So I will be getting a Better Bottle...

[njnear76]

I consider myself lucky. The beer was bottled. I was wearing shoes and pants. I did not have any physical damage when the incident happened.

The 6 gallon glass carboy was full of hot water and I was emptying into the laundry sink when my fingers slipped...

Six gallons is a lot of water and a 6 gallon carboy breaks into many pieces. Thank God I have a shopvac. That thing certainly helped retrieving most of the bits and pieces.

Yeah. I'll be moving to better bottles.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

If you haven't read up on them, I would recommend getting milk crates for moving them. Plastic 'bends' a little, no biggie. Glad you had a shop-vac handy- I would have been SOL! Sorry bout your loss (at least it wasn't beer)!

 

[Donner]

The first time you pick up your better bottle you'll wonder why you waited so long to change! But that is just a guy with a bad back talking. Glad you're okay.

 

[shertz]

Yeah, I use milk crates and never had a problem. It kind of sucks though because it does block some of the fermentation that I love to watch, but the safety factor is worth it. Again, thank God it wasn't beer in there or you would be even more mad. I may try a BB some day, but I do love my glass.

 

[Bigsnake]

I thought I'd never switch away from my glass. Bought one better bottle and after the first time using it I ordered two more. Should be arriving this week. Now, I just need some beer to put in them

 

[njnear76]

Yeah. I was holding the carboy upside down when it shattered. The darn thing slipped right out of my hands.

No big loss, but it did give me a minor scare. I think from now on I will keep on t-shirt on a glass carboy whenever I'm handling them.

 

[conpewter]

I wonder if it would be useful to get some of those non-slip strips you put on the bottom of the bathtub and attach maybe 3 rings around each carboy? It would block some fermentation and I suppose you wouldn't be able to see as well to clean, but it would be safer to handle them when wet. I would probably use 3 strips at 3/4" each one at the bottom, one in the middle and one right before the carboy starts to curve up to the neck.

 

[springer]

6 gallons of hot water? You fill it up all the way when you clean it? I just add maybe 1 to 11/2 gallons little oxyclean cap it lay it on its side and roll it back and forth on the floor(carpet) let it sit and rinse I also use grip gloves so I can get a better hold on the wet glass..

pretty inexpensive insurance

Last night I did a 10 gallon brew outside and was a little hesitant about carrying the glass carboy to the house and down the basement stairs filled with beer. My solution I found a 5 gallon pail that fit perfect .... So perfect I cant get the damn Carboy out now that its in the basement. So in the swamp cooler pail and all

 

[AnOldUR]

6 gallons of hot water? You fill it up all the way when you clean it?

I was thinking the same thing. I never put much more then a half gallon in when cleaning. Lay it on its side on a towel and use a carboy brush. I’d never try to flip a full, wet 6 gallon carboy over.

But I’m just a wussy and have trouble carrying one to the basement upright








Edit:
Speaking of skinny guys. Shertz, just noticed your sig. What kind of running you do?

 

[njnear76]

Heh. Yeah. It was filled all the way. I guess I'm a little proactive about getting all the oxyclean out.

Is that wrong? Should I have not done that? Wait a sec... Yeah. I probably should not I have done that.

 

[springer]

Heh. Yeah. It was filled all the way. I guess I'm a little proactive about getting all the oxyclean out.

Is that wrong? Should I have not done that? Wait a sec... Yeah. I probably should not I have done that.

after I dump the Oxyclean down the drain I usually take the carboy outside and rinse it with the garden hose with the high pressure tip. I have city water with a lot of force almost a mini pressure washer.

I have a BB and I do like it more than the glass just for the weight factor alone

 

[njnear76]

Maybe the thing to do is if you are going to dump a full glass carboy, it is probably best to dump it into a bucket or empty it using an autosiphon.

Now I only have a 3 gallon glass carboy to worry about.

 

[AnOldUR]

I guess I'm a little proactive about getting all the oxyclean out.

Three words:
No Rinse Sanitizer

 

[springer]

Three words:
No Rinse Sanitizer

Still needs to be cleaned after each brew unless your using the yeast cake for the next beer. Oxyclean is a detergent not a sanitizer.

 

[AnOldUR]

Still needs to be cleaned after each brew unless your using the yeast cake for the next beer. Oxyclean is a detergent not a sanitizer.

A half gallon of hot sink water and a bottle brush with the carboy on its side on the counter on a towel. Brush, rotate, repeat. Safe, no toxic chemicals and it works.

 

[njnear76]

The weight (although it is heavy) really was not the issue. It was the slippery surface. I think the no-slip gloves are a good insurance policy. Regardless, I think I'm done with glass carboys.

 

[springer]

Three words:
No Rinse Sanitizer

My response was that he was washing with oxyclean and rinsing nothing mentioned about sanitizers so I was a little baffled as to why you posted with emphasis.

A half gallon of hot sink water and a bottle brush with the carboy on its side on the counter on a towel. Brush, rotate, repeat. Safe, no toxic chemicals and it works.

Everyone has their own method that works for them, I personally like to use a little Oxyclean when I clean the carboy. But your way works for you and thats all that matters

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Weight of water is definitely a factor on top of the glass being wet, but the motion of the ocean (or the reverberation of water as the air pops up since it sounds like you were holding it upside down) can be bad. I've found carrying a near full one sealed is easier then a half full one- darn wave effect.

 

[the_bird]

I can't think of a good reason at this point to stick with glass. I've been convinced by enough people that the long-term O2 permenability of the BB is minute enough to be of absolutely no concern. Carboys are getting pricey these days, as well. Outside perhaps of wanting to use lactobacillus or brent in a batch, I don't really see an argument for not buying only BBs going forward.

Oxyclean makes my hands slippery, too; I've never dropped a carboy, but it's easy to imagine doing so, even with only a couple gallons in there.

 

[njnear76]

Weight of water is definitely a factor on top of the glass being wet, but the motion of the ocean (or the reverberation of water as the air pops up since it sounds like you were holding it upside down) can be bad. I've found carrying a near full one sealed is easier then a half full one- darn wave effect.

Heh. Very true. Most likely the wave effect got me.