Home of the BrewNosers

This was fun....

Going about the normal routine of sanitizing before racking a wine from primary to secondary last night. This carboy must have been weak or on it's last legs, because it didn't fall far when it slipped. The bottom hit first and probably only fell 2 inches before hitting the counter....and I had a towel down as I usually do to protect the glass and the counter...

I wish I had a picture of the immediate mess; I initially thought I came out unscathed. Apparently the glass is sharp enough you don't even realize it cut you. Almost 30 seconds before I realized my finger and knuckle were bleeding pretty bad...thank goodness for my wife who cleaned the glass while I first aided myself...given the aftermath, I feel pretty lucky to have come out how I did.

Easily thousands of pieces of glass from real big to really small. Maybe it's just common sense I was lacking, but I guess my point there is....be careful with those older carboys...I've had them hit the counter that hard plenty of times before...but this has never happened.

Oh....and no, it wasn't full....

Glad you made it out ok...I stopped using glass carboys for this reason after reading through enough threads with people gashing themselves wide open on broken carboys.

Thank you.

I have to admit, I have mostly been a pretty 'anit-plastic' guy and still have 5 glass ones, but this may make me reconsider.

This.

Sandy

Jimmy wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:37 am

Glad you made it out ok...I stopped using glass carboys for this reason after reading through enough threads with people gashing themselves wide open on broken carboys.

I had one glass carboy break on me. Fell maybe 20cm onto carpet and shattered. The carpet still bears the stain

I also grabbed a fermonster after reading about glass disasters. It's lighter and easier to clean too.

Show your wife a few pics of broken glass ones and she'll beg you buy a plastic one

Glad you're OK.

I cringe when I see this! I had a glass wide mouth carboy explode on me when I was taking it out of the back seat of my car, just barely tapped it on the inside of the door! Mind you it was full of water for a brew day at a friends place. I'm in the same boat, will only use my plastic from now on!

Got the job I started finished last night, very carefully with one of my other glass carboys. I've never been so careful with a piece equipment in my entire brewing career....

Thanks for the posts guys... a plastic carboy or 2 are going to be added to the 'ol Christmas list. This episode is apparently far more common than I had initially thought.

I put my glass carboys in milk crates. Helps with carrying and preventing them from banging around too much. Glad you're ok

Milk crates are a very good idea. I've never had a carboy break on while holding it, but I had a 5 liter beaker blow up in my hands as I tried to stop it from falling. Required stitches and I still have the scars. Glass is some pretty scary stuff.

Broke a 56 Litre one a few years ago, 26 stitches, 3 pints of blood on the floor, lovely ride in an ambulance, still don't have complete mobility in my left hand. I feel ya.

Life's too short not to ferment in stainless.

However I have 6 glass carboys in my basement and 4 are full. I picked up some stainless fermenters from Noble Grape but I can't justify holding up my beer production just for a merlot kit.

I have one of those carboy lifting straps, I can pretty easily take it off one and switch to the other when need be. Even if one did break when you hold onto those things you can hold it away from yourself.

There's a few stories online about carboys just suddenly breaking without being dropped, and I recall one where a guys brother died within a couple minutes of a carboy full of pennies breaking and cutting an artery.

Anyway I'm glad you're ok!


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This has happened to me. Not fun.

Milk crates for me too when I use glass.

LiverDance wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:21 am

I put my glass carboys in milk crates. Helps with carrying and preventing them from banging around too much. Glad you're ok