# 10 litre no-chill cubes?



## jimmyfozzers (15/3/13)

I'm hoping to have my first attempt at all-grain this weekend, with a half-batch of All-Amarillo APA using BIAB. I'll need to no-chill as my brew fridge won't be free until next weekend, so need to pick up a 10 litre no-chill cube. Can anyone suggest where to get something appropriate? I live pretty near Bunn-Bunns - does anyone know if they sell something suitable? Thanks!


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## bum (15/3/13)

If Bunnings don't have anything that size then try any of the big camping/outdoor/disposals shops - one of them will have something for sure.


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## mkstalen (15/3/13)

As per Bum. Bunnings might have something, but you're probably better off trying a camping store. Ray Outdoors, Kangaroo Tent City, BCF etc etc.


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## fletcher (15/3/13)

you could use a 10L camping jerry can - the little white/transparent-y ones. i use one as a FV as it comes with a tap, and am considering doing the same thing. no chilling with it, then pitching when it's ready straight into the same vessel. it fits 10L really snug with minimal head space too.

EDIT:

http://www.thebrewshop.com.au/plastic-jerry-can-1.html

this is the style i mean. i got mine from a camping shop.


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## JDW81 (15/3/13)

Big W also have various sizes of the blue willow water jerries. They are a bit more exxy but are good and strong.


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## Logman (15/3/13)

I've got a couple from Bunnings, same as their 20's...


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## jimmyfozzers (15/3/13)

Good stuff guys - thanks for that. Bunnings will be easiest for me as is closer than the camping stores.

Does the type of plastic matter, or is all food grade plastic OK at boiling wort temps?


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## jimmyfozzers (15/3/13)

Logman said:


> I've got a couple from Bunnings, same as their 20's...


Are they the jerry-can type with moulded handles and black lids?


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## drsmurto (15/3/13)

I bought 10L water jerrycans from Rays Outdoors in Adelaide (TTG). Made from HDPE and food grade. I use them to cc in and they come with a hole ready for a tap.


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## jaypes (15/3/13)

The ones that are at my local Bunnings store are HDPE / Food Grade with a hole drilled for a tap

Made by BMW Plastics, they also make the 20L Water Jerry's which I prefer as they store about 23L and I can fit 2 of them in my fermenting/barfridge if I need to ferment in them


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## MaltyHops (15/3/13)

jimmyfozzers said:


> Good stuff guys - thanks for that. Bunnings will be easiest for me as is closer than the camping stores.
> 
> Does the type of plastic matter, or is all food grade plastic OK at boiling wort temps?


Hey, since you're in Adelaide, go to Gaganis Brothers in Mile End - they have 10L HDPE cubes for about $9. The cubes don't come with taps but Gaganis also sell the taps for about $1.50 or so.

Yes, HDPE is the go.


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## Logman (15/3/13)

jimmyfozzers said:


> Are they the jerry-can type with moulded handles and black lids?


Large lid size with a spare bung underneath and a hole for a tap.


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## Florian (15/3/13)

Kmart and supercheap auto haven't been mentioned yet, both stock jerry cans in various sizes.


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## Bribie G (15/3/13)

I have two 10L jerries from Bunnings and they are ideal as no chillers. As per usual they hold a bit over 10, but two of them will give you an excellent batch to fill a keg.

Because of surface to volume geometry they cool down more quickly overnight to pitching temperatures (plus a bit of a tickle-up in the fridge) whereas the big single cube would still be at 33 degrees or whatever in the morning.

Also much more handle-able if you are doing a full batch. Been using them for about a year.


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## thedragon (15/3/13)

I have one of these for when I do smaller batches:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_water-storage-jerry-can-bmw-10l-camp-wtap-6400_P3243463.aspx?search=Jerry+can&searchType=any&searchSubType=products

HDPE from the green shed


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## jaypes (15/3/13)

I got these ones but in clear/white - http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_water-storage-jerry-can-bmw-20l-hvy-dty-grn-wpourerbung_P3240381.aspx?search=water+storage+jerry+can&searchType=any&searchSubType=products


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## jimmyfozzers (16/3/13)

Thanks again for all the replies - some great advice there. In the end I went for the 10litre BMW Bunnings (with the black lid). $10 - can't go wrong!

Hopefully will get to use it in anger this evening. Can't wait


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## technobabble66 (16/3/13)

I'm still learning some of this basic stuff, so please forgive the simple question:

Do you ferment in these cubes also? or do you just use them for the no-chill cooling stage over a few days, then transfer the wort to the fermenter?

If you ferment in them, aren't they hard to clean?


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## hsb (16/3/13)

I'd say most use them for no chill then dump it into a.n.other fermenter. That allows you to oxygenate the wort as you tip it from one to the other, plus you want some headspace in the fermenter.

But lots of people use them to ferment as well, you can fit more in the fridge. Just rinse well with Napisan etc. to clean, I prefer ones with a wide enough neck to get your arm in but no reason you can't just use chemicals to clean them out. Good soak, shake, rinse, repeat etc until clean enough to sterilise.

Any HDPE container will do, so long as its watertight and you can get the wort/beer in/out, you're only limited by your imagination/retail skills.


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## Bribie G (16/3/13)

The 10L are really too small to ferment in, unless you are doing a toy batch.
If you did decide to ferment say 7 litres to allow headspace, then it might be dodgy to use it for a no chill cube later on.

No matter how well you sanitised it, there's always the possibility of yeast cells carrying over which could start a runaway fermentation in the cube.

For the price, keep them corralled for no chill use only.

Some people ferment in larger jerry can type cubes and cleaning is fairly simple, fill with a solution of Sodium Percarbonate (Napisan is 30% Perc) and leave overnight then wash out a few times and add a few drops of Starsan and shake well to coat the interior with the foam.

If the cubes get a bit stained with use, you can clean them with a cup of rice and Perc and give them a good shaking.


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## black_labb (16/3/13)

I've just NCed in 2 BMW 10L (bunnings) and the lid on one of them skipped over the threads because the plastic became too soft meaning I couldn't get a proper seal. It sucked air but hopefully while it was hot enough to steam any bacteria. I expect it to be properly sealed now that it is cold and retightened. I've had this happen before on a 20L cube. Oddly enough they both use red lids, could it be that the ingredients to dye the plastic red make the plastic soft under heat, or maybe I just get angry when I see red like a bull. Either way I want to get a more reliable jerrycan.


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## Bribie G (16/3/13)

Mine are the red lid version, but I don't store wort in them - always gets pitched the next day. If I were storing wort long term I'd get back into the Bacchus FWK style cubes. I've got a RIS wort in one of those that's been there since October 2011 - maybe I should get round to fermenting it sometime soon


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## felten (16/3/13)

My 10L BMW jerries had sealing problems as well (black lids, blue lids), fixed it with a few wraps of teflon tape and/ or keg lube. I use them for NC and fermenting.


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## Adam Howard (16/3/13)

I had that lid issue with one of the 10L ones. I found that it's very easy to cross-thread and that once I got it threaded right I could tighten it down fully. These little jerry's are great because you can lean them back and basically purge ALL air out.


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## fletcher (3/4/13)

i got a $4, 10L springwater cube with tap from coles the other day, and once drunk, was considering using it for no chilling - seems thinner than the normal jerrys though so i'm concerned about it bending too badly/lid not sealing. anyone had luck with one of these guys?


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## felten (3/4/13)

Is it HDPE?


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## Bribie G (3/4/13)

It will probably melt. Make sure you wear rubber boots and no toddlers or small animals in the vicinity.


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## fletcher (3/4/13)

felten said:


> Is it HDPE?


i was gonna test it very carefully with boiling water but i'm not sure if it's HDPE. had a quick wiki and saw that it should show a number 2 if it is. i'll look for that tonight.


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## technobabble66 (4/4/13)

FWIW:
Bought 2 of the 10L cubes ($10 each) from bunnings last week plus an open-top 30L cube ($19?) for fermenting. I found the caps were all fine, but the taps could easily pop loose in the 10L cubes. 
So I pulled the tap out of my original 33L fermenter and tried that - sealed perfectly. 
I also found the lid on the 30L open-top wouldn't seal airtight because of the join-mark; so I had to carve/file it back a bit. 

I brewed 10L on Sunday & no-chilled in a cube for 2 days. All good. It's currently fermenting in the new fermenter. Also all good. 
I'll have to try the plumbing tape on the tap thread - see if that'll solve the problem.


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## fletcher (4/4/13)

my coles 10L one has the 2 and actually states HDPE - i'm guessing that's okay then felten? seems thinner than the jerry cans from bunnings and the like but i might test with water now


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## Bribie G (4/4/13)

Make sure you test with near-boiling liquid because that's what you intend to put into it.


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## fletcher (4/4/13)

Bribie G said:


> Make sure you test with near-boiling liquid because that's what you intend to put into it.


cheers bribie, yeah i'm about to do this now. i'll see how she goes and be careful too.


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## hellbent (4/4/13)

15ltr for about $13 Monday


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## fletcher (9/4/13)

well, the coles $4 springwater container worked. it's HDPE and can hold 10L airtight quite comfortably. two handles so it's fairly easy to hold. i carried it around a bit and the plastic, while thinner than other cubes, held intact with no leakages or breaks and tears. aka, use caution and gloves/boots. it does lose its shape though with 10L of boiling water and the lack of escaping steam but all in all, I'm happy with the result from the boiling water test. i'll use it for my next 10L batch and report back. pretty cool. a no-chill cube for $4.


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## pressure_tested (17/4/13)

This thing fits in my wine fridge perfectly but it has a small lid opening and only holds 10L but I can't tell if it's HDPE or not... How do I work that out?
I'd like to ferment very small batches in it.

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/SCA-Water-Carry-Can-10L.aspx?pid=340673#Cross

Any advice?


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## fletcher (17/4/13)

this is a pic of the $4 one from coles. the top has curled in slightly but it's done a top job and the lid has a tap so that when i pour into fermenter it'll splash and aerate the wort!


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## jaypes (17/4/13)

haha ghetto!


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## fletcher (17/4/13)

haha can't beat it...10L at $4...winner.


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## felten (17/4/13)

pressure_tested said:


> This thing fits in my wine fridge perfectly but it has a small lid opening and only holds 10L but I can't tell if it's HDPE or not... How do I work that out?


Look on the jerry for the recycling number stamp.


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## fletcher (17/4/13)

HDPE should have a number 2 inside the stamp i believe


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## jaypes (18/4/13)

people in plastic have 10L cubes from $11 I think - HDPE

the 25L is cheaper still


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## jollster101 (31/7/13)

Hi all,

Old'ish thread but I have read through it and used the information in it to purchase 2 BMW 10L Red lid cans from Bunnings. The ones I got do not have taps in them but I have purchased 2 of the taps that will work with them.

One thing I wondered is if I do decide to use the taps. or come to think of it even if I don't decide to use the taps but just stick with the bung that came with them, is it worth swapping the standard rubber washers for silicon ones?

I suppose the last thing I want to happen when I use them for the first time and transfer hot wort into them is for the stock rubber washers to fail.

Any thoughts?


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## JDW81 (31/7/13)

jollster101 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Old'ish thread but I have read through it and used the information in it to purchase 2 BMW 10L Red lid cans from Bunnings. The ones I got do not have taps in them but I have purchased 2 of the taps that will work with them.
> 
> ...


I've never used silicone washers on my cubes and am still yet to have a failure. Some of my cubes a over 3 years old and still going strong with all the original bits. It is more about how you treat them between uses than while full.


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## jollster101 (1/8/13)

JDW81 said:


> It is more about how you treat them between uses than while full.


Could you elaborate a bit more on that.....I am branching into this for the first time and so am slowly gathering my kit ready for my first brew.

Also do you have taps in your cubes or taps out? I am thinking obviously taps in as that will make it easier for dispensing (although I did get what Bunn's apparently call a helpful plastic pourer with the cube)


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## technobabble66 (1/8/13)

FWIW in my limited experience, the taps are rather handy. It means when you're ready to fill the fermenter you can sit the cube above the ferm, open the tap & let it steadily stream in & aerate the wort - all ready for the yeasties to get going.

Having said that, just pouring it in from the top opening is similar & quick, just not as much aeration, i s'pose.

And you need to make sure the taps fit tight & snuggly - you really don't want any tiny leaks, or worse still: air getting into the cube. One of mine seems to get a tight fit with the tap facing upwards, so that one gets poured straight in.

TLDR: I prefer taps in.

Also, i've left the original seals in. And i used some teflon tape on both the top lid & the taps.




JDW81, on 31 Jul 2013 - 9:14 PM, said:




JDW81 said:


> It is more about how you treat them between uses than while full.


 Could you elaborate a bit more on that...


+1...


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## JDW81 (1/8/13)

technobabble66 said:


> Could you elaborate a bit more on that...
> 
> 
> +1...


Mainly keeping them clean, with the taps/bungs and cubes stored somewhere out of direct light. 

I clean my cubes as soon as I've finished and soak for a day or so with napisan. Once they're done I rise, take out the taps/bung and them store them upside down in the garage which is dark most of the time. Taps and bungs get cleaned, dried and kept in a drawer out of the light/dust. 

JD.


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## Silver (1/8/13)

Likewise, give a good rinse with hot tap water, throw half capful napisan more hot water. about 5 ltr, lid on and shake, open tap to flush under pressure. Over the course of the next few days i rotate cube and let it sit one face a day to soak all surfaces. When needed i rinse 3 times hot tap water (Usually just after i have put whirlflok into new brew) ready to be filled.


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## markjd (9/8/13)

Just did my first 10L no chill cube with a belgian blonde. A little tricky to seal the lid, but looks ok so far.


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