carbonating stone

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I've helped out in a small microbrewery that carbs that way. They cold crash the beer in the fermenter, purge the brite tank, and then transfer through a filter into the brite tank. Then they set the pressure to 4 psi IIRC, and bump it up1psi every ~hour until it reaches serving pressure. It then sits at serving pressure overnight and is ready to be served or kegged the next day. They have the stone mounted semi-permanently, and CIP with a spray ball. The brewer said they take the stone out and valves off periodically for a more thorough cleaning, but I don't know how often.
 
The brewery I work at does it carbonates in a bright tank with a carb stone before serving. pretty much the same procedure as JuanMoore described. Anything specific you would like to know?
 
How often do you clean the stone besides the caustic clean. Also as you are carbing it does the psi gauge on the cpi ARM go up as it carbes. I am wondering because i had my lone hooked up to a co2 tank and ran the line to my carb stone on bright tank and it was set at 18 psi but the gauge on the cpi arm never moved except when I gave it head pressure .
 
We are still under a year old, we haven't cleaned the carb stone yet besides the regular CIP. Probably going to do a more thorough cleaning on all tanks here in the near future.

The psi gauge on the arm goes up almost immediately after we turn on the CO2 to the stone. We let it run until it is at serving pressure and turn on the head pressure, let it sit for a few hrs and it is fully carb'd.
 
When I hook it up to the carb stone and hit it with 17 psi the gauge on the cpi arm dosent move so do you think my stone is screwed. I know the gauge works but wondering why it isn't showing the increase on pressure . Carbed it for 2hr and its been 2 days and still flat.
 
yea, sounds like something is not working as its supposed and the CO2 is making it through the stone. Not sure what to suggest you do at this point. In my set up I would probably transfer the beer out to an empty, sanitized vessel and pull the stone clean / replace as necessary.
 
Did you try testing the stone in a bucket to make sure there was flow through it before installing? Do you have a good check valve installed in the gas line right at the stone to prevent beer back-flowing into the stone and clogging the pores? Is the stone new or used, and is it SS or ceramic? Are you sure the stone is properly assembled?
 
The stone is old I'm sure. U haven't checked the stone myself because the head brewer dies all the cleaning they haven't showed me that yet. I have inky worked as the assits for a month or two so when he gets back I'm going to go over it with him. We only have two bright tanks so I can't transfer and check because they are both full at the moment
 
Jaun what does the check valve look like. Does it attach to the valve that the stone is attached to or the co2 line coming off the tank?
 
You don't need a check valve. I have seen many stones in commercial breweries without them, a simple ball valve that can be turned on and off is sufficient so that beer doesn't back flow out of the tank when you have the gas off. It doesn't matter if beer goes into the stone, it happens whether you want it to or not. You do, however need to clean your stone properly! It needs to soak in a cleaning solution, wether it be PBW, BRU R EZE, Caustic, Chlorinated Alkali, etc. Soak it, hook the gas to it and run rinse water over the stone. When the rinse water runs clear, the stone is clean. If you haven't been doing this, your stone is probably pretty gummed up and may take a good day or two soak to get the material sufficiently broken down. Once it is sufficiently clean, soak it in sanitizer, such as iodophor or PAA, then hook the gas to it again and give it a blast to drive most of the liquid out.

For stones that go in larger tanks, stones that are too big to soak in a 5 gal bucket, you can make a soaking tube with a PVC pipe and an end cap.
 
Jaun what does the check valve look like. Does it attach to the valve that the stone is attached to or the co2 line coming off the tank?

There are all sorts of styles of check valves. Often the shut off valves are combination ball/check valves.

You don't need a check valve. I have seen many stones in commercial breweries without them, a simple ball valve that can be turned on and off is sufficient so that beer doesn't back flow out of the tank when you have the gas off. It doesn't matter if beer goes into the stone, it happens whether you want it to or not. You do, however need to clean your stone properly! It needs to soak in a cleaning solution, wether it be PBW, BRU R EZE, Caustic, Chlorinated Alkali, etc. Soak it, hook the gas to it and run rinse water over the stone. When the rinse water runs clear, the stone is clean. If you haven't been doing this, your stone is probably pretty gummed up and may take a good day or two soak to get the material sufficiently broken down. Once it is sufficiently clean, soak it in sanitizer, such as iodophor or PAA, then hook the gas to it again and give it a blast to drive most of the liquid out.

For stones that go in larger tanks, stones that are too big to soak in a 5 gal bucket, you can make a soaking tube with a PVC pipe and an end cap.

You sure there wasn't at least one at the regulator? Often the ball valve at the stone you mentioned is a combination ball/check valve. Either way I think it's a good idea, especially since it only costs a couple bucks. The instructions that came with the stones I helped install at a micro suggested either using a ball/check valve or putting an inline check valve right near the carb stone, even if there were other check valves further upstream. They also urged preventing beer from getting in the stone, and suggested several measures to help prevent it. On the pro-brewer forums having a working check valve for each carb stone and coupler is listed under "Stupid stuff all brewers should know but often don't".
 
There are all sorts of styles of check valves. Often the shut off valves are combination ball/check valves.



You sure there wasn't at least one at the regulator? Often the ball valve at the stone you mentioned is a combination ball/check valve. Either way I think it's a good idea, especially since it only costs a couple bucks. The instructions that came with the stones I helped install at a micro suggested either using a ball/check valve or putting an inline check valve right near the carb stone, even if there were other check valves further upstream. They also urged preventing beer from getting in the stone, and suggested several measures to help prevent it. On the pro-brewer forums having a working check valve for each carb stone and coupler is listed under "Stupid stuff all brewers should know but often don't".

I am talking about a simple ball valve, similar to those that you see being used on the drain of a home brew mash tun. I have seen tons of these used commercially (I have brewed in about a dozen places and been around quite a few more). Many have check valves, not all. The ones we used at Rogue while I was brewing there, for instance, did not. The check valve is really only an issue with this scenario: you have the gas connected to the stone and your CO2 supply craps out. I suppose if you have a moron that might flip open a ball valve on a full tank, allowing beer to spew out, that might be an issue too... but if you have such an idiot, you shouldn't have them long! If you follow me. As to the little blurb on probrewer, well, that is her (the article's author's) opinion, I don't know her, but I do know John Maier and I trust his knowledge implicitly.

Also, again, beer gets into the stone itself whether you want it to or not, check valve or not. If there is no positive pressure on the stone, beer is getting into it. It is imperative that the stone be cleaned correctly by soaking in an appropriate cleaning agent.
 
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