Finally broke a glass carboy

[brewdvm]

@flars

I often read about people filling the carboy to clean it. I’m very careful now with full carboys since tearing up my shoulder doing something really dumb.

Cleaning can be made a little simpler. Add a gallon of water to the just emptied carboy, slosh it around and dump. This removes the loose gunk. EDIT: After this step I jet rinse.

Then add tepid water to about the one-third mark, add the cleaner and undrilled bung. Slosh the water and cleaner around holding the carboy tight to the body. Lean the carboy in the sink top down. The cleaning solution will cover the krausen ring which is about the only place gunk will still be sticking. After a couple of hours turn the carboy mouth up and give a light brushing to remove any material that may not have fallen off. Dump and rinse with tepid water.

I cover the bottom and side of the sink with rubber shower mats to keep the carboy from sliding or bumping a hard surface.

I never add hot water to a glass carboy. This can start stress fractures.

Hope this has offered some ideas to keep us glass users safe.

I too don’t fill the glass carboys full with PBW solution. I add about 2-3 gallons at most. Then I take the carboy brush and shove it up and down quickly several times while covering the top around the brush handle to prevent all the splashing from leaving the carboy. Then I come back 5 minutes later to brush whatever is left all the krauzen ring. It usually comes right off. Then I do the splashing thing with the brush again, wait a few more minutes and dump out and rinse.
For you skeptics that think you have to fill the carboy to effectively clean it, keep in mind that those large vats at any food processing plant would never be filled anywhere near full during the cleaning process. Pumps are used to circulate the cleaning solution through high pressure spray nozzles to effectively cover the entire inner surfaces of those vats. I’m sure the big breweries never fill those massive brewing tanks full of PBW. That would be way too costly and a huge waste of water.

[hd4mark]

Just the other night I made the mistake of setting a bottle of Fat Tire on the counter too close to the edge. Had not even tasted it yet. You guessed it. I just nicked the top and onto the tile floor it went. Twelve oz of beer and a thousand shards of glass. Small cut on toe was the only injury but there was an hour of sopping up beer and finding glass.

So if it is a big carboy or a small bottle be careful with glass containers. I will still use my glass carboys and certainly won’t give up good craft beer in glass bottles.

Have to admit the only thing I have fermenting is in a bucket though.

[ghawk]

I’ve had recent bad luck with glass carboys, as well. This is all within the last couple years with 16 years brewing. Why all at once?
The first was a 5.5 gallon sitting on the laundry room floor covered with a towel. I was removing cloths from the dryer and only backed my barefoot heel against it and I heard a light ‘pop’. Beer poured out all over.
The second was after cleaning an acid 6 gallon and a was turning upside down to rest in a carboy stand and it just tapped the breakfast bar. The glass was warm so it caved into itself and I cut a slice into my middle finger at the fingerprint. I lost feeling there for the next year.
I almost have anxiety attacks using glass carboys anymore. I now primary in cornys, transfer with co2 and serve. All Stainless, Closed. No glass. No fear!

[iahomebrew]

What is/was Kodak? Must have been before my time… Born in 91’

@old_guy

That’s a great record Mark. When I was with Kodak before retirement, they would get a lot of nitric acid in 6.5’s. After rinsing they busted them up and recycled the glass. I started getting them after their rigorous rinse. I acquired 7 of em’ and this was back in the late 80’s. Only one has broke since and that was dropped on concrete empty. I also have a plastic brewing pail I use, but the bulk is done in the glass carboys. I’m not sure I would be a glass person, but I got all mine free. Just gotta’ be extra careful.

[dannyboy58]

@ghawk

I’ve had recent bad luck with glass carboys, as well. This is all within the last couple years with 16 years brewing. Why all at once?
The first was a 5.5 gallon sitting on the laundry room floor covered with a towel. I was removing cloths from the dryer and only backed my barefoot heel against it and I heard a light ‘pop’. Beer poured out all over.
The second was after cleaning an acid 6 gallon and a was turning upside down to rest in a carboy stand and it just tapped the breakfast bar. The glass was warm so it caved into itself and I cut a slice into my middle finger at the fingerprint. I lost feeling there for the next year.
I almost have anxiety attacks using glass carboys anymore. I now primary in cornys, transfer with co2 and serve. All Stainless, Closed. No glass. No fear!

I’ve heard you mention this before. What kind of volume do you end up with after fermentation and transfer? About 4.5 gals?

[brew_cat]

I have enough trouble moving buckets with handles. I can be be clumsy so unless I can see a benefit of glass I will continue with buckets. The debate goes on.

[ghawk]

@dannyboy58

I’ve heard you mention this before. What kind of volume do you end up with after fermentation and transfer? About 4.5 gals?

Hi Danny,
I’ve only ran wort for primary in a corny 5-6 brews so far. I’ve done 10 gallons (2 cornies) or 5 gallons. My first purchase when doing research was FermCap. That allows me to fill the kegs up to about the last weld ring which is, I think about 5 gallons. Many have argued the corny full level issue but who cares.

I just transferred 2 kegs of smoked rye tonight from a primary keg into pressurized kegs with co2. Totally closed. Run a slow xfer and I can serve in those kegs after cold conditioning.

I bring the empty kegs into the kitchen sink to hot spray clean without any fear of breaking glass and killing me or my family.