Blichman 14.5 Gallon Fermenter Assembly Instructions

Does anyone happen to have a pdf of the assembly instructions on the Blichmann Fermenter? I received mine and did not get anything and it does have a few pieces. I just want to make sure I do it correctly before I put some precious wort in her. Was planning on brewing tonight and have not received any news from Blichmann yet. So figured I'd just put a bug out there to see if anyone has anything.

Thanks!

PLUS - I will be putting my review on the Fermenator vs Brew-Magic Fermenter since I have both now.

You might check out their FAQ on Blichmann's web site.
http://www.blichmannengineering.com/fermentor/fermentor.html

Drop them an email, they are pretty responsive.

I did send them an E-mail. Waiting for them to get back to me. Unfort, their website doesn't offer any instructions.

Did you get the tri-clamp version or the standard... I had a 7 gallon one so I wouldn't think they would be much different.

I did get the tri-clamp but am probably regretting it now. Its been 5 days, 7 E-mails, 3 phone calls (answering machine) and have received zippo help. I've kinda put some things together but have several pieces left over. I woulda figured there should have been instructions, assembly, warranty, etc info included. I would have to say my first (and probably last) experience with Blichmann is not a good one.

That is very unfortunate that you have had this experience thus far. I don't know what to say because when I have emailed and asked for help or was presenting a problem, I had a response back from John on several occasions in literally minutes.

Anyway, back to your question, how many pieces do you have left over... I don't recall there being anything out of the ordinary and my initial setup of the conical was pretty straight forward. Can you take a picture of the fittings you have installed and then a pic of the parts left over?

Also there is usually a very well documented instruction sheet included with all his products so it sounds like your manual may have been missing.

Could be John is catching up from GABF.

That is strange, I wonder if your emails ended up in his spam folder or something. I emailed him a question about 3pm on Sunday and received a response at 9pm the same day.

It was about a new purchase though, so may be he is more keen on responding when it is regarding a new sale.

I have my supplier contacting blichmann also. They are aware of my disappointment and frustration. They have not heard back either.

RiverCity - there is two very small rubber gaskets, some plastic white piece and a black o-ring that I've tried putting on pretty much anything/everything. lol. I'm also a little surprised that the inside of the weldles pieces its steel on steel with no o-rings or anything. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if pieces were missing either the way this thing has gone down.

I'm defin sad to say I'm through with blichmann and I was sooooo excited about my first conical. Oh well. live and learn.

If I recall correctly the inside racking arm used a flare fitting to connect to the bulkhead and didn't require a gasket. The bottom valve should just be a nut connecting to the backside of the tri-clamp adapter. When you attached the racking arm and the dump valve, there should be a large washer that constrains the oring/gasket that presses up against the body of the conical on the outside. The orings you have left aren't spares for those are they? Is the white plastic piece a teflon tri-clamp gasket?

Did Blichmann get back to you yet on this?

Midwestsupplies got me a pdf of the assembly. I had pretty much done it correctly but felt a lot better about KNOWING it was assembled right. Plus the few hints that I would not have thought of and could have done some damage to the unit.

if anyone has not tried midwestsupplies.com yet, PLEASE do. These guys rock.

and as always, thanks everyone here for the help! I will get my review out for the two fermenters after I get my first batch done with the conical. Hopefully tomorrow!

I'll be interested to see your opinion after you get everything together. I was on the fence whether to buy a MoreBeer or Blichmann 14 gallon triple clamp conical. I think both brands (and Stout too) are good quality conicals; each have their own pros\cons and it is great to hear actual owners voice their opinions and suggestions.

Initially, I was leaning toward Blichmann, but changed my mind due to a couple of reasons. The Ferminator is mostly or all Chinese, but they are in stock. On the other hand, there's MoreBeer where at least a portion of their conical is from the US. Also, I experienced courteous service with MoreBeer on another order and it was obvious that I could always speak directly with the manufacturer. Caveat, there is a 7-8 week lag time after ordering. Next Tuesday is week 8 since I ordered! Hopefully it is ready to ship soon. If a thread doesn't already exist, I'll create one and post my experience with some photos after I brew a batch or two.

BTW, I don't believe MoreBeer comes with instructions either.

I bought a Blichmann 7.5 gallon conical.. Been very happy with it, but not happy with the company. Was supposed to ship with a free thrumometer, which was not included in my shipment. When I complained, I was told that it was shipped and that I had to prove that it didn't. Lesson learned, will not buy from Blichmann again.

BigBadMikey,

I think your issue is with the company from which you purchased the Fermenater, not Blichmann. Since you cannot order directly from them, I would assume any promises of a Thrumometer would have been made from the authorized retail supplier. If you had a copy of the invoice and didn't receive all items, I should think your credit card company would step in if needed.

For me, the Thrumometer, HopBlocker and other smaller Blichmann items shipped from my retailer, not Blichmann. Just my experience, YMMV.

Incorrect.. It was to be drop shipped by Blichmann.. Did not arrive with my shipment. Blichmann would not budge.

BigBadMikey said:

Incorrect.. It was to be drop shipped by Blichmann.. Did not arrive with my shipment. Blichmann would not budge.

Click to expand...

In that case, AmEx would be stopping payment if it were me. Didn't mean to derail the thread.