Help with Blichmann Conical

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BrewingGunner

BrewingGunner

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Hello, I'm new to this forum and to the conical fermenters so I need some help. I've been brewing in carboys for the last 10 years. I setup my 14.5 gallon Blichmann and followed the instructions. About 7 gallons of wort added and the yeast was pitched. I tightened down the lid but there is no airlock activity after two days. It is fermenting. I can smell it and I took a peak. Any tricks out there to get this thing to seal?
 
:off:

This is a bit unrelated, but how are you controlling the temperature?

I've been looking for an excuse to upgrade to conicals, but I'm not sure how I'd keep the temp down w/out a glycol system or a cold storage room.
 
Looks like I may have discovered the leak. It looks like the relief piston isn't sealing. I pulled it out and put another airlock in and voila. Activity in the airlock. Any ideas on how to seal that bad piston a bit?
 
Is the O-ring on the weight? You didn't by chance drop the weight and ding the face of it? Check inside of the port to make sure nothing is on the seat holding up the weight. I have 2, 14.5 gallon and neither one leaks. I have blow off kits on both and use a spunding valve on the secondary in place of the relief. On the secondary, I place a threaded tri-clover on the blow off 90 and then a threaded tee with a gauge and a port with a ball valve to add CO2 to push the beer into corny's. I visa versa to push the beer from the primary into the secondary.
 
VladOfTrub said:
Is the O-ring on the weight? You didn't by chance drop the weight and ding the face of it? Check inside of the port to make sure nothing is on the seat holding up the weight. I have 2, 14.5 gallon and neither one leaks. I have blow off kits on both and use a spunding valve on the secondary in place of the relief. On the secondary, I place a threaded tri-clover on the blow off 90 and then a threaded tee with a gauge and a port with a ball valve to add CO2 to push the beer into corny's. I visa versa to push the beer from the primary into the secondary.
Click to expand...

I have to O-ring on and I didn't drop it. It feels like it goes all the way down as well??? I have another airlock in there now.
 
rwinzing said:
Could be as simple as head space. 7 gallons of beer in a 14,5 vessel.
Click to expand...

Not head space. I removed the pressure relief piston and put in another airlock. Voila, it started bouncing like a piston, so the problem is that the piston is not sealing.
 

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