Plastic vs Glass Carboy
Over the last year or two I’ve been using a couple of 30L plastic fermenters while brewing. One of them, the second one I bought, has developed odd white ‘scratch’ lines and I’m not sure what’s caused them. I’ve never used anything harsher than a nylon scrubbing brush to clean it and I’m tempted to think that these are actually artefacts of a kind of blistering of the plastic rather than actual scratches. Perhaps something to do with a fault in the manufacturing process as my other fermenter shows no signs of these.
Difficult to see, but here are the odd chalky-looking scratches.
Any form of surface damage worries me because I can’t be as sure I’ve been able to remove any embedded bacteria or other unwanted organisms and so I decided to splash out and pay twice the amount for a 23L glass carboy.
I’ve never used glass before and am aware that there is a danger involved when lifting and that transferring liquids can be tricky due to the lack of a tap at the bottom. I am, however, looking forward to being able to watch vigorous fermentations through the glass!
***UPDATE***
I’ve just taken a much closer look and it appears that these aren’t scratches at all. Some kind of crystallisation or chemical build-up which came away when I used my fingernail. Any ideas? (Oh well, still looking forward to using the glass carboy even if it was money unnecessarily spent).
Is it just caustic or steriliser residue? I don’t suffer the same, my fermenters just go brown (probably from my lax caustic/steriliser use).
Now build a better bottling bucket and the world will beat a path to your door. I’m thinking about just putting a tap on the bottom of an old fermenter.
Hmm, could well be some kind of StarSan leftover but I wonder why it’s only appeared on this fermenter and not the other? I’m going to try to clean it all off without scratching the surface.
I’m becoming convinced that a better bottling bucket is actually a keg system. Bottling is really getting me down but I can’t afford to make the switch yet. (Not after needlessly spending $100 on a big glass jar, that is).
How come we never talk any more?