Who here is happy with glass carboys?

[carnevoodoo]

I have six 6.5 gallon carboys and two 5 gallon carboys. I've broken two. I chipped the neck of one and threw it away because I didn't want to deal with the potential of cutting myself on it.

The other I dropped a wrench on and it made a nice spider crack. It was full, so I let it go. I ended up duct taping the side because it had started to crack down the side pretty heavily. The crack was about 7 inches long when I racked into the keg. I know I was lucky, but I'm glad I got my beer!

I always have a pad to put them on instead of concrete, and I store them out of the way. I've bumped a couple of them into things (mostly walls) and have been ok. If they ever clunk together, I cringe a little.

 

[Tim27]

I hink my problem was carring my carboys by hand while full. I really was very careful with them other than that. They never got set down hard, I never put anything hotter than luke warm water in them. The cracks do not go through. They are just on the outside, the thing about it is that they are almost identically cracked. The cracks are on the bottoms of both carboys. They were not cracks on the sides or the necks. I always kept them on carpet and I never carried by the neck. I would just monkey carry them, if anyone knows what carry is. It is like carrying a big stack of booksbut hunched over a bit. It is a good work out.:cross:

 

[malkore]

I inherited two 40 year old glass carboys that my wife's grandfather used for wine making.

Unfortunately they appeared to have some hairline cracks/stress fractures in the bottom, so I never used them. Not worth the risk.

But my other 5 carboys are all glass. Glass is easier to clean than better bottles, and less risk of scratching.

 

[jtrainer]

I say 'Bucket' to your carboys...

Buckets are lighter, easier to clean, cheaper and goes against the glass purists....

I switched after hearing/reading/witnessing a broken carboy. Thankfully with the witnessed breakage, no one was hurt.....

 

[Vuarra]

I have 2 glass 6 USG carboys, and 4 54L glass demijohns. I also have one plastic 6½ USG primary, and one 30 L fermenting bucket. I've rinsed out the primary a few times, and it still smells like Cascade hops, and the bucket is used as storage for my racking canes.

I was a dumb-ass once, and heated a carboy... well, at least my stove is clean

 

[Shooter]

I only have one glass carboy. It's a little three gallon one I use mostly for mead. At that size I think it's manageable, but couldn't imagine trying to handle a five or six gallon carboy.

 

[RBlagojevich]

+1 on jajabee's "cool looking" comment.

Cars are dangerous too but you won't find my fat a$$ hopping on a bicycle to get to work instead

hence the fatness of your a$$

 

[z987k]

8 glass carboy's 0 plastic. Very happy with them.

 

[MBasile]

So you guys that stick to glass because you like watching the fermentation, why do you stick with glass instead of the Better Bottle clear plastic ones?

 

[z987k]

So you guys that stick to glass because you like watching the fermentation, why do you stick with glass instead of the Better Bottle clear plastic ones?

Easier to clean and sanitize. It doesn't scratch and make a place for bacteria to hide. I already replace everything plastic every 6 months or so. I don't need to be replacing fermenters to.

 

[ZBrewMan]

Suction of star-san back into fermenter when moving. Ability to use a brush if necessary. I like both, but I'll definitely stay with glass.

 

[Synovia]

Easier to clean and sanitize. It doesn't scratch and make a place for bacteria to hide. I already replace everything plastic every 6 months or so. I don't need to be replacing fermenters to.

i"m curious as to why you people seem to have trouble cleaning a better bottle. Fill with Oxi, dump. Rinse with starsan, done.

 

[mattmcl]

Personally I'm worried about small scratches that can develop in plastic. Over time, IMHO plastic discolors and stains, and that just doesn't seem clean to me. I like the sparkle of crystal clear glass, where I can easily see if anything is still stuck on the inside.

 

[GearBeer]

+1 to above.

I'm also lazy, so I like the option to leave a carboy sit for a day or two before I get to it.

 

[z987k]

i"m curious as to why you people seem to have trouble cleaning a better bottle. Fill with Oxi, dump. Rinse with starsan, done.

yeah but you scratch the hell out of them with the carboy brushes... therefore I would not use a carboy brush on it making it much more difficult to clean.

 

[hopvine]

When people talk about milk crates, is it safe to carry a full 6.5 gallon carboy in one of those?

Also, is it possible to remove the logo from a Better Bottle?

 

[springer]

I have both like I stated prior in the thread .... The cleaning thing I have never had to use a brush to clean any fermentor little water some oxyclean and its done and if there is a stubborn spot just a dishrag swish it around a little and done. I dont even fill them up when I clean then I just put a gallon or so in let it sit then put a cap on it and invert into a bucket to clean the ring and neck . If you put nothing inside a better Bottle that would scratch it it will never get scratched



I also use the gripper gloves when I handle the glass. Moving I use a milk crate for the carboy and as for the 54L Demijohns they came with baskets ... Still I never attempt to move glass with them full.