Speidel Plastic Tanks

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
How does everyone measure fermentation temp?

On glass it was easy bc you can just stick the probe to the side of the glass and cover it with bubble wrap. I'd imagine plastic doesn't work this way

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Home Brew mobile app
 
My stick on thermometer seems to work well compared to a long stemmed thermometer I insert down the center. I was thinking of drilling a hole in the top and adding a grommet to hold the thermometer.. but, each time I do a test.. they are always within a degree.. Doesn't seem like it makes sense.
 
Just got a 30L. Tested with water last night. The spigot attachment leaks from the collar that screws on to the fermenter. The leak is very small. In one hour it leaked enough to make a 2" diameter puddle in a tiled floor.

I screwed the collar on tight by hand. Do people use a tool to screw on tighter?

Maybe I will try keg lube on the rubber washer.

I leak tested the 30L Speidel I just recieved, it leaked at the same place. I noticed the way it is made that the gasket seals between the spigot 'back wall' and the fermenter itself while the front of the 'back wall' (white in color) looks as though it's plastic-to-plastic seal. I suspect that is where it leaked to the rate of about ~1-3 tbsp per hour. My fix? I took the larger gasket from the threaded cap and put it into the spigot, after taking out the original spigot gasket. (It did take a moment to work it past the threads and get it seated down) No leak overnight with 7 gallons in it. I figure I'll eventually order more of those larger gaskets...
 
*** Tl;Dr: I think this thing is neat and would buy it again.***

I've just finished using my 30L for the first time and as an alternative to glass, I'm happy so far. Fortunately, I haven't experienced any of the spigot leaks some other users have. I don't feel I did anything extraordinary in attaching the spigot or any of the other removable parts, but it went through a 14 day fermentation/ dry hop and an overnight hot water PBW soak with no leaks. I've got a MoreBeer! gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket and it will go directly to replacement seals and gaskets just in case.

Before I list my likes and dislikes, I feel my purpose for using the Speidel is important to mention. I have a 6.5 gallon glass carboy and two 5 gallon glass carboys that have suited me well and I have no intentions of getting rid of them. I purchased the Speidel for safety reasons because never really felt comfortable handling a full 6.5 gallon carboy, even with a Brew Hauler. I'm always very, very careful, but I also have a 3 year old running around, so the idea of instant accidental shattered glass was always a concern.

I knew what my give and take was going in to purchasing a Speidel so my likes and dislikes are more just for informational purposes for those who are considering one and I'm sure some of these have been mentioned before.

Likes:

Capacity - The 30L gives you plenty of head space for vigorous fermentation and the huge airlock won't easily clog. My first beer in this was a AHS Stone IPA clone and I was actually surprised that with all the extra head space, the krauzen still made it to the tip of the airlock, BUT I did have a 1x3 under the spigot side of the unit so everything would settle out away from the spigot.

Design and Safety - I think the overall design is solid. I don't feel like I'm carrying around a flimsy piece of plastic with flimsy handles. The unit and the handles feel like they were made to carry around 7+ gallons without concern, yet if I did drop it, I know it's not going to shatter and slice every body part it comes in contact with. I feel this thing would survive being dropped full from 3-4 feet without splitting or cracking.

Easy to Clean - The large hole in the top makes it very easy to get your arm all the way in to clean the entire interior. The interior is also very smooth so there aren't a bunch for places for gunk to gather and require extra scrubbing. Having a kitchen sink large enough to contain the unit while washing is also handy. Each gasket and seal is also removable for cleaning.
NOTE: If you're like me, you'll want to try and separate the spigot nozzle to try and clean it. After much examination, I determined that though I may actually get it apart, the end result may not be worth the trouble and it may not seal as good once I get it back together. For now, I'm going to let it be.

Replacement Parts: The fact that there are replacement parts and seals readily available played a large role in the purchase. I wasn't going to buy it if I had to wait weeks just replace one bad gasket.

Transferring: Transferring the finished product to the keg was a piece of cake. I'm used to using my stainless racking cane and sanitary filter along with a carboy hood to transfer which is fine and I certainly won't be getting rid of them, but it was nice to attach some 1/2" i.d. silicone hose to the spigot and go. I think I remember some back and forth about what size hose fits the spigot the best and 1/2" i.d silicone was a great fit for me. I didn't have to clamp it, but I did just to be safe. Next time, I'll skip the clamp. I also like the idea of being able to add another spigot to the top to force transfer with CO2 if I want.

Dislikes:

At this point, I honestly only have one. I've never fermented in plastic before, so my dislike may not be warranted because, science. Even after a thorough cleaning, I can distinctively smell exactly what was fermented in my Speidel and I think that may be a little off-putting to those who are used to glass. Glass retains no odor, so that's what we're used to. I'm not ecstatic about the lingering odor, but I'm willing to trade that off as a cost of using plastic. I would, however, like to say that no off flavors were imparted in my beer (that I can taste) due to using plastic and I have no reservations about using this product exclusively if glass ceased to exist.
 
Has anyone had a problem with heir spigot leaking? I'm not talking about the part where the spigot attaches to the fermenter. The part that's leaking for me is the valve inside the little tube. It has leaked a few drops over the last 4 days which isn't a big deal for beer loss. I'm more concerned about contamination since there's some beer exposed to th environment.
 
Mine has the same problem and others have mentioned it too. I attach a small sanitized plastic bag over the spigot to keep the critters away.


Yeah. I had sanitized foil over it and the spigot was fully sanitized before I racked into the fermenter. I still don't feel right about it so I won't be racking from the spigot. Kinda sucks IMO.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
 
I get a few drips here and there, and pretty much do the same thing as you guys. I think next time, I'll put a shotglass with starsan under the spigot (I think one would fit well).
 
I was thinking that those tiny caps from those orange carboy hoods might be a good fit to cover the spigot up.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
 
Yep. I sanitize it, hook in a piece of tubing and rack right into a corny. It works like a charm.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Oh I forgot to add this in my question... Which spigot do you have? The one that's just a hole on the inside or the one that has a "tube" that you can rotate?

I believe earlier in the thread people mentioned having one with a tube. Mine is just the drain to outside of the carboy.

Thanks for your response!
 
A note on cold crashing. Someone mentioned earlier that their Speidel collapsed when cold crashing. I thought this may be due to dropping the temp too much, too fast. I did my first crash in mine and dropped the temp from 67 to 37 a few degrees at a time over two day period and it worked just fine. No collapsing, no spigot leaking.
 
How does everyone measure fermentation temp?

On glass it was easy bc you can just stick the probe to the side of the glass and cover it with bubble wrap. I'd imagine plastic doesn't work this way

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Home Brew mobile app

I use a thermowell with an airlock. Went to a science store and bought a solid bung and drilled two holes in it. Works great.

Had a blowout with this one. 3 gallons of head space on a 5 gallon batch. JP Baudelaire is crazy and delicious. :)

6664_434848939938609_74993641_n.jpg
 
Wow, that is some blow out. I drilled the lid for a thermowell and regret it because it is tough to find a replacement lid.
 
Nah, I went back and forth with many emails with Morebeer before they said they didn't have them. They do exist though. Just not in the states.
 
Hello BSD,



Thank you for your email and interest in our products. We do have for sale the flat, locking caps for Speidel plastic fermenters. The part number is FE787 and they are $5.95ea. They are not available on our website, however, we can add the part to a quote under a customer account which can then be copied to cart, or please give us a call to place the order.



If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.



Thank you,

Jared Lieban

Customer Service Representative

MoreFlavor! Inc

1-800-600-0033
 
Got extra blank caps, need another lid. It's about 4" in diameter goes under the cap with a gasket and has a hole for the airlock bung.
 
Does anyone have the 20L? If so, what is the total volume for that one? It looks like the 30L is marketed a 7.9, but it sounds like it can hold upwards of 9 gallons

I too am interested in this question. I current have the 30 L and am considering the 20 L as a secondary for 5-6 gallons.

I did read all 50+ pages of this thread, did somebody reply to this and I just missed it?

Thanks,
Mike

BTW: This is my first post. Chronic lurker. :D
 
So I'm thinking of picking one of the 120L ones up for our 20 gal batches, but ... How do y'all move them? Or are we pretty much limited to racking out with co2?

Anyone know of something like a big boy brew hauler, (except rated for 200lbs) That we could use to winch it up to let gravity do the work?
 
I picked up one of these 12L's to ferment two gallon batches.. sadly I had not seen this thread and didn't know that this size does not have a hole in the lid for the stopper/air lock.

Has anyone modified one to fit a stopper and an air lock, be it the Spiedel brand or just a normal stopper and 3 piece air lock?

If I'm going to have to drill it out, I'll need to find the right size step drill bit.

I know I can put the lid on loosely and ferment that way, but I think I'd like the option of an air lock.... am I right, wrong, or crazy...?!? :mug:

UPDATE: I was able to drill a hole with a bit used to create holes in doors.. just found the right size at my dad's... he has all the cool tools!

I dont think you really need a stepped bit, size doesnt really matter, just find a 3/4" or 1" bit and drill through it. They make rubber stoppers in all sizes, even if you had to drill a 2" hole there are stoppers that big. Any LHBS worth a grain of salt should have tons of sizes of stoppers..mine has from like #2 all the way up to like #14 or something...no idea who would use a 3 1/2" stopper...but they exist. Because stoppers are cut at an inward angle it means stoppers of various sizes fit multiple hole sizes with no issue.

Good info.. the step bits my dad had were too small... but he had a perfect size door knob maker bit thingee.... ;)

Worked like a charm... took about fifteen seconds to finish.
As far as I know, you should be able to just cut along the create in the lid with a box cutter, the resulting hole should be the exact size for a Speidel stopper and airlock.

Well, let me give a hand to Speidel... the plastic on these tops is really strong... I actually did try a box cutter on it... it might have worked in a couple of weeks... but more likely I would have lost a finger or cut my wrist badly first! :D


Pretty sure I'm going to order another of these small ones.. they are perfect for the 2-2.5 gallon batches I like making.
 
Does anyone have the 20L? If so, what is the total volume for that one? It looks like the 30L is marketed a 7.9, but it sounds like it can hold upwards of 9 gallons

Just got one, looks like you could get 6 gallons in safely if using for a secondary. I would expect that is a little too small to be used as a primary for a 5+ gallon batch. Next to the 30 L bigger brother for size comparison.

Spediel fermenters_s.jpg
 
Bumping an old (and lengthy) thread, but I just bought one of the 30L ones on the weekend to replace my plastic fermenter that I had a recent infection in.

I'm going to re-brew the batch I got the infection in with the new fermenter. These things feel super sturdy!
 
They are really nice.. I use the 12L for my two gallon batches.... great for fermenting.
 
Interesting, these fermenters are awfully similar to my trusty Coopers plastic fermenters. Guess these would make good replacements when time comes to switch out. The simplicity of having a lightweight fermenter with a wide top makes for super easy cleaning. Add to that a spigot and I just drain out using a hose. And it's fairly easy to see what's going on inside.

I've got one question... with my Coopers fermenters the lid really needs to be tightened down. Problem is trying to open it back up when fermentation is done. If I had another male around to hold the thing while I unscrewed the lid it would be a cinch but the wife just can't hold it. Are these Speidel tops easy to unscrew?


Rev.
 
Are these Speidel tops easy to unscrew?


Rev.

Yes. I have the 30L version and the ring that screws on the top to secure it is very easy to unscrew and then the top (with a gasket) lifts off with no resistance what so ever.
 
Has anyone measured the dead space in the 20L and 30L Speidels? I know you can always tip it forward to drain more, but how much beer is left in the dead space if the Speidel is on a level surface? (Not worried about trub for this question)

Thanks!
 
Well, I guess I'll know soon enough. I just pulled the trigger on a 30L from MoreBeer. Still interested if someone has measured the 20L though.
 
Has anyone measured the dead space in the 20L and 30L Speidels? I know you can always tip it forward to drain more, but how much beer is left in the dead space if the Speidel is on a level surface? (Not worried about trub for this question)

Thanks!

I'd say 56 - 57 ounces of dead space, just under 2 qts

I've used a 30L for about a year now and love it, just purchased a 2nd one
 
Well, I guess I'll know soon enough. I just pulled the trigger on a 30L from MoreBeer. Still interested if someone has measured the 20L though.

I really like my 30L fermenters, they're pretty easy to clean with the wide opening, and its nice not having to use a siphon, just attach a hose and run it right into a keg. I don't use their airlocks, I made two holes in a solid stopper, one for an airlock and the other for a thermowell, it works well.

its funny that you have an FSM avatar, I have the FSM on both of my fermenters, wanted to give them some personality!

speidelfermenters.jpg
 
Back
Top