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. . . Use a heating belt or heating wrap with BetterBottle Carboys? – Many winemakers and brewers do so regularly and without any problems. However, bear in mind that the upper temperature limit for BetterBottle carboys is 60°C (140°F). Do not attach a wrap-style or belt-style heater to an empty carboy or to a section of a carboy that is not filled with liquid and apply power. The liquid may be necessary to draw away heat and prevent the surface temperature from rising too much. If you have doubts about how hot your wrap or belt is heating the surface of your carboy, slip a liquid crystal temperature strip capable of reading up to 70°C (158°F) underneath, as a check. Place the label side of the strip toward the carboy so you can read it through the carboy.
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. . . Use liquid crystal temperature strips? –
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Absolutely! A typical, 2 cm X 16 cm, dual-scale (4°C - 28°C / 39°F - 82°F) liquid crystal strip will fit all three sizes of BetterBottle carboys. Furthermore, testing by BetterBottle indicates that the special PET used to make BetterBottle carboys conducts heat sufficiently well so the strips can indicate the temperature of the contained liquid within a fraction of a degree, even when the ambient temperature is 20°C higher or lower. See the paragraph about labeling in the How-To section under the Product Information tab at the top of this page for specific information about using liquid crystal strips with BetterBottle carboys and how the strips can be attached in a manner that permits them to be re-used over and over.
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. . . Port my plain BetterBottle Carboys? – BetterBottle PET is tough and tightly stretched, which is all part of what makes our carboys such excellent fermenters. However, it also makes them difficult to port. In order to function properly with a BetterBottle Carboy Adapter, the hole must be round and the edges clean. BetterBottle has tried to develop practical hand tools for porting, but all the tools tested so far have been too costly and/or require too much training. Offering a porting service is also not practical, because the cost of round-trip freight and handling exceeds the cost of a new, factory-ported carboy in the great majority of cases. At the present time, the best option is to purchase a ported carboy and use your plain carboy for some other aspect of your fermentation operations, such as propagating yeasts or for storing potable water (see below).
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| . . . Use BetterBottle Carboys for potable water? – You bet! People, who want safe, BPA-free containers for their potable water have been using BetterBottle fermenter carboys ever since the BPA and plasticizers scandals hit the front pages. |
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