15 gal conical I put together

[samc]

Great idea here. I currently use a V-Vessel which holds 6 gallons and is that odd looking light bulb shaped plastic fermenter with a removable capsule on the bottom. The problem is often times it will get clogged with break or pellet hops that have not filtered out because they were too fine. This tank solves that problem.

Is 15 gallon capacity too large for a 6 gallon batch? Will all that head space cause problems or will the CO2 take care of it? Wondering if something like this "10 Gallon Square Specialty Rinse Tank" might be a better choice for small batches

 

[BrewBeemer]

samc; for the price they are asking for that 10 gallon rectangle tank besides not stating it "Meets FDA standards", for almost the same price I would purchase a 15 gallon "Inductor Cone Bottom Bulk Storage Tank. Normal temp range 120*F withshort or flash temps to 140*F.
$79.42 item # 8784. 91" x 21", this must be the body dimensions not counting the 60* cone, comes with a 12" screw on lid. The bottom discharge is 1 1/2" FPT, this thru; http://www.usplastic.com. Plastic Tanks, Plastic Buckets, Plastic Bottles, Labware, PVC Pipe - United States Plastic Corporation ®. They are asking $81.10 for the metal stand, item #9907. Their prices have gone up a few dollars vs my 2007 catalog, well everything has. I would think a round fermenter would be better than a rectangle unit without those corners to clean and better for less trub anyeast to collect in. As far as stands like the OP for $83 one would be nuts to pay that price. If you were that rich you would be looking at stainless steel fermenters in the first place. Make your own stand. If you make a stand make it a round one for a round conical, square for a square not a square on a round conical. You may dent or damage it with the small contact pressure points. Something to think about as 15 gallons forcing a cone down adds a lot of unnecessary stress on the cone section. There are no worries with having a 5 or 6 gallon batch in a 15 gallon fermemter as the Co2 gas is your sealing blanket above the wort. You can ferment in a open pot if there were no air movement in a room that would displace the settled Co2 down on the wort's surface.

 

[stoneman]

After looking at the Norwesco website I just found 2 Suppliers within a 10 minute drive from me. Has this conical worked out well for you?
I'm trembling in anticipation...

 

[Henny]

Couple of questions.

1. How do you fill this thing?

2. How do you put it into your beer bench once full?

10 or so gallons of wort

 

[missing link]

Couple of questions.

1. How do you fill this thing?

2. How do you put it into your beer bench once full?

10 or so gallons of wort

When I get mine I will carry the wort to the basement in 5 gallon buckets then dump them in. If brewing in the same room that you ferment in - then just pump into the fermenter!!

Linc

 

[p4ck37p1mp]

I'm running a 1/2" line from my brewery area to the fermentation area so I can pump pbw, star san and wort to the conicals. Ball valve at the conical will let me pump star san through the line until I see wort, at which point I'll close the dump valve and fill the conical. I'm also running co2 to the conicals so I can purge them before pumping wort in as well as pressurize them when I dump trub, totally closed system. There is a basement door near where the conicals sit so I can run a line out the door when I'm cleaning, filling, etc.

 

[issack]

Sorry guys.. have been busy and not much internet time.

I have done three brews in this thing.. (sorry no pics but i'm sure you can get the picture of wort in the tank.. lol ) 2 beers and 1 mead. I'm about to do a port wine in it. I'll snap some pics off when i do that.. might even be tonight..

Works fine no leaks..

To answer someones question. I transfer the wort from my kettle several trips to fill it up.. same thing i do with all my fermenters..

 

[atl_sud]

Great thread on the conical here.

While I did see the link to the SS weldless fittings I am curious to see the internal portion of the racking port. Is there a racking arm? Pics and parts list would be fantastic.

Thanks,
T

 

[mnadamn]

issack, I was wondering. What is the longest you have left anything in this connical? I have been doing research and it seems that these are made of MDPE and are UV resistant. The only thing I cannot find is how they hold up against oxygen. As you seem to like this solution (I do as well) I doubt there have been any problems but just thought I would ask.

I plan on getting one of these in the next month (been thinking about it for a year) and your thread is what has been the deciding factor. Thanks, Enjoy, and Happy Brewing.

 

[issack]

The mead i did in it, was in there for two months before i racked it off to other fermenters to make some fruit meads. They taste great.. actually entering my Blueberry mead next week in the homebrew comp.

 

[mnadamn]

Sounds great! thanks for the info, good luck with the competition.


I will be going to a family reunion about 20 miles away from where these are made over spring break and thought since no shipping, may just have to get 2....

 

[trip2hard]

yea am about to get a 15 gal my self good info thanks.

 

[YeastOfBurden]

I don't know if this is already old news here, but when I was ordering the 15 gallon inductor tank/stand from Tank Depot limprizol mentioned, I entered "homebrew" in the discount field for a lark and wound up getting a 5% discount!
Hope it helps!

 

[samc]

I sealed the top of my inductor tank with Silicone (100%) about 3 weeks ago. The thing still reaks of Silicone. Will that smell ever dissipate or am I going to have to name my beers I2PAsilicony ? Afraid to use it so far.

 

[awest74]

I have two of these, and am leaking c02 out. It hasnt really effected the brew so far, but makes me nervous not seeing any activity in the air lock. ( lots of SG checking). I tried taking a roll of rubber window tape and placing it between the female plastic collar and the tank itself with no luck ( I did over lap it)

What did those using these conicals succesfully use to seal them, and how was it done?

I was planning on using Aquarium Silicon, but sounds like that might be a bad idea based on the last post.

 

[samc]

I sealed the top of my inductor tank with Silicone (100%) about 3 weeks ago. The thing still reaks of Silicone. Will that smell ever dissipate or am I going to have to name my beers I2PAsilicony ? Afraid to use it so far.

In reply to my own post - I finally got around to calling DAP products and was told by support that the Silicone odor was from a vinegar or vinegar like residue on the surface as the product cures. They suggest a soapy water wash to remove the residue. Next project is a bathtub rinse!

 

[Jaymo]

I have two of these, and am leaking c02 out. It hasnt really effected the brew so far, but makes me nervous not seeing any activity in the air lock. ( lots of SG checking). I tried taking a roll of rubber window tape and placing it between the female plastic collar and the tank itself with no luck ( I did over lap it)

What did those using these conicals succesfully use to seal them, and how was it done?

I was planning on using Aquarium Silicon, but sounds like that might be a bad idea based on the last post.

Since CO2 is heavier than air and you harvest from the bottom, you should be safe with a layer of CO2 sitting on your wort. If you are worried you could also vent some CO2 from a tank into your fermenter after harvesting/draining out any yeast or wort to purge any oxygen on top.

That said, out of curiosity, which brand of conical did you order? There have been several linked in this thread so far.

 

[tjmustard]

Hey made one alot like yours.
They are awesome!

TJ Mustard

 

[BrewBeemer]

issack; can you finally sit down after a couple of weeks after getting hammered by that crazy shipping bill? Man that is not right to stick you that
much vs left to right coast on the mainland. Sure looks like your getting your use out of it. Do you have a picture if the racking arm from the inside of your fermentor?

 

[issack]

issack; can you finally sit down after a couple of weeks after getting hammered by that crazy shipping bill? Man that is not right to stick you that
much vs left to right coast on the mainland. Sure looks like your getting your use out of it. Do you have a picture if the racking arm from the inside of your fermentor?

I know.. shipping kills me here..

I'll get a shot of it from the inside after i bottle this weekend.

 

[Kronin]

The boil pot is 40 Gallons also, I do 30 Gallon batches......

looks like you had just finished spray painting that stand, since there is blue paint on the concrete just under it

 

[Julohan]

issack, does your conical seal, so the airlock bubbles? I don't know if I read over it or not in the forum. Did you need to do anything to the the lid for a air tight seal? Also, for the racking arm, did you do anything special with it on the inside?

 

[thekingofspain]

I am think of jumping on the band wagon on this. I have read through the thread a few times. Do any of the implementers have any new thoughts or insights on how to make one of these if you had to do it over? Also where did everyone purchase there tank from?

Debating http://www.watertanks.com/products/0155-005.asp
and http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=A-IN0015-19 (use homebrew as code for 5% discount from one post wonder girl)

thanks

 

[mikefromcu]

I've seen several ask it, but no answers. For those of you using these plastic inductor/conicals, have you been able to rig up a ROTATING racking arm? I am thinking of buying two of these in 60 gallon size and also wondering about using bigger than 1/2" Any experience in that?

Thanks.

 

[thekingofspain]

For those of you using these plastic inductor/conicals, have you been able to rig up a ROTATING racking

I looked at the better bottle over the weekend and was thinking of somehow incorporating one those racking arms into this.

 

[samc]

I've seen several ask it, but no answers. For those of you using these plastic inductor/conicals, have you been able to rig up a ROTATING racking arm? I am thinking of buying two of these in 60 gallon size and also wondering about using bigger than 1/2" Any experience in that?

Thanks.

http://suburb.semo.net/jet1024/Rotating Racking Arm.htm

 

[eta525]

I have a couple of these plastic conicals that i bought off someone in my homebrew club who never used them, so I'm not sure which manufacturer they came from.

As for the CO2 leakage though, when I first used them I also had problems with the CO2 leakage and having nothing coming up through the airlock. The beer turned out fine, but I was still concerned. So I got a tube of food grade lube and put a large bead around the top of the conical tank and screwed the lid down into it. So there's a slick mess around the rim, but none of it gets into the tank, and effectively seals the lid shut, so the airlock bubbles and nothing gets in. Hope that helps!

 

[BlakeBrews]

A little off topic as far as functionality...
As a food scientist and nutritionist I would stay away from any plastic that isn't BPA free. This chemical is used in bulk plastic manufacture and has been shown to cause genetic changes in germ line cells - that right kids, you're little soldiers and her eggs (the reason that Nalgene has changed the plastic they use in their water bottles). This means that you're kids have these changes in every cell of their body - changes that have been linked to several serious diseases. This isn't a big deal if you're using plastic tubing in you're set up because the brew is only in contact for a short time, but when you are fermenting in plastic...
Just a thought - I'd stick with stainless if you can.

 

[MacBruver]

A little off topic as far as functionality...
As a food scientist and nutritionist I would stay away from any plastic that isn't BPA free.

Well then you probably know that the polyethylene these things are made of is BPA free, right?

Only polycarbonate and PVC contain BPA, and not even all types of those plastics do. HDPE, polyethylene, and PET are all BPA-free.

 

[zinger084]

I am going to order a few of these from tank depot and build a nice roll around rack. I am so sick of transferring beer that this will make my hobby so much nicer...

 

[thekingofspain]

Zinger keep us update to date on how this goes. I will do this but have to get the wife in better mode, get a new job, and lay 1000 sq feet of hardwood flooring.

 

[zinger084]

I ordered the ACE version of this tank from here last week:
http://www.tank-depot.com/product.aspx?id=854

I am starting to worry since it's bottom angle is around 53deg and the Norwesco tank is referenced at 60deg. I always heard that 60deg is the magic number... is the 53deg going to be enough for the yeast to settle at the bottom of the tank to empty out?

 

[zinger084]

Changed my mind...

 

[zinger084]

...went with a hanging setup so no pump is required. Keep it low when I drain from the keggle, and raise when finished pitching the yeast until fermentation is complete. Using a boat winch mounted to the ceiling to crank it up.

I am using basically the same fittings as the OP but also adding stainless fittings (90L, 4in nip) within the fermenter to have the side valve piping within the tank hover over the bottom dump fitting within the fermenter to get as much beer out as possible.

https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/uploads/41119/1116091819.jpg

https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/uploads/41119/1116092030.jpg

 

[mikefromcu]

How are you doing temperature control?

 

[zinger084]

My basement stays at 60 in the winter and 68 in the summer. I am going to just stick with no temp control right now and see how it works out...

 

[Clifton]

I've seen several ask it, but no answers. For those of you using these plastic inductor/conicals, have you been able to rig up a ROTATING racking arm? I am thinking of buying two of these in 60 gallon size and also wondering about using bigger than 1/2" Any experience in that?

Thanks.

Look here.
http://www.northchautauquahomebrewers.com/ferment/ferment.htm

 

[Cyan]

Look here.
http://www.northchautauquahomebrewers.com/ferment/ferment.htm

Dude, TY for posting that link!

 

[Clifton]

No problem.

 

[TBLbrewer]

Is there any reason you couldn't use schedule 40 PVC fittings on this? I just ordered 2 of these. $170.00 shipped.