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conical fermenters

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Well, I pulled the trigger on one of these. Price seems a bit low. I'll let you guys know whats wrong with it when I get it. :mug:
 
I bought one as well...few leaks are easy to stop... :) I think for the price it cant be to bad...gotta figure out about saving the yeast tho....
 
Well I got mine in the mail today. I can't really open it up and go through it here at the office. Will post more when I go over it tonight. The packaging reminds me of harbor freight.....


Edit 5-29-09 13:20

Opened it up while I was home for lunch. This crappy phone pic doesn't show the bend in the dial well but you can see the broken glass. Have emailed the seller, we'll see how it goes...

glass.jpg
 
i was thinking of picking one of these up as well once they add more.

Let us know how the seller helps you out with the dial.

What about the rest of it, how is the construction at first glance?
 
I got one for Christmas and was thinking of getting more silicone gaskets to have on hand if needed. I contacted the seller and asked where he got them so I could get some extras. He informed me that they should last forever, but he would send a couple out to me for free when he got more. He said they would be too expensive for me to get on my own. I thought that was nice.
 
.... this looks alot like the one I bought (and since sold); i paid alot more for it that the Ebay cost so I am not sure if its the same one or not... if it is I was very happy with it but it didnt fit in my fermentation fridge so I got rid of it.....

can someone send me detailed pictures so I can see if its the same model? I may consider another one for the cost of the ebay auction and then jacket the thing.
 
st0neski said:
i was thinking of picking one of these up as well once they add more.

Let us know how the seller helps you out with the dial.

What about the rest of it, how is the construction at first glance?
Click to expand...

The seller was very nice in his responce and said he would mail me a new guage ASAP.

The construction quality on these is questionable, but you get what you pay for. I'm a little concerned about one of the welds. Will post a pic when I get home from work.
 
I bought one of the BK's, but have not tried yet- it was very sweet though- an no flays seen at this point.
 
I have a previous version of the conical and current version of the BK and both are GREAT!
 
I got one for Christmas and was thinking of getting more silicone gaskets to have on hand if needed. I contacted the seller and asked where he got them so I could get some extras. He informed me that they should last forever, but he would send a couple out to me for free when he got more. He said they would be too expensive for me to get on my own. I thought that was nice.
Click to expand...

I might have to contact him too. I bought one from him less than a year ago and the gaskets are seriously wearing out - splitting along the fold and discoloring. I'm thinking about rigging up a better lid seal design though...
 
lol...I recieved mine in the mail and dont seee any major flaws off hand...gotta get some pbw action and put a light coat of whatever other cleaner the manufacturer was talking about and it will be ready for use...ill let ya know as soon as i get to use it for the first time....
 
Thats great....glad you got taken care of....I might possibly do a brew day on Saturday and put mine to use....gonna fillerup and make sure it doesnt leak first tho....
 
Can anyone tell me how hard they think it would be to rig up a rotating racking arm to one of these conicals? I love the price but the only thing left to desire is a rotating racking arm.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
That's because it's probably the seller with the EBay listing above. :D
Click to expand...

You guys know nothing about me and that is fine but that is really no reason to bash me. I bought one of these conicals from eBay and my wife bought me the BK as a gift. I am NOT the seller.

I have been brewing for about a year and am an all-grain brewer. Since budget is important to me, and many others, I built my own 2-tier brewstand from copper pipe and use the conical and brewpot that I mentioned in a previous post. My mashtun/lautertun was also built mmyself from a cooler. I average 89% efficiency with my setup.

I also built a temperature controlled fermentation cabinet that uses Peltier plate technology and can maintain +/- 2° during fermentation. It is under my workbench and my conical is on wheels so I don't need to lift it. After all, I am over 50 years young and no need to hurt myself.

So, am I qualified to make a post about a conical and BK? :confused:

John
 
Ewalk02 said:
Can anyone tell me how hard they think it would be to rig up a rotating racking arm to one of these conicals? I love the price but the only thing left to desire is a rotating racking arm.
Click to expand...

As I have said in earlier posts, I have one of these conicals albeit an earlier version. I was going to install a rotating arm but it would be difficlut. The best method would be to plug the opening for the upper ball valve, drill a new hole (fun in stainless) and install a rotating arm with a weldless bulkhead fitting.

As for me, I have found that I really don't need the racking arm. I draw 8oz of trub out of the bottom every morning for the first 5 after fermentation begins. I save the second days for yeast propogation. Anyway, my beer is always nice and clear.

I hope that this helps. :mug:

John
 
Well I went ahead and purchased one of these (7 gal SS conical) so I'll let everyone know how it turns out. After reading the reviews that this guy has I started to feel alot better about ordering from him, nothing but good things have been posted. This might not be the most heavy duty thing but for half the price of a name brand conical I figured why not. Also everything comes with a 14 day return policy....even if its been USED. Like I said I'll post my thoughts.
 
whoa there tiger.. no one is bashing you.. Normally a first post is an introduction of sorts not jumping directly into a thread. congrats on the purchases and welcome to the board! :mug: I myself picked up the BK for $99 and had it in 2 days to my house! The quality is decent, the lid is good, but the lid handle leaves something to be desired but at $99 bucks you cannot beat it. With the valve and thermomenter puts it right over the top.




john98026 said:
You guys know nothing about me and that is fine but that is really no reason to bash me. I bought one of these conicals from eBay and my wife bought me the BK as a gift. I am NOT the seller.

I have been brewing for about a year and am an all-grain brewer. Since budget is important to me, and many others, I built my own 2-tier brewstand from copper pipe and use the conical and brewpot that I mentioned in a previous post. My mashtun/lautertun was also built mmyself from a cooler. I average 89% efficiency with my setup.

I also built a temperature controlled fermentation cabinet that uses Peltier plate technology and can maintain +/- 2° during fermentation. It is under my workbench and my conical is on wheels so I don't need to lift it. After all, I am over 50 years young and no need to hurt myself.

So, am I qualified to make a post about a conical and BK? :confused:

John
Click to expand...
 
HellenicHomeBrewer said:
whoa there tiger.. no one is bashing you.. Normally a first post is an introduction of sorts not jumping directly into a thread. congrats on the purchases and welcome to the board! :mug: I myself picked up the BK for $99 and had it in 2 days to my house! The quality is decent, the lid is good, but the lid handle leaves something to be desired but at $99 bucks you cannot beat it. With the valve and thermomenter puts it right over the top.
Click to expand...

Peace. I guess I was a bit put back by folks thinking I was the eBay seller. Actually, I wish I were - He is making some coin on these conicals and BKs.

BTW, I agree 100% on the lid. I added a sightglass to mine and use it as my HLT. I guess I should figure out how to post photos so you call all see my setup. :mug:
 
BAH.. It's not about being the seller, but being the seller without admitting it seems a little underhanded if you know what I mean. And I'm with you, seems like he's selling the **** out of them!

How was drilling it out? Did you fab your own sightglass?
 
I finished a big job, so I went to order the fermenter. They were all gone, so I sent the seller an Email.

I called the Local Homebrew shop to see what they had and it was the bri...man. Price was 8 something. More than I wanted to spend.


When I got home from work today, I got a response that they had more up for sale. I ordered it. Brewing on the 4th of July, so I can tell you how it works out.

I was brewing 10+ gallon batches, but I don't drink that much beer, so I was going to go to 5 gallon batches for more variety. I will report how it works.

THANKS FOR THE LINK!

David <~~~~Insert big cheesy grin here.

Edit: I also was fermenting in an open Sanky with a lid on it. After hanging out here for a short while and reading a LOT, I decided I wanted to go back to closed ferment.
 
Please let me know how the conical turns out. I am very interested as the seller lives nearby and said I could do a local pick up if I wanted. I am waiting for him to get his brew kettles back in stock to go all grain.

The only other person I could find who has used the conical was a blogger in Austin who used the conical once, got it mighty infected with some sour yeast and never got it going again. His subsequent experience with it was pretty bad and had trouble keeping a seal.

As an introduction, yes, this is my first post, no I am not the seller, lol. I have only been brewing for about 6 months now and have been lurking for several months. This is the best forum I have found, very helpful and the search button is an amazing learning tool.
 
The fermenter should be here tomorrow by USPS. I am brewing a boddingtons type beer on July 4th. I'll take pictures. Don't worry, I 'll look it over closely, I'm a weldor.

Getting kind of fired up to use it. Got a gallon of sanitizer mixed up.

David :)
 
I just the BK for the first time recently.. Was very good with the except of I was curious and removed the weldless thermometer and I had a slow drip from there during the boil.. Not much I could do about, I haven't gotten around to resetting it, but I'm contemplating putting a SS coupler on there to solve all issues..
 
I received my fermenter in the mail 2 days ago and here's what I have found:

First off this thing is a great deal for the price, with 90% of the functionality of anything else out there (no racking arm) its only 50% of the price!

Welds leave a little to be desired, they don't leak but I can see a few spots where bacteria might like to hide, I might try grinding these down myself though.

Everything is stainless except the brass nut that holds the thermometer to the side. This nut was actually inside the fermenter so I replaced it with a stainless steel nut that I had lying around.

The lid seals up really nicely and holds a small amount of pressure, not nearly enough to carb up a batch but enough to ensure a good leak free seal.

The fittings are all regular stainless steel ball valves which I have no problems with.

The thickness of the stainless steel used is adequate, you don't feel like your going to dent the thing just picking it up and setting it down.

2 extra o-rings were included for the thermometer.

All tubing used for the frame/legs have been capped with a plastic cap so that there aren't any sharp areas to cut yourself on.

All in all, would I buy another one.....Absolutely!
 
Acording to the tracking, mine is at the post office right now! I get it tomorrow.

Ewalk02, use a flap wheel, not a grinding wheel to dress the welds.

When mine gets here, look for pics. Its gonna sit empty till Saturday.

David
 
It came today, double boxed. Looked pretty sweet when I opened it up. Ball valves are 1/2" thread. In the box were 4 silicone lid gaskets and 2 "0" rings for the thermometer.

Thermometer is huge and easy to read. I checked it with my 2 mash thermometers and all three are within 3 degrees f. This one reads the highest, but... Its still One degree from the average of the 3.

I inspected the welds and all looked good except the one in the bottom.

Next I took it to the kitchen sink and filled er up. It holds just under 6 gals 3 quarts. When it had 6 gallons in it, I had 1.5" of head space left. I will be buying a blow off hose so I can put 6 gals in it when I want.

The space between the racking valve and the dump valve holds exactly one half liter, or almost 3 cups.

I took a pic next to a corny keg for size comparison. My son was trying to jewel the keg. Its looking pretty good.
I washed it out with C brite and inspected the bottom weld better. It has POROSITY. I do some food grade welding and this aint it. I am going to boil the base of the fermenter so I can use it on Saturday, but will probably re weld the one in the bottom so its smooth. I did try to clean it up with roloc discs, but the holes in the weld are too deep. I can see stuff staying in there and causing problems.

007.jpg


Lid and gasket. It looks like it will be fine. If you look close the screw is on a bit of an angle. This affects (effects?) nothing. The hole for the bung is bigger than my #6 stopper. Its going to need the next size bigger. I bought some 1" OD blow off hose. Its too small, I need 1 1/4" OD.
011.jpg


I don't know how well you can see the holes in the weld. Here is a pic.
006.jpg

the rest of the welds look good. This is the worst spot for a sh*t weld.

You decide. I am going to write to the seller and see if all are like this.

Cleaning it and filling it on Saturday with a Boddingtons clone. Lots of heat will make me sure its clean for this use. Ad says can be returned for any reason even if you use it. The worst thing that could happen is I would cut out the bottom and weld it back in.

I will let you know what the seller says.
David :)
 

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