Brisbane - leaky ex whiskey barrel

[toncils]

I bought a couple of whiskey barrels from Mexico, one of them started leaking after a year. It's nothing too major, but I don't need it anymore. Perfect for those who love a barrel aged beer or the budding cooper.

Selling for $50. Currently full of beer, which I'll empty when bought.
South Brisbane

 

[adam77]

Hi,

What size is the barrel?

Do you know which part of the barrel is leaking?

Thanks,

Adam.

 

[toncils]

Whoops - forgot to mention such information::

It's a 20l. The leaks are around the sides (in the middle of the staves). One of the staves has a split in it, which I've halted with a big hose-clamp, and the other leak is between two staves.

It doesn't seem to leak more than a few ml each week (seems that temperature changes affect it, it's a bit worse at the moment).

 

[Dozer71]

Was it left empty for a while as the wood will dry a bit and shrink, and then leak on first filling . Add water (after emptying all liquor) continually until the wood swells again and it seals up. Can then add liquor of choice.

 

[Yob]

the problem with a leaking barrel.. as Ive just discovered.. is that mold and all sorts of things will want to attack the leaking fluid, it will, if left unchecked, make its way into the barrel and infect the contents.

As soon as I recently saw this occurring Ive emptied the barrel, scraped off all the mold I can see and have been treating the outside with vinegar every time im even close to it.

as Dozer says, add water.. and probably sodium metabisulphate until its sealed again.. then hold your breath fro a few months.

 

[toncils]

Nah it's never been dry for more than an hour or two.
Haven't had any issues with mould sending the contents stale, though that's something worth noting to anyone who's interested in this.

 

[Yob]

what sort and how many beers have you put through it?

did you bring them back from Mexico yourself?

 

[Feldon]

the problem with a leaking barrel.. as Ive just discovered.. is that mold and all sorts of things will want to attack the leaking fluid, it will, if left unchecked, make its way into the barrel and infect the contents.

As soon as I recently saw this occurring Ive emptied the barrel, scraped off all the mold I can see and have been treating the outside with vinegar every time im even close to it.

as Dozer says, add water.. and probably sodium metabisulphate until its sealed again.. then hold your breath fro a few months.

Don't know much about barrels, but I've seen sulphur wicks for sale on some OS websites. Probably available here somewhere.



Apparently you light a small piece of a sulphur wick and chuck it into the empty barrel. I think they work by producing sulphur dioxide gas, which then combines with water in the damp timber to produce sulphuric acid and heat. Being a gas the SO2 gets into all the nooks and crannies whereas a sanitising solution can only get to the parts of the barrel its in contact with.

(Need consider using the wicks outside. I was gassed by SO2 once in an electroplating shop. All areas that were sweaty (armpits, groin etc) were burned where the SO2 reacted with water. Mouth and probably lungs likwewise. Face swelled up like a melon.)

https://www.brouwland.com/en/our-products/bottles-tanks-barrels/wooden-barrels/taps-and-accessories/d/sulphur-wicks-10-pieces#.Vo31tPJdPcs

 

[adam77]

Thanks for clarifying Toncils.

Where in Brisbane are you located?

Adam.

 

[toncils]

No - I got the barrels sent from the coopers.

I'm in South Brisbane.

 

[Grainer]

Just use bees wax to seal

 

[Yob]

Just use bees wax to seal

I'd considered that but in my case where mold has been noticed, insurance policies need to be applied.

 

[winkle]

I'd like it. can't pay you until the 21st though if thats a problem.

 

[toncils]

No mould has been noticed on this barrel.

I thought of faffing around with bees wax, but I've been intending to reduce my setup for a while- ergo too lazy.

If it's still available on the 21st it's all yours, Winkle.

 

[madpierre06]

Ok, I can grab it off you mate.....I'll send a PM for pickup details.

Perry, I'll drop you a line to cover this mate.

 

[Yob]

Don't know much about barrels, but I've seen sulphur wicks for sale on some OS websites. Probably available here somewhere.

sulphur wicks.jpg

Apparently you light a small piece of a sulphur wick and chuck it into the empty barrel. I think they work by producing sulphur dioxide gas, which then combines with water in the damp timber to produce sulphuric acid and heat. Being a gas the SO2 gets into all the nooks and crannies whereas a sanitising solution can only get to the parts of the barrel its in contact with.

(Need consider using the wicks outside. I was gassed by SO2 once in an electroplating shop. All areas that were sweaty (armpits, groin etc) were burned where the SO2 reacted with water. Mouth and probably lungs likwewise. Face swelled up like a melon.)

https://www.brouwland.com/en/our-products/bottles-tanks-barrels/wooden-barrels/taps-and-accessories/d/sulphur-wicks-10-pieces#.Vo31tPJdPcs

man 30 odd euro to ship.. thats nasty, cant seem to turn them up anywhere here either...

 

[Feldon]

man 30 odd euro to ship.. thats nasty, cant seem to turn them up anywhere here either...

There's an Irish homebrew shop that sells sulphur wicks. Might be cheaper dealing with them re. shipping costs (but out of stock at the moment). See http://www.homebrewwest.ie/sulphur-wicks-german-10-pieces-1756-p.asp

Good instruction sheet here on how to use sulphur wicks. See www.pros.co.nz/PDF/PDS/Sulphur%20Sticks%20Tech%20Sheet.pdf

SO2 seems to have been an old world sanitising solution. I know that German hop suppliers used large metal containers flushed with SO2 to ship hops to Australia. Here's a news item from the NT Times of 1913 about using sulphur wicks to sanitise jars for preserving fruit. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/3270809

 

[toncils]

Sold! To the man with the bow tie.