New barrel

[bpowell88]

Hey guys after night one of soaking my barrel this is what it looks like, is this normal? It's still dripping a bit. Just a little concerned at the amount of water on the outside of the barrel

 

[ibglowin]

Thats on the not so good end of things.

Did you follow the sealing instructions? Its very important that you follow them to a "T"

Do NOT add any wine until you have the barrel completely dry (no drips, staves are dry) for 24hrs minimum.

Drain it and then start over with the sealing process.

 

[bpowell88]

Yeah I followed the instructions as they are printed... One question however, when it says to put water on the head, does it mean to just pour the boiling water on the head of it? When I did this the water just seeped through the cracks. Also then it leads you to "Roll the barrel slowly on its belly so the boiling water hits all of the staves." How long should I roll it?

Thanks Mike

 

[bpowell88]

The ends dont seem to be leaking at all, it mainly as the picture shows, on the bottom of the barrel

 

[ibglowin]

You start with the outer heads first (one at a time obviously) then move to the inner heads (30min each head). After about 10-15 mins or so the water (inside staves) has cooled enough to fill the barrel full with the hottest tap water you have. Then let it sit for ~24 hours. Drain repeat until you have a successful seal.

You may need to use some wax if you have a stubborn spot or two. Just be prepared if it continues.

Did you order this from Vadai direct or through MoreWine?

 

[bpowell88]

Ok, I did the outer heads, I am doing those again right now and then will move onto the inner heads.

I ordered it through MoreWine. The picture I posted was after about 15 hours. I will wait the full 24 again next time and check it.

 

[Rocky]

bpowell, I had a similar problem with two barrels that I bought from Vadai. You might want to read through this post to see what I did to solve the problem. http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f74/barrel-repair-worked-me-33517/

 

[bpowell88]

Thanks Rocky, I just read through the post. Hopefully the normal sealing works but if not, ill give that a shot! Its been soaking less than 24 hours now so Ill give it a few more days

 

[robie]

Just stay with it. It sometimes takes several tries and some time. I had one barrel that never leaked a drop but another one that leaked for a week. The idea is to keep moisture on the staves until they swell and seal.

Like IBGLOWIN wrote, don't put wine in it until it doesn't leak a single drop.

I also like to fill it completely with water, then force the bung into place. This adds some slight internal pressure to help spot any leaks.

 

[bpowell88]

Great, It seems to be doing much better this second round. Ive got about 3/10th of the way full of boiling water and have the bung in place.. No leaks yet... Im occasionally turning it and will fill it up with hot water in about 2 hours and see what happens

 

[robie]

Just be patient, it will seal.

For me the biggest problem was sealing the top stave, where the bung hole is. It doesn't stay wet enough most of the time, so some canning or bees wax works great for that spot.

I recently let my barrels dry out completely, then wanted to use them again. Using a hose, I would let water pour in at full force, but it would leak out the bottom as fast as it went in. The barrel would never get more than about 10% filled.

However, I would spray the inside with water, place the bung in it, and let it set for half a day. Then I would repeat. After a few days of this, the staves started swelling again and now, these totally leaky barrels are again sealed just fine and filled with wine. Patience is the key.

 

[bpowell88]

Patience ... A great word that Im learning in this winemaking venture! Patience it is then

 

[Boatboy24]

Another trick I've read is to fill the bathtub, and fill the barrel inside the bathtub, allowing you to seal/swell from both the inside and the outside. That's a lot of water though, and the patience thing is just as effective.

 

[robie]

Another trick I've read is to fill the bathtub, and fill the barrel inside the bathtub, allowing you to seal/swell from both the inside and the outside. That's a lot of water though, and the patience thing is just as effective.

Actually, I forgot that when resealing my barrels last time I did use a square plastic tub, which I bought at Wal-Mart. It was just slightly larger than a barrel, so it worked well and didn't waste as much water.

 

[bpowell88]

Ok guys, the barrel seems to be doing much better now. In the morning I put new hot water in the barrel and am still getting just a little seep from the end, it stops shortly after filling the barrel and then no leaks for the rest of the day.

Should I try the bathtub technique?

 

[bpowell88]

I think I've narrowed it down to it only happens if It's full to the max, I put the stopper in and some comes out the top so I know there is a lot of pressure inside. Once the wood soaks up some to relieve some pressure it no longer leaks...

 

[ibglowin]

Sounds like your getting close now!

 

[bpowell88]

What a process! I've submerged it into a bucket of water now, will let it sit about a day and see what happens!

 

[Boatboy24]

I imagine you'll be sealed up after this round.

Quite a process. Is this what the big wineries go through? I can't imagine doing this for hundreds of new barrels.

 

[ibglowin]

Nope, the smaller the barrel the tougher it is to get it to seal.