How do I know that using my fermentor is risky or it might harbour bacteria?

[Elysium]

I am wondering if there are visual sign as to when to throw away and get a new fermentor bucket?

Ours has a few scratches at the bottom from the spoon we use to aerate the wort.....but they are normal scratches....it is not like its destroyed or something.
Another thing is that I never take the tap off....I just run the cleaner and sanitier through it. That might be a bit of a problem too....I really dont know.


By the way.....how many uses do you normally get out of an average plastic fermentor?

 

[Transamguy77]

I have fermenters I've been using for 3 yrs now that I bought used, I have replaced the spigots sometime last year. I wash them with real hot water and a sponge. If you are concerned about infection then replace them, $15 is not much compared to loosing an entire batch.

 

[aiptasia]

It sounds like you're using a bottle filling bucket for a primary fermenter. Any bucket with scratches in it isn't a good thing. Scratches are a great place for bacteria to hide out in and avoid your sanitizing efforts. The spigots on bottling buckets can also harbor bacteria and need to be removed and cleaned in-between use. You should be able to unscrew it from the locking nut inside and remove the gaskets and the spigot. Thoroughly clean them and get any gunk out of them. Another place that people often forget to check are the O rings around the lid and the gaskets lining airlock/blowoff holes. Remove those and clean them, too.

When cleaning out my buckets, I never use anything harsher than a wet paper towel to scrub them or a plastic spoon if something needs to be stirred or scooped out or in. If I find a scratch, that bucket becomes useless to me for brewing and I just buy a new one. The plastic spigots are pretty easy to scrub out and you can use a little pipe cleaner to get them cleaned out pretty quickly. Then, sanitize as usual.

 

[LordUlrich]

If you are concerned, I would error on the side of caution and get a new bucket.
On a side note, if you are scratching your fermenter while aerating I would look into a alternate method.

 

[Elysium]

It sounds like you're using a bottle filling bucket for a primary fermenter. Any bucket with scratches in it isn't a good thing. Scratches are a great place for bacteria to hide out in and avoid your sanitizing efforts. The spigots on bottling buckets can also harbor bacteria and need to be removed and cleaned in-between use. You should be able to unscrew it from the locking nut inside and remove the gaskets and the spigot. Thoroughly clean them and get any gunk out of them. Another place that people often forget to check are the O rings around the lid and the gaskets lining airlock/blowoff holes. Remove those and clean them, too.

When cleaning out my buckets, I never use anything harsher than a wet paper towel to scrub them or a plastic spoon if something needs to be stirred or scooped out or in. If I find a scratch, that bucket becomes useless to me for brewing and I just buy a new one. The plastic spigots are pretty easy to scrub out and you can use a little pipe cleaner to get them cleaned out pretty quickly. Then, sanitize as usual.

Thanks for the reply.
I thought this was the only type of bucket for both bottling and fermentation. Am I wrong?
I know some people use glass carboy but those are no available in Spain.

 

[bobby4]

People use those buckets for lots of things, including as a primary and for bottling. It is ironic that glass carboys aren't available in Spain, all of my carboys are made somewhere in Europe.

 

[Elysium]

People use those buckets for lots of things, including as a primary and for bottling. It is ironic that glass carboys aren't available in Spain, all of my carboys are made somewhere in Europe.

Hahaha.....your comment is a total shock to me. I had no clue that carboys are made here....well, Europe is a relatively big place. Spain is just one of the many countries within....and for instance if something good is sold in Germany, it doesnt mean it is available here too (my steel pot is the best example....bought it from Germany, then company decided not to ship anymore here...so goodbye extra pots).

Anyway....can you do me a favour and tell me the brand and the country where your carboys are from?

 

[LordUlrich]

Thanks for the reply.
I thought this was the only type of bucket for both bottling and fermentation. Am I wrong?
I know some people use glass carboy but those are no available in Spain.

Many people use basically that exact same bucket, but without a hole drilled for the spigot. They tend to be a bit cheaper although it does mean you have to syphon the beer out. Not having the spigot reduces the possible spots for crud to hide. This is what I do.

Most glass carboys I have seen are made in Italy, although they are rebadged by another company such as brewer's best.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Home Brew mobile app

 

[bobby4]

Mine are from Italy, plus 2 from South America.

 

[eastoak]

It sounds like you're using a bottle filling bucket for a primary fermenter. Any bucket with scratches in it isn't a good thing. Scratches are a great place for bacteria to hide out in and avoid your sanitizing efforts. The spigots on bottling buckets can also harbor bacteria and need to be removed and cleaned in-between use. You should be able to unscrew it from the locking nut inside and remove the gaskets and the spigot. Thoroughly clean them and get any gunk out of them. Another place that people often forget to check are the O rings around the lid and the gaskets lining airlock/blowoff holes. Remove those and clean them, too.

When cleaning out my buckets, I never use anything harsher than a wet paper towel to scrub them or a plastic spoon if something needs to be stirred or scooped out or in. If I find a scratch, that bucket becomes useless to me for brewing and I just buy a new one. The plastic spigots are pretty easy to scrub out and you can use a little pipe cleaner to get them cleaned out pretty quickly. Then, sanitize as usual.

nothing wrong with getting new gear but scratches in a fermentor mean nothing if you are cleaning and sanitizing your gear. infections are relatively rare but scratched buckets are actually the norm, most buckets have scratches of some sort. infections show up in glass and stainless fermentors too and they are pretty much scratch proof. just like a few other brewers on these forums my scratched buckets and better bottles ferment both sour and clean beers without any cross contamination. i'm not saying that everyone should do this, just that it is possible.

 

[Beernik]

My rules of thumb for replacing anything:

1. It doesn't work anymore
2. It has scratches I worry about or I suspect it caused an infection.
3. I can't get it visibly clean.
4. It is stained or has a lingering odor.

I'm going on 9 or 10 years brewing. I haven't replaced an Ale Pale bucket yet.

I only have one bucket with a scratch and that's the bottling bucket. I'm considering replacing it before my next bottling day. And I'm about to replace my wine theif. It stopped working properly on my two most recent brews.

 

[bja]

If they're clean they'll be fine. When they get to the point that you can't get them clean anymore, replace them.