water from a hose that was not food safe, and from a well that had no filter on it I probably had a lot more toxins in that than in this beer bucket. But again just in case I will not be servinig it to my friends which is why I made 2 times as much just as a precausion.

 

[strantor]

Well the Supplier of Home Depot's white buckets, not the ones listed as FDA food safe is Leaktite. I personally had a batch that was just under 2 gallons that I scaled down. I normally do 1 gallon but i have some friends coming down for St. Pattys day so I needed a little more. Long story short I just read this thread and called Leaktite directly, They advised for me to throw out my beer becasue the buckets are not food grade or food safe in any way. Now I got a decision to make, I think I am gonna take my chances but not serve my beer to my friends, just in case. I am sure the company that makes these uses a release agent that is not food safe and proably very hazardous to our health and I imagine after a week in a bucket it has leeched a little of that chemical into my beer. But in my opinion I grew up drinking water from a hose that was not food safe, and from a well that had no filter on it I probably had a lot more toxins in that than in this beer bucket. But again just in case I will not be servinig it to my friends which is why I made 2 times as much just as a precausion.

Thanks for doing the leg work to verify what's been said here. I'll add your post to the list of relevant ones in post 1.

 

[strantor]

SO I tried updating the original post with the info in post #138 and apparently I'm not allowed to. I don't know if it's just too old to edit, or I'm only allowed one edit or what..

Alright, seeing as we officially hijacked this thread....

I learned a long time ago not to try and correct people who don't know much about nuclear power. Those who care enough to learn get overwhelmed and glossed over eyes, and those who don't care to learn have already made up their minds. The rest mostly don't care at all. Obviously with a few exceptions in all cases. I currently work at a commercial plant and as one of my coworkers likes to put it, the closer you are involved in the industry, the less you can be trusted to provide accurate information. Therefore, the media, who is NOT closely involved, must obviously be the best source of information. And from what I can gather, is pretty much the case.

I once got into an argument with a gentleman who thought that the steam plume from our cooling towers was radioactive smoke. I tried telling him that I work there and that it is nothing more than water vapor, not associated with anything that contacts radioactive systems and is completely safe. His response to me was, "that's what they want you to think!"

That's right about the time I gave up.

I'd have to agree with your coworker as well. I allow myself to be dragged into this discussion maybe 2 or 3 times per year. I guess the negative reinforcement part of my memory only lasts a few months. Every time I get into it, I get frustrated and vow to never again try. But then a few months later, there I am again.

 

[Hermit]

I keep my tropical fish in one of the orange buckets and we all know how sensitive tropical fish are to contaminants. You guys worry too much.

 

[iamperplexed]

Picked up one of these today at Fred Meyer in Portland for my small batches.

 

[zbouri]

ALL plastics are toxic. BPA is just the most recent one to get attention.

The peer-reviewed journal 'Environmental Health Perspectives' tested over 200 products with different types and combinations of new-generation 'food safe' plastics, and found that 95% released endocrine disrupting compounds. EDs are risky even in small amounts because they mimic hormones and their effect is thus far reaching and linked to many health disorders.

Yes there are nuances, some plastics are more heat-sensitive, some acid sensitive, etc.

But if you let an actively fermenting alcoholic beverage sit in ANY plastic bucket for a week, it is quite likely you will be drinking plastic.

We always have to make safety decisions with a limited budget, but glass is a worthwhile investment for me.

 

[strantor]

I wasnt aware of that. I thought some plastics were totally safe. I'd like to think that if the FDA approves plastic coke bottles then its safe to drink the coke. I DO think that to an extent, but I also have seen enough to raise doubt in the FDA. Anyway there's really no getting away from it. Unless I grow my own veggies and meat, the majority of the things I eat and drink have been in contact with plastic. So without alternatives, I will choose food grade over non food grade. Glass would be better, but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

 

[Fennis]

Who cares what you decide to use as long as you are making beer? There are no rules when making a batch, you get to decide what you want to do. It doesn't have to be exactly 5 gallons and fit nicely in a 6.5-7 gallon bucket to be called beer. If you enjoy the hobby and it tastes good to you, isn't that all that really matters? If you want to grab a few buckets from Home Depot or Lowes, split a standard kit batch between the two, then so be it. If you get a little more adventurous and decide to make your own recipes, then why not make two different 4 gallon batches and have some variety? Following the so called rules and forcing yourself to buy this and that because its the only way to do it tells me you aren't thinking outside the box. You get your little equipment kit, you buy some recipe, and you follow it...so you make a good soldier, good for you. I prefer to think for myself. I have a couple of 5 gallon food grade buckets and a few 6.5 gallon glass carboys. When I get ready to make a recipe, I tune it to what I feel like fermenting (or what I have available) at the time. Food grade buckets from Home Depot or Lowes are just fine, all it means is you are either splitting a standard recipe kit between two buckets, or you come up with your own recipe and make a smaller batch. You get to decide, that is the best thing about this hobby.

 

[browder]

Got three gallons to bottle today in a Homer Bucket--I've used drywall mud buckets for 25+ years for meat buckets when squirrel & bunny hunting I ain't scarred and never did much of anything special to sanatize them just washed & rinse with hot water

 

[IMNOTL8]

I just bought a white food grade HDPE bucket at Lowe's this past weekend for $3.97 + $1.97 for the lid! Pretty good for a secondary or bottling bucket!

 

[IMNOTL8]

 

[Brewsday]

Hey Zbouri...have you seen the accidents-with-carboys thread? (the one with pics) I love glass carboys (and have about 8 or 9...but I will use them less from now on. It is a truly frightening thread.