Scored an old 5-gallon carboy today

[BoomerSoonerBrewer]

I have only used plastic bucket fermenters to date and lucked out finding an old glass carboy in my parent's garage while helping them out with some work at their house.

The carboy is free of cracks and appears to have no damage and just needs to be cleaned up. It does look to be very old and my mother was of the opinion that it was at least 20 years old or more.

While cleaning it up, what should I be looking for to ensure that this carboy is serviceable?

How can I inspect it to make sure it is safe to use?

Any pointers would be much appreciated!

 

[isurf]

No major scratches on the inside and crack free you should be ok.

 

[day_trippr]

You really need to clean it before doing a close examination. Give it a soak in Oxyclean or equivalent, hit it with a carboy brush if necessary, rinse thoroughly with room temp water, then rinse with something acidic (standard Star San mix or a low pH vinegar/water mix).

Set it on a table and play a bright light on it to help make defects visible, then look for said defects. Don't forget to examine the bottom, over the life of a carboy one can expect that area to have taken the most "errant hits".

If all you can find are random external pits and tiny dings, you're good. Any discernible crack anywhere on a carboy constitutes grounds for dumping it in the recycling bin, imo.

fwiw, I reclaimed a 5 gallon carboy from service as a garden feature many years ago, it was crystal clear and defect free with a bit of work. But, as I rapidly discovered, in a 5 gallon kegging femto-brewery it really was only useful for post-fermentation aging - or Star San storage, which is what I've used it for ever since...

Cheers!

 

[BoomerSoonerBrewer]

You really need to clean it before doing a close examination. Give it a soak in Oxyclean or equivalent, hit it with a carboy brush if necessary, rinse thoroughly with room temp water, then rinse with something acidic (standard Star San mix or a low pH vinegar/water mix).

Set it on a table and play a bright light on it to help make defects visible, then look for said defects. Don't forget to examine the bottom, over the life of a carboy one can expect that area to have taken the most "errant hits".

If all you can find are random external pits and tiny dings, you're good. Any discernible crack anywhere on a carboy constitutes grounds for dumping it in the recycling bin, imo.

fwiw, I reclaimed a 5 gallon carboy from service as a garden feature many years ago, it was crystal clear and defect free with a bit of work. But, as I rapidly discovered, in a 5 gallon kegging femto-brewery it really was only useful for post-fermentation aging - or Star San storage, which is what I've used it for ever since...

Cheers!

I thought of that precise t hing--that it would be great for secondary fermentation or, obviously, smaller batches. The price was definitely right!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[DeafSmith]

After looking at some of the gory pictures here from people who have been injured by broken carboys, I have come up with some rules that I follow when using them:


Always use a milk crate or BrewHauler to carry the carboy

Never lift a full carboy with a carboy handle - these are meant only for empty carboys (maybe useful to empty the last bit of liquid out during cleaning so you don't have to hold the neck with your bare hand)

Never pick up a full (or partly full) carboy in your bare hands

Always siphon the liquid out, don't pour it (even cleaning solution) until the carboy is nearly empty and you can't siphon any more out

To clean, soak full of cleaning solution, siphon most of that out, lay the carboy on its side and rock it back and forth, use a brush where necessary

Never handle a wet carboy or with wet hands

And of course take care not to bump it

 

[BoomerSoonerBrewer]

Thanks a lot, guys! This carboy is going to be filled this weekend!

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Never handle a wet carboy or with wet hands
[...]

All great advise, but that one in particular rings loud. I bet wet hands are a contributing factor to a large percentage of carboy incidents...

Cheers!

 

[passedpawn]

20 years old is "very old"? Phffft. I've got underwear older than that.

 

[kh54s10]

Be very careful with that thing I don't want to see any more pictures of stitches or scars!

Only plastic, or if I ever get rich stainless steel, for this homebrewer!