Carboys , Head space and O2, water cooler carboy

[termini]

I just finished with a heck of a very helpfull session from wade, appleman and touchtoomuch on my previous post concerning dandelion wine problems.
But my new topic is about the 6.5 gallon carboys that I will be using when it comes time to rack my dandelion wine.


I only have these two, and I will have two 4.5 gallon batches to rack( each has a different yeast so I planned on keeping them seperated)
If there is just a slight amount of fermenting happenig when I rack, do I really need to be concerned with the amount of headspace above the wine? because if it is still fermenting, won't that space be filled with co2 and not oxygen?
And if it is done fermenting, any thoughts about if I were to inject some inert gas into the head space( I was thinking of ARGON from my welding tank set up)----oh I can see someone out there getting the'big eye' right now andjumping at they're keyboard --come on, hit me with it....


While I'm at it , if it was an emergency, is it that much of a deal to use a water cooler 5 gallon carboy if I sanitized it?
Would there really be that much oxygen penetration through the plastic that could affect a wine like mine( dandelion, or the low end Island Mist) vs. the high end wine kits with they're more complex flavors?Edited by: termini

 

[bj4271]

Termini,


No problem using them. I use the blue water bottles all the time, great weight advantage, but harder to clean/sanitize. I do limit my use to secondary fermentation or short term aging - just in case.

 

[joeswine]

hi guy i use dry nitrogen all the time as a topper,from my hvac set up//no what i mean?see no problem with the bottles just supper sanitize them.







http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&ref=12

 

[Wade E]

You do not need to top up a wine while it is fermenting as like you said there is gas being released that will displace any air. I know using a gas to displace ai is an acceptable means but not familiar enough to say what 1's are good and how to know when is enough or not enough or which1's to use. Im not to fond of the idea of plastic water bottles as those leach flavors in my opinion. Have you ever had water out of a glass water bottle versus a plastic water bottle, there is no dought in my mind that I can taste plastic. As for the Better bottles that are made of a much better material that are sold on many sights including this 1 Ive heard much better things about these but still stick with glass for 2 reasons. 1 reason being that you can not degas a wine with a vacuum in a plastic bottle as it will collapse and the other being if you go to pick it up and its very full from being topped up it will force wine up through the airlock or suck in the fluid that is in the airlock. Just my thoughts there.

 

[termini]

I see your point, especialy after I biult up this nice vacuum degasser, my wife thinks that she knows someone at her work that I could borrow 2, 5 gallon glass carboys from, so I will go that route.( I like my beer out of GLASS bottles, so I should heed that advice)

 

[Wade E]

Next time you go to the recycle center grab some gallon jugs and some 3 liter jubs as those really come in handy especially when making fruit wines from scratch. Get some small bungs and extra airlocks fro these jugs and a few for wine bottles also. They really do come in handy for using to top up later. Glad you got your dandy wine all straightened out.
Edited by: wade

 

[pizz65]

wade, you are saying you can go to the recycle center where they dump the bottle from the truck and get bottles??

 

[joeswine]

YA I DON"T THINK I"D PULL ANY KIND OF VACUME ON A PLASTIC BOTTLE<AND IF THERE NOT FOOD GRADE THEN I GUESS THATS A SECOND REASON NOT TO USE THEM<I GUESS THATS WHY I USE GLASS ALL THE TIME<BUT I DO USE DRY NITROGEN THERES BEEN NO ILL EFFECT THAT I CAN TELL//////////////YOUR RIGHT WADE ABOUT THE PLASTIC <HOWEVER THEY DO SELL THOSE PIONTY ONES THAT HANG ON THE WALLS LIKE WAS SAID BETTER BOTTLES<NEVER HAVE SEEN ONE UP MCLOSE TO MAKE A STATEMENT ON THEM<ANY ONE REALLY WORKED WITH THESE OUT THEIR???????????????????????????????




http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&ref=12

 

[Wade E]

The place I go is a transfer station where I bring all my garbage separated into plastic and glass, metal, wood, and plain old garbage. They have bins for all the glass, plastic, and paper and when I go i look through to see if there are any wine bottles and take whatever I want. If I am running ow then I ask the guys to save me some bottes and come back the next week to sometimes 120 bottles and give them a few of my wines in exchange for their courtesy of saving me some serious money. I have gotten 6 gallon jugs and 4 3 liter jugs and thats enough for me but there is always some kind of glass jug that size in there whether it be a wine jug from Carlo Rossi or an Apple juice jug. I have all I need for now. I even got 2 5 gallon Crystal Rock glass carboys there last year. i live in a fairly rich town although Im not but these people throw some good stuff away like bicycles that are like new and leather office chairs. Love this town! I moved here because the schools are the best in this state and thats what I wanted for my children.
Edited by: wade

 

[termini]

Ahh--- a dumpster diver--FINALLY a kindrid spirit out there. I think I hear my theme song from Sanford and Son ....
I always get the rolling eyes from my wife when I say " honey, look what I found..."

 

[Wade E]

Lamont, get that toilet out of the back. Its the big one Elizabeth! Im coming! Loved that show.

 

[smurfe]

You might check your water bottles for the symbol on the bottom. I was reading in a beer forum that some water companies are actually using the Better Bottles or a comparable container for their water. There will be a triangle with a number in it. We had a post here once stating what are the acceptable types of bottles to use. I checked mine and they are not the right type. They have a 7 on them. I have used them in an extreme pinch but I wouldn't bulk age in them. They use a different size stopper to.


I'd look it up for you but I have drank a 750ml Linderman'sLambic Frambois, a 500ml Bluebird Bitter, 2draught cans ofBoddingtons Pub Ale, a couple pints of home brew Cream Ale (did I mention I love session brews? Low ABV = lots of pints)and a glass of Lambrusco. I am in no shape to search and I need to go to bed as I have to drag my butt up at 04:00 and go back to work after a week of vacation. Hopefully someone more sober can provide the info.