Using a supermarket water container as a cheap demijohn

[sb44]

Well, I don't know if it will work or not but I am going to get some supermarket juices today and give it a go.

I bought 3 x 5ltr water containers from Asda yesterday, 77p each.

Just thought I would have an experiment with one.

Took one of my husbands drill bits (9.5mm) and drilled a hole in the top.

Didn't look big enough and I don't have any bigger drill bits but the airlock pushed in easily enough and doesn't seem to show any gaps.

What do you think?

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Images/ExternalImages/ProductsDetailed/67/6567.jpg?

[5thElement]

I did exactly the same a few days ago, instead of using a drill i just pushed a star head screwdriver through the cap and widened the hole with another until the airlock was a tight fit.

To finish it off i took a hot glue gun and ran a little glue around it to make sure it was a definate air tight seal.

Personally i would add something to make sure your seal really is air tight, on other forums blutac has been mentioned but i'd rather use something more permanent, like hot glue or maybe even silicon sealant or something similar?

I just need to get a couple more airlocks now to make a few more!

p.s
They definately work! been brewing some cider in mine for the past few days with no problems

[sb44]

I did exactly the same a few days ago, instead of using a drill i just pushed a star head screwdriver through the cap and widened the hole with another until the airlock was a tight fit.

To finish it off i took a hot glue gun and ran a little glue around it to make sure it was a definate air tight seal.

Personally i would add something to make sure your seal really is air tight, on other forums blutac has been mentioned but i'd rather use something more permanent, like hot glue or maybe even silicon sealant or something similar?

I just need to get a couple more airlocks now to make a few more!

p.s
They definately work! been brewing some cider in mine for the past few days with no problems

Well I def haven't got a hot glue sealer so I think I may try bluetac.

Then again I do have a couple of packs of chewing gum somewhere! We all know how hard that goes. I have filled in a few nail holes in the wall with white toothpaste in the past too, you would be surprised how hard that stuff goes when left to dry.

Only joking, best I look for some kind of sealant in the cheapo shop.

[Mamgiowl]

Sealant, blu-tac, and chewing gum should only ever be used in an emergency.

You really should get some grommets. They are not that expensive, even including p&p, and they are re-usable and steriliser-able (new word) too. More important they are made of food grade material. I would be worried that sealants, especially, would contaminate the wine.

[sb44]

Sealant, blu-tac, and chewing gum should only ever be used in an emergency.

You really should get some grommets. They are not that expensive, even including p&p, and they are re-usable and steriliser-able (new word) too. More important they are made of food grade material. I would be worried that sealants, especially, would contaminate the wine.

You could be right. Only joking about the chewing gum by the way. Then again, I have used it once in an emergency when my trouser hem came down when away from home. Just had to remember to pull it out before I washed them!

[fatbloke]

Sealant, blu-tac, and chewing gum should only ever be used in an emergency.

You really should get some grommets. They are not that expensive, even including p&p, and they are re-usable and steriliser-able (new word) too. More important they are made of food grade material. I would be worried that sealants, especially, would contaminate the wine.

Jan's spot on here. The red/orange ones from the HBS are soft enough to mould round any slight imperfections in the lid, that might have been caused by the tool used for making the hole.

If you look again at the picture you posted, you'll see that the flat edge of the hole you've drilled in the bottle top has "rolled down" when the ferm' lock has been pushed in - you'll also see some moulding imperfections on the shank of the ferm' lock. Both could cause them not to be air/pressure tight.

You can do a mini check on the bottle and cap before actually make the hole.

Run a hot kitchen tap till it's as hot as it will get, then half fill the bottle and screw the cap on tightly. The bottle should start to swell with the small amount of steam pressure from the hot water. Leave it for a couple of minutes to make sure it doesn't let any pressure out (if it did, then you'd either have to find something to seal the cap when it's screwed onto the bottle).

As for the home brewing grommets, you need to just check the size of the bit of the grommet that actually passes through the bottle cap - that would be the exact size of the hole to drill - or a drill very slightly smaller (not bigger), then you should get a nice seal when the ferm' lock is pushed in.

In any case, it might be taking a little fiddling around, but I reckon this is an absolutely brilliant idea.

Plastic might not be the best material to keep a wine in when it's been made/finished, but damn it's probably perfect for the fermentation stage of the making

Well done, it's an outstanding idea

regards

JtFB

p.s. as for using silicone or bluetak? have you ever smelled silicone before it's dried? It stinks. A vinegar/acetic acid type smell (the chemical - whatever it is - is what's used during the curing/drying process).

I don't know what to liken the smell of bluetak too, but either way, it's probably not the best idea to expose the fermentation gases to either material - they could cause some flavour contamination (unwrapped onions or fish left in the fridge comes to mind - hence using plastic bags or "clingers").

[lockwood1956]

You need a better seal than what you have......


get a grommet, or a purpose made lid, home brew stores sell the lids seperately I think

Oxidation will ruin your wine in no time at all, and not having a good seal is simply asking for trouble........(it is almost impossible to rescue oxidised wine)

regards
Bob

[sb44]

I think I had better look for some supermarkets near that HB shop to make the journey worthwhile.

[Mamgiowl]

Might be worth phoning the HBS to see if they've got grommets in stock if you're making a special journey.

[sb44]

Might be worth phoning the HBS to see if they've got grommets in stock if you're making a special journey.

Good idea, would just be my luck to do a 30+ round trip for nothing.

[lockwood1956]

I suspect a standard DJ bung may fit the opening of that bottle

[sb44]

I suspect a standard DJ bung may fit the opening of that bottle

Nope, I did check, the bottle neck is about 1½ the width of the bung.

[fatbloke]

Nope, I did check, the bottle neck is about 1½ the width of the bung.

Maybe, but what you could try is to compare the standard DJ bung to the bit inside the lid. I notice that there's a collar, where the threaded part of the bottle sits into.

So, if the normal DJ bung fits inside the collar, you can drill out the centre part and the DJ bung fits into that.

My problem was similar, but rather than screw on caps, it was with press on caps for "water cooler" bottles - that have an opening of about 40 mm.

So the first pic shows the caps as they are put on the bottles in the filling plant, and then after I've removed the tear off collar and centre valve (sorry the picture is blurry, but you can see what I mean).

The second picture shows a cap after I've been at it with a drill - I used a "stepped" drill i.e. one for making holes larger in sheet materials like plastic/metal - It's cone shaped. I'd drill a bit, then offer a DJ bung to the hole until it was fractionally bigger than a bung (again, blurred but the last picture explains it all).

Finally, an adapted one in action. Clear this time so you can see what I'm on about

Hopefully that makes sense

regards

JtFB

[medpretzel]

Okay....

I'm a huge cheapskate myself, but..... Let me shortly interject.


You're doing lots of things "low cost" but high time-investment.... You might just want to go to your local homebrew shop/supplier and just get the right equipment. Yes, you can modify stuff to fit your needs, but if you are serious and plan to do this a bit longer, you might be better off going to a place that sells you the equipment that'll last you not just this or next time, but for many years to come.

Just my two pence.....

M.

[sb44]

Maybe, but what you could try is to compare the standard DJ bung to the bit inside the lid. I notice that there's a collar, where the threaded part of the bottle sits into.

So, if the normal DJ bung fits inside the collar, you can drill out the centre part and the DJ bung fits into that.

My problem was similar, but rather than screw on caps, it was with press on caps for "water cooler" bottles - that have an opening of about 40 mm.

So the first pic shows the caps as they are put on the bottles in the filling plant, and then after I've removed the tear off collar and centre valve (sorry the picture is blurry, but you can see what I mean).

The second picture shows a cap after I've been at it with a drill - I used a "stepped" drill i.e. one for making holes larger in sheet materials like plastic/metal - It's cone shaped. I'd drill a bit, then offer a DJ bung to the hole until it was fractionally bigger than a bung (again, blurred but the last picture explains it all).

Finally, an adapted one in action. Clear this time so you can see what I'm on about

Hopefully that makes sense

regards

JtFB

Yep, I understand what you have done but the biggest drill we have is a 9.5mm and as we don't know many people in the area (relatives live 200 miles away) it would mean going out buying drill bits.