My first bottle bomb

[pb300]

Can you tell which was the chipped bottle I wasn't supposed to use anymore?

Noticed an aroma of fresh beer in the pantry when getting a treat for the dog. Looked down and noticed some brown liquid on the lip of the cooler my newest batch was carbing in. Sure enough I was greeted with a liter of beer sprayed all over the inside of the cooler. The only thought that crossed my mind was, "Woohoo I made science and blew something up!"

Vented all the other bottles, rinsed, and moved them to the fridge.

 

[MyAlement]

Good call on the cooler storage device. I started putting my bottles in a plastic storage bin after reading about bottle bombs. They say its not a matter of "if", but a matter of "when". Luckily, none here yet. I almost scared myself into PET bottles but eventually got over it. I added a step to closely inspect bottles before bottling day for chips, cracks or any other imperfections. I usually end up tossing a few bottles each time.

 

[pb300]

I need to start inspecting them before use too. I have a variety of bottles (20oz soda, 1L pet, normal long neck, and 1L Ikea swing top) and this is the only kind of bottle I've had trouble with so far.

 

[MyAlement]

That is interesting, I always thought the swing tops looked beefier than standard longnecks.

 

[pb300]

They are pretty thick, especially the one I have made in Italy, but this bottle had a manufacturing defect. Looked like a swirl in the glass but I guess it was a crack that went all the way through. First time I used the bottle it bubbled from this spot.

 

[mattd2]

I would guess that since those bottles are normally made/used as water bottles that they are not specifically made to hold pressure and the checking for manufacturing defects is not as stringent as for bottles that the manufacturer knows will need to not explode under pressure.

 

[pb300]

Matt you make a good point. The blames on me since I didn't give each bottle a good once over before buying them (or before bottling).

Next time I'll just order a case of bottles as it would have been the same price. For some reason I thought they were $1.99 each until I rang them up and realized the $3.99 price.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50108908/