Bottle Washer Plastic or Brass

Agree totally with your comments, ie

2) The brass is better because it will last longer than the plastic.

PROBABLE SOLUTION.... The nozzle on your BLAST washer is worn. A good dealer will have replacement nozzles available. If not try calling Buon Vino in Ontario Canada.

Steve

As I am progressing in this subject I hear that the brass Bottle Washer could be harmful to a house plumbing system. How, I just do not know. It may be caused by the quick water shut down when you pull the bottle up. It would be beneficial to learn from people that have use the brass washer.

Hmm, I have never heard that. I have used the brass washer for a couple of years with no problems. I'm not sure how it could harm the plumbing any more than turning on and off a tap, or flushing a toilet.

I bought a brass one, and it functionally works great. However, it makes a very nasty resonant squealing when I use it -- not always, but at least 1/2 the time. I plan to replace it with a plastic one.

Hmmmm...I don't think that there is much difference between the plastic & brass ones in this regard. A friend and I used a brass one regularly over 4-5 years with no noticable plumbing problems; however we both lived in new houses (less than 10 years old at the end).

One problem that BOTH brass and plastic might cause is damage to the mount of the faucet. IE constant up/down motion on the tap might loosen it. This should not be a problem with the plastic Double Blast because the unit sits on the bottom of the sink with a hose attaching to the tap.

Steve

My wash tub is in the basement and the copper pipes are exposed. When the brass washer shuts up I can feel with my hand the vibration in the copper pipe above me. When holding the faucet in my right hand I can feel the inflation and release of the pressure. I had a plastic one "The Blast Bottle Washer" made by Fermtech Ltd. for about two years until the needle valve when off. The durability of the Fermtech washer gives me food for tough. Before buying another one I am having a second tough. On the other hand it could be just the curing of the plastic needle valve that was not appropriate?

That makes sense. I can see ripping off the faucet when a big 6 gallon carboy is upside down with it's weight on the nozzle.

You have a good point. A 6 gallon carboy upside down with it's weight on the nozzle base could, after a while, be detrimental. While now I have a brass one and time will tell if I made a good move. The rinsing of the plastic tubes was easier with the plastic washer.

I have the brass and have used them for close to 10 years, the only downside to the system is my American Standard pressure balance shower faucet cannot handle the pressure changes from it. They occur too quickly as far as I know. My plumbing is around 60 years old but its 'k' copper, (heavy wall). Maybe plastic plumbing fittings loosen up? No idea how it could be an issue either, other than the cyclic pulsation causinf a problem. Regards, Joe

Ah, yes -- that makes sense. Thanks for explaining it.

Hi Denis

I really don't know. My post was about plumbing systems in general rather than about the washers being discussed in this thread. I don't have one, so I know very little about them. I believe it is a "Code" requirement that all home water systems have an "Impact Tank" of some kind installed in them. If it is built into the hot water heater, you may not see it, but it is there. This should already be damping the effects of the hammering without anything else required. Wish I could be of more help. Sorry. Maybe we have a plumber or an engineer lurking out there somewhere ??

Not really. the rubber won't give enough. If you are worried about it though, a plumber can install an aditional section of pipe going UP from just before the faucet. this pipe would typically be 12-24" long and would be sealed at the end. When te water is turned back on, the air in this tube will have no where to go, and will remain trapped. when the water is shut off quickly, the water will compress the air, and the air will act as a shock absorber for the water.

Note: This isn't as big of a problem unless you are QUICKLY shuting off the water. The faster you shut off, and the more water coming out the bigger the problem. That's the issue with the bottle washers. they shut off FAST.

On a side note, I am a fireman. we fill the fire trucks off a 4" hose. We have to slowly shut off the water (over 15-20 seconds). we had a new guy once not know this, and closed the valve very quickly. it burst the pipe that fed the outlet.

email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com please respond in this NG so others can share your wisdom as well!

It's called water hammer. All the mass of the water flowing through the pipes is stopped instantly if a valve closes quickly. It causes large forces on the pipes. It's very different than turning off a faucet slowly. That's why your washing machine has something hooked into the pipes nearby (and I can't remember what it's called now) that has an air space in it. It absorbs the shock from the electric powered valve rapidly turning off.

connecting the tub faucet, removing about a

high pressure rubber or braided plastic tube.

be inserted within the lines.

If you install a "T" fitting in the copper supply line BEFORE the faucet, with a 1-2 foot vertical piece of capped copper or galvanized pipe, it will act as a shock-absorber, and stop the hammering. Copper fittings are normally sweat-soldered, but if you don't have a torch, or want to learn a new technique, there are flare-fittings which work quite well. Clamp-fittings don't hold up very well with copper, as there isn't much to grip. I wouldn't recommend using rubber or plastic or pvc pipe for this purpose. The "shock-absorber" will only work as long as it is filled with air (which is why it is mounted vertically, and installed with the water supply shut off). The reason it works is that air will compress under pressure, whereas liquid will not.

__ | | | | | | | | | | | | faucet (tap) ========== ============= water supply

What is the advantage of this type of bottle washer, over a hose with a nozzle on the end of it? I try to wash all my stuff out doors, in the garden, so the water isn't wasted. The sediment and stuff make good soil amendments, too. But even when I need to wash stuff off indoors, I use a hose and nozzle attached to the tub faucet. It's lighter weight and more maneuverable than a 6-gallon carboy.

Canadian East coast the weather

one day the sun was shining but it was

temperature goes to minus 32F.

I understand. I wouldn't wash them outside in cold, much less freezing, weather. But, it seems to me that a hose with a nozzle attached to the tub faucet (or shower fixture) would be easier than trying to balance anything larger than a 1-gallon jug atop a faucet-mounted bottle washer. Also, the downward pressure on the faucet might break the spout. I've had that happen for other reasons.

I can see the advantage to what you are describing for washing bottles, but (without having tried it) it seems a bit akward for carboys.

I would like to conclude this thread by saying: