polyethylene (plastic) conical fermenter

I am looking at expanding my homebrewing equipment and I would like to replace my carboy (which is a 6 gl pet food grade better carboy) with a conical fermenter. Being on the lower end of the food chain as it were financially, I can't afford a SS conical anytime in the near or distant future that I can forsee.

What I have found, however, is a medium density polyethylene FDA approved conical "mixing tank" that looks like it could fit the bill! My question is will the polyethylene be suitable for this purpose? Have any of you used or experienced this material in your home brewing? I know that minibrew makes plastic fermenters, but is it polyetylene? They don't say that I can find.

The company I found is US Plastic Corp., and has a myraid of these kinds of tanks. The one I would be interested in has a 15 gallon capacity and runs $68 for the tank, $67 for the stand plus shipping. Then I would just have to look to adapting/adding ball valves and an airlock hole. You can see the product here:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pr...USPlastic&category_name=20726&product_id=3863

Any feed back would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Wow that's cheap.. if this will work I might end up getting one myself

This was discussed once before, and, as I recall, it generated a lot of excitement. I don't think anyone ever posted any results. Polyethylene should be fine. This fermenter is made of the same stuff.

Let us know how it works out!

Seems to fit the requirements. Oxygen permeability isn't really an issue with the relatively short time frame we are looking at in homebrewing. Even a perfect 60 degree slope! If you just left the lid snug only there would be no need for an airlock.

Humm neat. I need to hurry up and graduate so I can buy cool toys.

Should work fine. Just keep in mind Temp. and I would still cover it with opaque material if it is ANYWHERE near sunlight or fluorescent tubes.

Thanks for the quick feedback!
I'll let you know how it works out. I'll be getting it by the end of May. It may take me a couple weeks more to get the other hardware as well. Baby steps and bit by bit.
If any of you are adventurous and beat me to it, let me know how it went.

Ryanh1801 said:

Humm neat. I need to hurry up and graduate so I can buy cool toys.

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...and pay off loans!

chillHayze said:

...and pay off loans!

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Luckily I have parents that pay for my college, I just pay for living, so im not in the hole. Well a little bit but working 2 jobs in the summer pays that off.

I'm looking at getting this too. My concern is cooling. My fermentator I built originally was desinged to accomodate two 5 gal fermentors, but this will require me rebuilding one or looking at something else. Any ideas out there?

Yuri_Rage said:

This was discussed once before, and, as I recall, it generated a lot of excitement. I don't think anyone ever posted any results. Polyethylene should be fine. This fermenter is made of the same stuff.

Let us know how it works out!

Click to expand...

Thats this company: http://www.minibrew.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5

Check out this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14410&page=2

Start with post #13.

Downside is that I doubt you could naturally carbonate the beer with plastic.

*BUMP* Anyone ever end up buying/trying a PET conical fermenter? They are on sale currently at ridiculous prices and I am intrigued

jimpdx said:

*BUMP* Anyone ever end up buying/trying a PET conical fermenter? They are on sale currently at ridiculous prices and I am intrigued

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Link???


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