Have a question about primary fermenting vessel

[LAowen]

I will be making my first batch of wine this summer and I am getting all my supplies together.
So I have access to food grade 5 gallon buckets! Yay! Free stuff!
But the question is, would I be able to clean them enough to be usable for using them as my fermenting containers?

 

[DoctorCAD]

Yes, but be aware that you cannot ferment 5 gallons of wine in a 5 gallon bucket. Most primaries are 7.8 gallons.

 

[Arne]

But you can split the batch and do half in each bucket. The 5 gal. might fit in one of your buckets but when the ferment gets going it grows. Then we get a thread my wine blew over the top of my fermenter. Leave plenty of space at the top of your primarys, especially while you are learning and you won't have this problem. Arne.,

 

[cpfan]

I will be making my first batch of wine this summer and I am getting all my supplies together.
So I have access to food grade 5 gallon buckets! Yay! Free stuff!
But the question is, would I be able to clean them enough to be usable for using them as my fermenting containers?

What did the buckets contain previously? Vanilla frosting? OK. Dog food? Maybe not.

As others have commented, the size of the bucket limits the size of the batch. I would probably max out at 3 gallons in a 5 gallon pail. That works out great if you have 3 gallon carboys.

Steve

 

[ceeaton]

Also make sure the inside of the buckets aren't scratched up for some reason. Very hard to clean and sterilize once they are scratched, so be selective.

 

[JohnT]

just to put my 2 cents in...

A good rule of thumb is to have a primary that is 30% larger then the volume of wine being fermented.