Glass Carboy Bottom Explodes

[PaulWeddle]

First wine kit on our own. Had a merlot kit. Followed instructions as best as I know. Used a 6.5 gal glass carboy for primary fermentation. Checked on it after the first 24 hours. About a half gallon was on the floor. Bottom busted off the carboy. No signs of release from the airlock.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[davidabcd]

Are you saying you want to save some of the wine or what to do in the future to avoid breakage?
I'm sure you mean about future use of carboys but throw all that away carefully. Don't try to strain it or anything.

With the glass carboy, straps should be considered mandatory or carrying in a milk crate. It's likely you didn't do anything incorrectly unless you shocked it temp-wise. Pressure doesn't seem likely.
I don't know if it's an old one or not or if it came with the kit.

 

[day_trippr]

Welcome to the forums, @PaulWeddle. Sorry your entrance was so dramatic
The most likely cause of that catastrophic failure was repeated thermal shock.
I advise switching to PET bottles...

Cheers - and better luck on your next brew

 

[PaulWeddle]

Are you saying you want to save some of the wine or what to do in the future to avoid breakage?
I'm sure you mean about future use of carboys but throw all that away carefully. Don't try to strain it or anything.

With the glass carboy, straps should be considered mandatory or carrying in a milk crate. It's likely you didn't do anything incorrectly unless you shocked it temp-wise. Pressure doesn't seem likely.
I don't know if it's an old one or not or if it came with the kit.

Thanks for your reply! Yes, the wine was a total loss. Slivers of glass contaminated it. Just want to prevent it next time. It was a brand new carboy. My water was room temp. The room was 65-68.

 

[PaulWeddle]

Welcome to the forums, @PaulWeddle. Sorry your entrance was so dramatic
The most likely cause of that catastrophic failure was repeated thermal shock.
I advise switching to PET bottles...

Cheers - and better luck on your next brew

Thanks for your reply! Live and learn, right? lol. Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

Thanks for your reply! Yes, the wine was a total loss. Slivers of glass contaminated it. Just want to prevent it next time. It was a brand new carboy. My water was room temp. The room was 65-68.

First, be glad you didn't get (seriously) injured. Glass is sharp. Imaging if you were moving or carrying it in bare hands.

Did you take a good look at the break area? Look for very thin walls, especially anywhere under 1/8-3/16", that would be a serious defect.
Many glass carboys made these days come from China, are totally out of spec with no QC whatsoever.
You probably should take it up with the place you bought it from, maybe they can do something nice for you to make up for this.

But generally, glass carboys are out, should be avoided. Use PET fermenters instead.

 

[PaulWeddle]

First, be glad you didn't get (seriously) injured. Glass is sharp. Imaging if you were moving or carrying it in bare hands.

Did you take a good look at the break area? Look for very thin walls, especially anywhere under 1/8-3/16", that would be a serious defect.
Many glass carboys made these days come from China, are totally out of spec with no QC whatsoever.
You probably should take it up with the place you bought it from, maybe they can do something nice for you to make up for this.

But generally, glass carboys are out, should be avoided. Use PET fermenters instead.

Luckily I purchased them (x2) from a local supply store. They have a great reputation for fixing problems. I will check with them. Thanks for the heads up on that!

 

[Maxkling]

I’m still surprised that people are using glass. It’s totally not worth the risk. Plastic is cheap and works great. If you fear plastic then just jump to stainless, for the cost of a few broken carboys, you could have just bought a stainless one. Throw the 50$ batch you lost and a trip to the ER and you can see how quick a stainless FV will pay itself off.

 

[PaulWeddle]

Luckily I purchased them (x2) from a local supply store. They have a great reputation for fixing problems. I will check with them. Thanks for the heads up on that!

Just talked to the shop. They told me to bring it in and they would make it right for me. Thanks, again for that suggestion. I was going to just chalk it up to a loss.

 

[PaulWeddle]

I’m still surprised that people are using glass. It’s totally not worth the risk. Plastic is cheap and works great. If you fear plastic then just jump to stainless, for the cost of a few broken carboys, you could have just bought a stainless one. Throw the 50$ batch you lost and a trip to the ER and you can see how quick a stainless FV will pay itself off.

Good point! Thanks for the input! Actually had a friend tell me this morning they had a stainless carboy I could use when ever I wanted it.

 

[LittleRiver]

I'm glad you weren't carrying it when that happened.

Clear wide mouth PET fermenters are all I use. They're easy to clean, and they don't break.

 

[IslandLizard]

Clear wide mouth PET fermenters

+1 ^

 

[IslandLizard]

They're easy to clean, and they don't break.

Some testimony to that:
I saw someone doing a "Hulk stunt" with a Fermonster half filled with Starsan in a parking lot (at the very end of a National Big Brew day). He lost grip and it bounced several times on the blacktop. It survived fine, no cracks, no dents, even the lid was still on it and intact.
Not saying the guy wasn't darn lucky, but it does say something about PET containers. Ever try to crush a soda bottle?

 

[Jayjay1976]

Some testimony to that:
I saw someone doing a "Hulk stunt" with a Fermonster half filled with Starsan in a parking lot (at the very end of a National Big Brew day). He lost grip and it bounced several times on the blacktop. It survived fine, no cracks, no dents, even the lid was still on it and intact.
Not saying the guy wasn't darn lucky, but it does say something about PET containers. Ever try to crush a soda bottle?

I love my fermonsters. My only complaint is the lids crack if you over tighten. Also, if you mess up real bad and forget to clean one out after racking to keg, they can retain odors. A good bleach soak and several days in the hot sun didn't even totally get rid of it. I still use it, but not for light or delicately flavored beers.

 

[HopSing]

There are still many die hard fans of glass carboys. I was one of them until what everyone said will eventually happen actually happened to me. Like you, I was lucky that no one was hurt.

Here's a thread on converting a stainless pot to a fermentor. I continue to use this system today. Works great and it would likely make de-gassing wine even easier.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...-carboy-to-stainless-fermenter-for-50.646313/
~HopSing.

 

[Chuckbergman]

I had a glass carboy crack and break last year, losing 4 gallons of cider. It was my fault. The fermentation kept getting stuck so I would put the carboy in the sink and run some hot water over it to get the yeast activated. WORD OF WARNING: Don't do that! Luckily it cracked while I was lifting and almost all the cider spilled down the sink.

 

[ncbrewer]

I like plastic buckets: 1) Help block light from entering 2) Handle is really good for carrying and setting it into a swamp cooler.