Do Plastic Carboys Allow Oxygen To Get In My Wine?

Plastic Carboy FermenterHello,
I’ve heard that plastic carboys can allow oxygen into the carboy during wine brewing or aging. Do you have any knowledge regarding this?
Thank you for your help.
Sonia L.
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Dear Sonia,
All the plastic carboys we have seen are perfectly fine for fermenting wine. It’s all about the plastic being used.
In the case of the 5 gallon plastic water bottles, like you see at the grocery store, they are made of food-grade plastic, similar to that used to make milk jugs. Then saran is blown-in to layer the inside as an oxygen barrier.
We sell plastic carboys in various sizes that are made of PET. This is an oxygen-barrier plastic…  the same plastic used to make 2 liter soda pop bottles, only these fermenters are much thicker than a 2 liter. It is virtually impossible for oxygen to pass through them.
Happy Wine Making,
Customer Service
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.