1 big green bottle....

[Abervin]

Why are 54 litre glass carboys so cheap secondhand iv'e picked one up off ebay for £15 with its basket. There are some others listed at £25 with no bids? Is there somthing wrong with the green ones?

[fatbloke]

Dunno about anything being wrong with them, just that if full up, they're mega weighty.

Ideally you need to have them where they're gonna be used, but then the contents need to be either pumped or vacuum racked.

They can be cleaned with a pressure washer and a very long bottle brush.

The glass isn't the strongest when they're full so you have to be careful moving a full one.

It strikes me, that people buy them in and don't consider the above, which can, in some peoples view, take batches that size just outside the realms of home brew.

But if you're correctly set up for using them they're fine......

[Abervin]

Dunno about anything being wrong with them, just that if full up, they're mega weighty.

Ideally you need to have them where they're gonna be used, but then the contents need to be either pumped or vacuum racked.

They can be cleaned with a pressure washer and a very long bottle brush.

The glass isn't the strongest when they're full so you have to be careful moving a full one.

It strikes me, that people buy them in and don't consider the above, which can, in some peoples view, take batches that size just outside the realms of home brew.

But if you're correctly set up for using them they're fine......

You are probably right, I just can't believe the difference in price between new and secondhand.

My intention is to have a dedicated area in the utility room for wine making when the house is finished that is! Im trying to collect together equipment ready for grapefest 2014 then there will be no excuse for not going.
I think i will make a "carboy dolly" so at least i can wheel it about as needed and I agree pumping the wine would be the way to go, is it advisable to pull a vacuum on them?

[SiSandrine]

My intention is to have a dedicated area in the utility room for wine making when the house is finished that is!

Whatever happens, it will never be big enough! Amazing how this hobby consumes all available space.

[Abervin]

Whatever happens, it will never be big enough! Amazing how this hobby consumes all available space.

Hmmm i'm sure with a slight alteration to the living room ceiling I could fit one of these in http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5000-lts-S...item2c74d32aca make a lovely central feature

[SiSandrine]

Ooh nice. I have left a couple of calls out with some local builders.

[Cellar_Rat]

They can be cleaned with a pressure washer and a very long bottle brush.

Be gentle with these things!!

Truck wash in a pump spray is and a beer crate is best for washing up.

Beer crate / bucket on the draining board, put the carboy in the crate - tip it over so that it is on its side. Squirt in some truck wash and rotate by hand. If you get the angles right you can leave it in the crate/bucket while you use a hose on the tap to rinse out. Repeat until clean. Store with either sulphite or a splash of vodka in it to keep it fresh.

The widest part of the carboys is very thin and very fragile

[lockwood1956]

The widest part of the carboys is very thin and very fragile

Indeed they are!!!

[Cellar_Rat]

we have all been there...

[Abervin]

Thanks for the warning chaps, i will treat it more gently than SHMBO, but then again will that lead to jealousy and said vessel getting smashed