Leaky Barrel

[HedgeBird]

My experience with barrels is still limited at this point, and yesterday I filled my first leaker. It started out with a steady stream, and today its down to a drip every third second or so. The leak/drip seems to be from the side of the barrel right at or under the head ring. My research on wooden boats seems to indicate that it can take up to three days for wood to completely swell.

Should I just wait it out and hope it stops on its own?

Do I need to purchase some kind of barrel shmutz?

Should I try driving up the head ring?

Its a 53 gallon barrel and I have not had this issue with my other barrels from the same supplier. It has unfortunately set for a few months since I received it from the manufacture as well.

[Natrat]

I always swell my barrels before filling. Usually hitting them with some hot water, or even cold, a few days in advance. Just spraying them with water outside a few times works.

I've had wooden boats over the years...sometimes they get so baskety that you have to pull the engine out, and sink the boat for a week. Then they swell up tight as a drum and you can pump out and re-set the engine. Barrels are the same, only oak swells very fast.

If you're done collecting the leakage just spray it down with a hose a few times...it will stop.

[CountySeat]

I've had barrels leak and its always been when I didn't cure them enough. Now I will fill them and let them sit with warm water until they swell up. I had one that leaked on one end similar to your pictures. I just let it go and it sealed itself up in about 4 days. I didn't hose it down but that's a great idea.

[PeteB]

It sounds as if you did not drive all the hoops tighter before you filled.

This is always a good idea, and essential if the barrels have dried out at all.

From your photos it looks as if the leak is between the staves, and not where the head seals.

Make yourself a hoop driver, all you need is a piece of flat steel about 2 inches X 3/8 X 7 inch. Grind a concave in the edge so it matches the hoop. If you can hard face that edge it will last for years. Or buy a brickies chisel and grind off the sharp edge.

Use a hammer quite a bit larger then a carpenters hammer.

It will be a bit harder to drive the hoop now but you should still be able to move it.

Give the flat side of the hoop a hit as well, especially in the leaky area.

Using a smaller hammer, tap the wood at the joint where the leak is.

[Craft Distillery Resources]

Keep a hoop driver on hand. And get your supplier to supply you with some stuff to stop leaks. Wedges and such made of cedar. And never store barrels dry long. Outside covered up is best water kept on the heads. I do not like soaking the inside of the barrel. It is no longer a new barrel then, and it has lost flavor.

[PeteB]

Soaking inside, and loss of flavour.

Pre-soaking with water is quite common as far as I am aware, it pretty well guarantees the barrel won't leak'

But I agree with you that there will be some loss of flavour, I have tasted the water from reused barrels and it contains quite a bit of extraction.

I have sometimes filled without pre-soaking, but I am nervous that I will lose spirit if the joints are not tight.

Also a lot more spirit will initially be lost into the dryer wood, but maybe after a few years there will be no extra loss.

D.R. when you say covered up do you mean to put water on the head then wrap the whole barrel in plastic?

[Dehner Distillery]

Just an idea, put a humidifier under a tarp with all your barrels.

[TetonDistillery]

Take a garden hose and spray the exterior of all of your barrels. Do it once every month.

[Sorghumrunner]

Take a garden hose and spray the exterior of all of your barrels. Do it once every month.

I've been marking my barrels with chalk, which is totally not permanent enough. What are folks using to mark their barrels in a permanent manner so you could spill or spray without fear of losing the barrel id?

[Natrat]

If you don't want to use a big marker, try a Sharpie MeanStreak paint stick. It's like a huge white grease pencil.

[HedgeBird]

Take a garden hose and spray the exterior of all of your barrels. Do it once every month.

I would be concerned that this might actually help dry the barrel out more? Like when your hands are constantly getting wet and dry your skin drys out?

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. My barrel did stop leaking after two+ days! With this barrel I soaked it from the outside with my hot condenser water for a few hours before filling. Moving forward I will make sure to drive the hoops down before filling/soaking. Good times!

[Natrat]

I would be concerned that this might actually help dry the barrel out more? Like when your hands are constantly getting wet and dry your skin drys out?

Hey, Hedge....I might be concerned if my barrels were made of human skin, but oak is a little different :-)

Yesterday I tried a little experiment...took a warehouse barrel that was due for a hosing, weighed it, and soaked it. When I weighed it at before going home it was almost 11 lbs heavier. That's a lot of water to soak into a 10 gal barrel!

[Sorghumrunner]

11 lbs surprises me. That's about a gallon and a half of water! Did you happen to measure the weight or volume of water you dumped?

i had filled some full size bourbon barrels with acidulated water prior to filing them with our fortified wine, they seemed to have absorbed some water after sitting for a few weeks, but only a few gallons. i didn't weigh or measure, but the fill level had only dropped slightly.

[TetonDistillery]

Take a garden hose and spray the exterior of all of your barrels. Do it once every month.

I would be concerned that this might actually help dry the barrel out more? Like when your hands are constantly getting wet and dry your skin drys out?

We learned to do that from Steve Nally at Wyoming Whiskey. He is in the Bourbon Hall of Fame and was at Markers Mark forever.

We asked him how he deals with the dry conditions at high altitude. He said he just goes in there and hoses down all of the barrels occasionally. Just make sure the temperature is above freezing when you do it.

It just helps to keep the wood expanded and the seals tight. Also might help minimize evaporation.

[HedgeBird]

good to know...

[Salishseaorganicliqueurs]

Hey, Hedge....I might be concerned if my barrels were made of human skin...

Well that's a slightly morbid thought…