I'll get a caliper and measure the pocket size for your.. um... probe. [emoji12]
SS Brew Bucket questions before ordering
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Thanks for measuring for my "probe." I'm sad to say, I think it will fit!I've ordered the BB and it should be here in time for my next brew. I'll try using it with the CoolZone wrap (I have the wrap designed for a carboy). If that doesn't work, then I may eventually invest in the FTS system.
Thanks!
Hahaha
I live in MN and year round the basement(of my house) is 62-66. So I have some slow ferments. Right now I have a small electric baseboard heater in a small bathroom and it's brought it up to 68.5. I'm wondering how this cool mat would be better as I've read you can use it with a heating pad?
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
I've ordered the BB and it should be here in time for my next brew. I'll try using it with the CoolZone wrap (I have the wrap designed for a carboy). If that doesn't work, then I may eventually invest in the FTS system.
Thanks!
There are 3 different types of probes for stc and stc clones on ebay for about $3-8 each the stainless tip ones look smaller but they really are the same diameter as the smaller rubber tipped ones from what I have found.
OP
OP
Rev2010
Well-Known Member
Cleaned and passivated my Brewmaster Bucket today, haven't fermented in it yet but some initial opinions:
1. I agree with the comments about the o-rings. They are rather thin and I will be ordering thicker one's like Spartan1979 did. Even finger tightening a little too much can cause the o-ring to squeeze out. Some slighter thicker ones should fix that.
2. The rotating racking arm is rather loose in that the slightest touch moves the arm (not the valve, just the dip arm), probably could also benefit from thicker o-rings as well though I'm thinking when I use it I may just leave the valve in place and use my plastic spoon (sanitized) to simply nudge the arm from horizontal to downward when near the end to get the very last bit.
3. The thermometer was initially reading 1.4F higher than my trusty digital thermometer, however for some reason, once it was exposed to a higher temp (hot water when cleaning with TSP) it now reads *exactly* the same temp as my thermometer. Happy about that
4. The legs are not exactly even, there's a small bit of wobble when set on a flat surface, however when filled the weight seems to level it out. Can also easily be fixed by wedging something between the rubber foot and leg.
5. As I've read from some reviews and such, I agree it would be awesome if it could come already passivated, but no biggie.
Overall I think once I get the o-rings swapped out everything will be perfect.
*edit - ah yes one more thing, would be nice if they started rubber coating the handles! They're quite thin and not comfortable moving a filled fermenter even short distances. More importantly for me it would lessen the noise when cleaning - constant jangling against the walls.
Rev.
1. I agree with the comments about the o-rings. They are rather thin and I will be ordering thicker one's like Spartan1979 did. Even finger tightening a little too much can cause the o-ring to squeeze out. Some slighter thicker ones should fix that.
2. The rotating racking arm is rather loose in that the slightest touch moves the arm (not the valve, just the dip arm), probably could also benefit from thicker o-rings as well though I'm thinking when I use it I may just leave the valve in place and use my plastic spoon (sanitized) to simply nudge the arm from horizontal to downward when near the end to get the very last bit.
3. The thermometer was initially reading 1.4F higher than my trusty digital thermometer, however for some reason, once it was exposed to a higher temp (hot water when cleaning with TSP) it now reads *exactly* the same temp as my thermometer. Happy about that
4. The legs are not exactly even, there's a small bit of wobble when set on a flat surface, however when filled the weight seems to level it out. Can also easily be fixed by wedging something between the rubber foot and leg.
5. As I've read from some reviews and such, I agree it would be awesome if it could come already passivated, but no biggie.
Overall I think once I get the o-rings swapped out everything will be perfect.
*edit - ah yes one more thing, would be nice if they started rubber coating the handles! They're quite thin and not comfortable moving a filled fermenter even short distances. More importantly for me it would lessen the noise when cleaning - constant jangling against the walls.
Rev.
normonster
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Rev2010
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Decided to go ahead and use my first Brewmaster Bucket today for my Amber ale I brewed. Still going to replace the o-rings, but I figured the current one's will be fine for now. No leaking and currently holding at 63.1F. Went well, liking it so far. Here's a pic of it in my hallway where I keep my fermenters.
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Rev2010
Well-Known Member
Kegged my amber ale today. Everything went smoothly and cleaning the fermenter was certainly easier than cleaning my plastic fermenters. Seems the krausen crud really sticks on stronger with plastic than smooth stainless. The yeast/trub at the bottom collected so nicely and my beer appeared clearer than usual without having used any finings. Only thing I want to fix is the silicone tubing I bought 3/8" doesn't really hold on tight enough on it's own and I could tell it would eventually slip off if I weren't holding it. So I just held onto the tubing around the spigot. What size ID tubing should I use that would give a tighter fit but still be easy enough to slip on and off? I'm thinking 1/4"? Or is there some type of quick clamp on/off I can use? I tried the plastic brackets like what they give you with kegerators but at the tightest clamp I still wasn't comfortable with its hold and removing it when at the tightest clamp notch is a little more difficult to remove.
Also now considering buying a Chronical domed lid, since it fits perfectly on the Bucket, just so I can have some extra headspace when doing hefeweizens or wit's and not need to use a blowoff.
Rev.
Also now considering buying a Chronical domed lid, since it fits perfectly on the Bucket, just so I can have some extra headspace when doing hefeweizens or wit's and not need to use a blowoff.
Rev.
I ordered the domed lid for my brew bucket. I have the ftss for temp control and I am thinking about relocating the holes for the temp probe and coils. That way I can drop hop whenever I need to without taking the whole lid off. I have the 17mm hole bit coming as well.
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Rev2010
Well-Known Member
So I have 3 BrewMaster Buckets now. Just wanted to add that I'd ordered better o-rings from theoringstore.com as suggested by Spartan1979. For the spigot I ordered 2.4mm X 15.8mm Buna-N 90 Metric O-ring (H2.40X015.8). These o-rings are much better than the flimsy included ones that warp out past the nut at the slightest over-tightening even with one's fingers. The new ones really stay in place without warping and zero leaking on all three I've tested. I also replaced the tiny dip tube o-rings as I felt the dip tube moved too freely. I ordered these 1mm X 8.5mm Metric Buna-N 70 O-ring (N1.00X008.5).
I just wish I'd ordered extras of the first o-rings so I could replace the thermowell o-rings. For some reason, my first Ss brew bucket thermowell mounted nice and tight, as per their instructions to tighten with wrenches. On the two new ones the o-rings are warping out beyond the nut even when tightening it a good amount with my fingers so I had to just finger tighten it but not too tight. It's working fine and not leaking, but since I don't plan to remove the thermowell after each use it would be nice to have a more tight seal. Just need to get more o-rings.
So, I'd recommend these other o-rings. Not sure why Ss includes such super soft thin o-rings. But, they work so whateva
Rev.
I just wish I'd ordered extras of the first o-rings so I could replace the thermowell o-rings. For some reason, my first Ss brew bucket thermowell mounted nice and tight, as per their instructions to tighten with wrenches. On the two new ones the o-rings are warping out beyond the nut even when tightening it a good amount with my fingers so I had to just finger tighten it but not too tight. It's working fine and not leaking, but since I don't plan to remove the thermowell after each use it would be nice to have a more tight seal. Just need to get more o-rings.
So, I'd recommend these other o-rings. Not sure why Ss includes such super soft thin o-rings. But, they work so whateva
Rev.
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Rev2010
Well-Known Member
Just wanted to add an update since there has been talk about the 3/8" tubing seeming to be a bit loose on the 3/8" spigot. I use silicone tubing (since it doesn't coil) and I had to hold the 3/8" tubing tightly on the spigot otherwise it would easily slide off. I emailed Ss and they said the barbing on the spigot has been intentionally made less aggressive so as to not wear down tubing. I bought 1/4" silicone tubing and it works perfectly on the spigot. Since silicone tubing is more flexible it works on pretty easily. I don't think 1/4" would work with vinyl tubing however. The silicone fits nice and snug when it's on and there's no way it would slip off on its own. So if you also use silicone tubing instead of vinyl go with 1/4" - which I ordered off of Amazon (it's food grade) since I don't see that tubing size on HBS's. You can also try 5/16" vinyl.
Rev.
Rev.
Thanks for the tip! I just got my second Brewmaster Bucket yesterday and was wondering why my silicon tubing seemed so loose.
Oldskewl
Well-Known Member
I ordered some extra 5/16 vinyl tubing when I ordered some tubing for my second co2 tank. It worked excellent on the barb with no clamps. Has anyone had any luck pasivating the outside of the brew bucket? After 2+ weeks in my fermentation chamber, it comes out quite rusty. Bar keepers friend takes it off but the next time it looks just as bad.
Spartan1979
Well-Known Member
I've never seen rust on the outside of my buckets. Maybe you need some kind of dehumidifier in your fridge.
Oldskewl
Well-Known Member
Thanks for recommendation. I'll give that a shot. Will it work for the lid too? The lid is the worst.
The_Bishop
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Citric acid works very well for passivating stainless steel, as well. It's also cheaper than star san.
Louder
New Member
I really like my brew bucket, has definitely served me well. Only issue I've had is with high gravity beers pushing the top up (my Pliny the Younger clone was too aggressive for the space in the fermenter). I think I am going to be adding a lid to the BB to extend the usefulness of it. Love conical fermenters! Only wish would be a dump at the bottom of the conical...
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Rev2010
Well-Known Member
Just figured I'd give a little update now since I've brewed a good amount of beers using my Brewmaster Bucket's. So far I'm loving them and think they've been a significant upgrade for my brewing. The ease of removing the lid compared to my screw off Coopers plastic fermenters is such a huge difference. Cleaning is also a huge improvement in ease and speed. Having the digital thermometer has been awesome and I've tested it to be extremely accurate. Taking a hydrometer sample is also so much easier as my plastic Cooper's spigot's had a lot of resistance and would often turn the whole spigot if not held with another hand - which is a bit of a pain to do when also holding the hydrometer tube. I've not had a single instance of leakage but I will say I did upgrade all my o-rings to slightly thicker one's from the o-ringstore.com. Not because I had any issues, just because finger tightening easily warped the original o-rings where they'd pop out on a side if slightly over-tightened.
Last week I did my Hefeweizen and thought there might be some blowoff as even in my larger Cooper's fermenters I've had aggressive Hefeweizen fermentations that bubbled up out of the airlock. I used their 90 degree blowoff elbow attachment for the lid. I didn't get any blowoff but it still worked like a charm. Originally planned to buy the domed conical lid for the extra headspace when doing hefe's but now I don't think there's a need and the blowoff attachment will do find if needed.
Anyhow, still loving my Ss Brewmaster Buckets... loving them big time!
Rev.
Last week I did my Hefeweizen and thought there might be some blowoff as even in my larger Cooper's fermenters I've had aggressive Hefeweizen fermentations that bubbled up out of the airlock. I used their 90 degree blowoff elbow attachment for the lid. I didn't get any blowoff but it still worked like a charm. Originally planned to buy the domed conical lid for the extra headspace when doing hefe's but now I don't think there's a need and the blowoff attachment will do find if needed.
Anyhow, still loving my Ss Brewmaster Buckets... loving them big time!
Rev.
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