they gave me a choice when i went with the insulated one, hard to tell from the picture but from the side shot all the stainless you see is just a band around the insulation. you can take that off then peel the insulation off to expose the bare tank which is pretty heavy gauge BTW thicker than a keg.
i figured i would have to take the insulation off because after seeing the temp on my carboys reaching almost 80 from fermenting and the temp around it is 70 i could see it being overkill even in cold months.
from the ad it says what they were intended to be used for but not actually used. when i got there I found this to be some what true some of them are used but it is pretty easy to tell and made sure i got a new one, the used ones are crusted on the inside and and the tubing on the top is dark brown instead of clear. It is still getting a top to bottom over the top cleaning anyways though.
for cleaning between brews i dont think the size of the hole in the top is the issue its going to be cleaning out all the fittings in the top but when your making 30 gallons of beer at a time im not going to mind.
thanks for all the info
Quote:
Originally Posted by beerthirty
1st, no airlock, use a blow off tube, or read up on pressure fermenting since you have the ability.
Insulation- Are you in the arctic? Fermentation builds heat and yeasties don't like it. I ferment at 68*
fittings on the bottom- match the size to your pump, and use QDs for easier trub dump without clogging your pump.
Heating element- See insulation above.
sitting on the trub- thats fine I leave mine for 3-4 weeks no problem.
Now the possible bad news. many of use have seen these advertised before and have discussed them. Who knows what the were used for in the past. Maybe growing bio samples or propagating some other nastie. I would have it steam cleaned until the outside temp of the container hit 230* over a period of 20-30 min. If you could replace the insulation with a cooling jacket of some sort( or keep in a refrigerated room) it would make a great fermenter especially if you got into pressure fermenting. It is going to be a PITA to clean in between brews with such a small port opening. I wasn't trying to scare you with the bio stuff, but wanted you to think about its previous use.
If I had the cooling facilities and the cash to invest in something like that I would probably give it a go myself. I wish you all the luck and hope you post your results.
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35gal stainless fermentor
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