Safety Issues in Homebrewing

[uechikid]

There was a letter in the latest issue of Zymurgy about a guy who damn near cut his hand off when a glass carboy broke. I know the chances of that happening are pretty slim, but I've been thinking about making the switch to Better Bottles. Some kind of carboy carrier would probably be a good idea to have as well.

I had just broken my little toe on my right foot on Wednesday and was brewing on Saturday. I had bare feet because it was summer and no shoes felt better. So I was carrying a six and a half gallon carboy full of was to the sink and I smacked that broken toe into the metal kettle stand. Dropped the carboy that broke all over the place. So now I have broken, wet glass right where I'm standing in bare feet with a broken toe.Fortunately my wife heard the noise (and me crying like a baby in pain) and came out and cleared a path to the house.

 

[brewmonk]

ouch, that sounds as bad as the brick barrel insurance claim!

 

[Trevor57]

well what you need to be concerned about is that we are lifting/moving boiling water and its easy enough to say drop the pot your holding and have that hot freaking water splash up into your face. also when your boiling your wort its also a sugar solution so it tends to stick to bare skin.

Maybe you need a chiller? I only move wort at 70 degrees.

 

[Doc Robinson]

Don't carry full carboys by the handle only...

 

[Jimmies]

Don't carry full carboys by the handle only...

uh, DAMN!

I haven't used my glass carboy yet, but with my next stout I will. I have a handle - how do you recommend carrying/moving it when it's full?

 

[Doc Robinson]

uh, DAMN!

I haven't used my glass carboy yet, but with my next stout I will. I have a handle - how do you recommend carrying/moving it when it's full?

One hand on the handle and another under the bottom of the carboy. Others will say put it in a milk crate, but I find that too bulky.

 

[brewmonk]

Before I knew that I didn't know better, I poured straight from the kettle into my first carboy (through a funnel of ice). Not enough to chill it, I found out.

I heard a 'CRACK', but everything looked normal. Except for the wort on the floor. The carboy had cracked all the way around, along the outside of the thicker base.

So I had a big glass funnel sitting inverted on a glass frisbee, slowly dribbling hot wort all over the kitchen.

 

[Trevor57]

Buy a brew hauler for $35 and don't worry about handles. Those handles just lead to broken carboys.

 

[Doc Robinson]

Buy a brew hauler for $35 and don't worry about handles. Those handles just lead to broken carboys.

Total waste of money. That is as much as the carboy. Just carry the carboy with a hand on the bottom like a man.

 

[brewmonk]

That's twice as much as a carboy.

 

[Paddle_Head]

I put my 6.5 gal carboys in milk crates to carry them. Makes it pretty simple, but I got small hands so reaching the crate handles isn't a problem for me like folks with bigger hands would have.

In reading this I'm thinking about adding a little bit of foam to the inside of the crates, in the event I have to put it down hard/quickly it would further minimize stress on the carboy.

 

[brewmonk]

I am speaking partly from experience, I don't think that a piece of plywood inside the crates would be going overboard. I know that the crates do flex, and eventually fail (half of mine have), and that foam'll be pretty compressed after a while. half inch maybe?

 

[Paddle_Head]

Yeah, I used closed cell foam for kayak outfitting and it definitely compresses. I'd think at least 1/2" would be best.

Good point on the plywood to more evenly distribute the weight, especially in the event of cracking (which I had never considered).

 

[ForRealBeer]

Same here but outside.

Actually, I employ the Tui Brewery employment plan and have women, gorgeous women, doing all of the work while I supervise.

They haven't complained about dropped spoons yet, and they seem to hit the deck all day!

My biggest safety issue? SWMBO.

 

[brewmonk]

@realbeer when you have fresh cigars rolled on the tanned thighs of topless young Caribean lasses, OPEN A PUB (and let me know)

@paddle yeah closed cell would be good, it squishes, but not all the way down to dead nothing like foam rubber. BTW, what do you paddle?

 

[ForRealBeer]

@realbeer when you have fresh cigars rolled on the tanned thighs of topless young Caribean lasses, OPEN A PUB (and let me know)

I have a deep and consistent dream of opening a brewpub in a Caribbean cruise-ship port of call like St. Martin.

Actually, if it weren't priced at 1.2 million, I would have bought the bar at this location. I am by no means a rich man, but it would have been awesome to purchase the Sunset Beach Bar when its owner put the for sale sign up.

 

[brewmonk]

Can you dock a bar-sized boat there for less?

 

[Paddle_Head]

@paddle yeah closed cell would be good, it squishes, but not all the way down to dead nothing like foam rubber. BTW, what do you paddle?

White water, I got a couple older model pyranha's right now. An H3 for creeking, that I still love even if it isn't a "real creeker". And an S8, for playing/river running, that I'd love to take outside and burn cause it's so awful. But I don't have the $'s to upgrade right now, and with 2 little kids it's hard to justify the time I can dedicate to it.

 

[Denny]

Do you fireproof your brewing area? Brew with a fire extinguisher, a CO detector, first aid kit, ventilation? wood v.s. metal? gfci's? drink while you brew?

Please share any ideas. I'd love to see what I can incorporate in my brewroom.

I brew in a detached garage with windows and sliding door open. Besides having a hose available if need be, I have a fire extinguisher and CO detector.

 

[ForRealBeer]

Yes guys, carbon monoxide is CO and it is the stuff you should really worry about.
Carbon Dioxide CO2 is not nearly as dangerous. You'd know you're in danger if there is too much CO2.

Yes, seriously, be VERY careful of carbon monoxide. It got to me back in my younger days (early 20's) when I was restoring a car and didn't pay any attention exhaust fumes in the garage. Long story but basically it was young and stupid almost becoming young and dead.

The following are symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning at low levels of exposure:

• Headaches
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Shortness of Breath
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

Chronic Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

If a person is exposed to low levels of carbon monoxide over a long period of time, they may experience symptoms for a long period of time - even after the exposure to carbon monoxide has ended. This exposure may result in difficulties in the following areas:



Memory and Attention: The person may have trouble recalling recent events, concentrating, or finding the right words to express themselves.

Physical: Headaches, nausea, vomiting, and chronic fatigue are symptoms of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. In addition, the individual may complain of muscle and joint pain, tingling, and dizziness.

Vision and Balance: Blurred vision, difficulty keeping one's balance, and a buzzing in the ears may also be caused by exposure to carbon monoxide.

Personality Changes: When a person feels irritable or anxious, they may not necessarily connect it to carbon monoxide poisoning, but these symptoms have been linked to long-term exposure to the gas.



from: http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Carbon_Monoxide_Poisoning_Symptoms

 

[brewmonk]

@paddle rivers, cool, never done it. i put up my boat in my profile, it's mahogany,maple,birch,and rosewood.

@denny man, I haven't seen that sig recently, but i remember it from a while(s) back, gald to reconnect a name with it.

@realbeer CO scares me. And I'm glad it does. So does my favorite cabinet saw and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Paddle_Head]

@paddle rivers, cool, never done it. i put up my boat in my profile, it's mahogany,maple,birch,and rosewood.
.

Beautiful, beautiful boat.

I'm hoping to get my son (and myself) into canoe tripping when he gets just a bit older. Would love to get a nice wood boat like that, but I'll probably end up with a used coleman off craigslist.

 

[brewmonk]

thanks, the best of luck whatever you get.

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

 

[BierMuncher]

This doesn't work.

 

[rico567]

thanks, the best of luck whatever you get.

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

A long time since I read that line. Anyone who likes Kenneth Grahame can't be all bad......

 

[brewmonk]

well, I happen to have a *boat* problem, too.

 

[mmb]

I brew in the garage with propane and propane accessories...

crack the garage door, crack a window and have a fire extinguisher handy. A propane salamander heater puts out way more CO than the burners we use and folks use the heaters in garages all the time....

 

[brewmonk]

mold, burns, scalding, asphyxia, elec.shock, natgas/propane "issues", immolation, anything else?
... (added: getting crushed)

DAMN, we do this for FUN?

 

[bspisak]

Sturdy work surface / brew stand.

My folding table almost collapse under the combined weight of my boil and mash tun. Would have ended up with scalding hot water all over, a lit propane burner god knows where, broken glass, and a broken lamp in the middle of all that water.

 

[McKBrew]

Risk vs. Gain I suppose. I've gotten mild burns before from hot liquid.

Howver, to put it all in perspective I go out to sea on nuclear submarines.

Steel tube, filled with high pressure air, high pressure hydraulics, scalding hot steam, electricity, toxic chemicals, weapons all surrounded by water. Would be a whole lot crappier if something happened out there (but so far it hasn't).