Broken Glass Carboy Horror Stories Compendium

[Cavpilot2000]

I was using my better bottles for secondary and dry hopping but im considerig using those for fermenting ales indoors. Then i could do double 11 gallon batches and split them into ales and lagers thereby creating 4 unique beers in a single brew day.

Cool idea!

I will say there is a downside to primary fermentation in cornys, and that is the lack of extra space. In my brewbucket, I usually put 6 gallons in, expecting to leave behind yeast and other sediment but still get a full 5 gallons into the serving keg.

Doing primary in a corny gives you 5 gallons and a small amount of headspace (most cornys actually hold about 5 gallons plus a quart or two), but by the time you lose volume to yeast, sediment, and possibly blowoff for ales, you are looking at only about 4.25-4.5 gal in the final keg, if that.
6 gallon cornys are the ideal answer, but they are rare and NOT cheap.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

I like the idea of 11 gallon batches as I get 2 kegs and also fill a few flip tops or my uKeg as "reserve beer" to fill the hump on the keezer with. I saw some hacks using the cheap boil kettles as fermentors but i like the idea of spunding and pressure transfers and also not having to theif to get a sample. That would go a long way to keeping my ipas fresher and not have to drive as often for co2.

 

[b-boy]

Cool idea!

I will say there is a downside to primary fermentation in cornys, and that is the lack of extra space. In my brewbucket, I usually put 6 gallons in, expecting to leave behind yeast and other sediment but still get a full 5 gallons into the serving keg.

Doing primary in a corny gives you 5 gallons and a small amount of headspace (most cornys actually hold about 5 gallons plus a quart or two), but by the time you lose volume to yeast, sediment, and possibly blowoff for ales, you are looking at only about 4.25-4.5 gal in the final keg, if that.
6 gallon cornys are the ideal answer, but they are rare and NOT cheap.

They make 10 gallon cornys as well. I've bought them on EBay for as little as $30. Usually I pay around $75. You just need to look for them.

I bought a few corny extra lids and drilled some holes in the old lids to be able to ferment. Drill a hole, add a grommet, add an airlock, and you're good to go.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/10-gallon-corny-kegs-for-under-100.518279/

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

They make 10 gallon cornys as well. I've bought them on EBay for as little as $30. Usually I pay around $75. You just need to look for them.

I bought a few corny extra lids and drilled some holes in the old lids to be able to ferment. Drill a hole, add a grommet, add an airlock, and you're good to go.

Do you know the dimensions of a 10 gallon corney?

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Do you know the dimensions of a 10 gallon corney?

Nevermind i found a source saying:

Height - 24 1/2", Diameter - 12 1/4"

Two would fit in my ferm chamber then i would have even more capacity and would need a bigger kettle [emoji28]

 

[passedpawn]

Alright guys, getting way off topic. Please start another thread if you need to continue.

 

[Reaperswoman]

Man, this thread is scary. I just started brewing with my starter kit(plastic buckets) and figured I'd upgrade equipment over time, with glass carboys being an eventuality. Don't think I'm going that route now. I guess I'm naive, I know glass breaks and can cut you but I didn't picture this amount of damage(tendon/nerve damage). Makes sense though I guess, the bigger the glass vessel more carnage the broken shards will cause.

I have been brewing for 7 yrs and plastic has always been my way to go. Started in buckets and am now in a Fast Ferment. I saw the carnage that a broken carboy can create.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Alright guys, getting way off topic. Please start another thread if you need to continue.

Just discussing alternatives for the sake of safety. SoRrY iM a NoOb.

 

[Cantina De Jefe]

Alright guys, getting way off topic. Please start another thread if you need to continue.

Check this bad boy out. Seems like a reasonable price to prevent one from slicing their ****.

https://www.anvilbrewing.com/product-p/anv-fv-7.5gal.htm

 

[Jag75]

After seeing the pictures I will never go glass . That just looks brutal and gives me the Willie's

 

[Beardless]

Anyone use the covers on Carboy.net ? I have three for some 6 gallon carboys and have never had any issues. They (at least when I bought mine) seem pretty sturdy, have carried multiple full carboys and have never heard so much of a frightening seam stretching noise from em. Well worth the investment and I still stand by em.

 

[day_trippr]

Do you ferment with the cover on?

Cheers!

 

[kh54s10]

Anyone use the covers on Carboy.net ? I have three for some 6 gallon carboys and have never had any issues. They (at least when I bought mine) seem pretty sturdy, have carried multiple full carboys and have never heard so much of a frightening seam stretching noise from em. Well worth the investment and I still stand by em.

Do you clean the carboys with the cover on? Cleaning is where over half of the horror stories originate from.

Also $30 for a carboy another $24 for the cover = you are half way to a stainless steel fermenter, almost double the cost of a PET fermenter and more that double the cost of a bucket.

 

[bleme]

more that double the cost of a bucket.

I got my buckets for $.50 each so that would buy 108 buckets!

 

[Beardless]

I usually use the covers while transporting, not completely while cleaning. They zip all the way down the side, so I usually leave the carboys sitting on the cover with it unzipped so I can see the whole thing while cleaning, then zip it up to use the cover’s handles for dumping. I leave them on during fermentation. Stainless fermenters for $120? Consider me interested.

 

[doctor strangebrew]

I used a good quality 5 gallon glass carboy for years with no problems. Of course, I never tried to move it when full and was careful about setting it down (empty) and even thermal shock. I still will use this type (if it's the same quality I had before) I lived in the mountains for years... used a chainsaw to cut trees for firewood. No problems, but look on you tube and see many screwups... people do stupid things. Same for guns, knifes, fires, ect. I do suspect the low quality glass is not to be trusted, but why the heck would anyone move a full carboy?

 

[mongoose33]

I used a good quality 5 gallon glass carboy for years with no problems. Of course, I never tried to move it when full and was careful about setting it down (empty) and even thermal shock. I still will use this type (if it's the same quality I had before) I lived in the mountains for years... used a chainsaw to cut trees for firewood. No problems, but look on you tube and see many screwups... people do stupid things. Same for guns, knifes, fires, ect. I do suspect the low quality glass is not to be trusted, but why the heck would anyone move a full carboy?

To place it in a fermentation chamber? To lift it high enough to siphon to a bottling bucket or keg? To move it from one's outside brew space to an inside area?

 

[passedpawn]

why the heck would anyone move a full carboy?

I haven't surveyed every post of carnage here, but it seems that about half of them happened while cleaning the empty carboy.

 

[day_trippr]

I would not be surprised to read that ~80% of carboy failures happen with wet hands.
Then you have the dry-handed drops, random collisions with inelastic objects, and the thermal-shocked-bottom-fell-outs...

Cheers!

 

[doctor strangebrew]

Put in on something before filling so it's ready to siphon later. Be careful cleaning... wear rubber gloves for grip. Set it down gently on hard surfaces... once again, common sense (oh, I forgot... I'm old school... maybe people don't know what that is anymore) If the issue is cheap glass, then I understand. I will do a search and see if quality glass carboys are still available. Got mine 20 years ago.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I use 6.5g smooth-sided Italian carboys purchased new ~15 years ago but which are still readily available...

Cheers!

 

[kh54s10]

It's all good until it isn't anymore..... Your risk, one I am not willing to take when there are safer alternatives. And in the case of PET, the safety far outweighs the very few negatives. Even buckets. Stainless steel would be my choice if it were in the budget.

 

[OpenSights]

It's all good until it isn't anymore..... Your risk, one I am not willing to take when there are safer alternatives. And in the case of PET, the safety far outweighs the very few negatives. Even buckets. Stainless steel would be my choice if it were in the budget.

I’m a sole proprietor. I go down, my business is closed, and I have no income. Have plenty of other chemicals to worry about.

 

[mongoose33]

Put in on something before filling so it's ready to siphon later. Be careful cleaning... wear rubber gloves for grip. Set it down gently on hard surfaces... once again, common sense (oh, I forgot... I'm old school... maybe people don't know what that is anymore) If the issue is cheap glass, then I understand. I will do a search and see if quality glass carboys are still available. Got mine 20 years ago.

I submit that perhaps you just got lucky. There's no way in God's green earth I'd use a glass carboy for anything, with the one exception of doing a very long term aging of the beer.

 

[shoengine]

I used mine for over year, until getting stainless. Still have them for now.

What always surprised me is how many folks wear shorts and either flip-flops or barefoot.

 

[passedpawn]

I used mine for over year, until getting stainless. Still have them for now.

What always surprised me is how many folks wear shorts and either flip-flops or barefoot.

I bet you're from the PNW

 

[shoengine]

Hey, I'm outside in shorts; it's a balmy 65F right now!

 

[OleBrewing]

never had an issue with carboys made 15-20 years ago, they do seem more robust than the ones made currently (and who knows the exact date manufactured). and made in Mexico. remember the old ones were made for "water coolers" were meant to be flipped upside down full to deliver water. some of the new ones made for homebrewing may or may not have this into consideration. do recall the "big mouth" having problems

My oops came when moving a full carboy to a basement that I did not finish the steps completely, tripped from the 3rd step and stumbled half way and to the bottom, damn near saved it all but was stopped abruptly against a post. survived with some skid scrapes got lucky.

2 lessons learned:

1 don't move fresh wort after brew day down steps after a bunch of beer being drunk
2 don't wear cowboy boots to move said wort down steps after a bunch of beer being drunk

glass can be very resistant and last a life time, but is a bitch to clean for a primary vessel.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]glass can be very resistant and last a life time, but is a bitch to clean for a primary vessel.

I haven't found that to be the case, but I don't let cruddy glass sit around for more than the better part of one day, either.
A couple of tablespoons of Oxyfree in water matching the glass temperature and left for a few hours will usually rinse clean.

For the record, I would never buy a used glass carboy. My OCD-driven care of glass runs around "11"...

Cheers!

 

[jrgtr42]

Put in on something before filling so it's ready to siphon later. Be careful cleaning... wear rubber gloves for grip. Set it down gently on hard surfaces... once again, common sense (oh, I forgot... I'm old school... maybe people don't know what that is anymore) If the issue is cheap glass, then I understand. I will do a search and see if quality glass carboys are still available. Got mine 20 years ago.

This. I keep my carboys in milk crates, strapped in.
I only use them for long-term bulk aging, I use buckets for regular fermentations.
I also wear a pair of leather- palmed gardening / work gloves when I clean them; this gives me a pretty good grip. I also have the neck handles on a couple of them. I will use them to tilt when full, and when dumping out rinse water. I'll hold the carboy by that handle if it's empty - never when there's anything in there, but most times I lift and carry by the milk crate, not the carboy itself.