Should I be worried about my aluminium drinks bottle?

Man of Honour
Man of Honour
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I bought an aluminium drinks bottle recently which is coated on the outside but bare aluminium on the inside.

I was originally carrying strawberry Ribena in it, but if I didn't drink it quickly I noticed the pressure in the bottle increased and it would hiss as I opened it. If I left it in there for a few days it smelled like it had fermented and tasted a bit funny. I switched to plain water to be on the safe side because I didn't know if it was fermenting or if it was the Ribena reacting with the bare aluminium.

Now I'm just filling it with plain water it's doing something else. It's still pressuring up and if it's quiet in the office I can hear it making a very faint tinkling noise inside, like a very quiet ticking. The surface of the aluminium has a few welts where it's reacted with the water.

Should I be worried about this? I'm thinking of switching to a stainless steel bottle instead. Is there something I should have done first to prepare the inside of the bottle for liquids?
 
If you pour cold water into the bottle and it warms up a little the pressure will increase so I can only make an assumption that the tinkling is the water ever so slightly carbonating itself.

Probably talking rubbish though. :D
 
i wouldnt worry my rbother has a camping waterbootle which is alu and it always taste weird

if u can stand the taste ull be alrite i highly doubt it could be harmful o rhtey wouldnt be sold
 
Did you leave the bottle out or did you put it in the fridge with the ribena in it?

Alu bottles are better than plastic ones, don't like the smell/taste plastic ones seem to give plus #2 #4 and #5 plastics are being looked at for possibly releasing carcinogens in to the liquid contained.
 
Alu bottles are better than plastic ones, don't like the smell/taste plastic ones seem to give plus #2 #4 and #5 plastics are being looked at for possibly releasing carcinogens in to the liquid contained.

That's why you buy BPA-free. We started for our baby daughter and have replaced our own drinking bottles with the same. Admittedly, we only ever fill them with cold filtered water anyway.
 
Not too concerned about BPA in plastics. I haven't noticed it tasting funny and I was surprised that the Ribena didn't tarnish the inside of the bottle.

With plain water I would expect it to pressure up a bit the first time, because the water and air inside warms up a bit. But it continues to do it each time which raised my suspicions. It's never been in the fridge. It makes its way from my bag to my desk.
 
I've always been wary of unlined aluminium drinks bottles and pans although I know there is no evidence that it causes chronic health effects (although massive doses can cause temporary problems).

You could get yourself a lined bottle. Sigg now claim their lining is free from BPA so there is no danger of growing ladyboy bits :D

I'd probably go for stainless steel.
 
i wouldn't drink from a bare aluminium bottle - i'm pretty sure they don't recommend anything acidic in them as it will dissolve the aluminium pretty easily. (aluminium causes alzheimers). get a coated one or a steel bottle.
 
i wouldn't drink from a bare aluminium bottle - i'm pretty sure they don't recommend anything acidic in them as it will dissolve the aluminium pretty easily. (aluminium causes alzheimers). get a coated one or a steel bottle.

I've heard this too, and many drinks are acidic. Stainless steel would be fine.
 
I bought an aluminium drinks bottle recently which is coated on the outside but bare aluminium on the inside.

I was originally carrying strawberry Ribena in it, but if I didn't drink it quickly I noticed the pressure in the bottle increased and it would hiss as I opened it. If I left it in there for a few days it smelled like it had fermented and tasted a bit funny. I switched to plain water to be on the safe side because I didn't know if it was fermenting or if it was the Ribena reacting with the bare aluminium.

Now I'm just filling it with plain water it's doing something else. It's still pressuring up and if it's quiet in the office I can hear it making a very faint tinkling noise inside, like a very quiet ticking. The surface of the aluminium has a few welts where it's reacted with the water.

Should I be worried about this? I'm thinking of switching to a stainless steel bottle instead. Is there something I should have done first to prepare the inside of the bottle for liquids?

Ribena goes off after a day what ever you put it in.
 
Ribena won't ferment, unless you are making particularly weak Ribena. It can be used in winemaking, but it's a flavour adder not the actual base to be fermented.
 
It wouldnt be reacting with the aluminium as the main benefit of Alu is that it forms Al2O3 on its surface which is insoluble in ether and almost in ethanol so unless your drinking meths while at work you should be ok, it will mostly be the pressure increase due to temperature change or something evil with the ribena company.

KaHn
 
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