Now, I'm going to describe a modification to keep the brew hauler from getting tangled.
I tend to leave my brew hauler on the carboy throughout fermentation. This can result in stuff being spilled and general filth accumulating on the brew hauler. I typically run it through the washing machine after brewing a batch to clean it up.
This usually results in the straps becoming twisted, tangled, and slid out-of-place. This requires minutes (MINUTES!!) of tedious untangling. This post shows you how this can be eliminated with a few mere hours of work.
Here you can see a tangled and discombobulated brew hauler after it has been washed.
Here is a closer view. You can see the ends of the straps bunched closely together. The handles and straps can be rotated around making it difficult to know which side should be up.
Step 1 is to sort out the brew hauler and place it on the carboy.
Step 2 is to arrange the straps so that they are evenly spaced and the handles are directly opposite from each other. The straps should form an even star pattern when viewed from above.
Step 3 is to mark the location of the straps using something that can be seen on the black webbing. In my case, I used a silver Sharpie.
Step 4 is to grab a needle and thread and sew the straps in place.
Here is the finished version. You can see the short line of stitching that holds the ends of the handles/straps to the center belt.
The thread is not required to be load-bearing. It serves only to keep the straps from wandering off. This modification makes it incredibly easy to straighten things out after washing, but means that the brew hauler can only be used on a single size of carboy. In my opinion it is very worth it.
