Does this look like sabotage?

[Hawksmith]

Odd question, but this is a wilko own brand pressure barrel, the kind that has a little mini regulator on the lid that lets excess pressure out if it builds too high, a week before drinking day these 2 little holes seem to have appeared near the bottom and the keg has basically drained out all over the floor. General consensus what do you think? Can the barrel actually still just burst open in 2 small nearby areas at the end stage without pushing any of the pressure out of the airlock? or do you think it looks like somebody cut it? May sound odd to assume its been sabotaged, but its a long story and it is possible someone did it out of spite.

Dont know what to think personally.

 

[Leon103]

need a better picture than that

 

[MickDundee]

May sound odd to assume its been sabotaged, but its a long story and it is possible someone did it out of spite.

SWMBO resentful of how much time you spend on your hobby?

 

[BeerCat]

I find it bizarre something that thick could spring a leak. I did throw away a youngs fermentor though when i poured boiling water in it and the bottom turned into a triangle. The result was a small hole in the bottom.

 

[Hawksmith]

I'll try to get a better picture soon, its actually on loaner. It still doesnt sit well with me that its sprung a leak 4 weeks into barreling. Id understand if i poured all the beer in and it leaked straight away

 

[Ciaran12s]

From the picture, it does appear to have failed along what looks like a potential weak spot. Is it quite old?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I've posted the picture in the OP. :thumb:

 

[pintofmild]

In the past I have had two plastic barrels leak and they were only a couple of years old, the reason why I went over to stainless steel kegs, no fun mopping up sticky beer off the floor ! Mine leaked along the welds/joins though.

 

[Sandimas]

Seems an odd place for holes to appear, these kegs are molded plastic so usually only leak from the seals.If it did go, I'd expect it to got around one of the seams.

Has it been used before and been fine, and this happened just this time? If so I'd be suspicious.

 

[Drunkula]

There doesn't seem to be any chamfering or rollback on the edges of those splits so it doesn't look like it was done with a blade so I think it's natural causes. I've had pressure barrel leaks and not all of them on the seams.

 

[Spoon]

We need the whole back story too, let's be honest the story behind sabotage is far more interesting than discussions about failure modes of rotomolded plastic!

For the discussion, I don't think it would fail on the seam, they're not made in halves and glued, the seam is just where the halves of the mold were joined before it was filled with molten plastic.

But who would sabotage it! Jealous homebrewer in a competition? Spiteful ex girlfriend? Malevolent teetotaler?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

But who would sabotage it! Jealous homebrewer in a competition? Spiteful ex girlfriend? Malevolent teetotaler?

Good point, who has access to the PB is it kept in the house or in the garage/shed why would someone want to do this?

 

[-Bezza-]

But who would sabotage it!

 

[James Jennett-Wheeler]

I am eagerly waiting for the story

 

[IainM]

Yeah, I wanna know what would make you think someone would saboage your beer out of spite.