Bucket / Fermenter as a Plastic Boiler... Which One!

[floydmeddler]

Howdy lads,

A mate of mine is building a brewery and I'm trying to locate a 33L plastic bucket / fermenter that will definitely do the job. Have been reading lots of threads on which buckets will work, but haven't found a definite answer. I know that some places Hop and Grape (and apparently Leyland?) have changed their buckets and that the walls are now thinner / weaker and therefore not suitable.

Has anyone, very recently, bought a bucket / fermenter around the 33l mark that definitely works as a boiler? Sorry for being so particular with my bold font etc. it's just that I don't want to be held responsible for my mate having 3rd degree burns

Can go down the blue barrel route if need be but it's a pain in the arse locating one.

Cheers!!

[Chard]

just bought one from the home brew shop in aldershot that is poly propalene, is pretty thick, comes with a lid and metal handle.

im in the process of making my boiler which should maybe be completed by the end of the weekend and maybe tested on monday.

[floydmeddler]

just bought one from the home brew shop in aldershot that is poly propalene, is pretty thick, comes with a lid and metal handle.

im in the process of making my boiler which should maybe be completed by the end of the weekend and maybe tested on monday.

Brilliant. Cheers Chard. Anyone else tried this one?

[sladeywadey]

just bought one from the home brew shop in aldershot that is poly propalene, is pretty thick, comes with a lid and metal handle.

im in the process of making my boiler which should maybe be completed by the end of the weekend and maybe tested on monday.

Brilliant. Cheers Chard. Anyone else tried this one?

I have just bought the 60 litre version from that shop and built the boiler today with Two of tesco's finest cordless kettle elements. it is fine.

[floydmeddler]

Brilliant. This one's a winner then!

[Chard]

just so u know i did a quick test boild with this the other day. no problems!

[floydmeddler]

Cool. My local HBS has started stocking them

[TheMumbler]

just so u know i did a quick test boild with this the other day. no problems!

how thick would you say the plastic is on that bucket Chard? I got one the other day and it seemed a bit flexible to me.

[badgerdan]

My bucket is only 2mm but on my test boil of 30 mins it was still fine, even at the tap area. The only thing that got quite flexible was the lid when I left it on to help get it boiling quicker. Haven't done a full boil yet but am thinking it'll be fine as this was around 15 liters (in a 30ltr bucket)
Polypropylene has a melting point of 130–171°C so should be stable at 100°C
I will always keep a close eye on it though just to be sure.

[Chard]

thickness is probably 2mm. I know theres some fuss at the moment about the thickness but this seems fine for 30l. i wouldnt advise moving it while its hot but i wouldnt advise moving anything thats full of 30 ish litres of boiling liquid regardless of whether id made it or not

[escapizm]

i asked same questions the other week here

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=30393

Bought from Chris at Hamstead Brewing Centre 0121 358 6800. They do a 33 litre and a 60, id go larger for boil over preventetion and you can make more ale in the same time as less!

[Chard]

dunno if its too late or what but i did my brew and the 2mm thick bucket was fine. just a 33L one though not 60L. check the link in my signature if u wanna see

[floydmeddler]

Cheers Chard. Too late for the brewery I built last week, but my other mate wants one now as well so this would suit I think. Those instructables look fantastic! Just to double check, where did you buy the buckets? Do you have a link? Thanks again.

[phatboytall]

I'm just moving from cider making to beer making and have a few fermentation buckets around so love the idea of turning one into a boiler with a kettle element.

Has anyone done a thread on how to make one of these?

Much appreciated, new to the site...

[badgerdan]

An old thread but I once again used my plastic fermenter boiler conversion yesterday and it was great I 15 litre boil for 1 hour with no leaks or excess flexibility.