Barrel Maintenance

[smarko]

Hello - new here, not making wine but we are building a wine cellar in our basement. I picked up this used bourbon barrel that someone had used as wedding decor. I plan to use it has just decor as well for the cellar, however my internet search on how to maintain the barrel is confusing. I have read that I need to leave water in the barrel to keep the wood from shrinking the the hoops from sliding down...how much water? Do I need to put a plug in it? This room will be dark, dry and cool year round.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Johny99]

If it is dry year round, the wood will shrink. However if it gets to 30% or so every now and then it should be fine for your purposes. Looks like a nice big room on the way. Good luck with the project.

 

[Rocky]

If it were I, I would drill a series of holes in four places (north, east south and west) or so on each hoop and run a screw through the hole into the staves. Maybe on the head (or chime) hoops (top and bottom) I would run screw into each stave. I would not worry about keeping water in it and I would add a bung for character.

 

[topper9520]

You need to fill barrel to its max until it stops leaking once it stops leaking drain barrel and burn a sulpher stick in it close up the bung and leave it for a day or 2 remove sulpher stick and rinse barrel your good to go. Even though you are not using it to make wine you should keep it clean as possible do this twice a year.

 

[NorCal]

What Rocky said, it's decor. You don't want to mess with a filled barrel if you don't have to..