Thanks Clyde,

I have found some #11's made of silicone but it looks like I need a #9.
I'll figure out if an 11 will fit, it might. This is a 5 gallon barrel
that was a gift so I better not ruin it... I'll do the sulfiting too.

Joe


wrote:
> Hi Joe,
>
> TomS' reply is solid as always. Thought I'd add that a little
> dissolved metabisulfite does wonders to a bung hole. I routinely hit
> mine (once or twice a year is usually enough) to insure that little
> nasties don't attempt to take hold in this area.
>
> I also use solid silicon bungs for aging reds.... Boswell sells them
> directly for as good a price as any. I top to the bottom of the bung
> hole but don't bother with rolling the barrel over.
>
> clyde
>
>
> Joe Sallustio wrote:
> > What do you use to clean the topping hole area? Mine is getting
> pretty
> > dark, I don't want to ruin the wine an just don't know if this is
an
> > issue or not. The barrel is pretty rough and has a lot of grain
for
> > 'stuff' to grow.
> >
> >
> > Should I be topping to just the base of the bung hole? I'm using a
> > rubber stopper to seal it and it just seems damp every topping, I'm
> > getting the stopper in tight as I can, I twist it in now and that
> seems
> > to seal well, it just seems wet. I rotate the barrel off center to
> > make sure it's a good seal.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Joe