Would covering a plastic fermenter in foil tape reduce its oxygen permeability?

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diesel_88

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I'm talking about the thick, sticky kind used for sealing HVAC ducts--if one were to cover almost the whole exterior surface of a plastic bucket with the stuff, would it significantly slow down the rate of oxygen diffusion through the wall?

Seems like it would, as long as the adhesion was good with minimal air bubbles, and assuming oxygen doesn't diffuse through the foil.
 
Assuming buckets are somewhat similar to better bottles, didnt the BB study find that more oxygen gets in through the rubber stoppers than through the material itself? The stoppers look solid but they arent 100% impervious to oxygen....
 
Now you'd be dealing with the permeability of the adhesive of that tape... I would think that difficult to guess.

If you're ageing a beer for an extended period, a carboy (glass or plastic) is the best way to go.

If you're talking primary, I wouldn't worry about it at all.
 
Now you'd be dealing with the permeability of the adhesive of that tape... I would think that difficult to guess.

I agree. I think the geometry would work in your favor, though--small edges exposed to air vs. large surface.

Not planning to try it, just a thought.
 
In theory, yes.

In practical brewing applications, probably not worth the bother.

You have more important variables affecting your beer than oxygen getting through your fermentor.
 
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