Glass carboys rock...until you drop one!
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conpewter
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HSM
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The stress points of a BB are not proved here. What's proven is that a bottle that lands flatly on it's side probably won't break. Wow, hurray for plastic.
Take a BB full of wort/water... hold it by the neck and drop it straight down from the same distance, maybe aim it so it hit the bottom rim.. That's the most likely cause of a carboy break, why compare apples and O's?
If you aren't responsible enough to care for a glass carboy, please don't use one. Please use buckets and BB's.
To each their own. I now prefer my fermenters be conical.
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talkingmonkey
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talkingmonkey: Perhaps. Then again, a decent glass carboy shouldn't shatter just a short way off the ground if dropped. There are a lot of variables with glass carboys that are not as present in Better Bottles:
Manufacturer: GC's many different sources; BB's one source
Build quality: many different qualities; one maintained quality (with minor fluctuations)
Build materials: many different glass ratios; one maintained ratio
And so on...
And no, I am not arguing here that a GC will break later than a BB, it will probably break sooner in a series of drops. However, both will break at some point and after enough trauma. Nevertheless the trauma that breaks it may not be universally similar, different types will cause different results.
On the other hand. If you have a good GC, it shouldn't shatter on a minor drop. It might crack, but it shouldn't shatter.
Manufacturer: GC's many different sources; BB's one source
Build quality: many different qualities; one maintained quality (with minor fluctuations)
Build materials: many different glass ratios; one maintained ratio
And so on...
And no, I am not arguing here that a GC will break later than a BB, it will probably break sooner in a series of drops. However, both will break at some point and after enough trauma. Nevertheless the trauma that breaks it may not be universally similar, different types will cause different results.
On the other hand. If you have a good GC, it shouldn't shatter on a minor drop. It might crack, but it shouldn't shatter.
homebrewer_99
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I've been using mine for years without any problems.I would not be trusting those flimsy milk crates. i would prefer milk crates but can't find anything besides those kind at walmart.....
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+1 on the milk crate. I use Better Bottles and still move them in a milk crate.
BTW, DO NOT use the Better Bottle slip-on handle. I was carrying a full one down the basement stairs and the slip-on handle slipped OFF!! Of course I was at the top of the stairs when it happened, so it cartwheeled all the way down the stairs spewing all the way. The bottle was not hurt, and I lost about a gallon of beer, but it was well aerated!!
BTW, DO NOT use the Better Bottle slip-on handle. I was carrying a full one down the basement stairs and the slip-on handle slipped OFF!! Of course I was at the top of the stairs when it happened, so it cartwheeled all the way down the stairs spewing all the way. The bottle was not hurt, and I lost about a gallon of beer, but it was well aerated!!
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Wow...while this story doesn't speak well of the handle, it speaks REALLY well of the BB itself! I wonder if a glass carboy would survive cartwheeling down a staircase.
While I love the port/racking adapters, seems like the BB accessories are drastically overpriced. I use standard bolt-on carboy handles on my 6 gallon BBs, no way those things are coming off.
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You're talking about plastic, right?
Because that describes both of them. Just the fragility, consistency, temperature sensitivity, and dangers vary. Glass can be tempered to not be temperature sensitive - same as plastic, in fact plastic will often have problems first [except some special plastic, but then are they really food grade].
conpewter
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There was a guy on here with pyrex 7 gallon carboys, now that would be awesome to have. A lot less breakable, very temp stable, lab grade.
We should commission Corelle to make carboys. I have 3 Corelle serving plates that I've dropped from 4ft multiple times and I've yet to break one. I even dropped one intentionally to see if I could break/crack/chip it. Nope.
Be glad you didn't succeed. I had a Corelle platter fall off a countertop and hit my slate floor... It didn't break-- it EXPLODED. Small shards of razor-sharp glass all over the kitchen isn't fun, especially with two cats and a dog running around. I vacuumed for an hour and STILL missed pieces.
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talkingmonkey
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They're probably heavier than regular glass too.
I'm still using glass, (in a milk crate now), cause that's what I have. I think I under aerated due to fear of a repeat. This was never meant to be an indictment of glass, just a sad story due to a brief moment of carelessness combined with a fragile fermentor. When I buy more carboys, they will most likely be BBs, just to eliminate the possibility of this happening again. A bad batch is one thing, but a potentially great batch that you'll never know about is a total other thing. Sounds like both bottles have their pros and cons, so use what you like, just keep on using!
I'm still using glass, (in a milk crate now), cause that's what I have. I think I under aerated due to fear of a repeat. This was never meant to be an indictment of glass, just a sad story due to a brief moment of carelessness combined with a fragile fermentor. When I buy more carboys, they will most likely be BBs, just to eliminate the possibility of this happening again. A bad batch is one thing, but a potentially great batch that you'll never know about is a total other thing. Sounds like both bottles have their pros and cons, so use what you like, just keep on using!
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You're talking about plastic, right?
I'm glad you used the "wink" smiley!
In response, I'll simply state that the only way a better bottle is going to injure you is if you swallow it.
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Cincy_Ron
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Wow, some of those injuries from broken glass carboys are pretty bad! I've always like my glass but after reading this thread I just picked up a 5 gallon better bottle for $18 and change at a local party supply. I think back on all the times I've been drinking and brewing, cleaning my carboys and slinging them around while still wet. I'm going to still use them but definitely be a lot more careful...
edit : talking about these injuries btw http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html
edit : talking about these injuries btw http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html
Word. For the sake of some stomachs out there, I won't show you the other foot.
P.S. I didn't drop it. I was racking to this carboy as a secondary, tilted it at and angle to prevent splashing. Once I got about a gallon in there it decided to shatter. Couldn't believe my eyes as it impaled one foot and then rained pieces into this foot. Now I own a ton of Better Bottles.
conpewter
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Wow that is nuts. Was the carboy hot and the beer cold? I usually use corny kegs for secondary, but sometimes 5 gal glass.
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Yikes! Maybe you should show the other foot, as a Public Service Announcement. Make it a "sticky!"
Hope everything healed up OK.
Hey everyone. New brewer here. Real new - I'm three days into my first brew (don't laugh now) with a Mr. Beer. If I like it, I'll move up to the real deal after the two included kits are bottled.
Any thoughts on these?
Amazon.com: Bluewave Home 5 Gallon Big-Mouth Multi-Use Polycarbonate Water Bottle: Sports & Outdoors
They're not PET. I don't know if Polycarbonate will absorb flavors or not. I kind of like the wide mouth, but they make regular ones as well. Too bad they don't make 6 or 6.5 gallon for primary firmentation.
Any thoughts on these?
Amazon.com: Bluewave Home 5 Gallon Big-Mouth Multi-Use Polycarbonate Water Bottle: Sports & Outdoors
They're not PET. I don't know if Polycarbonate will absorb flavors or not. I kind of like the wide mouth, but they make regular ones as well. Too bad they don't make 6 or 6.5 gallon for primary firmentation.
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Cincy_Ron
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Wow again. I consider myself lucky considering how I've handled mine. I just always assumed they were pretty sturdy unless totally dropped from chest high or something. Picked up my second better bottle yesterday. I'm going to slowly make the transition and sell the glass.
IMHO, I'd save myself the time, money and headache (in the case of something going wrong) and just get some 6 gallon Better Bottles, they're perfect for both primary and secondary.
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Agreed, especially when you can get a 6 gallon BB from Williams for $3.91 more than those 5 gallon mystery bottles.
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talkingmonkey
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I'm with you Ron...I was always a little overconfident with my glass. I don't know what happened that night, but something, (maybe StarSan, maybe overflow from the straining), made the bottom slip from my fingers. My shoes were drenched and my pants were wet 2-3 inches up. I am SO over losing the beer and consider myself extremely lucky not to have had a major injury! I've got beer in my other glass carboy and I can't wait to bottle it and move completely to BB's. This should be a fun, "safe" hobby. To each their own, but after reading some of these posts, I think this should totally be a PSA!
Hercules Rockefeller
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OK, just one thing to add about BB's. I aerate my wort by shaking the BB on the bottom corner, and I've never had one break. personally, I just don't see how glass is worth the risk. I know that risk can be mitigated through responsible handling, but switching to BB's didn't just mitigate the risk, it eliminated it. I ended up giving away all 3 of my glass carboys and haven't looked back since.
Tripod
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+1 to that. The milk crate works so well that the carboy almost never comes out of it unless claening an empty one in the sink where it can't fall over...
-Tripod
According to the Better Bottle web site, rocking a BB on the bottom edge can cause stress fractures, leading to failure of the BB. No danger to you, but it'd be a shame to lose 5 gallons of beer. They recommend using a tennis ball under the center while swirling the BB. See here, under "How-To Tips":
BetterBottle (Better-Bottle) Fermentation Products BetterBottle PET Carboys make ideal fermenters for home winemaking and home brewing
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