Flip Top Bottles

[Beerbom]

Hi, my brother bought me a brand new box of "Mangrove Jack's Flip Top Bottles" from my local home brew shop.
I have never used Flip top bottles before. Only normal tallies, both PET and glass.
I sanitised and filled his brand new Flip Top Tallies with a new brew, added the usual 2 x Carbonation drops. Told him to let sit in a cool spot in his shed for a minimum of 2 x weeks, 4 weeks even better, then refrigerate and enjoy. He opened 1 after 3 weeks and said it was flat...
Has any one ever had issues with Flip Top Bottles sealing before...? I know the rubber can wear over time but these are brand new...
Cheers.

 

[Drubbing]

Depends how cool the spot he left them in was. They may not have been warm enough to carb up. Although I remember getting too many flatties using carb drops, so stopped using them.

I only use flip tops to bottle and rarely have an issue. Mine are a few years old, so the occasional flat one gets taken out of circulation or I replace the seal.

 

[Beerbom]

Depends how cool the spot he left them in was. They may not have been warm enough to carb up. Although I remember getting too many flatties using carb drops, so stopped using them.

I only use flip tops to bottle and rarely have an issue. Mine are a few years old, so the occasional flat one gets taken out of circulation or I replace the seal.

Thanks Drubbing, good to know. We're S/E qld so this time of year it's definitely not too cool in his downstairs laundry/storage area.
I intend to visit his place next week and test one for myself to see if it was just a one bottle issue...
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Half-baked]

User error is a distinct possibility. E.g. forgot to put carb drops in that one…

 

[Beerbom]

User error is a distinct possibility. E.g. forgot to put carb drops in that one…

This is absolutely a possibility... Although I have a routine, as in line the tallies up and start left to right etc.
But yes I'll find out this Friday...

 

[Maves]

Yes, routine and all, I have missed the very occasional one, usually when stopping to open a new packet.
Flash, an inspiration........Open the second one first if the first one has been used.

 

[Maves]

mise en place

 

[KegLand-com-au]

Many of these bottles have silicone seals which have very poor oxygen transmission rate. Would you guys prefer us to make new swing top bottles from the same Low2 rubber that we use in these low2 keg seals?
https://www.kegland.com.au/products...low2-yellow-o-ring-ball-lock-or-pin-lock-kegs

 

[AzzA68]

Many of these bottles have silicone seals which have very poor oxygen transmission rate. Would you guys prefer us to make new swing top bottles from the same Low2 rubber that we use in these low2 keg seals?
https://www.kegland.com.au/products...low2-yellow-o-ring-ball-lock-or-pin-lock-kegs

Yes, that would be great. Especially for vintage ales etc.

 

[pete-ej20]

I've been using the same mangrove jacks ones, and have had a similar experience. I bottle from keg (after force carbonation), and have found that after more than a few weeks they lose all carbonation and become flat. I'll be going back to good old reliable crown seals I think

 

[pacman]

I use flip tops exclusively. But not silicone seals, they are ineffective.

 

[Drubbing]

I use flip tops exclusively. But not silicone seals, they are ineffective.

Not my experience. Been using mine for 5 years.

 

[Simon N]

I had some with this issue. Tightened the seal by squeezing the mechanism together where the two wires meet which largely solved it

 

[Narapoia]

I can't comment specifically on the Mangrove Jacks flip tops but I bought a bunch of Groslch ones from FB marketplace and they have been great, never had an issue with the seals or oxidation and I've left some red ales in there for many months to condition.

So it might be a specific issue with the MJ flip tops or maybe a dud batch of them if you find that more than the initial tester are not holding their seal.

 

[WHRALR]

I have 3 dozen flip top, 1 doz no brand from the internet and 2 doz from my trusted Home Brew shop in Nth Sydney. 1 dud, no evidence of leaking, so I assumed user error. They are quite robust and a much easier way to bottle. Otherwise I use champagne bottle (both 750 and 375) with stopper and wire cage