Plastic bucket HLT?

[Seb]

Hi guys, I'm in need of a HLT and before buying an aluminium or stainless steel kettle online I was wondering if it's ok to turn a plastic bucket like this one into a HLT?

I already have a valve so I would only have to drill a hole at the bottom of the bucket but I'm worried about health issues with plastic being in contact with hot water and the risks of the bucket to break because of the force when turning on or off the valve.

I'd like your insight on this.

Thank you!

 

[kh54s10]

Food safe plastic = no problem. Other than not being insulated so keeping a desired temperature will be difficult.

The valve should not be a problem it should not take any appreciable force to open or close the valve.

 

[wilserbrewer]

How thick is your bucket?
It will soften a bit with heating.
A 90 or 100 mill hdpe bucket withstands heat pretty well, some even boil with them.

 

[Yooper]

Some food safe buckets aren't food safe anymore when used with super hot (180 degree) water. You can do it, and I did it with an igloo cooler, but it may warp the plastic.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Some food safe buckets aren't food safe anymore when used with super hot (180 degree) water.

I also recently heard this as well, if I recall correctly, the temperature reduction was implemented due to the plastic softening and the structural safety of the pail or bucket, and not the "food safeness" aspect of the plastic at temperature.

Maybe just less liability for the manufacturer idk.

 

[armedcor]

It's how a lot of us in the UK and Republic of Ireland start off brewing. Buckets with one or two elements. I made many batches before moving to a ss brewtech kettle. But I still use my bucket as a hlt. No problems.

 

[rlonardo]

I BIAB and drain my mash into a plastic bucket to sparge. As others have mentioned, insulation would be a concern. I wouldn't worry about breaking the plastic from the heat. Plastic becomes more flexible and less brittle as it warms.

 

[augiedoggy]

Yup as yoper mentioned all these plastic buckets and even coolers are only foodsafe to 170 degrees after that they become unstable and can leech into the liquid and cause off flavors and other long term effects... Sure it will work and it likely wont kill you..you wouldnt know about the health effects since it would be a long term exposure thing not something that will hurt you right away (like many carcinogens) .. its not ideal for the obvious reasons stated.

 

[Hanglow]

Get a thick walled PP bucket if you want to use plastic, I use one as my main kettle, it's great - really light and doesn't soften at all and of course is cheap.

Typical fermenting buckets are too thin imo although it might be ok as an HLT

 

[MaddBaggins]

I personally don't trust plastic not to leech out chemicals when heated. I don't use any plastic or vinyl on the hot side of my brewing anymore. Even my transfer tubing is 400˚ food grade silicone tube. I don't even microwave leftovers in plastic.
On the cold side, I love my fermenter buckets and better bottles!

This is a personal opinion, I'm not a scientist.

 

[pretzelb]

I personally don't trust plastic not to leech out chemicals when heated. I don't use any plastic or vinyl on the hot side of my brewing anymore. Even my transfer tubing is 400˚ food grade silicone tube. I don't even microwave leftovers in plastic.
On the cold side, I love my fermenter buckets and better bottles!

This is a personal opinion, I'm not a scientist.

I feel the same way. I appreciate that many people have budget concerns but I would still recommend finding a way to purchase a kettle if possible. In the long run I think a cheap kettle is a better investment since it can be used for so many other things (even outside of making beer).

 

[jtratcliff]

The aluminum stock pots at Staples (yes, the office supply store) are a surprisingly good deal. $45 or so for 40qt kettle and lid. Free ship to store. Sweeten the deal with a coupon and you're golden.