FastFerment conical fermenter??????
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I just broke down my FF after my first brew so I could clean it and re-tape where I had some leaks.
I took apart the ball valve and found quite a bit of crud (technical term; you'll study it in class next week) in the cavity where the ball rotates. If you're only rinsing or washing the inside with a cloth and cleanser, you won't reach it. You're going to have to break down the valve assembly.
No biggie. Only takes a couple minutes.
Don't want anyone to miss where some nasties might grow.
Kevin
I took apart the ball valve and found quite a bit of crud (technical term; you'll study it in class next week) in the cavity where the ball rotates. If you're only rinsing or washing the inside with a cloth and cleanser, you won't reach it. You're going to have to break down the valve assembly.
No biggie. Only takes a couple minutes.
Don't want anyone to miss where some nasties might grow.
Kevin
After each batch when I rinse and clean the FF, for the last rinse I'll fill the FF with clean water. When I drain the rinse water, I make sure to open and close the ball valve several times as liquid and small sediment can get past the nylon bushings and into the interior of the ball valve.
Every time I sanitize mine (before each batch goes in), when I drain the sanitizer it, I'll open and close the valve several times so the sanitizer will leak into the interior of the ball valve area to hopefully kill any possible growing bacteria.
When you're dealing with anything that has seals, every time you break it down you're taking a chance you'll damage something and cause it to leak. I only break mine down and clean the interior of ball valve about every 6 months. I do usually find some sediment inside but nothing too bad. But I'm sure if you're careful with you're breakdown, cleaning and reassembly, you should be fine.
In case you're wondering, I've put 100 gal through the FF over the past few years...
Just thought I would share my experience and opinions. But everyone has to do what makes sense to them.
Yetiman
Member
FastBrewing is running a promotion for a free accessory if you post a review. I purchased my FastFerment directly through them and was told to post my review here.
I'm closing in on 200 batches of beer. I have three temp controlled Ss Brewtech Chronical 7 gal fermenters (which I love and come at a cost). When FastBrewing came out with this update and offer on the plastic conical, I felt it was too good to pass up. Who couldn't use an extra conical?
To be clear, I use this for WineExpert Limited Edition Wine kits - I do about three of them each spring. For the ~$125 I've spent on this (purchased a stand after paying ~$100 for the conical), I am thrilled with all aspects of the product. The only thing missing has been addressed with the recent addition of the sampling port.
The only *problems* I've had would be true with any conical. I had a wine kit with skins and chips which created a bit of a clog at the bottom (I will now bag stuff like that for easy removal). The temp probe is great and I'll tape a heating pad to the cone to control the low end of temps. Would be nice if they could invent a way to make it easier to cool/heat but I imagine that would destroy the attractive price point. My basement in the winter/spring is the perfect temp to only have to worry about heating it just a bit.
I put it on the wire stand and add hot PBW from my hot-side brewery clean up and it works like a charm. I otherwise ferment with it on the provided all mounts in an unfinished room in my basement. Initially concerned about leaks but use some thread tape which I'm not too good about cleaning/replacing.
The collection balls are extra nice for secondary. I have not harvested any yeast but would be super easy to do and I'll do it someday when I make beer in it.
I'm closing in on 200 batches of beer. I have three temp controlled Ss Brewtech Chronical 7 gal fermenters (which I love and come at a cost). When FastBrewing came out with this update and offer on the plastic conical, I felt it was too good to pass up. Who couldn't use an extra conical?
To be clear, I use this for WineExpert Limited Edition Wine kits - I do about three of them each spring. For the ~$125 I've spent on this (purchased a stand after paying ~$100 for the conical), I am thrilled with all aspects of the product. The only thing missing has been addressed with the recent addition of the sampling port.
The only *problems* I've had would be true with any conical. I had a wine kit with skins and chips which created a bit of a clog at the bottom (I will now bag stuff like that for easy removal). The temp probe is great and I'll tape a heating pad to the cone to control the low end of temps. Would be nice if they could invent a way to make it easier to cool/heat but I imagine that would destroy the attractive price point. My basement in the winter/spring is the perfect temp to only have to worry about heating it just a bit.
I put it on the wire stand and add hot PBW from my hot-side brewery clean up and it works like a charm. I otherwise ferment with it on the provided all mounts in an unfinished room in my basement. Initially concerned about leaks but use some thread tape which I'm not too good about cleaning/replacing.
The collection balls are extra nice for secondary. I have not harvested any yeast but would be super easy to do and I'll do it someday when I make beer in it.
drjlove
New Member
Greetings-
I bought one of the FastFerment conicals about 2 months ago. I have to say I'm quite pleased with it. It makes going from primary to secondary a snap and its super-easy to thoroughly clean. Its much lighter than a glass carboy also. I purchased the metal stand and thermometer with mine and those accessories are nice add-ons. I do not have a studs in my concrete basement walls where I brew so the stand was a requirement for me.
It's very important to use the teflon tape that is provided with the fermenter. You will need to do about 4-5 clockwise wraps around the fittings that the instructions indicate in order to get a good water-tight seal. It's very easy to do and only takes a few mins. I've read some reviews that folks were not getting air tight seals at the lid on some of the older versions of these. I did not have that issue at all with mine. I've read that the lid grommets have been improved on the current versions of these. I've gotten a good air tight seal with mine. No issues at all.
I purchased mine through my LHBS and paid about $90 plus tax. I would buy another and feel that this is a very worthwhile addition to my brewing set-up.
Overall, I highly recommend the FastFerment conical, just make sure to use the teflon tape and give the specified fittings about 5 wraps. Also, make sure you do a water test before pouring your wort or must in the fermenter. It's wise to ensure that everything is water-tight beforehand.
-Joe
I bought one of the FastFerment conicals about 2 months ago. I have to say I'm quite pleased with it. It makes going from primary to secondary a snap and its super-easy to thoroughly clean. Its much lighter than a glass carboy also. I purchased the metal stand and thermometer with mine and those accessories are nice add-ons. I do not have a studs in my concrete basement walls where I brew so the stand was a requirement for me.
It's very important to use the teflon tape that is provided with the fermenter. You will need to do about 4-5 clockwise wraps around the fittings that the instructions indicate in order to get a good water-tight seal. It's very easy to do and only takes a few mins. I've read some reviews that folks were not getting air tight seals at the lid on some of the older versions of these. I did not have that issue at all with mine. I've read that the lid grommets have been improved on the current versions of these. I've gotten a good air tight seal with mine. No issues at all.
I purchased mine through my LHBS and paid about $90 plus tax. I would buy another and feel that this is a very worthwhile addition to my brewing set-up.
Overall, I highly recommend the FastFerment conical, just make sure to use the teflon tape and give the specified fittings about 5 wraps. Also, make sure you do a water test before pouring your wort or must in the fermenter. It's wise to ensure that everything is water-tight beforehand.
-Joe
Good grief... who is driving folks to this forum for formal reviews?? I've seen a few pop up all of a sudden on this thread as well as the other FF thread as well. These forums are a sharing of experiences and ideas. There are plenty of review sites elsewhere. 
Good grief... who is driving folks to this forum for formal reviews?? I've seen a few pop up all of a sudden on this thread as well as the other FF thread as well. These forums are a sharing of experiences and ideas. There are plenty of review sites elsewhere.
Yep they are trying to counteract some of the recent complaints I suspect. I was hesitant to say it out loud loud. Thanks for raising it.
Baileisdad
Well-Known Member
I removed the collection ball from primary and when i replaced it for secondary guess what happens when all that air in the ball gets released when you rack open that ball valve!!! Did anyone else have a problem doing this. if not what did you do?
The_Bishop
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The whole tactic of pushing positive reviewers here definitely makes me unlikely to do business with them.
Don't let this dissuade you too much. There are a lot of happy users back to 2014.
Yup, a lot of happy users - I'm one of them. That being said, I agree with jbb3....pushing reviews here is fairly annoying. This forum is for experiences/fixes/questions/gripes, etc. We've learned a lot from each other here, and quite frankly the manufacturer has as well. It's the issues uncovered that has helped them make a better product. If it turns into a happy dance for the manufacturer, they learn nothing, and folks will stop reading the posts.
abbysdad2006
Well-Known Member
Any ideas to dry hop in this thing? I'm going to be making an IIPA and need to find a way to dry hop without the hops settling to the bottom. Thanks
tempestam83
Well-Known Member
I use a hop sack with about 10 stainless steal washers and a length of unwaxed/unflavored dental floss.
Once I fill the bag with the hops and washers, I tie off the top as high as I can get the knot, tie the dental floss around it, then sink it into the finished beer up to the top of the bag. Then I wrap the floss around the thermometer on the outside and screw the cap back on.
Works for me.
Once I fill the bag with the hops and washers, I tie off the top as high as I can get the knot, tie the dental floss around it, then sink it into the finished beer up to the top of the bag. Then I wrap the floss around the thermometer on the outside and screw the cap back on.
Works for me.
abbysdad2006
Well-Known Member
I'm using this right now to ferment a 5 gallon batch of extract IPA. Only thing I've noticed so far is the hop sludge clogging the bottom of the cone. I rinsed the ball out once, and reopened it hoping to pull out some more of that sludge.
We'll see how bottling goes in another week or so.
We'll see how bottling goes in another week or so.
The conical shape and ball are designed to just that. After 1 week, I emptied the ball and reattached. After 1 more week emptied the ball again, attached the bottling attachment, stirred in priming sugar and bottled. Finished beer was crystal clear.
Hey Everyone!
As many of you know "live and learn" is one of our motto's over at FastBrewing. Apologies that our latest marketing push has few people upset with it.
Effective immediately we are pulling the review posting for the accessories offer off of HomeBrewTalk.com. We will focus on promoting reviews on retailers websites, other reviewing websites, and are in the process of building a review page on our website so people that buy from Brick and Motor homebrew stores have a place to review and be eligible for our accessory offer.
Again apologies if we offend anyone. Always looking forward to what the community has to say and we will make improvements when we can.
Best Regards,
FastBrewing Team
As many of you know "live and learn" is one of our motto's over at FastBrewing. Apologies that our latest marketing push has few people upset with it.
Effective immediately we are pulling the review posting for the accessories offer off of HomeBrewTalk.com. We will focus on promoting reviews on retailers websites, other reviewing websites, and are in the process of building a review page on our website so people that buy from Brick and Motor homebrew stores have a place to review and be eligible for our accessory offer.
Again apologies if we offend anyone. Always looking forward to what the community has to say and we will make improvements when we can.
Best Regards,
FastBrewing Team
vrodbrad
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Well, yesterday I emptied out the collection ball. Cleaned it out and resanitized and then I put co2 in it and reinstalled for the did not want the fear of o2 in like others. Sometimes better safe than sorry. I noticed in I am liking so far. no leak issues.
If I were to call you out when you do dumb things but not do the same when you do good ones, it just wouldn't be fair...
I for one appreciate the reversal on what I think was a bad marketing scheme. Most of us come to this forum to share experiences, swap ideas and have a laugh or two. It is not meant to be an extension of a commercial product site and when that get's interjected, it feels like an intrusion and it certainly taints and detracts from the experience.
I guess now I don't have to throw the two FF I own out the back door! Especially since they're both full right now!!
Good on you FastBewing...
Agreed,
Thanks, FastBrewing, for listening and responding. This could have had some negative impacts, but you guys swept all that away with your responsiveness. I'm filling up the FF this weekend with a new batch!
Cheers!
Thanks, FastBrewing, for listening and responding. This could have had some negative impacts, but you guys swept all that away with your responsiveness. I'm filling up the FF this weekend with a new batch!
Cheers!
vrodbrad
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Well so far i am liking the ff. I dumped off the trub the other day and now just collected the yeast. It seamed easier. I just noticed that i had put the closing valve up side down no biggie. Oh it was an oatmeal stout that i made and put in
Yes that is very nice and I've been harvesting yeast since I purchased the FF. The other day I made a starter from some old yeast but I didn't give it enough time to cold crash and decant some of the beer off of the yeast. Usually I dump the whole starter in but this time I made a small 3 gallon test batch and didn't want to dump it all in there. Well my American Wheat brew in the FF needed the collection ball dumped for the first time with US-05 yeast. Well that was what the test batch called for as a dry yeast. So I got my secondary collection ball sanitized, swapped the collection balls and then decanted the beer on top of the yeast. After that I dumped the yeast into my test batch and sealed her up. Within an hour the airlock was a popping and it only got faster as the night went on! By the next morning I had to deploy my first blow off tube!!!
This experience was amazing and I will try to line more brews up like this in the future. But I think having the FF makes this scenario so much easier to deploy!!! Just my experience I thought I would share here. Take care and cheers!!!
Flyboypr77
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Hello, have used the FF for 3 brews now and it has worked great, brewed last night and when i went to use it sanitizer was pouring out by the collection ball. So i unscrewed it and noticed it was cracked right under the treads, anyone else have a problem with the collection ball breaking or cracking. Thanks, will post pics later..
Flyboypr77
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Here are the pics of collection ball.
Flyboypr77
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Other one thanks.
You are not the first person to mention that happening (if you looked back in the archives of this thread far enough, you would find it). I think the pervious person had screwed the collection ball onto the union fitting too far and the fitting was pushing on the neck with some force, and eventually it just let go. Beyond that, I have no idea.
Edit: Here is the link to the post
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=6902080&postcount=612
Edit: Here is the link to the post
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=6902080&postcount=612
Yeah, happened to me. I don't think I had it too far screwed in. Not sure what caused it though.
I never figured out what caused it. I dont think I screwed it in too far, but who knows.
Flyboypr77
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Yea i can't figure it out either, i know i didn't tighten it too much and i didn't drop or bang it on anything. Sucks..
Sounds like you've just got some compacted yeast. Usually a good thwap with the heel of your hand will break it up enough to drain but if more drastic measures are needed you could use a piece of sanitised tubing or a sanitised (plastic) spoon, although I would definitely prefer the former; scratching is still a risk. Just use it to break the clump up a little and you'll be right as rain.
I've had the same situation on a few batches. Give it a few days and the dam will begin to break. All you need is time a gravity. Gravity always wins...
I have this problem often. I use WLP007 on quite a few beers and that yeast compacts like crazy every time. I've found that I can drain the compacted yeast quickly and easily by opening the valve without the collection ball attached. Without the collection ball, the yeast starts flowing immediately and extrudes out in plugs.
I collect the yeast into a pitcher until it starts to flow more quickly. Just as soon as it looks like the flood gates are about to open, I quickly shut the valve and attach my collection ball to allow the beer to continue conditioning.
Knightmare1
Active Member
Just received my conical. I have lid issues like so many on this thread (bad seal). Thought from reading that this had been resolved in Manufacture process. However, I received a rubber gasket that is fairly thick but not a foam one mentioned above. Should I try to get foam gasket. Rubber one wants to fall in the fermenter if not super careful.
I wrapped with tape and went for it, but no action on the vent valve and its been 15 hours at 50 degrees(lager). Could it be that ferment hasn't started? Or Im I dealing with leaky lid syndrome.
I am a newbie, 2nd batch, first lager.
thanks
I wrapped with tape and went for it, but no action on the vent valve and its been 15 hours at 50 degrees(lager). Could it be that ferment hasn't started? Or Im I dealing with leaky lid syndrome.
I am a newbie, 2nd batch, first lager.
thanks
I'm not sure where you purchased yours from but I purchased mine from Northern Brewer. I contacted them about my silicone gasket that kept falling into the fermenter when I would take the lid off or try to place it on. They mentioned that there should have been a foam gasket too that is placed between the silicone one and the lid to help keep it in place and not fall out. Once they figured that out they shipped me a few of the foam ones. I have not brewed since then but it definitely seems to hold the silicone one in place a lot better.
With that being said, I would reach out to the place you purchased it from. Or reach out to FastBrewing directly. Good luck!
Knightmare1
Active Member
Thanks, pshankstar.
will track down foam gasket and fix prior to next use.
will track down foam gasket and fix prior to next use.
