TheBeerBuddha
Member
Anybody ever use the water jugs from water coolers as carboys? I had an opportunity to buy some and passed because I wasn't sure.
Not to mention they're not certified to hold liquids containing alcohol. I'd be worried about chemical leeching.
Look up a recent thread on this which discusses what the various plastic recycle codes mean. It may change your mind. Did mine.
Well played sir, I just looked at 4 of my water jugs. Two were rated [1]{PET}, the other two were rated [7]{Other}. Even though the water center will recycle them, most municipalities won't take them, and the two that are [7] specifically say in 'small' print on the bottom that they are NOT to be used for any other liquid.
I have bought some 4 gallon bottles of water at Menards and used the bottles for cider. The bottles were PET and worked great as a fermenter.
Does it say why they're not to be used for other liquid? Ever had soda in a plastic bottle? Beer in plastic bottles? Milk jugs?
I'm not saying there's nothing wrong with it. But I'm asking what the reason is that it says only for water.
I wonder if it is a health issue or if it's because you shouldn't run juice through a water cooler. Or put carbonated beverages in it.
Does it say why they're not to be used for other liquid? Ever had soda in a plastic bottle? Beer in plastic bottles? Milk jugs?
I'm not saying there's nothing wrong with it. But I'm asking what the reason is that it says only for water.
I wonder if it is a health issue or if it's because you shouldn't run juice through a water cooler. Or put carbonated beverages in it.
Does it say why they're not to be used for other liquid? Ever had soda in a plastic bottle? Beer in plastic bottles? Milk jugs?
I'm not saying there's nothing wrong with it. But I'm asking what the reason is that it says only for water.
I wonder if it is a health issue or if it's because you shouldn't run juice through a water cooler. Or put carbonated beverages in it.
This topic got me thinking, specifically about the issue of oxygen-permeability and plastic containers. "What about soda pop?" I asked myself. How does Coca-Cola keep their drinks from going flat in the millions (billions?) of bottles they produce and sell every year?
Then I remembered a Coke I bought at the vending machine a few weeks ago. It was almost completely flat. I thought it had probably been a bad batch. I checked the production date on the cap. It had expired over a year earlier. I dismissed it at the time, but now I wonder if maybe the same issue affects soft drink manufacturers, and it's merely less of an issue with them because they're sold relatively quickly after production. If you take a bottle of soda and sit on it for a year, it seems the CO2 will indeed eventually "bleed" out through the plastic.
This topic got me thinking, specifically about the issue of oxygen-permeability and plastic containers. "What about soda pop?" I asked myself. How does Coca-Cola keep their drinks from going flat in the millions (billions?) of bottles they produce and sell every year?
Then I remembered a Coke I bought at the vending machine a few weeks ago. It was almost completely flat. I thought it had probably been a bad batch. I checked the production date on the cap. It had expired over a year earlier. I dismissed it at the time, but now I wonder if maybe the same issue affects soft drink manufacturers, and it's merely less of an issue with them because they're sold relatively quickly after production. If you take a bottle of soda and sit on it for a year, it seems the CO2 will indeed eventually "bleed" out through the plastic.
This topic got me thinking, specifically about the issue of oxygen-permeability and plastic containers. "What about soda pop?" I asked myself. How does Coca-Cola keep their drinks from going flat in the millions (billions?) of bottles they produce and sell every year?
Then I remembered a Coke I bought at the vending machine a few weeks ago. It was almost completely flat. I thought it had probably been a bad batch. I checked the production date on the cap. It had expired over a year earlier. I dismissed it at the time, but now I wonder if maybe the same issue affects soft drink manufacturers, and it's merely less of an issue with them because they're sold relatively quickly after production. If you take a bottle of soda and sit on it for a year, it seems the CO2 will indeed eventually "bleed" out through the plastic.
The reason not to use water bottles as fermenters is: [numbers added so I can address the points individually]
(1) the cost to the manufacturer of creating the bottle is based on the amount of material, The amount of material is dependent on the sp.gr. of the fluid it will hold, and the amount of pressure it will be under. In order to keep costs down, and profits high. Water bottles are designed to hold a fluid of sp.gr. 1.0 and at atmospheric pressure. Not fluids that are 5-10% heavier and at higher pressures.
(2) water bottles are not designed to keep O2 from entering. Because the O2 in the water in the bottle is typically already in equilibrium with the atmospheric O2 (Henry's Law) and even if O2 gets into water its no big deal. O2 infiltration into beer is not desired.
(3) I am exactly this much fun at parties.
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