Defects in Carboy??

[AbruzziRed]

I picked up this carboy today and noticed some bubbles in the glass. Also what appears to be a small crack in one bubble. I didn’t see it until I got into better light. Anyone have similar bubbles in your carboys

I have it filled with water right now to see if it holds.

 

[mainshipfred]

The water test is a good idea. I have bubbles in a few of my carboys and don't give it much mind. I also have what appears to be cracks but I think they are just flaws in the glass. What appears to be a crack in the bubble in the first pic is a little alarming but it's so hard to tell from the pic what the actual condition is.

 

[AbruzziRed]

The water test is a good idea. I have bubbles in a few of my carboys and don't give it much mind. I also have what appears to be cracks but I think they are just flaws in the glass. What appears to be a crack in the bubble in the first pic is a little alarming but it's so hard to tell from the pic what the actual condition is.

Yeah it’s hard to take pics of clear glass the crack appears on the inside of the carboy. It’s not all the way through and maybe length up and down versus the thickness. I will keep water in it for a few months and see what happens.

 

[KCCam]

I picked up this carboy today and noticed some bubbles in the glass. Also what appears to be a small crack in one bubble. I didn’t see it until I got into better light. Anyone have similar bubbles in your carboys

I have it filled with water right now to see if it holds.

Do you ever use vacuum? I agree it's hard to tell from pics, but that flaw in the first pic to the right of the tiny bubble looks serious to me. Glass will fail at a stress concentration, like a crack or notch. If it was mine, I would return it immediately for a replacement. I'm sure you could do that easily now, but if it fails a year from now, not only will you have a mess, but you won't be able to get a free replacement.

 

[AbruzziRed]

Do you ever use vacuum? I agree it's hard to tell from pics, but that flaw in the first pic to the right of the tiny bubble looks serious to me. Glass will fail at a stress concentration, like a crack or notch. If it was mine, I would return it immediately for a replacement. I'm sure you could do that easily now, but if it fails a year from now, not only will you have a mess, but you won't be able to get a free replacement.

It’s an older carboy I bought off market place for $20. May just turn into a decoration piece.thanks for feedback!

 

[Old Corker]

I had what I thought was a crack in a secondhand carboy. I marked both end with a sharply, filled it half way with water and pulled a vacuum on it for several minutes. It didn’t get any bigger. Ive been using for months now with no issues. I do agree with the don’t turn an annoyance into a bigger problem thinking though. If in doubt don’t use it.

 

[Rocky]

If it were mine, I would wrap it with several rings of duct tape (Yes, I am a fan of "Home Improvement"), maybe four or so. If it starts to fracture, you would likely get a few drips rather than a pond. Just a thought since you said you can't return it.

 

[winemaker81]

The little bubbles are nothing to worry about. Some of my carboys are 30 years old and I've never had a problem with tiny bubbles.

The one what what appears to be a crack? That is also probably nothing, however, you can purchase food grade glass sealant for $5-$8 USD that will reinforce it, and this is much cheaper than a new carboy.

I would NOT put that carboy under vacuum. If it is a weak spot, it may hold fine for a number of instances, then give way. If you don't use a vacuum pump, it's a non-issue.

As a general warning, it's a good idea to put exercise mats on the floor, especially if the floor is concrete. I read that repeated jarring on hard surfaces, like concrete, stresses glass.

 

[Khristyjeff]

The little bubbles are nothing to worry about. Some of my carboys are 30 years old and I've never had a problem with tiny bubbles.

The one what what appears to be a crack? That is also probably nothing, however, you can purchase food grade glass sealant for $5-$8 USD that will reinforce it, and this is much cheaper than a new carboy.

I would NOT put that carboy under vacuum. If it is a weak spot, it may hold fine for a number of instances, then give way. If you don't use a vacuum pump, it's a non-issue.

As a general warning, it's a good idea to put exercise mats on the floor, especially if the floor is concrete. I read that repeated jarring on hard surfaces, like concrete, stresses glass.

So true. I now lay down a rug so if I bump the carboy on the floor it will be somewhat protected. I bumped one once, there was no sign of damage, but once the cold carboy was filled with the warm-ish liquid it started to crack and leak. Lesson learned!

 

[jay2020]

Similar question here.
After use, I wash my carboys with OxyClean Free and hot water, then rinse multiple times.
This one stayed "cloudy" no matter how many times I rinsed, and then I noticed this.

I guess this is no longer safe to use? Is this from using water that is too hot? Or maybe I put this down on my tiles too hard? None of my other carboys have done this and I treat them all the same.

 

[winemaker81]

I can't tell from the picture if I'm seeing cracks or streaks of a foreign material on the inside. If it's cracks, DO NOT use the carboy.

If it's streaks, use a carboy brush on the inside to see if you can remove the film. Some things don't come off with rinsing and it's a good idea to use a brush on a regular basis. I purchased a drill-mounted carboy "brush" last year -- it has strips of a heavy felt-like material and does a great job of cleaning carboys. I'm making it a habit to use it each time I use a carboy.

If you have any type of tile or cement floor, buy workout mats -- they lock together like puzzles. Repeatedly setting carboys on hard surfaces like that can, over time, cause damage. Cushioning is good.

 

[mainshipfred]

I have a hot only hose bib next to my sink that I use to rinse carboys. If I'm cleaning several at a time the water gets pretty hot and I worry about it causing them to break. Really considering running another cold line with the ability temper the water.

 

[Rice_Guy]

@jay2020 if I was looking at a glass carboy with a uniform film, I would wash with an alkali solution and an acid. All organic should be removed (this is basically a factory stainless tank clean in place clean).
If CIP didn’t remove the cloudy I would guess that I am dealing with a mineral deposit on the glass similar to what an antique glass will get. ,,, Knowing what I have stored in the glass I would rule out contamination from toxic lab chemicals and assume the film is “normal” in the kitchen. Glass is resistant to etching with a few exceptions as fluoride, the film is a surface. As a side note sodium hydroxide (reagent) can make liquid sodium silicate but you don’t have NaOH pellets/ put Draino in your carboys.

Mechanically hot food (water) is a risk on cold glass. The defects that that show up on a canned food line are basically instant, ,,, if it has a thermal crack it is obvious and failure happens in the process, ,,, if a glass bottle survived process temperature shock the glass is still intact and usable. A test for cracks is that light shining on the glass will hit the crack and become visible as a line, ,,, cracking is not consistent with a cloud film.

Based on the uniformity of film I would be guessing something normal in the home and keep using the carboy.

 

[Old Corker]

A test for cracks is that light shining on the glass will hit the crack and become visible as a line

I learn something new almost every day on this site. Thanks @Rice_Guy

 

[jay2020]

I'll see if I can get a better picture of this. There's also some smaller, darker lines that are hard to see.

I purchased a drill-mounted carboy "brush" last year -- it has strips of a heavy felt-like material and does a great job of cleaning carboys. I'm making it a habit to use it each time I use a carboy.

Can you post a link to this device?

 

[winemaker81]

Can you post a link to this device?

Oddly enough, my LHBS didn't have it listed on their site. This link on Amazon is close to what I have:

https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Express-Carboy-Cleaning-Carboys/dp/B005N1ZCMC/ref=sr_1_8