[repo]

Buckets don't scratch that easily unless you abuse them. And I'll overlook blemishes. Used buckets benefit from an overnight caustic soak like PBW to get the stains and residual aroma out. I use sodium hydroxide but oxyclean also works well if used properly.

And another benefit is that I've drilled out a 1" hole in my fermenting buckets to allow a plastic spigot. Voila! No siphoning just gravity. I haven't siphoned once in five years.

Take care of your buckets and they'll take care of you.

Can you use a standard(green/yellow) with the rough(green) side to scrub them clean. And how high from the bottom of the bucket- say a six gallon one-  would you center the hole for your spigots?

[weithman5]

my spigots are as close to the bottom as they can be.  i think the center of the hole is just over an inch off the bottom.  any soft pad is fine for your bucket.  i usually just use a wash cloth.

[richardt]

Never use the scrubby side, just use the sponge.  Soak the bucket, carboy, or BB in water to soften the krausen that's stuck high on the walls of the fermentor.  Everything comes off with a simple wipe.

The plastic buckets and BB will still smell like hops/beer.  I've tried everything but nothing really gets the white walls of the fermentation buckets completely white again, i.e., they remain yellowish.

Regarding spigot placement--two things:
1.)  I recommend that you check your spigot first--you don't want your spigot extending below the bottom of the bucket--if it does, it'll break off when you set it down.  You want to place it high enough so there's some clearance when you set the bucket down or pick it up.  I've cracked the bulkhead portion of a cheap plastic spigot by setting a full bucket of wort down and having the spigot take the brunt of the weight--lead to slow leak and some loss of beer, but, thankfully, not the whole batch.  When I disassembled the spigot, it became obvious how close I came--the crack was nearly complete, I was able to snap the bulkhead portion in half with my thumb and two fingers.
2.)  leave a good inch above the bottom of the bucket (as measured internally) to minimize trub and yeast cake pickup.  You can always tilt the bucket towards the end to get the last bottle or two out.

[euge]

Buckets don't scratch that easily unless you abuse them. And I'll overlook blemishes. Used buckets benefit from an overnight caustic soak like PBW to get the stains and residual aroma out. I use sodium hydroxide but oxyclean also works well if used properly.

And another benefit is that I've drilled out a 1" hole in my fermenting buckets to allow a plastic spigot. Voila! No siphoning just gravity. I haven't siphoned once in five years.

Take care of your buckets and they'll take care of you.

Can you use a standard(green/yellow) with the rough(green) side to scrub them clean. And how high from the bottom of the bucket- say a six gallon one-  would you center the hole for your spigots?

I don't use the "scratchy" side of the sponge. Gentle scrubbing/wiping please. Frequently I'll use a piece of cheesecloth.

The bottom of the hole can be about 1" up from the bottom. This leaves the cake at the bottom of the vessel. You can go lower as long as the spigot's nut fits and can turn and tighten.

You want to use something like this on\off spigot: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/cubitainer-spigot.html and not the bottling spigot. And don't torque down on the nut. Finger tight is enough.

[denny]

Never use the scrubby side, just use the sponge.  Soak the bucket, carboy, or BB in water to soften the krausen that's stuck high on the walls of the fermentor.  Everything comes off with a simple wipe.

so true, so simple, so elegant....

[morticaixavier]

I use a nylon grain bag. a little scrubby but still pretty gentle. at least I haven't noticed any scratches yet.

The spigots I have on my buckets will turn to point up for storage and during fermentation so that you don't have to worry about wacking them when putting the bucket down.

[a10t2]

Let's not forget the Better Bottle.  Clear like a carboy, plastic like a bucket.

Hard to clean, dry hop, etc. like a carboy.

[tschmidlin]

In addition, they're unbreakable.

You're just not trying hard enough.

[gmac]

In addition, they're unbreakable.

You're just not trying hard enough.
[/quote
I was just about to post the exact same thing.
I've been using the green scrubby side for a year now, albeit lightly and no problems.  Now I have something new to worry about.

[Joe Sr.]

Let's not forget the Better Bottle.  Clear like a carboy, plastic like a bucket.

Hard to clean, dry hop, etc. like a carboy.

I've found that just about everything comes off with a good soak.  Not that hard to clean.

And dry hopping can be done in the keg...

[Slowbrew]

Let's not forget the Better Bottle.  Clear like a carboy, plastic like a bucket.

Hard to clean, dry hop, etc. like a carboy.

The carboy cleaner makes getting all the gunk out of a carboy easy.  http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/cleaning-chemicals-equipment/brushes/the-carboy-cleaner.html

I got one for Christmas.  It actually works very well.

Paul

[a10t2]

I'm definitely not saying that carboys can't be cleaned, just that it isn't as straightforward as a bucket.

[oscarvan]

Buckets cheaper.
Buckets stack.
Buckets nice.
8 Buckets bubbling as we speak.