Broke my first carboy

[vincentAlpha]

The issues I listed are more concerns for buckets than Better Bottles.

I've been using buckets for all my brews and can honestly save I've never had any of those issues and I've had batches sit around on a decently long primary(4+ weeks a time or two, generally 3ish, 2 if I'm thirsty ). Heck I don't even bother with an airlock given how bad every bucket I've ever used or run into seals, just snap down two sides and let the fermenting begin. You might have to be a BIT more gentle while cleaning but so long as you don't let a yeast cake linger for more than a few hours they clean up with almost just a hit of water. Admittedly I'd be a bit hesitant to have a bucket sit like that for a few months but I'd also just close it off...

 

[Hello]

I am glad there wasn't any injury involved. I won't get into the glass vs everything else debate. I know myself and I barely wash a normal glass without some incident. I know a glass carboy is out of the question for me, probably.

Same with me except I actually built a carboy washer (just because I already had everything I needed) and never use that either. Used it a few times, but stopped. OxiClean soak is so much easier.

I don't even fill it. Easier to handle with only a couple of gallons in it. Flip over to cover the krausen and wait.

Okay, I need to see more of this. How is the water not draining out into the bucket?

My first broken carboy the bottom completely broke off in an ice bath and I slowly watched the beer drain into the ice bath. Still have no idea why the bottom broke off but thankful the mess was contained and no injuries....

You really don't know why?

 

[Brew_G]

Because you put a glass vessel containing very hot liquid into an ice bath and thermally shocked the glass?

I can't think of any scenario which would require immersing a glass carboy in ice water. The wort should be chilled to the target temperature before being transferred to the fermenter.

Cold crashing. Carboy is in a rope-handled tub filled with water that has ice bottles in it. This is after fermentation temp is controlled by an aquarium heater that's immersed in that same water.

At least that's what I do.

 

[AnOldUR]

Okay, I need to see more of this. How is the water not draining out into the bucket?

I use a standard orange carboy cap with the stem covers Crazy Glued in place. Also wrap a heavy rubber band around the carboy cap for extra security. Sometime get a small amount of leakage into the bucket, but never had one pop off.

edit to add: The paper towels around the bucket rim help to keep it from shifting.

You really don't know why?

 

[kombat]

Okay, I need to see more of this. How is the water not draining out into the bucket?

You could fill the bucket with plain water up to the level where it just covers the mouth of the carboy. That would prevent liquid in the carboy from draining out (science!).

 

[AnOldUR]

At least that's what I do.

Putting the carboy into tap temperature water and then adding the ice would lessen the thermal shock.

 

[sfish]

I keep my carboy in a milk crate for protection.

 

[b-boy]

I have these on all my glass carboys. I'm now worry free. Plus it keeps down incidental UV exposure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7qqCcD0e9U

That's a good idea, but I'd bet most breakage occurs during cleaning. I don't think this would help you there.

 

[Hello]

You could fill the bucket with plain water up to the level where it just covers the mouth of the carboy. That would prevent liquid in the carboy from draining out (science!).

That I know, but if you read his post, he mentions about how little water he is using, or less water. That suggested to me that he was doing something that allowed him to only use a few gallons as opposed to 6. Like any home water system, like Sparkletts and such, I understand the concept you propose, but I was looking to use less water. Then this happened...

I use a standard orange carboy cap with the stem covers Crazy Glued in place. Also wrap a heavy rubber band around the carboy cap for extra security. Sometime get a small amount of leakage into the bucket, but never had one pop off.

edit to add: The paper towels around the bucket rim help to keep it from shifting.

Perfect! Off to the LHBS soon I go to do this. as I filled a carboy last night with 6 gallons of water to only clean the krausen ring, I thought about how ideal it would be to have it upside down. It's so simple, I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of it.

 

[kombat]

I guess I'm not really worried about my water bill, it's by far our cheapest bill. Electric? $180/month. Natural gas? $160/month. Water? $30/month. Water is cheap and plentiful up here.

 

[flars]

That I know, but if you read his post, he mentions about how little water he is using, or less water. That suggested to me that he was doing something that allowed him to only use a few gallons as opposed to 6. Like any home water system, like Sparkletts and such, I understand the concept you propose, but I was looking to use less water. Then this happened...

Perfect! Off to the LHBS soon I go to do this. as I filled a carboy last night with 6 gallons of water to only clean the krausen ring, I thought about how ideal it would be to have it upside down. It's so simple, I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of it.

I use just enough water, with PBW, to cover the krausen ring, when the carboy is inverted. Very easy to handle with only a couple of gallons of water weight.

I also use rubber shower mats at the bottom of the utility sink to prevent the carboy from sliding while inverted. The corner of the sink, the carboy rests against, is covered with a shower mat to prevent any shock to the glass from bumping to hard.

 

[Brew_G]

Putting the carboy into tap temperature water and then adding the ice would lessen the thermal shock.

Exactly.

I'm not at all concerned about thermal shock with my carboy when I cold crash. The temp is at 65-70F to start, and when I add the ice it gets down to 38-40F over the course of an hour or so. It's not really too big a shock.

I have been thinking of getting a PET carboy just for safety reasons, but until my LHBS has them in stock I probably won't be getting one.

 

[kh54s10]

The issues I listed are more concerns for buckets than Better Bottles. Better Bottles have their own issues. My main reason for eschewing my Better Bottles is because when you pick one up to move it (i.e., raise it up for siphoning, moving it into/out of the fridge), it deforms a little bit, causing it to suck air in through the airlock (in addition to whatever liquid was in it, if you were using a 3-piece airlock). Glass carboys hold their shape when you lift them, preventing this issue.

This is not an issue once you know that it will happen...... Remove the airlock before moving it.

 

[kombat]

I'm not at all concerned about thermal shock with my carboy when I cold crash. The temp is at 65-70F to start, and when I add the ice it gets down to 38-40F over the course of an hour or so. It's not really too big a shock.

You're probably right, it's probably not that big a deal, but note that if you're using an ice water bath to cold-crash, your carboy is cooling unevenly. While the submerged portion cools to just above freezing fairly quickly, the portion above the waterline will remain at room temperature, creating minor stresses in the glass.

Again, it'll probably never amount to a breakage, but if given the option, I prefer to chill the entire fermenter evenly, in a refrigerator.

 

[Peruvian802]

I keep all of mine in milk crates. They are easier to handle, move, etc. If it breaks, it will be mostly contained.

To clean I put in a scoop of Oxyclean and fill to the top and let sit overnight. Sometimes a light brushing is needed, but not always.

 

[NCSU_Brewer]

After reading the broken carboy thread I got pretty paranoid about using my glass carboys. However, with some simple safety rules, I am comfortable using glass:

1) Always wear closed-toe shoes when moving a full carboy. Long pants are optional but recommended. You greatly reduce the likelihood of getting cut if you are wearing jeans and tennis shoes.

2) Use a milk crate, brewhauler, or similar device. NEVER lift a full carboy using a carboy handle.

3) Plan your moves. I used to carry my full carboy from my office (where my ferm chamber is located) through our family room and into the kitchen, which meant navigating a minefield of furniture and kid's toys. Now I rack from my glass carboy (which i set on top of my ferm fridge) into my bottling bucket, then move the bucket.

4) Avoid thermal shock. Don't place a carboy full of hot liquid into an ice bath. It will eventually crack, often times catastrophically.

 

[bja]

I will never use glass carboys. I've had 2 friends with massive injuries from carboys violently exploding without warning. At the very least you should wrap some packing tape around them so when they explode, shrapnel doesn't go flying.

Glass does not "violently explode" for no reason. Every example of a broken carboy has happened for a reason that could have been easily avoided.

 

[Brew_G]

You're probably right, it's probably not that big a deal, but note that if you're using an ice water bath to cold-crash, your carboy is cooling unevenly. While the submerged portion cools to just above freezing fairly quickly, the portion above the waterline will remain at room temperature, creating minor stresses in the glass.

Again, it'll probably never amount to a breakage, but if given the option, I prefer to chill the entire fermenter evenly, in a refrigerator.

If I had a spare fridge, I'd definitely use it!

I take care to make sure that the water covers up to the level of the beer in the carboy, and I cover the whole setup with an insulated jacket. The water obviously doesn't cover it fully, but it's the best I can do given the circumstance.

 

[NCSU_Brewer]

You're probably right, it's probably not that big a deal, but note that if you're using an ice water bath to cold-crash, your carboy is cooling unevenly. While the submerged portion cools to just above freezing fairly quickly, the portion above the waterline will remain at room temperature, creating minor stresses in the glass.

Again, it'll probably never amount to a breakage, but if given the option, I prefer to chill the entire fermenter evenly, in a refrigerator.

Good points. Going from ambient to cold crashing temps in a fridge are much less stressful on glass since the whole carboy experiences the same temperature change and because the temperature delta is not as extreme.

The big concern with putting a glass carboy in an ice bath, as you mention, is the uneven cooling. The best scenario is that the carboy cracks and breaks while in the tub of ice water. The worse (and more probable) scenario is that microcracks are created along the hot/cold interface of the glass, and the carboy shatters the next time it is lightly bumped.

 

[day_trippr]

Good points. Going from ambient to cold crashing temps in a fridge are much less stressful on glass since the whole carboy experiences the same temperature change and because the temperature delta is not as extreme.[...]

Indeed, in a perfectly fit 17cf top-freezer fridge here it takes a full 48 hours to drop two 5.25g batches from ~68°F to 34°F. That's less than a degree F per hour.

Besides the classic ice-bath immersion paradigm, there's the hot Oxy soak.
Bad juju if you fill a carboy freshly racked after a cold-crash with hot water. Domestic hot water systems can typically hit 130°F at the faucet so you're looking at a potential delta-T of 50°F or more...

Cheers!

 

[JINKS]

That's a good idea, but I'd bet most breakage occurs during cleaning. I don't think this would help you there.

Saw this and now I clean this way too.


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah9w3ClpBGY[/ame]

 

[b-boy]

Saw this and now I clean this way too.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah9w3ClpBGY

It looks like a nice product.

A little pricey for me. $20 can buy me another better bottle.

I don't see this a reason enough for me to go back to glass. However, I have 2 glass carboys. I might buy these so I can use them again.

 

[Dixon9717]

Really didn't hear a crack or bump it on anything. Bottom just cracked off.

 

[Dixon9717]

It was after fermentation was done and I was cold crashing it. The temperature difference was less then 50* so I doubt that was it. But who knows....

 

[bja]

Really didn't hear a crack or bump it on anything. Bottom just cracked off.

It was after fermentation was done and I was cold crashing it. The temperature difference was less then 50* so I doubt that was it. But who knows....

Try it again, see what happens.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I recently acquired 7, 5 gallon glass carboys and sold them on Craigslist for "beer money".

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=526026

No glass for me thank you....way to dangerous. Just the thought of cleaning up 5+ gallons of beer and blood makes this an easy decision...YMMV.

 

[Dixon9717]

That sounds like a solid plan. I have one more glass carboy and I will try to replicate the same scenario eventually. Probably not until fall when the ambient temp is close to the last time.
Thanks for the great idea Bja.......