Carboys and thier sizes?

[scubaman2151]

Hi guys,

I am looking at buying a wine kit that comes with a 7.5 gallon primary fermentor, then it comes with a 6 gal. carboy for the secondary fermenting. However, I dont think I will be making that much at first. for my first batch, im looking at 1 gal, maybe 2 at the most. So I take it that I can use the 7.5 gal as the first fermentor but, how about for the second fermenting? I know you dont want to much head room, but should I buy a small carboy like 2 or 3 gal. for when I make these small batches?

 

[cpfan]

Equipment kits can be a compromise between providinig the right equipment and meeting the right price.

6 US gallons is the standard size for a wine kit (in this sense a grape concentrate and/or juice kit containing no equipment). A 7.9 gallon primary is good for most wine kits; although grape skin kits would be best started in something larger. FYI, I use 12 US gallon primaries.

Yes if you are looking to make a smaller volume from fruit, it would be best to have a smaller secondary fermenter. Readily available sizes (at least in Canada) include 5 US gallons, 3 US gallons and 1 US gallon. (Note I specify US gallons cause Imperial gallons are different.)

Steve

 

[scubaman2151]

Thanks, Yeah If I had enough grapes to make that much juice I would go with the larger sizes, its just that there wasnt a very good grape crop this year where i live due to a very long drought and pretty high heat.