I have access to some free office water bottles, and was wondering if they are suitable to use as carboy? I'm on a tight budget these days, and would rather not have to buy another carboy. I just ordered two recipe kits from Austin Home Brew (Brooklyn Lager and Mirror Pond Pale ALe), and don't want to wait until I bottle the first batch to start the second.
Office Water Bottles for Carboy
- Thread starter BBQnBrew
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SwedishChef
Member
That's what I use for my fermenter as well and I have had no problems. Some will say the bottles are the wrong sort of plastic and intended for water only, but I think it makes a good beginner fermenter.
tchuklobrau
Well-Known Member
There was just a thread in here about just that. I suck at putting links up and all that so i wont. base result of the other thread was those bottles can let oxygen in so mabye not the best choice. at least not for longer term use
SwedishChef
Member
This the text from the "This vs. That" thread that is stickied at the top of the Beginner Brewing forum. (which is what tchuklobrau is referencing, I believe)
Plastic Water Bottles:
Pros:
* You can find them anywhere
* Cheap
* Less expensive than glass carboys
* Translucent, so you can watch the fermentation
* Firm seal with a cheap stopper, so you can be sure to get that happy music out of your airlock
* Light weight. Easier to move and cheaper to ship than glass carboys. Also easier to sanitize than glass carboys if you use the Llama method of 1 gallon of water, Star San, and shaking the **** out of it for a few minutes
* You can drill a hole and install a bulkhead to create a racking modification similar to that used with better bottles
* Some of them have built in handles
Cons:
* Some aren't made of #1 or #2 plastic, making them unsuitable for our purposes
* IMHO, they look cheaper than the buckets
* If you do get an infection (which is uncommon, borderline rare with proper sanitation) you'll most likely have to throw away any plastic equipment to prevent further batches from becoming infected.
* Translucent, which can allow light in. Easily remedied by draping a dark t-shirt over the bottle
* Made of plastic, which can become scratched if you try to use a carboy brush on them
* Cannot handle negative pressure. You might still be able to get away with a wort wizard if you burp it as with a BB
* Any plastic gear you use will eventually need to be replaced. Sorry, but it just won't last forever
* Does have higher oxygen permeability, so you might not want to bulk age in a water bottle for more than a few months
So, IMHO, the oxygen permeability isn't an issue with the short time that your beer will be fermenting. If you decide to age some wine or stronger beer styles it might pose an issue. The main issue for you would be deciding if the plastic type is correct and if it's not, does that bother you.
Plastic Water Bottles:
Pros:
* You can find them anywhere
* Cheap
* Less expensive than glass carboys
* Translucent, so you can watch the fermentation
* Firm seal with a cheap stopper, so you can be sure to get that happy music out of your airlock
* Light weight. Easier to move and cheaper to ship than glass carboys. Also easier to sanitize than glass carboys if you use the Llama method of 1 gallon of water, Star San, and shaking the **** out of it for a few minutes
* You can drill a hole and install a bulkhead to create a racking modification similar to that used with better bottles
* Some of them have built in handles
Cons:
* Some aren't made of #1 or #2 plastic, making them unsuitable for our purposes
* IMHO, they look cheaper than the buckets
* If you do get an infection (which is uncommon, borderline rare with proper sanitation) you'll most likely have to throw away any plastic equipment to prevent further batches from becoming infected.
* Translucent, which can allow light in. Easily remedied by draping a dark t-shirt over the bottle
* Made of plastic, which can become scratched if you try to use a carboy brush on them
* Cannot handle negative pressure. You might still be able to get away with a wort wizard if you burp it as with a BB
* Any plastic gear you use will eventually need to be replaced. Sorry, but it just won't last forever
* Does have higher oxygen permeability, so you might not want to bulk age in a water bottle for more than a few months
So, IMHO, the oxygen permeability isn't an issue with the short time that your beer will be fermenting. If you decide to age some wine or stronger beer styles it might pose an issue. The main issue for you would be deciding if the plastic type is correct and if it's not, does that bother you.
Basically, see if it's got a '1' in the recycle logo on the bottom. If so you are good to go. And they hold 5 gallons, so your initial batch size might be smaller.
rycov
Well-Known Member
i too read this thread. this is what i took from it
A) they let in oxygen
B) with your beer fermenting it puts out co2 so there's pressure and not really something to worry about.
A)well you cant age in there then because when fermentation is done, after a while you won't have pressure anymore
B)ok. just use them for regular beers not for aging anything.
so yeah. just don't age in it long term.
(also someone put something on there to the effect "if you think oxygen gets through plastic that easy then put a grocery bag on your head for a while." thought that was pretty funny
Oy, not this again
Use them, they're fine. Most of the arguments against about them are 10 years out of date. ANd even then the whole oxygen permeability difference were negligable if any. More like it was perpetuated by the glass carboy industry than anything else.
Modern plastics have come along way, especially in the last couple years after the Bispahenol A recalls. More and more of the new bottles coming out are made of the same stuff as the better bottles. In fact the company that made better bottles started making bottles for the water cooler industry. Some water companies even advertise they are using better bottles for their products. And some of the water better bottles have ended up at homebrew shops mis labled, there was even a thread on that here a couple years ago, iirc the OP called the BB company and they said they got mixed up in the warehouse, but they are the same bottles, just that the water bottles are stamped "not for re-use" and some other legal mumbo jumbo, but they are the same bottles.
And of course other manufactureres have been changing their plastics as well.
There's just too many variables in plastic water bottles these days, since so many companies changed their plastics a couple years ago so we wouldn't grow man-boobs due to BPA, to be able to make a blanket statement like "they're oxygen permeable" anymore.
That might have been the truth 5 years ago, but there's been some leaps in the industry the last few years. Heck even the BMC brewers started putting their beers in plastic bottles for ballparks and stuff not to long ago, and THEY did that becasue of the leaps in plastic bottle technologies. I posted an article about that on here a couple of years ago, when I think miller started bottling with them.
It all depends on the bottles, but it's no longer as cut and dried as many people think. If it has a <1> or <2> on the bottom you'll be fine.
Use them, they're fine. Most of the arguments against about them are 10 years out of date. ANd even then the whole oxygen permeability difference were negligable if any. More like it was perpetuated by the glass carboy industry than anything else.
Modern plastics have come along way, especially in the last couple years after the Bispahenol A recalls. More and more of the new bottles coming out are made of the same stuff as the better bottles. In fact the company that made better bottles started making bottles for the water cooler industry. Some water companies even advertise they are using better bottles for their products. And some of the water better bottles have ended up at homebrew shops mis labled, there was even a thread on that here a couple years ago, iirc the OP called the BB company and they said they got mixed up in the warehouse, but they are the same bottles, just that the water bottles are stamped "not for re-use" and some other legal mumbo jumbo, but they are the same bottles.
And of course other manufactureres have been changing their plastics as well.
There's just too many variables in plastic water bottles these days, since so many companies changed their plastics a couple years ago so we wouldn't grow man-boobs due to BPA, to be able to make a blanket statement like "they're oxygen permeable" anymore.
That might have been the truth 5 years ago, but there's been some leaps in the industry the last few years. Heck even the BMC brewers started putting their beers in plastic bottles for ballparks and stuff not to long ago, and THEY did that becasue of the leaps in plastic bottle technologies. I posted an article about that on here a couple of years ago, when I think miller started bottling with them.
It all depends on the bottles, but it's no longer as cut and dried as many people think. If it has a <1> or <2> on the bottom you'll be fine.
This has been debated to death. Proven and dis-proven numerous times in numerous ways. The question becomes will you have a beer in there long enough to actually be affected, and will you honestly be able to pick up on any oxidation? My guess is no and no, but......
Need to decide for yourself.
WOW, the famous Revvy replied on my thread!! I mean that sincerely, most of the threads I read or have posted are full of info that had been provided to them by you. What an awesome freaking web site!!!!!!!
rycov
Well-Known Member
i wasn't saying that was my point. i just meant thats kinda what the two sides were saying like A was one side and B was the other.
TRainH2o
Well-Known Member
I found several at a local recycling center. I took them home only to find out the there was some controversy about bottles labeled with the #7. I took them back.
slicksmix
Well-Known Member
I know that the acid content in wine will Leach into the plastic, not too sure about beer. Although there's acid in beer, there's not as much as wine.
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