Upgrading a plastic conical

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CrustyBrau

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I picked up a used Affordable Conical (http://www.minibrew.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=6), but it's an older one and does not have the racking valve. That means you have to get the trub really well cleaned out before dumping the beer. I would like to add a rotating racking arm to it. I'm really on the fence about this. I think I need to use tri-clamp hardware to get a rotating arm, and that stuff is EXPENSIVE. At the end of the day, I'd still have a plastic fermenter, and if I also replaced the dump valve with a stainless one, the hardware would be worth more than the damn tank.

Is there a cheaper way to add a rotating arm to this thing that's still easy to keep sanitary?
 
You don't have to have a rotating arm. Just install a racking arm about 1"-2" above the bottom of the conical & dump your yeast. It creates sort of a funnel in the yeast & the racking arm sits inside the funnel. When I built mine I used a 1/2" polypropylene ball valve, a bulkhead fitting, polyethylene tubing & a 90 degree fitting. Got all the parts at a Farm Store. The ball valve was ~$20. The rest was chump change.
 

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