Check your Brewhaulers!

[highgravitybacon]

Don't go there. It was a textbook case of a thread that unraveled out of control, even with efforts to bring it back occasionally.

Apparently just like the brew hauler in question.

 

[thadius856]

As luck would have it, have two of these in mail to be delivered Monday.

Will be double-checking all of the stitching very well. Perhaps taking it down to an alternation shop to have it beefed up a bit.

 

[mufflerbearing]

As luck would have it, have two of these in mail to be delivered Monday.

Will be double-checking all of the stitching very well. Perhaps taking it down to an alternation shop to have it beefed up a bit.

Good idea. Double up on them and then they will their job. Jk just be careful anytime you move wort or beer and you should be ok.....most of the time.

 

[thadius856]

Good idea. Double up on them and then they will their job. Jk just be careful anytime you move wort or beer and you should be ok.....most of the time.

I now plan to not carry them any higher than 3" off the ground and at a speed that lets me do that safely.

 

[Gunpowder]

$70 of ingredients in a 5-5.5 gallon batch?

You say partial mash, so assuming about 3# of grain (conservative) at $2/lb = $6
Yeast = $10 (high estimate)
Hops: Lets go with 4oz at $2/oz = $8

That leaves $46 in extract? Looks like over 10lbs of extract? Man! Glad you reminded me of why I switched to all-grain.

Regarding the actual topic though.....I have one of those and I have never actually used it because I don't trust it. I'd rather trust my dry hands. One under the bottom and one around the neck (Hmmmmm, kinda reminded me of something)

I just brewed an imperial ipa that cost me $76.

 

[SiriusStarr]

I just brewed an imperial ipa that cost me $76.

Likewise; I've had a ~$70 DIPA going for the past week. Darn hops are expensive. And yeast is really expensive at my LHBS for some reason, despite them having excellent malt prices.

 

[thadius856]

Yup. I just brewed up Chocolate Covered BEAVR Nuts. Sourced the ingredients locally, which wasn't a wise move financially.

Just shy of 5 lbs of steeping grain, 6 lbs of LME, 3 lbs of DME, 3 oz of hops.

Then cocoa powder, PB2 and cocoa nibs once it hits secondary...

 

[Aschecte]

Now you all have me scared to move my beer lol. I've used my brew hauler for about a year now and have had no problems. I always just make sure the straps are centered in the bottom and even on all sides before moving so there is no slippage as well as only lifting straight up about a foot at most above the ground between my legs. I don't know if a 6.5 gallon Carboy will fit in a milk crate will it ?

 

[sweetcell]

Now you all have me scared to move my beer lol.

don't be. i've have relatives who have died in car crashes - are you going to stop driving? there was a story this weekend of a person going to the hospital from e.coli poisoning - are you going to stop eating all fresh fruit? someone is going to win the powerball jackpot - are you going to quit your job because you bought a ticket?

this thread is based on a few anecdotal accounts. what you're not hearing from are the THOUSANDS who have been using brew haulers safely for a long time. there are variables other than manufacturing issues that probably aren't discussed here (how was the BH stored? age? wear and tear? etc). i'm not saying bad things can't happen, but let's maintain some perspective. inspect it regularly and be aware that it's a consumable. at some point it will need replacing.

I've used my brew hauler for about a year now and have had no problems.

exactly.

 

[opus345]

I don't know if a 6.5 gallon Carboy will fit in a milk crate will it ?

Yes, both 6.5 glass and 6 BB fit fine in a standard milk crate

 

[Gunpowder]

I think I'm going to make my own brew hauler... Out of wood, with fold down panels for easy access/viewing. A hauler that will allow you to safely lift & carry a glass carboy, and if it explodes will still protect you. Let me whip up some designs and I'll see what I come up with... Do I trust cloth? No. Do I trust rope? No. Do I trust glass? No. Do I trust plastic? Do I trust good old fashioned solid wood and steel screws? Yes.

 

[BetterSense]

Do I trust HDPE?

Yes.

 

[Gunpowder]

Do I trust HDPE?

Yes.

Too late for me. I already bought three glass carboys, and I'm not buying BB or throwing these out or selling them at a loss.

 

[twalte]

I still like my glass carboys and my brew haulers. However, I am no longer using the brew haulers to move the beer between the garage and the closet where I ferment.

Put this together with a really cheap cart from Harbor Freight and a couple of pipe wraps. It's not fancy, but I feel much safer moving it through the house with this. The Brewhauler is still really nice for getting it on and off the cart.

 

[sweetcell]

Put this together with a really cheap cart from Harbor Freight and a couple of pipe wraps. It's not fancy, but I feel much safer moving it through the house with this. The Brewhauler is still really nice for getting it on and off the cart.

awesome cart. i like!

 

[Aschecte]

I still like my glass carboys and my brew haulers. However, I am no longer using the brew haulers to move the beer between the garage and the closet where I ferment.

Put this together with a really cheap cart from Harbor Freight and a couple of pipe wraps. It's not fancy, but I feel much safer moving it through the house with this. The Brewhauler is still really nice for getting it on and off the cart.

This is a great idea !! I love the armaflex you used for padding.

 

[opus345]

Put this together with a really cheap cart from Harbor Freight and a couple of pipe wraps. It's not fancy, but I feel much safer moving it through the house with this. The Brewhauler is still really nice for getting it on and off the cart.

Maybe we should move this to the "Show us your Carboy Cart" thread?

Nicely done! I have a garden cart with a chunk of carpet in the bed for hauling carboys in their crates around the basement.

 

[ElKabong]

Glad to hear your ok but sad you lost the beer. I have a brew hauler and when i get a chance will check the sewing and reinforce all areas prior to using the unit. Also I will look into using a milk crate

 

[iambeer]

Love my glass carboys. As long as they are happy, I am happy. But lately I've been using my r2d2 primary vessel. It's stainless steel and it responds to my voice so I don't have to move it around. It's just much more convenient and makes cute robot noises all the time.

 

[AussieBrewerInColorado]

Thanks for sharing. One of my fearful events after brewing is taking 2 carboys down to the basement. My helper neighbor refuses to help me at this part, I was thinking of buying something like this to help. Obviously that will not work. I truly appreciate you sharing your feedback.

 

[emjay]

I bought a bunch of carboys last year for an absolute steal from a ferment-on-premise wine place that was closing down (should have bought more as I could have sold them for a very reasonable price and still made a fortune), so I'm not about to start using something else. I also have my brewery close to ZERO plastic - my autosiphon, bottling wand, and pumps containing the only remaining plastic - and I'm working on solutions for the first two (the pumps are hot-side and extremely pricey to get ones without anything plastic). All that would be extremely pointless if I just settled with plastic fermentors, and I'm still fairly ways away from going with all stainless conicals.

I use a brewhauler, and have never had an issue. I don't get them wet or carry a carboy with them while they're soaked like the OP does, though I don't know if that actually has any effect. But I know many people that use them, all of them without any problems, so it seems odd that somebody would get two in a row that did. Not saying it's impossible, but it does makes me wonder just a bit if using them soaked, or something else entirely that he may do, could contribute to such failures. Either way, I'm still going to start checking them routinely for potential issues.

 

[F250]

Thanks for sharing. One of my fearful events after brewing is taking 2 carboys down to the basement. My helper neighbor refuses to help me at this part, I was thinking of buying something like this to help. Obviously that will not work. I truly appreciate you sharing your feedback.

For crying out loud!

One breaks and now they're unusable? Nonsense! You are 10,000 times more apt to drop a heavy carboy by not using a brew hauler than by using one.

I use them on mine and I too haul them to the basement to ferment, have two down there right now.

Rick.

 

[PhelanKA7]

I read through a few pages but is there a reason why no one suggested or personally uses carboy handles?

That's what I've used for the past 3 years with no problems...

 

[KBentley57]

For what it's worth, I've never had any trouble with mine, and I move all my full 6-gallon carboys with it. Like any piece of equipment thought, I inspect the seams a time or two before I use it. I find it hard to believe that an entire seam could have failed at once without any prior damage, and even harder to believe that it's a common occurrence. I'll keep using mine till I feel like I need to replace it, then I'll get another.

 

[KBentley57]

I read through a few pages but is there a reason why no one suggested or personally uses carboy handles?

That's what I've used for the past 3 years with no problems...

Surely you're not moving full carboys with one of those, without some other type of support?

 

[F250]

For what it's worth, I've never had any trouble with mine, and I move all my full 6-gallon carboys with it. Like any piece of equipment thought, I inspect the seams a time or two before I use it. I find it hard to believe that an entire seam could have failed at once without any prior damage, and even harder to believe that it's a common occurrence. I'll keep using mine till I feel like I need to replace it, then I'll get another.

Exactly, I'd bet it started to unravel and over time worsened and then broke.

Anything made by man can and eventually will, fail!

Rick

 

[PhelanKA7]

Surely you're not moving full carboys with one of those, without some other type of support?

Like I said, I have for 3 years... 50 some batches and not a problem. If I'm carrying it any kind of distance though I do only use it to lift it up to where I can support it from underneath with the other arm.

 

[nsrooen]

Six glass carboys, Four years, Three Haulers. Absolutely no problems, and I routinely change the carboy they are on. Carry from my garage full to the other side of my basement.
I would not hesitate to buy another one.

 

[pelipen]

Like I said, I have for 3 years... 50 some batches and not a problem. If I'm carrying it any kind of distance though I do only use it to lift it up to where I can support it from underneath with the other arm.

You sir, should go play the lottery right now.

You are lucky to have not snapped a neck. They are not intended for full carboys.

 

[sweetcell]

I read through a few pages but is there a reason why no one suggested or personally uses carboy handles?

That's what I've used for the past 3 years with no problems...

do NOT use this type of handle to move a full carboy. they are meant for transportation of empty carboys only. there are plenty of stories of full carboys' necks snapping off when moved using such a handle.

 

[kblankenship11]

I use a brew-hauler solely to lift carboys in/out of my keezer for lagering. I can't bend over far enough to grab the thing from the bottom and lift it out. Every time I do it, it scares the bejesus out of me... Once the carboy is out, I don't trust anything than other than my hands to carry my carboys. Given I am 6'2" 210lbs so I can lug those things around.

Doesn't Honda have robots that can carry these things around for us yet?

 

[thadius856]

I use a brew-hauler solely to lift carboys in/out of my keezer for lagering. I can't bend over far enough to grab the thing from the bottom and lift it out. Every time I do it, it scares the bejesus out of me... Once the carboy is out, I don't trust anything than other than my hands to carry my carboys. Given I am 6'2" 210lbs so I can lug those things around.

Doesn't Honda have robots that can carry these things around for us yet?

Probably. I agree that I find mine most useful for taking in/out of the fermentation chamber.

I'm 6'0" and 180 lbs, and I carry it 2-3" off the floor by the Hauler. I don't trust that much glass against my belly.

 

[bobbrewedit]

and hopefully my new Brew Hauler will not fail as I am lifting the carboy into the milk crate.

Haha, nice!

My state of sobriety at the time of carboy humpage is what concerns me...always occurs at the end of the brew day.

 

[Aschecte]

I read through a few pages but is there a reason why no one suggested or personally uses carboy handles?

That's what I've used for the past 3 years with no problems...

Yeah a huge reason the neck can break off the carboy if you move it while full !!!

Surely you're not moving full carboys with one of those, without some other type of support?

No I'm probably the only idiot who ever did this... I lifted and walked 10 ft with a full 5.5 ggallons of a Imperial stout and the neck cracked. long story short 15 stictches and no brewing for awhile. Don't do this !! this is when I bought a brew hauler.

 

[Knecht_Rupprecht]

It may have been said, but is there a reason why people aren't using milk crates or retired fermentation buckets to move carboys?

 

[PhelanKA7]

Yeah a huge reason the neck can break off the carboy if you move it while full !!!


No I'm probably the only idiot who ever did this... I lifted and walked 10 ft with a full 5.5 ggallons of a Imperial stout and the neck cracked. long story short 15 stictches and no brewing for awhile. Don't do this !! this is when I bought a brew hauler.

I guess I've just been very lucky. I would be lying if I said I didn't worry about it though but as I said I usually just lift it up to where I can support it from the bottom and carry it that way if I have to. Fortunately I have hardwood floors in my house and I just scoot it when I can.

 

[jsmcclure]

Glad you're OK. What a bummer. I can second the dis on the carboy neck carriers. I too learned the hard way not to transport full carboys. The neck of the glass just isn't strong enough

I love my brewhaulers. This is a great reminder though to check the material and stitching. Everything wears out and a failure is obviously catastrophic. I think that you may have saved a lot of us a similar fate. Thanks

 

[jiggs_casey]

I have a brewhauler that I put on a carboy when I bought it a couple of years ago. I don't use it unless the carboy is empty. I feel a lot more secure when I have both hands strategically placed directly on the carboy when transporting a full one.

 

[BadNewsBrewery]

I use my brewhauler all the time. I also have the neck handles left over from before I had the hauler. When I carry, I make sure I'm holding both straps and the neck handle. If one of the straps gives way, I still have something to hold on to and put the carboy down with. Never had an incident though (knock on wood)

 

[Aschecte]

I guess I've just been very lucky. I would be lying if I said I didn't worry about it though but as I said I usually just lift it up to where I can support it from the bottom and carry it that way if I have to. Fortunately I have hardwood floors in my house and I just scoot it when I can.

That's prpbbaly fine I would still probably use it to gently drag a full carboy into place... slowly.