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Swelling barrels involves soaking the heads and/or staves of a barrel with water to cause them to swell up and form a tight seal. If a barrel has been stored dry, it might be necessary to swell the barrel, or at least leak test it, before filling it with beer. In general, using steam to swell barrels is preferred over water because it strips less character away from the oak. There are many approaches to swelling barrels. For example, The Rare Barrel swells barrels in a couple of different ways. When they are not worried about preserving the character of what was perviously previously held in the barrel, they fill the barrels with water without storage chemicals for a maximum of 48 hours before changing water if the barrel is not fully swollen <ref>[http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/the-sour-hour-episode-16/ The Sour Hour Episode 16]</ref> (~33 minutes in).---To do--- external swelling (ref rare barrel, Tilquin head swelling, Todd Ashman Eclipse). <BR> External swelling can be done by placing a barrel on its head and cover the upward facing head with hot water for several hours. Flip the barrel on its other head and repeat. This process swells the heads which in turn pushes the staves tighter together in the hoops. <BR>Although impractical for homebrewers, commercial brewers and wine makers winemakers can use steam to swell barrels (although wallpaper steamers are a good option for homebrewers) <ref>[http://www.steamericas.com/whats-new/barrel-steam-wand/ Barrel Steam Wand]</ref>. Steamed barrels should be allowed to cool before bunging; cooling with a bung installed can lead to imploding barrels <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1704652009563006/?comment_id=1704659969562210&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D Conversation about steaming barrels and bunging on MTF. 05/31/2017.]</ref>. Steaming can also be a technique for cleaning used barrels. Below is a general process for steaming barrels provided by [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1963764150318456/?comment_id=1963894060305465&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R2%22%7D Johnny Horn]: # Swell barrel with cold water (boiling water if possible) to check for leaks.# Tighten staves by hammering the hoops towards the bilge.# Steam for at least 30 mins.# Swell with water to check for leaks again.# Rinse, repeat.