My barrel adventure!

[Elmer]

Started prepping my barrel yesterday. Daughter and myself filled it will good warm/hottish water. 5.1 gallons to be exact.
Really entertaining to watch as it seals itself slowly.
However the back end (along the face plate) and 2 spots on the bottom refuse to seal.
Now I am in the process of draining and sealing with wax.
Wife is not entirely crazy about me using a Small blow torch in the house to melt some wax. Appearently "it's all good" does not reassure her the way I had hoped!
But this sure is an experience!




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[MrKevin]

I would wait a couple days before getting out the wax and torch. My first barrel took a few days to seal up. You might try filling it with boiling water to get things to expand. I have had good luck with that approach. There is instruction on the Morewine website.

 

[Elmer]

Since I just emptied the barrel, what would be the harm in waxing it now oppose to trying to seal it naturally?

I guess I am asking is there a benefit in sealing with one method over another?


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[MrKevin]

Waxing it would not hurt. I know that wine seems to creep out thru cracks that water won't (I believe it is because of the acid in the wine). So yes go ahead and seal it up. I was just trying to save you the hassle of getting wax and using a torch. Let me know the outcome.

 

[ibglowin]

Waxing should be a "last resort" thing after you have exhausted all methods of sealing by rehydrating properly.

 

[LoveTheWine]

Try filling the barrel, fill a tub with water and place the barrel end down in the tub for a day or two. Empty all water, refill and soak the ether head.
If you do use wax, I would melt it in a small coffee can and apply with a disposable brush.

 

[Rocky]

Elmer, you might try standing the barrel on end and tapping around the circumference of the top three hoops toward the bung hole. Then, invert the barrel and repeat on the other three hoops. Us a blunt faced chisel and a hammer and TAP don't POUND. After the hoops are tightened, fill the barrel again with hot water and let is sit for a while. The small leaks should go.

 

[Elmer]

I filled with boiling water. I could hear it bubbling inside.
Stood on its backside so the water rushed to the side that was leaking. This seemed to do the trick.

Now I will soak for a few days.

Anyone ever use Barrelkleen?


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[Pumpkinman]

Elmer,
Is the barrel new? If so you don't need Barrelkleen.
Don't be in such a rush to use wax, as Mike stated, Waxing should be a "last resort".
Also, I don't know if you have read my post on sealing a new barrel in 2-3 hrs, but instead of leaving the barrel on the stand, place the barrel in the plastic container and fill the container with boiling water, obviously fill the barrel with boiling water as well.
Start by sealing the heads, add a gallon or two of boiling water to the barrel and put the bung in, stand the barrel on it's head, make sure that you put boiling water on the head and add at least two to three inches of boiling water to the plastic container that you are using, after 30 mins, repeat on the other head, after this lay the barrel flat and add a few more gallons of boiling water to the barrel, add as much boiling water to the plastic storage bin without spilling it, about 2 inches from the top, and every 15 - 20 mins rotate the barrel to try to get as much of the barrel hydrated as possible.
You will have to remove some of the water in the storage bin as it cools and replace it with more boiling water, I'd treat the heads again, but it should seal within 2 -3 hrs.
Take the barrel out of the storage bin, and place it on its stand, it should be sealed at this point.
Where did you purchase the barrel?
I'm not a big fan of the spout, but this is just a personal preference, to me it is just another point of failure, and a potential area where spoilage can start, and hide.

 

[Elmer]

I didn't buy the barrel, my wife got it for me for the holidays.
She got it from the American barrel co, somewhere online.
It would not be my 1st choice, but it is what it is.

I spent all day filling it up with boiling water and it seems to have sealed itself up.

Unfortunately, I already put the Barrelkleen in the barrel on the advice of the guy at one of my LHBS.
But since it is sealed, i can rinse and sterilize and use!


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[Elmer]

Guess I posted too soon. It had seemed to seal an hour ago. Then I walked into the kitchen and it was wet again. It seems to be only this spot where the planks meet the flat face. (11 o clock if you were looking at it) . The water in the barrel is still quite warm, so not sure why the sudden leak. But I will give it a day or 2.
But if my next course is wax, so be it!



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[Pumpkinman]

Elmer,
I would stand it on the head that is sealed, be careful to empty the barrel a little bit so the bung and hot water doesn't come shooting out and burn you, and pour boiling water on that head that is leaking, it should seal.

 

[ibglowin]

No mention but where did this barrel come from?

 

[LoveTheWine]

My guess is: barrelsonline.com
Looks identical to mine.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f74/my-new-toy-33961/
Incidentally, mine leaked out of the heads too and I was never able to stop it. Ended up using wax and it did the trick but is a bit unsightly.

 

[Elmer]

I let the barrel sit over night and it has gone through waves of leaking and then not.
I am going to try pur boiling water on the head later tonight. If that does not solve the issue I will just wax it. this seems to be the only spot that continue to leak.

The tragedy in all of this is that the pan underneath the barrel is filled with brown oaky water, that would have been great in my wine!

 

[Boatboy24]

Elmer:

If you can, put the barrel in a tub. Fill it with water. Then fill the tub with water so the barrel is submerged. Leave it there for 24 hours. Take it out and fill it with hot, sulfited water. Even if it isn't leaking, leave it for a day or two, just to be safe.

 

[Elmer]

Elmer:

If you can, put the barrel in a tub. Fill it with water. Then fill the tub with water so the barrel is submerged. Leave it there for 24 hours. Take it out and fill it with hot, sulfited water. Even if it isn't leaking, leave it for a day or two, just to be safe.

This is just not an option.

There is no way my wife will sacrifce the shower for my hobby!

 

[Boatboy24]

This is just not an option.

There is no way my wife will sacrifce the shower for my hobby!

Got an old trash can? That'll work too. Just not as easy to drain. It's only 24 little hours.

 

[JohnT]

Elmer,

Can you check and make sure that the barrel hoops are tight? You may want to tap them down a little.

johnT.

 

[Elmer]

I think my barrel is finally sealed. I left work early today to spend the day with my puppy so we ended up pulling out of blowtorch and some wax and we sealed both heads and a couple spots that had a leak I filled it three times with water , mostly just to flush out the Barrelkleen I accidentally put in there but no signs of leaks whatsoever.

I am now going to sterilize and hopefully tomorrow fillet with some wine.

And the good thing is I onlt burnt the barrel once & my fingers once . And wasted somewhere near 25 gallons of water flushing it out and checking for leaks.

I just hope in the end this was all worth it to make my wine taste good


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