carboy caps vs stoppers

[JBrady]

hello the only batch of beer that i have made before today was put into a glass carboy with the stock standard stopper that came with it. Today on my second brew i used a new 6 gallon better bottle with a carboy cap. I don't know about those carboy caps, it doesn't seem to me like it makes a good seal, I can tell that it is the size made for the bottle that i have but it still seemed to loose to me, seems like when pressure builds in the vessel that the cap would rather push air out of the cap rather than go through the water in the blow off rig. Has anyone else felt like this? Did I maybe get a bad cap? Thanks for any input in advance.

 

[BigKahuna]

I agree...it doesn't seem like they will work...but they do. I use them sometimes...other times I use a stopper.

 

[JBrady]

Yep, like you said, Im sure they work, but i still think i'll buy a few stoppers and just go that route from now on. Personal preference I guess. thanks for the reply

 

[ben_j8mmin]

I prefer the caps. seems like all the nasty s floating in the air would settle in the crevasse between the stopper and the neck of the carboy. The cap covers this gap.
HTH
Ben

 

[mmb]

I use the caps on my better bottles and the stoppers on my glass carboys.

On the better bottles I wrap rubber bands around the carboy cap to make sure everything is snug on the neck of the better bottle.

Probably not needed, but it makes my OCD feel better. ;D

 

[EdWort]

My carboy caps work fine on my Better Bottles. Just be sure to snap it down and it will be just peachy!

 

[BigKahuna]

it makes my OCD feel better.

I fixed your Smile....OCD Indeed.

 

[Taetoe]

I use the caps on my better bottles and the stoppers on my glass carboys.

On the better bottles I wrap rubber bands around the carboy cap to make sure everything is snug on the neck of the better bottle.

Probably not needed, but it makes my OCD feel better. ;D

I'm glad to see someone else does this too.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I use caps on Better Bottles too. I had a ***** of a blowoff with my Christmas barleywine this week, and the cap stayed put even though I could hear pressure building and releasing as the yeast blew through the tube.

 

[Bobby_M]

The caps are hit or miss. I personally have a bunch that fit way too loose to be any good. I agree stoppers are bad in the long run due to the nasties settling. However, I rescued a bunch of caps off my office water cooler bottles that fit perfectly. So, no I have the coverage of a carboy cap with the tight seal of a stopper. Some of these caps have a weird open cell foam gasket but I just found a few with what seems to be silicone rubber which will sanitize nicely. Now you have a better reason to hang out near the water cooler.

You can leave a few undrilled for long term secondary aging and drill any hole size you want for blowoff tubing.

 

[JBrady]

thanks everyone I think i'll try the rubberband trick, but that being said my Edworts Hefe is going crazy in there bubbling every .5 second and the cap seems to be doing good just how it is.

 

[jacksonbrown]

I like to use my cap when I know it's going to be a big fermentation with a good chance of blow out. It makes it easy to connect a tube and stick it in the water bucket.

 

[fratermus]

I don't know about those carboy caps, it doesn't seem to me like it makes a good seal, I can tell that it is the size made for the bottle that i have but it still seemed to loose to me, seems like when pressure builds in the vessel that the cap would rather push air out of the cap rather than go through the water in the blow off rig. Has anyone else felt like this? Did I maybe get a bad cap? Thanks for any input in advance.

I bought about 3 of them and I do not think any of them make a decent seal. I use stoppers.

 

[phissionkorps]

I bought my first cap the other day since they were out of #10s. If you push the cap all the way down, it feels really loose. If you push it all the way down then pull it up until it "sticks", then I think the seal is decent (orange cap on a 6gal better bottle).

 

[Saccharomyces]

I'm using the red cap (designed for a 6 1/2 gallon carboy). The fit is very tight on the 6 gal BB.