Solid stopper for gallon carboy.

[Gerry Congleton]

I have been looking all over for a #6 solid stopper for a 1 gal. carboy (a gallon jug). The only thing available are lab stoppers and they are not food safe.
Know of a source that will fit?
Thanks!!

 

[Rice_Guy]

They are at the three wine toys stores that I frequent. PurpleFoof Milwaukee is to be noted since they also stock unusual ones as size 00 if I want to plug the hole in a standard stopper.
In a pinch you can make your own stopper out of silicone sealant or just block holes with silicone sealant or a round plastic or stainless steel bolt.

 

[winemaker81]

The vented bungs I buy for 19 liter carboys will fit a gallon jug, with a bit of effort.

 

[TurkeyHollow]

We use screw tops like these: https://www.amazon.com/38mm-Poly-Se...4PY53DX9X99&psc=1&refRID=Y7PG0FDJK4PY53DX9X99

 

[winemaker81]

We use screw tops like these

I tried these quite a few years ago and had trouble getting them to seal. I assume you have not encountered that problem?

 

[Ajmassa]

https://morewinemaking.com/products/rubber-stopper-6-solid.html
6.5’s usually fit those jugs as well

 

[MiBor]

I've had a bad experience with the PolySeal screw caps over the winter when I cold-stabilized 2 one-gallon jugs with those screw caps. After leaving it for 2 weeks in the shed I brought the wine inside. I removed the screw caps for a couple of hours to let the wine expand when normalizing to indoor temperature, than I put them back on. Apparently the wine was still a little cold and when it expanded some more with the screw caps installed, the little pressure it built inside the jugs cracked them both around the bottom. When I went to pick them up, the bottoms of those jugs remained on the table and 2 whole gallons of wine spilled on me and all over the floor. Since then I only use vented stoppers on all my glass containers and a little bit of argon gas from a wine preserver spray bottle. The size below fits all my 1,3,5 and 6 gallon containers and I don't have to worry about pressure building inside the jugs/carboys anymore.
Silicone Stopper (Breathable) - Carboy | MoreWine

 

[Raptor99]

The description does not mention 1-gallon containers. Do you now of a small size vented stopper?

 

[winemaker81]

The description does not mention 1-gallon containers. Do you now of a small size vented stopper?

My son proved they'll fit a 4 liter Carlo Rossi Jug. Only about 1/4" fits inside the mouth, but it seals.

I have a drawer full of drilled stoppers that will fit any bottle I have. He doesn't. Necessity is the mother of invention!

 

[TurkeyHollow]

I tried these quite a few years ago and had trouble getting them to seal. I assume you have not encountered that problem?

I didn't use these specifically - I purchased from my local home brew supply. They look exactly the same though (there isn't a brand stamped on them). I've also used them on beer growlers and they hold pressure well. For cold stabilizing, we tend to use drilled stoppers, topped with argon and sealed with a double-bubble airlock. I know it does pull air as the liquid contracts but we fill almost to the bottom of the stopper and the wine surface that comes in contact with the air/argon mix is minimal.

 

[Rembee]

Here is a solid rubber carboy stopper on Amazon from Home Brew Ohio. I have bought these and use them on my 1 gallon carboys.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...3a1-9414d29650b1&pd_rd_w=hAB7p&pd_rd_wg=bCwHd

 

[Boatboy24]

https://morewinemaking.com/products/rubber-stopper-6-solid.html
6.5’s usually fit those jugs as well

Yep, I use 6.5's on my 1gal. In a pinch, they'll work on a 3gal too.

 

[winemaker81]

Here is a solid rubber carboy stopper on Amazon from Home Brew Ohio. I have bought these and use them on my 1 gallon carboys.

I use screwcap 375 and 750 ml bottles for storing topup wine. Any container bigger I use an airlock or vented bung. The volume difference makes temperature and humidity differences important.

This is an opinion, not a fact, and is related to my personal conditions.. Other than barrels, which undergo evaporation so the barrel develops a vacuum, I don't use solid stoppers. This avoids avoids pressure problems due temperature and humidity. Recently I had carboys with wine in the airlock due to pressure changes. The level in the carboys should not have allowed this, but the reality is that it did.

IMO, unless your storage conditions are unchanging, plan for pressure differences.

 

[Rembee]

I use screwcap 375 and 750 ml bottles for storing topup wine. Any container bigger I use an airlock or vented bung. The volume difference makes temperature and humidity differences important.

This is an opinion, not a fact, and is related to my personal conditions.. Other than barrels, which undergo evaporation so the barrel develops a vacuum, I don't use solid stoppers. This avoids avoids pressure problems due temperature and humidity. Recently I had carboys with wine in the airlock due to pressure changes. The level in the carboys should not have allowed this, but the reality is that it did.

IMO, unless your storage conditions are unchanging, plan for pressure differences.

I only use solid stoppers on empty 1, 3, 5 & 6 gallon carboys for storage purposes only to keep nasties out. I store my empty carboys in my shed. I do not use the solid stoppers on any carboys that have my wine in them. I use airlocks and vented bungs on my bulk storage.

 

[winemaker81]

For the Carlo Rossi 4 liter jugs, I purchase plastic screwcaps at my LHBS, replacing the metal caps the jugs come with. These work in place of solid bungs.

 

[Rice_Guy]

you are a better wine maker than me, , , a few years back I found an airlock that had gone dry. Rather than risk this a second (or was it tenth?) time I use solids on anything a year old.

I use screwcap 375 and 750 ml bottles for storing topup wine. Any container bigger I use an airlock or vented bung. The volume difference makes temperature and humidity differences important.. . , I don't use solid stoppers. This avoids avoids pressure problems due temperature and humidity.

Your day to day variation of pressure might be an inch Hg so occasionally you could pull an air lock dry, (hurricane Alicia was 28.4 inches or pulling an inch and a half Hg) On an air lock an inch sanitizer would translate to .05 inches of Hg/ a millimeter.
The stoppers and carboy should take the load. For comparison the canning line doing pasta sauce ran a steam capper which flushed out the head space, as a guess jars hold 15 inches Hg vacuum and usually aren’t hard to open. ,,, and lots of commercial wine goes through vacuum corking.

 

[Khristyjeff]

In a pinch you can make your own stopper out of silicone sealant or just block holes with silicone sealant or a round plastic or stainless steel bolt.

I love the MacGyver of Winemakingtalk. Seriously makes me smile.