Cracked spigot

[Ryan Hubble]

So I'm curing a new barrel and noticed a crack in my spigot. It is wide enough that it would dump the whole barrel in a couple hours if it was leaking, but the crack is currently dry and no signs of it having leaked. I'm concerned about gambling 100L of wine on a cracked spigot, but I'm also concerned that installing a new one in a cured barrel won't be bound in as well as one that went in before curing.

Would some bees wax or barrel wax hold back a leak if it were to give way? So I cram some of that in the crack and hope for the best? Should I drain the barrel and swap a new one in? Should I let everything dry back out then swap a new spigot and re-cure? Or am I safe with the cracked one that's in there now and not leaking?

 

[Dom Lausic]

I recently had a crack in my spigot on my 100L barrel that developed last winter. Cellar got too cold/dry and the crack developed. Had no issues with it over the past year. However, i did end up replacing it this weekend when i racked and bottled the wine. Didn't want to take any chances. The crack likely developed because the humidity dropped. And should it happen again over the winter, the crack could deepen????? I have no experience with plugging a cracked spigot, but my recommendation would be to replace it. I believe adding a new spigot to a cured barrel will only swell to make a tighter fit. Just be sure to not "hammer" it in place. Haven't had an issue with this in the past.

 

[Ryan Hubble]

Okay thanks. I'm running fans and dehumidifiers trying to prevent mold as some parts of the exterior have been wet or sitting in puddles despite my best attempt to regularly wipe it.

It's been at about 60 when the crack developed. I put the dehumidifiers to run continuously hoping to dry things more (I am hoping to concentrate abv via evaporation). The barrel is positioned so that a spigot failure dumps wine into a sump hole (which currently has water due to a recent thaw). So running dehumidifiers isn't as unreasonable as it sounds.

 

[Dom Lausic]

Humidity is good! I don't think dehumidifiers are a good thing in a barrel room! If the barrels get too dry, they will start to leak, and possible crack. You will also evaporate a lot of wine out of the barrels. Corked wine bottles can also dry out, compromising the seal in the bottle.

I wouldn't worry about humidity unless it was over 75%. Mould shouldn't be an issue at a relative humidity below that (assuming there is no puddles of stagnant water....). If you are having water issues due to water leaks from the thaw, I would just mop them up. Dehumidifier not necessary, nor recommended (IMO).

 

[Ryan Hubble]

okay thanks. and ya there is water sitting around the bottom of the wooden barrel stand, as the barrel is perpetually dripping. the water from the thaw is seeping into a sump hole where it is contained (and runs in to drainage tile should the level elevate enough). this sump hole is barrel/spigot failure plan, which is why the proximity.

i heard that at dry humidity, mostly water will evaoprate and it will condense the abv, whereas at higher humidity levels, mostly alcohol will evaporate. this is why im tryin to run on the dry side. i have no corked bottles stored in this room. its actually under some stairs and is tragically unergonomic.