Carboy or Bucket?

[turkeyhunr]

I started a wine kit about a week ago and it says after 7 days to rack it to a carboy for another 10 days to continue fermentation before adding the packets of ingredients. I only have one carboy at this time and it has a batch of wine in it clearing as we speak. Would it make any difference to rack it into another bucket for the next 10 days instead of a carboy?

 

[Loner]

I started a wine kit about a week ago and it says after 7 days to rack it to a carboy for another 10 days to continue fermentation before adding the packets of ingredients. I only have one carboy at this time and it has a batch of wine in it clearing as we speak. Would it make any difference to rack it into another bucket for the next 10 days instead of a carboy?

You have to get new toys Turkeyhunr .. Until you buy additional carboys you can go to your local hardware store and purchase 5 gal's of water. Dump the water and use the container as a Carboy.

 

[jswordy]

If you want to have unoxidized wine, your best bet is a carboy. Search Craigslist for them used, too. Depending on where you live, you may find a treasure trove or not much.

 

[Noontime]

DO NOT use containers designed for water...wine has alcohol, acids, and other "solvents" that will leach plastic into the wine. ONLY use containers, hoses, etc that are designed for alcoholic beverages; food grade is not enough.

That said... as Jim stated, racking into a bucket will expose the wine to air. During primary fermentation the yeast need O2 (in the beginning when they're multiplying and building their colony), and are producing SO MUCH CO2 that the liquid gets saturated, so a bucket is fine. After you rack the fermentation is dying down, and any exposure to air should be minimized.

 

[BernardSmith]

I agree that plastic used to store water is not necessarily suitable for wine but for a few days would there be much ill effect if Turkeyhunr racked into a plastic water bottle while looking for a more suitable carboy for his wine? Any leaching would be minimal, wouldn't it? And the plastic's permeability to O2 would be offset by the CO2 still being produced and its press against the surface of the plastic

 

[YourCaptain]

I dont know if the same applies in USA, but in South Africa, we check to see if the plastic bottle has the marking PET on the bottom, then we know it is suitable to be used for fermentation. I have 5 at the moment and they doing great (especially for beginners).
I also know you get plastic containers in which it is safe to store petrol. I use those too.

My 5cents worth. Hope it helps.

 

[badmario]

Just want to second what was posted about craiglist. If you live near a big city you won't have much a problem finding someone trying to get rid of an old carboy ($20-$30). Also, it's worth checking with friends that may have one lying around.

 

[Noontime]

I suppose my response was a bit more impassioned than I intended.

I have no idea how long it takes for the bad things in plastic to leach out. A few days might be just fine, I have no idea. But because I have no idea, I would not use a container that is not designed to hold alcoholic beverages. And I've had many a short term storage turn into long term storage due to procrastination or circumstance.