water jug for fermenter?

[mattsmitty]

Was wondering if a food grade plastic water jug would work to ferment my first extract brew in. The guy at LHBS said it would probly be fine for at least one batch. Would i be better off useing a 5gal bucket with a lid? Gonna be buying a glass carboy in a few weeks but in the mean time with this water jug serve the purpose?

 

[stz]

I use water cooler bottles, 5gal ones. Take a number 4 bung and air lock or I use a and rubber band. Want to find out if they block UV if anyone knows.

 

[Geordan]

The general consensus on this topic is "no, don't use them." My primary concern would be the acidity of the beer interacting with a plastic that's not meant for the use. Considering that a proper bucket is $10-15, and can be reused for a long, long time, buy a bucket at the LHBS. You'll always have a use for another fermentor -- trust me.

 

[mattsmitty]

thanks guys, is there a difference between a bucket from LHBS and a bucket from say lowes?? only asking b/c im a good 45 minutes from the nearest LHBS but about 3 minutes from lowes.

 

[stz]

Well, after doing some background reading I've checked the marks on my bottles and they are 07 'other' polycarbonate food grade. Which is a controversial material.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate#Potential_hazards_in_food_contact_applications

Especially it would seem with some of the more typical cleaning agents used in homebrewing.

I'd say be on the safe side and ditch them. I'm using them but now considering phasing them out, especially seeing as a good food grade 01 PVC bucket is about £3-4 here ordered in quantities of 5+. I already have half a dozen for grain storage, I preferred the water bottles though because they make decent secondaries. Also easier to move around than buckets.

 

[headwall]

Stay away from any #7 polycarbonate unless it specifies that it is BPA free. Otherwise, you'll be getting a hefty dose of the undesirable stuff in your beer.

I concur that bottles manufactured for use specifically with water should not be used with beer due to the lower pH.

A plastic bucket from a hardware store is most likely not going to be certified for use with food, while a bucket made for brewing will be made from food grade plastic. If you can't find one locally, maybe try ordering online.