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z28tt · 01-25-2013, 04:28 PM

Has anyone tried a cone insert in their non-conical fermenters? If one were to fabricate a 60 degree cone to put inside the fermenter, would the yeast settle out in the cone, and let you dump the trub with the bottom valve to clear the beer and make an easy secondary? This could turn the Sankey fermenters into almost-conicals, at least as far as the yeast knows. It'd be a hell of a lot easier than TIG welding a cone to the fermenter.

The cone wouldn't be liquid tight, so the beer/wort would be on both sides.

Thoughts? Give it a shot? Or tried and didn't work?

Behold the 5 minute MS Paint artwork!

Andris

**pjj2ba** · 01-25-2013, 06:34 PM

I believe someone is making conical bucket lids. I did a quick web search but couldn't find a link. I'm not sure if you then out a hole in the bottom or if it is vented some other way

**Bobby_M** · 01-25-2013, 06:58 PM

You'll still have plenty of fermentation beneath the cone and it will produce a lot of trub there as well. In other words, waiting until everything settles would be roughly the equivalent of racking to secondary before fermentation is complete as far as how much trub would be left. Also,trying this in a sanke would be making a very large hole in the top no?

**runningweird** · 01-25-2013, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

You'll still have plenty of fermentation beneath the cone and it will produce a lot of trub there as well. In other words, waiting until everything settles would be roughly the equivalent of racking to secondary before fermentation is complete as far as how much trub would be left. Also,trying this in a sanke would be making a very large hole in the top no?

I intended on saying the same thing. fermentation doesn't just happen on the top of the fermenting beer - it is active throughout the entire batch - so a large portion of your yeast would remain after taking out the trub in the cone.

there is a guy that makes conical adapters for 5 gallon platsic buckets - they seem a bit complicated and over the top for me but I have only watched a few videos and have no real hands on experience so cannot give a complete opinion on them.

I find large buckets(6.5 + gallon) are easy and cheap to use - replaceable.

if you wanted to use a sanke why not put a dump valve where the dip tube was? I think triclamp fittings fit there pretty well - cut a port on the bottom of the keg and flip it upside down, use the former top of the keg as the bottom and since the keg is already rounded you could achieve some of the same goals you are going for.

I am planning on getting into filtering my beer when I keg it - might be an option for you as well

**Bobby_M** · 01-25-2013, 11:32 PM

I don't think the cone angle is enough on the top of the sanke to have any significant central concentration.

z28tt · 01-28-2013, 11:36 PM

Good points about the wort fermenting under the cone. Forgot about that! This would be for my free furnace tank fermenter conversion (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/z28tts-diy-stainless-fermenter-furnace-383033), which is an 18" diameter tank, with the spherical top cut off. The furnace bottom is spherical as well, so I could weld in a large triclover (4"?) ferrule, and reduce it down to 1.5" for the dump valve, but then it starts getting too hokey with adapters, reducers, etc... I think I'll have to see how it goes, and maybe dump trub daily.

I'm hoping to cut out time from racking 10 gallon batches from 2 carboys in primary to secondary, cleaning 4 carboys, etc... Time to search the forum some more on what the Sanke fermenter folks are doing. I don't use any kind of clarifying adjuncts like irish moss or whirlfloc, so that's an option too...