# 5 months in my barrel has started leaking



## MonkeyK (May 6, 2013)

Is there anything that I can do about it while it is full?

My wife bought me a 23L Vadai barrel for Christmas. It came a little late --mid January. I preped it early February and it sealed up well. 

I've done two back-to-back Chardonnay barrel ferments in at two weeks each with it no problems. 
After the second barrel ferment, I went straight to my Red Mountain Cab, no downtime.
But now after aging my Red Mountain Cab for 8 weeks, I found a gummy puddle of wine under the barrel. And I can see a very slow drip on one side (like 1 drip/hour). It appears to be leaking somewhere about 2/3-3/4 between staves at one end of the barrel. I don't think that this has been going on very long because until recently, I've stored my wine thief and hydrometer under the barrel, so I would notice if they had been sitting in a pool of wine.

Is this kind of sudden leaking common? What causes it to leak after being sealed so well for so long? Do I need to empty the barrel to deal with the leak? Or can I address it while it is full?

I only have a couple more weeks of barrel time planned for the RMC, so it wouldn't kill me if I had to empty it to properly seal it before barrel aging a Stags Leap Merlot.


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## ibglowin (May 7, 2013)

Not totally uncommon, and no, not a disaster...... 

Could have been caused when you topped off the barrel last and then stoppered it and then the temp goes up dramatically as is common this time of year. As you know the expansion of ethanol is quite drastic and if it warmed up and it is full then it has no place to go but out a stave or out the top. It has to go somewhere.... So get some canning wax and warm it up, spray the leaks down good with KMETA and wipe off the wine, then hit it with the wax good where it leaks. It may take a couple of times to get it sealed good but it will seal if you keep adding wax to the drip area. A small barrel leaks more than a big barrel so its just part of the process but it will be very worth it in the end I promise.


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## Rocky (May 7, 2013)

MonkeyK, Ibglowin is my "go to" guy for barrel questions on this forum and I would follow his advice. Although not explicit in his reply, I believe you can apply the wax while the wine is still in the barrel provided you can locate and reach the leak. Leaks can be exacerbated by changes in barometric pressure and temperature. 

One thought that I had is perhaps the leak was there earlier but could not be seen as easily with the white wine (Chardonnay) as with the red. In any case, it is fixable and no harm done.


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## robie (May 7, 2013)

Go back to Vadai and order one of their vented silicone bungs for the barrel. They are special bungs that will let the pressure out but won't let air back in easily. Basically, they are waterless air-lock bungs for a barrel.

As was mentioned, when the pressure goes up and you have a solid bung in place, something somewhere has to give.


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## MonkeyK (May 7, 2013)

Thanks for the encouragement. I am already using the vented silicone bung. I will do the KMeta/canning wax tonight. 

Rocky, you may be right about the leak just being visible now. Or maybe it was really really slow before and picked up with the weather. I guess on the plus side, it is easier to spot where to treat.


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## MonkeyK (May 8, 2013)

Well, I waxed up everywhere that looked like it could be related to the leak and today I see a pool of wine on one end and a stain on the side spreading out from under one of the bands. I guess it must be leaking from under the band and then following the seam between the staves to the end of the barrel.
Any tips on dealing with this? I am guessing that I need to empty the barrel and try to melt some wax into the area under the the band where the leak appears to be comming from.


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## jamesngalveston (May 11, 2013)

Does the barrel have any kind of sealant are coating on the outside. like clear poly, etc.
If so go to where the leak is sand the saves to remove coating, keep a dripping wet towel on it for about 2 days. that will expand the wood sealing the leak.
Wood barrels dry out from the outside and create leaks.
I do not know much about wine, but I am a master wood worker.


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## Rocky (May 11, 2013)

MonkeyK, you may want to read thought this thread. I was having a nagging leakage problem with my two Vadai barrels and was able to fix the problem with this procedure. It takes some time and attention, but it was worth it to me. Be sure to start reading on page 1.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f74/barrel-repair-worked-me-33517/index2.html


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## tonyt (May 11, 2013)

Rocky said:


> MonkeyK, Ibglowin is my "go to" guy for barrel questions on this forum.



Scary thought!


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## MonkeyK (May 11, 2013)

Thanks Rocky! I really think that is the right approach. I'll rack my Red Mountain cab tonight and try tightening the barrel up next .


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