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I'm coming up to the fourth use with a batch of my PET bottle screw caps

They look pretty ok whats the most you could expect?

LG

I reckon as long as the seal and thread is ok then you should be fine.

You can easily test the thread by tightening it on an empty bottle and see if it tightens properly.

I've reused mine about 5 times and they still look fine.

In my student days, the pi55tank mates and I used to botttle in PET coke bottles of any size we could get our hands on. The lids were used lots (dozen+) of times over without problem.

Go for it.

Yeah, they seem to last quite a while. Just check that the plastic bit inside the lid looks ok. When it gets a bit mangly, lose it.

I usually wash mine in sterilized solution as well. Sometimes it gets in under the plastic bit and I cant get it out. All beers have been ok so far but I am worried it might kill the beer one day. I was thinking of using new ones each time. Do you guys wash / soak them?

Well if you use a no-rinse sanitiser like Idophor you shouldn't have a problem anyway.

V1113B wrote:I usually wash mine in sterilized solution as well. Sometimes it gets in under the plastic bit and I cant get it out. All beers have been ok so far but I am worried it might kill the beer one day.

if the seals are working as they should, anything that gets on the wrong side of the plastic bit will stay on that side and not come into contact with the beer.

i soak mine in a mild bleach solution, rinse several times, and (sometimes) let them dry.. often in too much of a hurry though

Dont tip boilin' water on em

hehe, speaking from experience? i bet the little seal thingys in em didn't like that..

KEG.........

I used to just wash them in the bottle washer's solution after I'd done the bottles. Never had any probs.

Damn I had such a good answer for this post and then I realized you were talking about screw tops caps LOL

well, you don't become a nanna by accident, do ya

Nanna!! I'm shocked!..., no hang on it's passed.
Keg, you did a Meatloaf to me.

yet again, it must have been while you were kissing me

Had to run off there, but meant to add that. Cept that part of the song, being in different towns and all.

I have some for 12 months or more....just the thread on the caps go after a while...but... new caps are cheaper than new PET bottles

There's plastic screw-tops and there's plastic screw-tops. Surprise!

Schweppes have started using one-piece caps which don't have the translucent liner in them. They are softer plastic than usual and don't *feel* like they are going to work. I've only used a few so can't say for sure. You certainly feel better about their cleanliness because they're one piece.

Coca Cola Amatil use the thickest caps for their carbonated sugar waters. You can seriously lean on these and your hand or the bottle will give out first. I like them. Having said that, the one dud I've had (and leaked all over my Beer Conditioning Facility) was from a Deep Spring bottle, which I think is a CCA brand.

The Coopers caps are, in my experience, the most likely to die after a while. I have had several die on me as I screw them onto a bottle - usually after a few uses though.

I always use the cooper's caps once, and then discard.
It's expensive, however I just love to hear that crack when i open a fresh bottle, and it's the best way to go to avoid any problems.

It adds $3 to every brew, but these days that hardly seems like a lot of money.
I'm prepared to pay whatever is necessary for a good tasting beer.

Trizza.

Trizza wrote:I always use the cooper's caps once, and then discard.
It's expensive, however I just love to hear that crack when i open a fresh bottle, and it's the best way to go to avoid any problems.

It adds $3 to every brew, but these days that hardly seems like a lot of money.
I'm prepared to pay whatever is necessary for a good tasting beer.

Trizza.

that three dollars aint gonna make your beer taste better. You'd be better spending it on something such as more beer!