Shout out to subscriber Kyle for making this petition: #shatterTheIllusion #crackDownOnBigGlass www.change.org/p/big-glass-stop-big-glass-from-creating-faulty-homebrewing-carboys?US%3A3&recruiter=962807227&
I'm signing this. I may never get the use of my right hand back completely. The bottom busted out as I was lifting room temperature mead from the sink after rinsing off the sides. The broken glass severed 7 of the 8 tendons in my palm. It took an 8 hour surgery to get my hand back together and I'm still doing physical therapy.
I have never had a vintage water cooler jug break on me. Made a huge score a couple years ago and found three 5gal carboys with original 1950'a delivery boxes for $3 each!
I remember 10+ yrs ago, if you were buying a plastic carboy, people at the homebrew shop will give you look of disgust, then proceed to scold you into buying a glass carboy. How times have changed. Most of my big fermenters are plastic. I have an old glass carboy, but don't use it too much nowadays. The small fermenters are mostly glass. This was a cool video. Loved the "fairy tale" story. Good job.
When I started brewing, the PET carboys were almost unheard-of in this area. I started in buckets then graduated to glass. Times have definitely changed!
Oh man. This whole time I have just merrily been using the carboy handles on full carboys. I would lift them with just the handle about a foot to a foot and a half then slip my other hand under them to support. Never thinking this could be causing an issue. Thank you for pointing this out before I had a crisis on my hands.
@@jasonduggan2987I place my carboys in reinforced plastic milk crates. They have handles and you’ll never worry about setting your carboy on concrete again.
i watched your video with interest, it kinda made me chuckle, ive been brewing wine since i was 13 , im 64 now, i have used the same 2 carboys for 17 years another 1 for about 10 and 2 new ones for 5 and a 3 gallon for about 8 years and never had a problem, you covered a lot of good insight on potential causes, but think you missed a major potential cause of breakage, think outside the box - stop degassing in the carboy , electric degassers , what a joke , lets take 5 gallons of wine and spin it up with metal or plastic blades or even a plastic or wooden spoon tinging against the side of glass , like you said glass has memory i answer - decant to a fresh carboy with a auto syphon to the top of the new carboy let it fall to the bottom bubble and splash let settle for 24 hrs to let more finings settle to the bottom and decant again into a new clean carboy ! then decant one more time before filtering, this sounds like a lot of extra work and a pain in the ass , but your a wine maker , patience is our virtue, lol , anyways - just a thought lol
Amen! Makes me glad I live in Europe and therefore closer to the source of good glass for home brewing. Another tip for home brewers, especially those just starting out: it’s extremely tempting to buy bottles and carboys from other stores than homebrew stores. Don’t. Especially home deco stores that sell carboys to use as vases or containers for pebbles, plants (ever heard of garden-in-a-bottle? Apparently it’s a thing). The glass might contain lead, have some sort of coating that isn’t food grade, might not be suitable for containing liquids, etc. They might look pretty, might be cheaper (or not!) but are they safe?
The stresses in glass brought about by the cooling process are shown in their extremes in something called a Prince Rupert drop ( or a Batavian tear) where the tadpole shaped glass tadpole has an almost indestructible head but a fragile tail that will explode if it's broken
I had a wide mouth have the bottom blow out on me, exactly as you show here. I just assumed it was a problem of cheap / thin glass, disposed of it and went on my way. The reasoning I used for this was the fact I had racked my brew into it and it had been sitting untouched for about 20 minutes when I heard it crack (very distinctive "ping" sound from the kitchen). Didn't lose any brew, as I immediately racked off to another carboy without touching the broken one. The glass carboys I still have are much sturdier (significantly thicker glass)
One more thing to keep in mind is that people will very often lie about misusing or mishandling their products. You ask: "Well, did you fill it with boiling wort?" or "Did you have it in a protective basket when you moved it?". They go: "Oooh yeah, that was probably what caused it, but I can't admit that or I'll look like an idiot" or "If I admit that I won't get a free replacement". This doesn't even have to be done maliciously. The whole process is so smooth people can do it without thinking, especially when they just told others about it on social media. It's like an automatic response to that kind of situation that's hard-wired into humans. I notice myself that it's super difficult to admit to some customer service person that you're actually at fault. Personally I'm so paranoid about this happening indoors that I'm keeping all my glass carboys in cheap plastic tubs that can hold at least 5 gallons
This was the case when there was the mystery of "random" Amazon packages showing up at people's doorsteps. They were just delayed and people forgot about ordering them.
I have bought vintage and antique carboys at auctions, flea markets or yard sales. I bought 2 6 gal. Carboys very inexpensively, and knowing that the older carboys are sturdier, I’m glad I bought them.
Dude, we just started this hobby a couple months ago and our kit came with a glass and plastic carboy. We have only done secondary 1 time in the glass and after seeing your video we checked ours: inclusions, no maker mark and a huge crack along the bottom as you showed in your video. Thank you. You saved us alot of money time and heartbreak. Contacted the Amazon seller with pictures to get a plastic replacement. Thanks again
I have glass carboys that are 20 years old but they are heavier thicker glass! Everyone I’ve purchased over the last 10-15 years is lighter and made of thinner glass. While I have a few chips in my old heavy glass carboys I still have 6 of them. All six gallon. I have 12 glass carboys, 2 SS brew tech brew buckets and five plastic fermenters. I ferment wine, beer and other things!
I’m Meadsmith and yes..... I have been victimized by the cheap glass carboy. Although I’m still having good luck with the 3 gallon but not going near the 5 gallon. Thx for the the great content once again. Glad but not glad I’m not alone.
First of all, I rolled my eyes after the first minute thinking "why is anyone using glass carboys still?" (I don't) And then you addressed it. And then I kept watching. Wow, what a great and informative video here! Well done!
I can taste wine made in steel. It has that "Aluminum foil on the fillings" taste to me. Give me a Chardonnay made in all steel and one made in glass and I can tell the difference. Stuff like the plastic Big Mouth bubblers are great for primary fermentation but suck for bulk aging due to the large shoulder space. Glass is still the best for up to 6 gallon batches (IMO)
I shouldn't be shocked considering how often this is happening... but that side-by-side is jaw-dropping. If I ever make the jump to 5 gallon brews I'll either stick to Italian glass or make a polariscope like that to make sure I didn't just buy a bomb. Thank you SO MUCH for this video.
Thank you for this and I learned a lot! I'm about to get a water cooler and discovered glass carboys. I noticed the reviews for the best selling carboy had the broken glass issue. I did find one made from Italy with way less reviews. I was actually already leaning towards the Italian one since the others were made from China. Well, you just convinced me to get the Italian one!
I can't imagine the amount of effort this took to put together. Terrific content! I couldn't agree with your conclusions more. I read up on this as well some time ago, when I was in the market for some larger glass carboys (my fleet of 1 gallons is due for an upgrade). My research made me so concerned about blowouts that I just succumbed to cheap plastic buckets for the time being ... now at least I have more confidence in the Italian glass option when I do decide to upgrade, because I do prefer glass for most brews. Thanks!!!
I had a LHBS owner tell me that those carboys aren't Italian... He went to china to talk to suppliers, and saw them being made there. That said, he told me the mold said "Made in Italy". So deceptive
Great video... once again. Also one thing to point out is that the cheap glass could send you to the ER with minor or major injuries. Yes I know the higher quality can do the same, but chances are smaller.
Interesting! Looking at the bottom in your hand, that looks very thin in comparison to what I have from the 90s. Yes, the 90s. Checking my notes, I purchased my carboys between '97 and 2004. 3, 5, 6, and 7 gals. Used them all, and no breaks or chips. All of them were very heavy, to be honest, and I moved to steel. Also, I remember they were expensive and a lot of them were from Italy. And, well, you get to what I was thinking at the very beginning of this video. Wow. This is eye-opening. Never broke a carboy in, well, over 20 years so I've got to say it is a production issue. Glad I avoided this in my brewing tenure.
Remember, glass seems like a solid but respond to stress in a hydraulic fashion, that is stress in one spot is communicated throughout the glass. It's just slower than in complete liquid.
One thing I like to use for fermenters are 1/2 gallon ball mason jars. They are like $15 for 6 at Walmart, I bought some plastic bucket rubber grommets and drilled a hole, filed it smooth. If it breaks no worries. Plus easier to clean and can pasteurize in the same mason jar you ferment in if you just buy some extra lids
I have been using Italian carboys for bulk aging wine and storing syrups. Never had one break in 20 + years. Now I am concerned as 5 gallons of syrup all over the place would be a shear nightmare to clean up. To carboy bottle syrup : I use a turkey fryer pot with canning raiser plate in bottom of pot. I then fill carboy to (double air-space) full of room temp (RT) syrup. Then fill pot 3/4 full of RT water. I then heat pot at medium heat and slowly heat syrup to 190 F. Near ready, I heat up the 'top up' syrup to 190 F in separate pot. I also place sterilized rubber bung in hot sterile water. When syrup reaches 190F, I turn off heat, top syrup to full mark and lightly insert plug to barely snug ( as syrup cools, it will cause a vacuum and suck the bung tightly). Then I let it cool naturally in pot (usually takes a day or 2 to cool to RT). I have some syrups that are 5 years old in glass carboys. No mold or breakage to date. I grow and forage my syrups & dehydrated crops. As some years it is a boom or a bust crop year. This way I can make any type of wine/beer as I want, anytime I want. I always ferment in plastic buckets with valve at bottom for easier & cleaner transfering.
Was very intrigued and really liking the video when the Dr. Seuss Lorax skit caught me totally off guard, had me in stitches, super cool video, thanks.
I have ceramic tile floors, which can and has break or chip glass easily. I have made a number of carpet "coasters" for the occasions where I would sit my carboys on anything other than wood. Even a double thick piece of cardboard (Thank you Amazon shipping boxes) is better than nothing and are easily disposable/replaced if they get wet.
Having moved to Europe a few years back while shopping for ceramic tiles for a bathroom I found out from one distributor that certain companies from Italy ( who supposedly produce some of the finer tiles) were actually importing them from China and they were stamped "Made in Italy". Nothin like paying for top shelf goods that are actually 3rd grade products. Its also quite common to see clothing imported by the truckload into Bulgaria from China and then these two bit shops stitch in "made in the EU" labels onto the clothing. These are real profit makers for many companies. Customs can only check so much coming into the EU. The junk is passed off for the real thing. I prefer the 5 Gallon demijohns in wicker baskets that one can find in various bazaars or estate sales. These are the real thing and are more durable than carbouys.
I prefer glass, however I did buy 3 gallon PET carboys because of hearing about this issue. I have had this happen on a brand new beer bottle though (bottom popped off). Inspected it afterwards, and the thickness was very inconsistent (and I wouldn't be surprised if there were other imperfections). It was the only bottle in the batch that had an issue, and it definitely wasn't over carbed (fully fermented, and I used carbonation drops). Also, loved the story time. You really do the most. 😂
Good job acknowledging consumers have the power to make change by choosing with knowledge and providing that knowledge. I'm in semi remote Alaska and heading out to to get my first carboy that is second hand. Yours is the first video and I watched all of it. Good job again. Even though it is wee bit longer than some attention spans your content and presentation is articulate, complete, unbiased, and pleasant. Thank you, Susitna Tanya
Thanks for the investigation and reporting! Tip: you can perform this inspection with a cellphone showing a white screen (e.g. a blank Google doc w/ screen at full bright) and polarized sunglasses.
I have one glass plate over here that is very resistant to chock, it survived being dropped on the floor several times. I tested it with the method you recommended and turns out it has many evenly distributed stress lines. That seems to contradict what you said but on the other hand it’s obvious the Italian glass is superior to the Mexican. I got quite confused so I had to do further research. Annealed glass that show these stress marks indicates poor annealing as you said and can break more easily but there is another heat treatment protocol. Tempered glass will always have stress marks even if they are well made. Good quality tempered glass is stronger than good quality annealed. It will take more mechanical impact and higher thermal shock before shattering. I don't think we need tempered glass on carboys, a good quality anneal is good enough.
You're point about buying cheap and how cheap it is to replace is spot on. I've owned wholesale and retail. YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET. Thing is, when buying cheap, and it does break, so you buy another, if you SPENT A BIT MORE AND BUY QUALITY, THEN YOU WON'T HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER. Now unless you just wear one out or accidently break one, that's different. But if you just SPEND A BIT MORE AND GET GOOD QUALITY, IT WILL LAST A WHOLE LOT LONGER. It is just that simple.
After reading some horror stories about glass injuries including death, I macrame tied carriers with rope, and I never lift a full glass carboy without them. Fun project. I also invested in oxygen after reading about another death from shaking on a lap. But, I'm slowly converting to stainless though, mostly because i can do 10+ gallons. Still love glass though. Great video, glad all mine are old Italian.
Wow, good thing I only have 1 and 1.5 gallon glass carboys. My big 5 gallon ones are luckily all plastic. I'd really hate to loose 5 gallons of mead with all that expensive honey. I deal with tempered glass shower panels all day long and the nice thing about tempered glass is that if there is any problems, it'll likely blow up in the kiln long before I get it but I had no idea about the issues you talked about with glass carboys. Will be sticking with plastic me thinks.
I've found more issues with the smaller 1 gallon carboys I bought online than any of them. They were super inexpensive and the glass seems very thin because of it. Luckily no major injuries, just lots of frustrated lost small batches.
After losing about $70 worth of fermenting mead and paying $50 for the carboy that broke, I will never understand why anyone would just "buy a new one". That could be a solution, but I was very excited about that mead. I was seeing stars with how pissed I was.
My very first wine that I ever made whas a gooseberry and elderflower wine. I tasted it during clearing and it was sooo delicious when I backsweetened the sample, it was like a semidry floral Alsace Pinot Gris. It was stored in a glass carboy. One night when I got home it smelled like wine, and I saw a small puddle underneath the carboy. I took a look but couldn't see anything, so I lifted it up to take a closer look, saw nothing and put it back. Right as it touched the floor the bottom came off and 11 liters of wine ran out on the floor. To say I was heartbroken is an understatement.
I'm glad I came across this--a bit late after your post, but before I purchase my first carboy. Thank you for the great info, BC. My local homebrew shop said "they could order them". Ok, fair enough. But I'm curious (and always a little skeptical): how do I verify the glass I will purchase is Italian? Are the designs on the bottom ever counterfeited? What would be our check? Any suggestions for vendors or suppliers?
There is a proverb I've heard, "a cheap man pays twice". It fits this situation. But since I am cheap, I prefer plastic buckets for their economy and versatility. Haven't broken one yet.
Man , you got it going on, Glad I have 6 Gallon Carboys, made in Italy . Thanks for the Information. P.S. I have one, that is made in a tilting swing . You grab the frame, tilt it over, and pour out of the Glass Carboy , let go of it and it swings back to the upright position . Antique , been around a Long Time . It's a Big one . 🐯🤠
I will now add this to all the stuff in the back of my head with all the other stuff that will not get me rich. That being said very interesting and informative.
I build sealed terrariums out of these carboys and many other large glass bottles. This has happened with a number of them, I'll have to keep all this in mind, thank you.
Great coverage! Glad to hear I'm not the only one to carry the big carboys with milkcrates. They just get too heavy and my dad taught me to lift with my knees and hips
@@DointheMost It’s good to have this knowledge. I purchased an old carboy from a man here last year and it’s old as hell. I’ll definitely buy Italian if I ever need another one!
I purchased an Italian caboy from Amazon. After watching this video, I checked it. I found a crack in the bottom due to shipping mishandling. Amazon is sending 3 new carboys to so hopefully one will be okay.
If you are going to pour hot liquid into a glass container you first need to warm up the glass by pouring hot water onto it evenly, and to cool it you need to use warm water until the glass is cool then let it cool off completely on its own
Thanks for the info. I hope you don't have many brews in suspect carboys. I guess, since you have the equipment, you'll be scoping all your carboys as they become available. Hopefully the fallout isn't too severe. I remember when NileBlue (aka NileRed), who runs a chemistry channel, discovered he'd unknowingly damaged several of his beakers in a microwave plasma experiment and mixed them into his general lab supply. Even though he knew about using polarized light, he didn't trust that he'd eliminate all the faulty beakers, so he ended up smashing everything. Fortunately he can buy them in bulk, so he says it wasn't a significant financial burden, but I'm sure he can sympathize with you about the worry of having faulty glass lurking.
I am just now starting my home brewing journey and your videos have been so helpful. Thank you. My 6.5 gallon carboys are actually supposed to deliver tomorrow (or rather, later today). I checked and they’re Italian made. I chose these because they had fantastic reviews so I’m glad I made the right choice.
The shock from liquids, mainly water as it's not compressible, being poured directly in and having the maximum distance of drop can cause stresses to cause the bottom to blow out. You can see it in beer bottles when they have a little water in them and then given a shock by popping them on the top to accelerate the water. I'm not totally sure on the physics but I have a grasp on what's happening.
Cheap Chinesium glass is probably your number one culprit. Ultimately, this glass will often work just fine but you have to be careful handling it. Strongly suggest HDPE carboys; they are more versatile. As someone mentioned below... your local brewing company could send those Mexican Carboys off to be re-anealed. It would add cost but should produce usable carboys.
Omg, this is like... crazy good information! I have one of these 3 gallon carboys with the bottom like that... I'm honestly a bit nervous about it now.
Super nice video! It looks like using polarized sunglasses works with the polarized lcd screen just as well. I was able to find some annealing issues in some recently purchased carboys that haven't been used yet. Might have saved me some grief.
This video is super interesting! I have yet to have a single carboy fail, but I will now test all of mine. Given that I'm into photography, I already have polarizing filters and as I was watching your video, I was wondering where I would find a polarized light source until you mentioned your LCD TV. Now, I know I already have everything needed to get testing! Thanks!
I have 2, 5 gallon glass carboys that are Italian made. And both have what looks like a scratch on the bottom of the carboy on the stamp thing. I have pics but can’t attach them to a TH-cam comment. I was told it was a result of the stamping process and that the carboy is fine. I’m just getting started. My first batch of mead is sitting in a fermentation bucket atm but I’m getting really close to needing to rack it. I put water for about 24 hours and didn’t see any leaks or anything. But I’m starting to get nervous about putting my brew in it. Have y’all seen any of these Italian carboys with a similar “scratch” on the bottom of it?
Thanks for posting this very informative video. I ordered a polarizing camera and filter viewed two of my 3-gallon carboys as you describe using an LCD monitor as my light source. One carboy is made in Italy and the other in Mexico. Both look clear, without any obvious dark or colored spots as in your video. So maybe both carboys are fine, or maybe I am doing it wrong. The filter I ordered is a circular polarizing filter, which seems to be the most common kind. There is also a "linear polarizing filter" so I'm not sure if I need that one. Also, how do you set the rotation of the filter? I tried rotating it different amounts, but both carboys still look the same.
I have a Italian 6.5 gallon glass carboy at the top of the neck inside has a crack in it will not seal and I have had several of them have broke very good video thank you
In 2008 I filled with hot and cold water and I figured it was the contraction of the glass that caused the bottom to break off. Makes a cool garden mini green house now.
Happened to me 2 weeks ago. Had just racked 6 gallons of banana brown sugar wine off primary into a new glass carboy. I tossed my other 6gal and bought 4 more 3 gal.
I have had my 10 - 5 gallon glass carboys for over 30 years. I had 12 but 2 were broken by mishandling. Is is possible that my really old Carboys are cast with thicker glass? I have always been very careful with them. In the "old days" 5 gallon glass carboys water jugs were delivered in wooden "crates" that were very well built. I have a dozen of the original style wooden crates but...... I am slowly converting to stainless steel fermenting vessels.
I bought a 5 gallon carboy from Amazon from Midwest Supply and it came shattered. It was packed with a tiny amount of eco padding mostly on the bottom. I sent photos to the seller who instructed me to mail it back to them. UPS wanted to charge me more than the original cost of the carboy with free shopping. I sent it anyway on principle. I filled out the form clearly saying it was a damaged glass carboy and as I followed the tracking it was "discarded due to broken glass" by UPS and so the seller refused my refund because they never got it back.
Really cool video but unfortunately doesn't apply to where I live. In Brazil we don't have any clear carboys available to by online. Nothing. Only option is green or brown glass. If I try to import it will cost about 20 times more due to exchange rate, shipping and import tax so not really a viable option. Upside is that a 4,5L carboy costs only 5 bucks around here. Not sure if polarized light will help with brown glass but I'll give it a try. Since the only option is cheap carboy I'll fill with water a couple times before brewing and leave it in a spot where it doesn't damage my home if it does break.
I had this happen to me today TWICE!!!!! I was able to move the wine to a second identical carboy.... and that 2nd one cracked as well, minutes after transferring wine into it! Both cracked the exact same way (right along the bottom). I purchased both of these 2 months ago from Northern Brewer. Super frustrated. I have an older 6 gallon Mexican made carboy I haven't had any issue with.
Great vid (except for the kiddy cartoon, sheesh!) I'll be polarizing all my carboys just to see. In the '70s the deposit on glass carboys from the distilled/drinking water companies was $5. I was happy to pay the deposit! Have several of those. My best find was a 7.5 gal. acid carboy in a styrofoam shipping container... in the dumpster! Cleaned the heck out of it of course. That's my primary for 5 gal. batches. Usually carry a new batch in the carboy down the stairs, the basement averages about 60°F which is fine for ales, works OK for lager yeast in the winter. I'm telling you that 'cause I don't wanna get my LEG CUT OFF by a carboy accident. Thanks for the heads up.
@ a local health nutrition shop, I noticed that they had 5gal carboys of Spring Water under some shelves. Asked the owner "How much is the 5gal water jugs?" Not to be the shrew, but I don't think they realize the value of what they're selling water in. Really thick walled seemingly good quality glass too. $23 & change out the door.
Amazing video! I haven’t had a blow out but I always buy Italian glass. Good to know! I have had bumps and such so I may make a rig like yours to inspect with. Ty!
Having had no idea what the name carboy stood for before this video, my brain went to Car Boy and Salvatore Ganacchi's Boycycle music video (a boy who is like a motorcycle centaur). Though I assumed the etymology was something like carb-bouy or car-bouy or so. something
looking at the variation in the the colors between the two it looks like they're setting it on something that's transferring the heat too quickly, like a metal table or something. If they'd change the surface to something that doesn't do that like a ceramic or wood then they likely wouldn't have this issue with the cooling process.
I wonder how the white light background setup would work with a good pair of polarized sunglasses... both straight on and with your head tilted at various angles. If it works, maybe a better way or easier way to inspect the glass while in the store?
Stuff like this is why I prefer to brew in 1 gallon carboys. They are easier to anneal, easier to lift/carry/move, and if something DOES happen it's not as catastrophic as a 5 gallon break.
I love the video and the info info in it! There are some TH-cam videos about a piece of glass called the Prince Rupert’s Drop, explains why they are so strong but yet so fragile, might help with your research!?
I just received an order from Home Brew Ohio from Amazon and the whole kit was missing. All I received was a bucket and 3 gallon glass carboy, made in Italy, and it has a crack all the way across the bottom. Never been used. I checked it when I watched this video. Very unpleased!
Oh gosh, I'm fairly new and recently bought a 6 gallon glass carboy. My first big batch of wine. I wish I'd seen this before. I checked the box it came in and it's made in China. I think I'll stick to buckets for the moment.
So is there any research available as to where to buy Italian made 3-5 gal carboys!? Also, thank you so much! I was gifted a 5 gal carboy this summer and I was about to use it this weekend for the first time for a cyser. And guess what, it's made from Mexico.. I am too afraid to lose a brew and all that wonderful local honey. Thank you for this 🙏🙏
So it's not carboy related but it's glass related, my grandfather used to work for a company here in England that made light bulbs back in the 80's, he worked on the part where a glowing hot bead of glass was pushed into a rotating machine part that held 20 beads at a time, the machine head would spin (fairly quickly) while blowing a small amount of cold air into the glass bead to form it's shape (much more complex than this but explained simple) with a full rotation it made 20 glass bulb heads ready for the filament filler and the metal screw cap to be attached on the next machine that had a auto picker and rotator (pretty advanced for it's time) it's worth noting that this machine maybe broke 1 in every 1000 bulb heads and it was no problem as broken glass was just thrown back into the melting cats to be pumped back in later, well new management came in and decided they where going to take on anyone who made light bulbs and that obviously meant increasing production to its limit, my grandfather told them that yes the machine appears to run slow but the company has a reputation for producing high quality light bulbs that worked well and this was the best ratio for quality glass production Vs broken bulbs, well not good enough so the new manager decided to really up the anti either "increase the machine speed or your fired, I want this thing pumping as fast as it's physically capable to run" and my grandfather being the ever wise and cancerous git he is obliged, he walked it up as fast as it would run while still making a bulb, it took 4 weeks before no more orders rolled in, bulbs shattering in people hands from the slightest bit of pressure if they even made it out of the production line to bulbs popping 2 seconds after being turned on for the first time, the manager then came back and decided that the issue wasn't bad quality it was that there where not enough bulbs from this company on the market soooo his solution was to crank the machine even higher, and well my grandfather obliged one last time, he pushed the speed control handle all the way up and went for his contracted 30 min break, he came back in to a 2 small mountains of glass, one broken bulbs and one glowing hot glass beads and a smoking (partially on fire) machine, his manager decided to blame my grandfather to witch he handed him a roughly scribbled f you I quit note and walked off, buy quality people it's always worth the extra cash
Also remember, "cheap" and "inexpensive" are not necessarily the same thing. Quality is important, more so than price, but if enough people buy quality over price, the price of quality may well come down as more is sold.
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Shout out to subscriber Kyle for making this petition:
#shatterTheIllusion #crackDownOnBigGlass
www.change.org/p/big-glass-stop-big-glass-from-creating-faulty-homebrewing-carboys?US%3A3&recruiter=962807227&
Signed !
I'm signing this. I may never get the use of my right hand back completely.
The bottom busted out as I was lifting room temperature mead from the sink after rinsing off the sides. The broken glass severed 7 of the 8 tendons in my palm. It took an 8 hour surgery to get my hand back together and I'm still doing physical therapy.
@@aaronaxel4760 omg. I’m so sorry.
I have never had a vintage water cooler jug break on me. Made a huge score a couple years ago and found three 5gal carboys with original 1950'a delivery boxes for $3 each!
That is a great find!
Fricken SCORE!
I found one on someone's curb on garbage day. I turned around so fast to grab that thing. It cleaned up perfectly
Sure never saw bubbles in them like he shows modern ones have
I remember 10+ yrs ago, if you were buying a plastic carboy, people at the homebrew shop will give you look of disgust, then proceed to scold you into buying a glass carboy. How times have changed.
Most of my big fermenters are plastic. I have an old glass carboy, but don't use it too much nowadays. The small fermenters are mostly glass.
This was a cool video. Loved the "fairy tale" story. Good job.
When I started brewing, the PET carboys were almost unheard-of in this area. I started in buckets then graduated to glass. Times have definitely changed!
Honestly... I clicked in just to learn what a "carboy" was. Stayed for the entire show.
I don't even drink and somehow got sucked into mead brewing from a video game. 30 gallons later now.
Oh man. This whole time I have just merrily been using the carboy handles on full carboys. I would lift them with just the handle about a foot to a foot and a half then slip my other hand under them to support. Never thinking this could be causing an issue. Thank you for pointing this out before I had a crisis on my hands.
Or a crisis *in* your hands! Lacerations are no joke!
You can just tip it far enough to lift one edge an inch to get your fingers under there.
@@ffwast Yep that is what I do now. Sans the handle.
@@jasonduggan2987I place my carboys in reinforced plastic milk crates. They have handles and you’ll never worry about setting your carboy on concrete again.
i watched your video with interest, it kinda made me chuckle, ive been brewing wine since i was 13 , im 64 now, i have used the same 2 carboys for 17 years another 1 for about 10 and 2 new ones for 5 and a 3 gallon for about 8 years and never had a problem, you covered a lot of good insight on potential causes, but think you missed a major potential cause of breakage, think outside the box - stop degassing in the carboy , electric degassers , what a joke , lets take 5 gallons of wine and spin it up with metal or plastic blades or even a plastic or wooden spoon tinging against the side of glass , like you said glass has memory i answer - decant to a fresh carboy with a auto syphon to the top of the new carboy let it fall to the bottom bubble and splash let settle for 24 hrs to let more finings settle to the bottom and decant again into a new clean carboy ! then decant one more time before filtering, this sounds like a lot of extra work and a pain in the ass , but your a wine maker , patience is our virtue, lol , anyways - just a thought lol
This is probably the single most amazing homebrewing video I have seen in my life. Hats off to you, sir!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amen!
Makes me glad I live in Europe and therefore closer to the source of good glass for home brewing. Another tip for home brewers, especially those just starting out: it’s extremely tempting to buy bottles and carboys from other stores than homebrew stores. Don’t. Especially home deco stores that sell carboys to use as vases or containers for pebbles, plants (ever heard of garden-in-a-bottle? Apparently it’s a thing). The glass might contain lead, have some sort of coating that isn’t food grade, might not be suitable for containing liquids, etc. They might look pretty, might be cheaper (or not!) but are they safe?
The stresses in glass brought about by the cooling process are shown in their extremes in something called a Prince Rupert drop ( or a Batavian tear) where the tadpole shaped glass tadpole has an almost indestructible head but a fragile tail that will explode if it's broken
I’ve seen that! It’s wild! Another cool one is the “bologna bottle!”
I haven't heard of that before, I will check it out
I've always paid extra for Italian carboys because one has never broken on me. Now I know why. Thanks for yet another awesome video!
I had a wide mouth have the bottom blow out on me, exactly as you show here. I just assumed it was a problem of cheap / thin glass, disposed of it and went on my way. The reasoning I used for this was the fact I had racked my brew into it and it had been sitting untouched for about 20 minutes when I heard it crack (very distinctive "ping" sound from the kitchen). Didn't lose any brew, as I immediately racked off to another carboy without touching the broken one. The glass carboys I still have are much sturdier (significantly thicker glass)
One more thing to keep in mind is that people will very often lie about misusing or mishandling their products.
You ask: "Well, did you fill it with boiling wort?" or "Did you have it in a protective basket when you moved it?".
They go: "Oooh yeah, that was probably what caused it, but I can't admit that or I'll look like an idiot" or "If I admit that I won't get a free replacement".
This doesn't even have to be done maliciously. The whole process is so smooth people can do it without thinking, especially when they just told others about it on social media.
It's like an automatic response to that kind of situation that's hard-wired into humans. I notice myself that it's super difficult to admit to some customer service person that you're actually at fault.
Personally I'm so paranoid about this happening indoors that I'm keeping all my glass carboys in cheap plastic tubs that can hold at least 5 gallons
This was the case when there was the mystery of "random" Amazon packages showing up at people's doorsteps. They were just delayed and people forgot about ordering them.
I have bought vintage and antique carboys at auctions, flea markets or yard sales. I bought 2 6 gal. Carboys very inexpensively, and knowing that the older carboys are sturdier, I’m glad I bought them.
Dude, we just started this hobby a couple months ago and our kit came with a glass and plastic carboy. We have only done secondary 1 time in the glass and after seeing your video we checked ours: inclusions, no maker mark and a huge crack along the bottom as you showed in your video. Thank you. You saved us alot of money time and heartbreak. Contacted the Amazon seller with pictures to get a plastic replacement. Thanks again
I have glass carboys that are 20 years old but they are heavier thicker glass! Everyone I’ve purchased over the last 10-15 years is lighter and made of thinner glass. While I have a few chips in my old heavy glass carboys
I still have 6 of them. All six gallon. I have 12 glass carboys, 2 SS brew tech brew buckets and five plastic fermenters. I ferment wine, beer and other things!
My wife does lots of canning and the jar quality has fallen through the floor.
Just got into pickling. That sucks.
I’m Meadsmith and yes..... I have been victimized by the cheap glass carboy. Although I’m still having good luck with the 3 gallon but not going near the 5 gallon.
Thx for the the great content once again. Glad but not glad I’m not alone.
Thanks for sharing your story!
First of all, I rolled my eyes after the first minute thinking "why is anyone using glass carboys still?" (I don't) And then you addressed it. And then I kept watching. Wow, what a great and informative video here! Well done!
I can taste wine made in steel. It has that "Aluminum foil on the fillings" taste to me. Give me a Chardonnay made in all steel and one made in glass and I can tell the difference. Stuff like the plastic Big Mouth bubblers are great for primary fermentation but suck for bulk aging due to the large shoulder space. Glass is still the best for up to 6 gallon batches (IMO)
I shouldn't be shocked considering how often this is happening... but that side-by-side is jaw-dropping. If I ever make the jump to 5 gallon brews I'll either stick to Italian glass or make a polariscope like that to make sure I didn't just buy a bomb. Thank you SO MUCH for this video.
I didn't realize you were a fellow Oklahoman!!! And yeah, Brewshop OKC is the bee's knees for brewing!!!!
Thank you for this and I learned a lot! I'm about to get a water cooler and discovered glass carboys. I noticed the reviews for the best selling carboy had the broken glass issue. I did find one made from Italy with way less reviews. I was actually already leaning towards the Italian one since the others were made from China. Well, you just convinced me to get the Italian one!
I can't imagine the amount of effort this took to put together. Terrific content!
I couldn't agree with your conclusions more. I read up on this as well some time ago, when I was in the market for some larger glass carboys (my fleet of 1 gallons is due for an upgrade). My research made me so concerned about blowouts that I just succumbed to cheap plastic buckets for the time being ... now at least I have more confidence in the Italian glass option when I do decide to upgrade, because I do prefer glass for most brews. Thanks!!!
I like your style! Happy brewing!
I had a LHBS owner tell me that those carboys aren't Italian... He went to china to talk to suppliers, and saw them being made there. That said, he told me the mold said "Made in Italy". So deceptive
Great video... once again. Also one thing to point out is that the cheap glass could send you to the ER with minor or major injuries. Yes I know the higher quality can do the same, but chances are smaller.
No kidding! Do not Google cracked carboy injuries, yikes!
Interesting! Looking at the bottom in your hand, that looks very thin in comparison to what I have from the 90s. Yes, the 90s. Checking my notes, I purchased my carboys between '97 and 2004. 3, 5, 6, and 7 gals. Used them all, and no breaks or chips. All of them were very heavy, to be honest, and I moved to steel. Also, I remember they were expensive and a lot of them were from Italy. And, well, you get to what I was thinking at the very beginning of this video. Wow. This is eye-opening. Never broke a carboy in, well, over 20 years so I've got to say it is a production issue. Glad I avoided this in my brewing tenure.
Instantly liked your video as soon as you said the problem is us with consumerism. Already know you are correct.
Remember, glass seems like a solid but respond to stress in a hydraulic fashion, that is stress in one spot is communicated throughout the glass. It's just slower than in complete liquid.
Amorphous solid.....
One thing I like to use for fermenters are 1/2 gallon ball mason jars. They are like $15 for 6 at Walmart, I bought some plastic bucket rubber grommets and drilled a hole, filed it smooth. If it breaks no worries. Plus easier to clean and can pasteurize in the same mason jar you ferment in if you just buy some extra lids
Love this video, I have bought 3 large carboys and make sure they are all Italian made.
I have been using Italian carboys for bulk aging wine and storing syrups. Never had one break in 20 + years. Now I am concerned as 5 gallons of syrup all over the place would be a shear nightmare to clean up.
To carboy bottle syrup : I use a turkey fryer pot with canning raiser plate in bottom of pot. I then fill carboy to (double air-space) full of room temp (RT) syrup. Then fill pot 3/4 full of RT water. I then heat pot at medium heat and slowly heat syrup to 190 F. Near ready, I heat up the 'top up' syrup to 190 F in separate pot. I also place sterilized rubber bung in hot sterile water.
When syrup reaches 190F, I turn off heat, top syrup to full mark and lightly insert plug to barely snug ( as syrup cools, it will cause a vacuum and suck the bung tightly). Then I let it cool naturally in pot (usually takes a day or 2 to cool to RT). I have some syrups that are 5 years old in glass carboys. No mold or breakage to date.
I grow and forage my syrups & dehydrated crops. As some years it is a boom or a bust crop year. This way I can make any type of wine/beer as I want, anytime I want.
I always ferment in plastic buckets with valve at bottom for easier & cleaner transfering.
Was very intrigued and really liking the video when the Dr. Seuss Lorax skit caught me totally off guard, had me in stitches, super cool video, thanks.
A first time viewer, subscribed within 5 minutes. EXCELLENT video.
I have ceramic tile floors, which can and has break or chip glass easily. I have made a number of carpet "coasters" for the occasions where I would sit my carboys on anything other than wood. Even a double thick piece of cardboard (Thank you Amazon shipping boxes) is better than nothing and are easily disposable/replaced if they get wet.
Great tip!
Awesome investigation into this issue, I am glad you did a deep dive and consulted a glass manufacturer.
Having moved to Europe a few years back while shopping for ceramic tiles for a bathroom I found out from one distributor that certain companies from Italy ( who supposedly produce some of the finer tiles) were actually importing them from China and they were stamped "Made in Italy". Nothin like paying for top shelf goods that are actually 3rd grade products. Its also quite common to see clothing imported by the truckload into Bulgaria from China and then these two bit shops stitch in "made in the EU" labels onto the clothing.
These are real profit makers for many companies. Customs can only check so much coming into the EU. The junk is passed off for the real thing. I prefer the 5 Gallon demijohns in wicker baskets that one can find in various bazaars or estate sales. These are the real thing and are more durable than carbouys.
I prefer glass, however I did buy 3 gallon PET carboys because of hearing about this issue. I have had this happen on a brand new beer bottle though (bottom popped off). Inspected it afterwards, and the thickness was very inconsistent (and I wouldn't be surprised if there were other imperfections). It was the only bottle in the batch that had an issue, and it definitely wasn't over carbed (fully fermented, and I used carbonation drops).
Also, loved the story time. You really do the most. 😂
Poor annealing is definitely an unspoken epidemic in glassmaking these days. Glad you enjoyed Brewing Rainbow 🤣
Good job acknowledging consumers have the power to make change by choosing with knowledge and providing that knowledge. I'm in semi remote Alaska and heading out to to get my first carboy that is second hand. Yours is the first video and I watched all of it. Good job again. Even though it is wee bit longer than some attention spans your content and presentation is articulate, complete, unbiased, and pleasant. Thank you, Susitna Tanya
Thanks for the investigation and reporting!
Tip: you can perform this inspection with a cellphone showing a white screen (e.g. a blank Google doc w/ screen at full bright) and polarized sunglasses.
I have one glass plate over here that is very resistant to chock, it survived being dropped on the floor several times. I tested it with the method you recommended and turns out it has many evenly distributed stress lines. That seems to contradict what you said but on the other hand it’s obvious the Italian glass is superior to the Mexican. I got quite confused so I had to do further research.
Annealed glass that show these stress marks indicates poor annealing as you said and can break more easily but there is another heat treatment protocol.
Tempered glass will always have stress marks even if they are well made.
Good quality tempered glass is stronger than good quality annealed. It will take more mechanical impact and higher thermal shock before shattering.
I don't think we need tempered glass on carboys, a good quality anneal is good enough.
You're point about buying cheap and how cheap it is to replace is spot on.
I've owned wholesale and retail.
YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET.
Thing is, when buying cheap, and it does break, so you buy another, if you SPENT A BIT MORE AND BUY QUALITY, THEN YOU WON'T HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER.
Now unless you just wear one out or accidently break one, that's different.
But if you just SPEND A BIT MORE AND GET GOOD QUALITY, IT WILL LAST A WHOLE LOT LONGER.
It is just that simple.
After reading some horror stories about glass injuries including death, I macrame tied carriers with rope, and I never lift a full glass carboy without them. Fun project. I also invested in oxygen after reading about another death from shaking on a lap. But, I'm slowly converting to stainless though, mostly because i can do 10+ gallons. Still love glass though. Great video, glad all mine are old Italian.
Now, this actually sounds like a Niche-Market item.
Wow, good thing I only have 1 and 1.5 gallon glass carboys. My big 5 gallon ones are luckily all plastic. I'd really hate to loose 5 gallons of mead with all that expensive honey. I deal with tempered glass shower panels all day long and the nice thing about tempered glass is that if there is any problems, it'll likely blow up in the kiln long before I get it but I had no idea about the issues you talked about with glass carboys. Will be sticking with plastic me thinks.
Btw I love recognizing the jelly glasses that show up in your videos from time to time. I always had those at home growing up.
Seeing this, I am very glad that my local brew shop is part of a group of Italian owned stores, so we always get Italian glass
Would you provide a link for the lens you bought and explain how you set up the white screen? Thanks:)
BOP
Now THAT was an eye opening stark reality of the global economy.
Anarchy of the market
I've found more issues with the smaller 1 gallon carboys I bought online than any of them. They were super inexpensive and the glass seems very thin because of it. Luckily no major injuries, just lots of frustrated lost small batches.
Oh that sucks, care to share where they were purchased? No pressure. :)
@@DointheMost good old Amazon. Can’t remember the manufacturer but it was the cheapest option on the zon
After losing about $70 worth of fermenting mead and paying $50 for the carboy that broke, I will never understand why anyone would just "buy a new one". That could be a solution, but I was very excited about that mead. I was seeing stars with how pissed I was.
My very first wine that I ever made whas a gooseberry and elderflower wine. I tasted it during clearing and it was sooo delicious when I backsweetened the sample, it was like a semidry floral Alsace Pinot Gris. It was stored in a glass carboy. One night when I got home it smelled like wine, and I saw a small puddle underneath the carboy. I took a look but couldn't see anything, so I lifted it up to take a closer look, saw nothing and put it back. Right as it touched the floor the bottom came off and 11 liters of wine ran out on the floor. To say I was heartbroken is an understatement.
I'm glad I came across this--a bit late after your post, but before I purchase my first carboy. Thank you for the great info, BC. My local homebrew shop said "they could order them". Ok, fair enough. But I'm curious (and always a little skeptical): how do I verify the glass I will purchase is Italian? Are the designs on the bottom ever counterfeited? What would be our check? Any suggestions for vendors or suppliers?
There is a proverb I've heard, "a cheap man pays twice". It fits this situation.
But since I am cheap, I prefer plastic buckets for their economy and versatility. Haven't broken one yet.
Man , you got it going on, Glad I have 6 Gallon Carboys, made in Italy . Thanks for the Information. P.S. I have one, that is made in a tilting swing . You grab the frame, tilt it over, and pour out of the Glass Carboy , let go of it and it swings back to the upright position . Antique , been around a Long Time . It's a Big one . 🐯🤠
I will now add this to all the stuff in the back of my head with all the other stuff that will not get me rich.
That being said very interesting and informative.
I build sealed terrariums out of these carboys and many other large glass bottles. This has happened with a number of them, I'll have to keep all this in mind, thank you.
Great coverage! Glad to hear I'm not the only one to carry the big carboys with milkcrates. They just get too heavy and my dad taught me to lift with my knees and hips
Reminds me I need to invest in some.
@@DointheMost I’m sure there’s a glut of recently injured tiktokers who might sell them at a reduced price. Or their moms might be giving them away 🤔
Talk about Doin the most! You knocked it outta the park on this one 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you! Just wanted to be exhaustive!
@@DointheMost It’s good to have this knowledge. I purchased an old carboy from a man here last year and it’s old as hell. I’ll definitely buy Italian if I ever need another one!
I purchased an Italian caboy from Amazon. After watching this video, I checked it. I found a crack in the bottom due to shipping mishandling. Amazon is sending 3 new carboys to so hopefully one will be okay.
I don't know why TH-cam recommended this. I am not even in anything remotely related. But, I now know what a carboy is 🤣
Thumbs Up
If you are going to pour hot liquid into a glass container you first need to warm up the glass by pouring hot water onto it evenly, and to cool it you need to use warm water until the glass is cool then let it cool off completely on its own
Great video! Have you heard of neoprene car boy cover to protect the glass jugs when traveling?
I love "A Shrew Named Lagroo" ! so creative and funny!
Thanks for the info. I hope you don't have many brews in suspect carboys. I guess, since you have the equipment, you'll be scoping all your carboys as they become available. Hopefully the fallout isn't too severe.
I remember when NileBlue (aka NileRed), who runs a chemistry channel, discovered he'd unknowingly damaged several of his beakers in a microwave plasma experiment and mixed them into his general lab supply. Even though he knew about using polarized light, he didn't trust that he'd eliminate all the faulty beakers, so he ended up smashing everything. Fortunately he can buy them in bulk, so he says it wasn't a significant financial burden, but I'm sure he can sympathize with you about the worry of having faulty glass lurking.
Oh dang! That’s such a loss.
Loved the Dr sues style carboy story at the end
Amazing video and love the Dr. Seuss bit!
I am just now starting my home brewing journey and your videos have been so helpful. Thank you.
My 6.5 gallon carboys are actually supposed to deliver tomorrow (or rather, later today). I checked and they’re Italian made. I chose these because they had fantastic reviews so I’m glad I made the right choice.
Excellent video! It's nice to have a visual representation of the differences.
The shock from liquids, mainly water as it's not compressible, being poured directly in and having the maximum distance of drop can cause stresses to cause the bottom to blow out. You can see it in beer bottles when they have a little water in them and then given a shock by popping them on the top to accelerate the water. I'm not totally sure on the physics but I have a grasp on what's happening.
Cheap Chinesium glass is probably your number one culprit. Ultimately, this glass will often work just fine but you have to be careful handling it. Strongly suggest HDPE carboys; they are more versatile. As someone mentioned below... your local brewing company could send those Mexican Carboys off to be re-anealed. It would add cost but should produce usable carboys.
Thank for the video. I was just going to buy some for wine I have in primary now. I'm seriously thinking about PET plastic.
That’s definitely the safer option. But, man, I do love glass carboys.
Would you age in PET?
@@vincentlabruzzo5368 I have glass carbons for long term aging. I have a few PET for making Beer and ciders in.
Omg, this is like... crazy good information! I have one of these 3 gallon carboys with the bottom like that... I'm honestly a bit nervous about it now.
Nice! I love the Lagroo story at the end
Super nice video! It looks like using polarized sunglasses works with the polarized lcd screen just as well. I was able to find some annealing issues in some recently purchased carboys that haven't been used yet. Might have saved me some grief.
This video is super interesting! I have yet to have a single carboy fail, but I will now test all of mine. Given that I'm into photography, I already have polarizing filters and as I was watching your video, I was wondering where I would find a polarized light source until you mentioned your LCD TV. Now, I know I already have everything needed to get testing! Thanks!
laptop, flat panel display. My laptop works for this.
I have 2, 5 gallon glass carboys that are Italian made. And both have what looks like a scratch on the bottom of the carboy on the stamp thing. I have pics but can’t attach them to a TH-cam comment. I was told it was a result of the stamping process and that the carboy is fine. I’m just getting started. My first batch of mead is sitting in a fermentation bucket atm but I’m getting really close to needing to rack it. I put water for about 24 hours and didn’t see any leaks or anything. But I’m starting to get nervous about putting my brew in it. Have y’all seen any of these Italian carboys with a similar “scratch” on the bottom of it?
Thanks for posting this very informative video. I ordered a polarizing camera and filter viewed two of my 3-gallon carboys as you describe using an LCD monitor as my light source. One carboy is made in Italy and the other in Mexico. Both look clear, without any obvious dark or colored spots as in your video. So maybe both carboys are fine, or maybe I am doing it wrong.
The filter I ordered is a circular polarizing filter, which seems to be the most common kind. There is also a "linear polarizing filter" so I'm not sure if I need that one. Also, how do you set the rotation of the filter? I tried rotating it different amounts, but both carboys still look the same.
Get a regular polarizing filter, or polarized sunglasses will do the trick too.
I have a Italian 6.5 gallon glass carboy at the top of the neck inside has a crack in it will not seal and I have had several of them have broke very good video thank you
I definitely have a couple of old ones where the necks have been dinged up by previous owners. They seem to still hold up great!
In 2008 I filled with hot and cold water and I figured it was the contraction of the glass that caused the bottom to break off. Makes a cool garden mini green house now.
Happened to me 2 weeks ago. Had just racked 6 gallons of banana brown sugar wine off primary into a new glass carboy. I tossed my other 6gal and bought 4 more 3 gal.
Loving buying vintage ones on marketplace and yard sales.
I have had my 10 - 5 gallon glass carboys for over 30 years. I had 12 but 2 were broken by mishandling.
Is is possible that my really old Carboys are cast with thicker glass?
I have always been very careful with them.
In the "old days" 5 gallon glass carboys water jugs were delivered in wooden "crates" that were very well built. I have a dozen of the original style wooden crates but......
I am slowly converting to stainless steel fermenting vessels.
I bought a 5 gallon carboy from Amazon from Midwest Supply and it came shattered. It was packed with a tiny amount of eco padding mostly on the bottom. I sent photos to the seller who instructed me to mail it back to them. UPS wanted to charge me more than the original cost of the carboy with free shopping. I sent it anyway on principle. I filled out the form clearly saying it was a damaged glass carboy and as I followed the tracking it was "discarded due to broken glass" by UPS and so the seller refused my refund because they never got it back.
Really cool video but unfortunately doesn't apply to where I live. In Brazil we don't have any clear carboys available to by online. Nothing. Only option is green or brown glass. If I try to import it will cost about 20 times more due to exchange rate, shipping and import tax so not really a viable option.
Upside is that a 4,5L carboy costs only 5 bucks around here. Not sure if polarized light will help with brown glass but I'll give it a try. Since the only option is cheap carboy I'll fill with water a couple times before brewing and leave it in a spot where it doesn't damage my home if it does break.
I am Simon Lagroo and I speak for the beers, but these carboys are leaving us only with tears....
I had this happen to me today TWICE!!!!! I was able to move the wine to a second identical carboy.... and that 2nd one cracked as well, minutes after transferring wine into it! Both cracked the exact same way (right along the bottom). I purchased both of these 2 months ago from Northern Brewer. Super frustrated. I have an older 6 gallon Mexican made carboy I haven't had any issue with.
They're in the bottom likely because they aren't heating the floor of the tempering chamber. So the bottom of the glass cools rapidly.
Great vid (except for the kiddy cartoon, sheesh!) I'll be polarizing all my carboys just to see.
In the '70s the deposit on glass carboys from the distilled/drinking water companies was $5.
I was happy to pay the deposit! Have several of those. My best find was a 7.5 gal. acid carboy
in a styrofoam shipping container... in the dumpster! Cleaned the heck out of it of course.
That's my primary for 5 gal. batches. Usually carry a new batch in the carboy down the stairs,
the basement averages about 60°F which is fine for ales, works OK for lager yeast in the winter.
I'm telling you that 'cause I don't wanna get my LEG CUT OFF by a carboy accident. Thanks for the
heads up.
@ a local health nutrition shop, I noticed that they had 5gal carboys of Spring Water under some shelves. Asked the owner "How much is the 5gal water jugs?" Not to be the shrew, but I don't think they realize the value of what they're selling water in. Really thick walled seemingly good quality glass too. $23 & change out the door.
Amazing video! I haven’t had a blow out but I always buy Italian glass. Good to know! I have had bumps and such so I may make a rig like yours to inspect with. Ty!
Italian glass is definitely the way to go!
Thanks for the knowledge I gained through you research.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that read this as “Catboys exploding”
Having had no idea what the name carboy stood for before this video, my brain went to Car Boy and Salvatore Ganacchi's Boycycle music video (a boy who is like a motorcycle centaur). Though I assumed the etymology was something like carb-bouy or car-bouy or so. something
I saw cowboys exploding
looking at the variation in the the colors between the two it looks like they're setting it on something that's transferring the heat too quickly, like a metal table or something.
If they'd change the surface to something that doesn't do that like a ceramic or wood then they likely wouldn't have this issue with the cooling process.
Have you heard of this happening with northern brewer’s big mouth bubbler? I love mine and its been fine for a year or so
I wonder how the white light background setup would work with a good pair of polarized sunglasses... both straight on and with your head tilted at various angles. If it works, maybe a better way or easier way to inspect the glass while in the store?
Stuff like this is why I prefer to brew in 1 gallon carboys. They are easier to anneal, easier to lift/carry/move, and if something DOES happen it's not as catastrophic as a 5 gallon break.
Found large plastic carboys for cheap at a HBS about 45 min away. Planning on buying one of those soon. For less the $30, worth a shot at least
Nice, and $30 ain't too shabby a price.
I love the video and the info info in it! There are some TH-cam videos about a piece of glass called the Prince Rupert’s Drop, explains why they are so strong but yet so fragile, might help with your research!?
I just received an order from Home Brew Ohio from Amazon and the whole kit was missing. All I received was a bucket and 3 gallon glass carboy, made in Italy, and it has a crack all the way across the bottom. Never been used. I checked it when I watched this video. Very unpleased!
Oh gosh, I'm fairly new and recently bought a 6 gallon glass carboy. My first big batch of wine. I wish I'd seen this before. I checked the box it came in and it's made in China. I think I'll stick to buckets for the moment.
So is there any research available as to where to buy Italian made 3-5 gal carboys!? Also, thank you so much! I was gifted a 5 gal carboy this summer and I was about to use it this weekend for the first time for a cyser. And guess what, it's made from Mexico.. I am too afraid to lose a brew and all that wonderful local honey. Thank you for this 🙏🙏
I understand that More Beer indicates which of their carboys are made in Italy. Not an endorsement though. Just an observation.
So it's not carboy related but it's glass related, my grandfather used to work for a company here in England that made light bulbs back in the 80's, he worked on the part where a glowing hot bead of glass was pushed into a rotating machine part that held 20 beads at a time, the machine head would spin (fairly quickly) while blowing a small amount of cold air into the glass bead to form it's shape (much more complex than this but explained simple) with a full rotation it made 20 glass bulb heads ready for the filament filler and the metal screw cap to be attached on the next machine that had a auto picker and rotator (pretty advanced for it's time) it's worth noting that this machine maybe broke 1 in every 1000 bulb heads and it was no problem as broken glass was just thrown back into the melting cats to be pumped back in later, well new management came in and decided they where going to take on anyone who made light bulbs and that obviously meant increasing production to its limit, my grandfather told them that yes the machine appears to run slow but the company has a reputation for producing high quality light bulbs that worked well and this was the best ratio for quality glass production Vs broken bulbs, well not good enough so the new manager decided to really up the anti either "increase the machine speed or your fired, I want this thing pumping as fast as it's physically capable to run" and my grandfather being the ever wise and cancerous git he is obliged, he walked it up as fast as it would run while still making a bulb, it took 4 weeks before no more orders rolled in, bulbs shattering in people hands from the slightest bit of pressure if they even made it out of the production line to bulbs popping 2 seconds after being turned on for the first time, the manager then came back and decided that the issue wasn't bad quality it was that there where not enough bulbs from this company on the market soooo his solution was to crank the machine even higher, and well my grandfather obliged one last time, he pushed the speed control handle all the way up and went for his contracted 30 min break, he came back in to a 2 small mountains of glass, one broken bulbs and one glowing hot glass beads and a smoking (partially on fire) machine, his manager decided to blame my grandfather to witch he handed him a roughly scribbled f you I quit note and walked off, buy quality people it's always worth the extra cash
Also remember, "cheap" and "inexpensive" are not necessarily the same thing. Quality is important, more so than price, but if enough people buy quality over price, the price of quality may well come down as more is sold.
Super well done 👏