Bung vs. Carboy Cap

[ere109]

While I own both bungs and plastic carboy caps, I tend to use bungs exclusively. What do other people prefer, and why?

 

[JonM]

I use bungs too, except I use the cap when the fermenter is in my little fermentation fridge (because bungs and airlocks make it too tall to fit) and when I'm worried about a blowoff.

 

[makomachine]

Thermowell cap for the win! I love mine in the chest freezer fermentation chamber - used bungs exclusively prior and would again if needed.

 

[Clann]

All I have are bungs for my bungholes

 

[BrewForMe]

I'm a bung kinda guy...not that kind but...err....you know what i mean...dont you?

 

[Bobby_M]

The benefit of the carboy cap is that it covers the entire mouth of the carboy. Bungs leave the top lip exposed as well as the little crease in between the bung and lip for wild yeast and other junk to collect during a long aging.

 

[FireBrew63]

Bungs for buckets and plastic caps for carboys.

 

[milldoggy]

You said bung

 

[jd3]

You said bung

Bung isn't a funny word.


Bunghole, now. That is a different story.

 

[Golddiggie]

I've been forcing bungs into the holes since I started... I do have a couple of the caps, but I have yet to use them for any batches yet. To me, they seem more prone to being pushed off if there's a really active fermentation. Which most of mine are at the start.

So, for now, I'm a bung pusher...

Anyone have some TP??? heh heh heh heh heh

 

[Agentaaron]

I have a few of both. I tend to only use the caps on my plastic 3 gallon water bottles as they tend to fit a bit tighter.

I recently made a standard draught ale that I made in a glass carboy. Since all my bungs were currently in other holes i had to resort to using a cap. the morning after brew day, it blew the cap off twice (even with a blowoff) and I had to duct tape the darn thing down.

 

[beersteiner2345]

I use bungs for the sole purpose of being able to tell SWMBO to put something in her bunghole.

She chuckled the first time I said it. 6-7 times later and the joke is loosing its luster on her. Which means I will continue to say it.

 

[Zamial]

Carboy caps FTW! I can drop my SS racking cane into the carboy/sanke keg and then hook up my CO2 to the other line of the cap and start a siphon with CO2. Since I use silicone tubing as well, I can autoclave everything!

I recently broke my plastic auto siphon and am not replacing it...

 

[BobBailey]

I use a carboy cap with blow off tube for the active stage of fermentation and then switch to a bung and "S" type air lock for cold crashing. Fermenting 5.5 gallons in a 6 gallon carboy means a lot of blow off, which the carboy cap & 1/2" tubing handles well. The "S" type air lock keeps the fermenter from sucking in liquid when you drop the temperature quickly.

Bob

 

[ere109]

The benefit of the carboy cap is that it covers the entire mouth of the carboy. Bungs leave the top lip exposed as well as the little crease in between the bung and lip for wild yeast and other junk to collect during a long aging.

That's a great point, Bobby. I always think about that when pulling a bung out - spritz the whole area with Star San, which inevitably ends up dropping some into my beer.

As for blow-off, that's what the big blow-off tubes are for. I started my last two carboys on blow-off and ended up collecting about half a gallon of blow-off over two days. Then I put a bung on it.

 

[EROK]

The benefit of the carboy cap is that it covers the entire mouth of the carboy. Bungs leave the top lip exposed as well as the little crease in between the bung and lip for wild yeast and other junk to collect during a long aging.

10-4 Bobby.

Same here, nothing easier than a cap and blow off hose into a 1/3 filled gallon milk jug of star-san. Works good for cold crashing also...don't have to mess with the airlock water/solution etc. being pulled into the carboy.

I like to "Put my carboy cap on, and BREW STRONG !!"