I've been brewing for about 12 years. I was poor and I scrounged a lot of my early brewing stuff from yard sales and the like. I was so excited when I found a couple of beautiful glass carboys! Finally, I could SEE what was going on in my little science experiments! Over the years I've picked up more from moving friends and fellow brewers. I usually primary in my wonderful Spiedels but for long term aging I use glass. I saw some of the gruesome and horrific broken glass carboy threads pretty early on, but I ignored these cautionary tales. They did make me careful, and for 12 years I've been lucky.
Last night, that luck ended. I was dumping cleaning solution from a 5 gal carboy when it shattered. No idea if I bumped the sidewall or if it just gave out. The pressure of the water rushing out of this busted glass balloon gave the shards a little extra velocity and I was instantly soaked and bleeding from my right (dominant) hand. I immediately went into first aid mode, grabbed a towel, made a fist around it, and raised it over my head. Not my first rodeo. I was able to find gauze, vet wrap, and alcohol and went to bandage it up. First look as I got it under running water? This isn't good, but it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Got it wrapped up, finally sat down with my hand over my head. Gotta call my wonderful and long-suffering wife. ”I'm OK." "WTF did you do now?" 20 years, she knows me well
16 stitches and a case of the dumbass later, I'm asking you to retire your glass carboys. I know, it won't happen to you because you're careful. Like riding a motorcycle, an accident is not a matter of if but when. I was incredibly lucky it wasn't worse. We have sooooo many options available now that we've never had as homebrewers before. Stainless buckets & conicals, loads of better plastic options. When I started this adventure glass was an awesome upgrade from my plastic buckets. But a plastic bucket never gave me stitches. Let em go folks, it's time!
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