Spigot?

Could anyone advise me with picture's or a manual of the correct way to install a spigot (where the rubber rings go, etc.) into my fermentor?.

I'm thinking of doing my first, 5 gallon brew tonight.

You take the spigot remove the nut and 1 gasket leaving 1 gasket on the spigot. Stick it in the bucket and then put the second gasket on. You should have one gasket on each side of the bucket then screw the nut on inside the bucket. Btw I just finished brewing my first batch. Good luck

check the hole in bucket for burrs.. and don't over tighten or it MIGHT leak.

Thanks. Well i might have to put my brewing on hold due to the air conditioning breaking, temps in the house are getting up to 77 in the house. I dont know if that will ruin my first brew, a Coopers Irish Stout.

I want to get this out of the way because my next brew will be a German wheat beer from a recipe i wrote.

Just looked at my spigot from High Gravity Brewing, it only has 1 o ring. Should there be another o ring or do some only come with one?.

Do you only have a single bucket? Most kits I have seen come with two buckets. Typically, the fermentor does not have a spigot, the spigot is used in the bottling bucket. The nooks and crannies make the spigot a bit more difficult to sanitize that a bucket without one.

If there's only one o-ring, put it on the outside so you can visually inspect it to make sure it isn't over tightened. (If you over tighten, the gasket will look squished out unevenly. It should be flush with the ridge on the spigot or very slightly bulging evenly around.)

You'll want to check the seal before you fill it with beer, and never store the bucket with the spigot tightened. Over time the shank will stress from the pressure you're putting on it and crack. (And it really sucks to find out after you've transferred 5 gallons of beer into the bucket that your spigot is pouring out your beer.)

whatisitgoodfor said:

If there's only one o-ring, put it on the outside so you can visually inspect it to make sure it isn't over tightened. (If you over tighten, the gasket will look squished out unevenly. It should be flush with the ridge on the spigot or very slightly bulging evenly around.)

You'll want to check the seal before you fill it with beer, and never store the bucket with the spigot tightened. Over time the shank will stress from the pressure you're putting on it and crack. (And it really sucks to find out after you've transferred 5 gallons of beer into the bucket that your spigot is pouring out your beer.)

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So i should remove the spigot after each brew, i was planning on doing this as part of my sanitation process, i would soak the spigot with gasket in one step no rinse prior to putting it back on the bucket and test it for leaks with some hot water prior to sanitation of the bucket.

Do you recommend me getting a 2nd gasket for the inside or just leave it like it is?.

Ohio-Ed, i just bought this bucket, not a kit. I wanted a setup similar too my Mr. Beer kit which I'm upgrading from, to do basic extract and nothing more. Carbonate in bottle's. Once I'm out of the firefighter academy and have the money, I'm going to upgrade to glass corboys, kegging, etc.

This setup is just get me started in a cheap way.

You should definitely take apart and sanitize that spigot/inspect for any leaks that may start to arise over time after each batch.

You're going to want a second bucket for bottling imo, or else you're going to get a lot of trub in those bottles when bottling time comes.

One gasket is fine. Not having the internal gasket just means that you're going to end up with a little bit of beer trapped under the plastic nut (just a few drops), which can cause some sanitation problems if you aren't taking the spigot apart and cleaning it between batches. Fortunately you'll be doing so.

And I heartily recommend getting a second bucket (or a 6 gallon better bottle) for your primary fermentation. A food grade plastic bucket will cost you 10-15 from a LHBS, or free if you talk to a local bakery (they get icing in those buckets and usually just throw them away afterwards.) A Better Bottle will cost you around 25 and you get two benefits. 1: You can watch the fermentation as it goes which is really fun. 2: You get to post a thread entitled "Holy Crap I had my first blow off and it painted my ceiling."

I don't ferment in a bucket with a spigot.
In my opinion, if you happen to have a leak, you have to deal with it for weeks during the fermentation and, I think the spigot is more likely to accumulate and harbor "nasties".
Also, with a spigot, you really don't have much control over leaving the trub behind when you rack to a secondary or bottling bucket. You should be siphoning out of your primary to avoid disturbing the trub so I don't see much need for a spigot in a primary.

Most everything I brew gets kegged now so my bottling bucket doesn't see much use. I honestly don't remember if the gasket is inside or outside. Either way, a drip or two during the short bottling process would not be a huge deal (but it never has leaked). The bottling bucket I currently have, I've had for over 2 years and never had the spigot out of it. I clean it with oxyclean, rinse very good and sanitize with starsan. I've not had a problem (maybe I'm lucky?).

Ed

Thanks for the replys. For my first brew which is a Coopers Irish Stout, I'll have to use the bucket with spigot.

But I'm sold on the 6 gallon better bottle, i didn't realize they were that cheap, non breakable and from everything I've read, food grade safe.

I'll be getting a better bottle for my next brew, a German style wheat beer recipe which i wrote myself and have all the ingredients for.