I'm sure there are many reasons not to use the 2 liter bottle for this
purpose, and many better alternatives. I'll thank everyone in advance
for telling me those facts, but, will a 2 liter plastic soda bottle
hold the beer or wine without exploding? Say if the fermentation was
not complete or if it restarted?

I've seen 2 liter bottles pressurized to failure (not pressure gauge
used) and they seem pretty strong. However I have no idea of the
strength needed, nor any idea of what a fermenting beverage could
generate.

Thanks

Eric

Yes, I've used them for cider. I believe they're rated to around 100
psi. Or in other words, much higher than you need to worry about in
home brewing.

[harsley]

I've used plastic when in a pinch. Actually better for soda or extra carbonated things because it won't explode as easy as glass. Permeable to oxygen though so don't use for long term storage...

Eric,
I imagine you are referring to the PET soda bottles we see just about
everywhere these days.
They are very strong & highly pressure resistant, over pressure is likely to
be detected by an extremely tight feel of the bottle sides & some
distortion.
Gently releaseing the cap will give you excellent feedback.
In my experience some leakage of gas from the screwcap seal can be expected
before the bottles finally fail.
I can't recall ever having a pressure failure of one of these bottles
regardless of size & yes I have used the two litre type.

Pete


"Eric Kent" <Erickent@giveme10.Com> wrote in message
news:nm9au2tju1hi34vbam7ujv77amaqc1en46@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> I'm sure there are many reasons not to use the 2 liter bottle for this
> purpose, and many better alternatives. I'll thank everyone in advance
> for telling me those facts, but, will a 2 liter plastic soda bottle
> hold the beer or wine without exploding? Say if the fermentation was
> not complete or if it restarted?
>
> I've seen 2 liter bottles pressurized to failure (not pressure gauge
> used) and they seem pretty strong. However I have no idea of the
> strength needed, nor any idea of what a fermenting beverage could
> generate.
>
> Thanks
>
> Eric[/color]

"Eric Kent" <Erickent@giveme10.Com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> I'm sure there are many reasons not to use the 2 liter bottle for this
> purpose, and many better alternatives. I'll thank everyone in advance
> for telling me those facts, but, will a 2 liter plastic soda bottle
> hold the beer or wine without exploding? Say if the fermentation was
> not complete or if it restarted?
>
> I've seen 2 liter bottles pressurized to failure (not pressure gauge
> used) and they seem pretty strong. However I have no idea of the
> strength needed, nor any idea of what a fermenting beverage could
> generate.[/color]

You should not have a problem with "pressure". Your problem will
be possible "oxidation".

PET bottles are made to contain pressure. However, the oxidation
barrier of PET bottles will break down over time. My policy is
to use them for short-term storage of beer (I don't make wine.)
Regardless of the number of times I use a PET bottle, I put them
in the recycle bag three months after their first use.

I hate bottling for two reasons: 1) it's skut work and 2) friends
seem to take forever to return the bottles. For the second, I use
PET bottles for beer being given away.

Dick

On 25 Mar, 08:21, rdad...@smart.net (Dick Adams) wrote:[color=blue]
> "Eric Kent" <Erick...@giveme10.Com> wrote:[color=green]
> > I'm sure there are many reasons not to use the 2 liter bottle for this
> > purpose, and many better alternatives. I'll thank everyone in advance
> > for telling me those facts, but, will a 2 liter plastic soda bottle
> > hold the beer or wine without exploding? Say if the fermentation was
> > not complete or if it restarted?[/color]
>[color=green]
> > I've seen 2 liter bottles pressurized to failure (not pressure gauge
> > used) and they seem pretty strong. However I have no idea of the
> > strength needed, nor any idea of what a fermenting beverage could
> > generate.[/color]
>
> You should not have a problem with "pressure". Your problem will
> be possible "oxidation".
>
> PET bottles are made to contain pressure. However, the oxidation
> barrier of PET bottles will break down over time. My policy is
> to use them for short-term storage of beer (I don't make wine.)
> Regardless of the number of times I use a PET bottle, I put them
> in the recycle bag three months after their first use.
>
> I hate bottling for two reasons: 1) it's skut work and 2) friends
> seem to take forever to return the bottles. For the second, I use
> PET bottles for beer being given away.
>
> Dick[/color]

If using the 2 litre bottles then after opening, draw off to a jug and
pour out drinks from there, otherwise if just taking off a pint from
the bottle, when you go back to it, it'll be cloudy as somehow it
draws the yeast off the bottom.

You could also try 1 litre bottles and then have the right amount for
a couple of pints.

"Eric Kent" <Erickent@giveme10.Com> wrote in message
news:nm9au2tju1hi34vbam7ujv77amaqc1en46@4ax.com...
.....[color=blue]
>
> I've seen 2 liter bottles pressurized to failure (not pressure gauge
> used) and they seem pretty strong. However I have no idea of the
> strength needed, nor any idea of what a fermenting beverage could
> generate.
>
> Thanks
>
> Eric
>[/color]




[url]http://www.prairiemoon.biz/sosisebofa.html[/url]
plastic soda bottles have a design rating of 200 psi.

1 atmosphere is 14.7 psi

[url]http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/SeemaMeraj.shtml[/url]
soda is around 55 psi (55/14.7 = 3.74 atmospheres)


[url]http://www.angelfire.com/ks2/beer/homekeg.html[/url]
[url]http://www.kegs.com/faqs2.html[/url]
beer is around 1 atmosphere (14.7psi)

If you make beer in plastic soda bottles you would be putting 14.7 psi in a
bottle designed for 200 psi. Obviously, soda bottles are over engineered
(200 psi rating to hold 55psi soda) so they don't break if banged around.

On 2007-03-25, peterlonz <peterlo8@bigpond.net.au> wrote:[color=blue]
> Eric,
> I imagine you are referring to the PET soda bottles we see just about
> everywhere these days.
> They are very strong & highly pressure resistant, over pressure is likely to
> be detected by an extremely tight feel of the bottle sides & some
> distortion.
> Gently releaseing the cap will give you excellent feedback.
> In my experience some leakage of gas from the screwcap seal can be expected
> before the bottles finally fail.
> I can't recall ever having a pressure failure of one of these bottles
> regardless of size & yes I have used the two litre type.
>
> Pete
>
>
> "Eric Kent" <Erickent@giveme10.Com> wrote in message
> news:nm9au2tju1hi34vbam7ujv77amaqc1en46@4ax.com...[color=green]
>> I'm sure there are many reasons not to use the 2 liter bottle for this
>> purpose, and many better alternatives. I'll thank everyone in advance
>> for telling me those facts, but, will a 2 liter plastic soda bottle
>> hold the beer or wine without exploding? Say if the fermentation was
>> not complete or if it restarted?
>>
>> I've seen 2 liter bottles pressurized to failure (not pressure gauge
>> used) and they seem pretty strong. However I have no idea of the
>> strength needed, nor any idea of what a fermenting beverage could
>> generate.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Eric[/color]
>
>[/color]
I once bottled ginger beer in 2-litre PET bottles. After a few days, it was
pressurised to the extent that the caps started to dome up. Scary stuff. I
don't expect that malt beer would generate anything like that amount of
pressure - not with a mere teaspoon-full of priming sugar, anyway.
Cheers
Fraser