Fermonster back - suck back & closed transfer fix

[Jtk78]

Title should be Fermonster Hack.

I wanted to be able to do closed transfers from my Fermonsters to keg. I was also able to prevent suck back when cold crashing (I do not buy into the S style airlock as a viable fix. You may not be sucking sanitizer in, but oxygen is getting sucked in), and created a way to purge my headspace in time of opening the carboy.

I bought solid lids for the Fermonster and these
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J5QXD4Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I drilled 2 holes in each lid and inserted the grommets. I made fittings with hose barbs, valves, and 1/4" male flare fittings.

20180228_151237

• Jtk78
• Mar 12, 2018

20180228_151313

• Jtk78
• Mar 12, 2018

20180228_150224

• Jtk78
• Mar 12, 2018

During normal fermentation, an airlock (with blow off tube if necessary) is on one hole and the closed valve in the other. When I cold crash, I remove the airlock, purge the top with CO2, and insert the grommet plug in the airlock hole. I check the fermenter every couple hours and if the vessel is showing any signs of getting sucked in, I burp a little CO2 in until it comes back to shape.

20180305_143542

• Jtk78
• Mar 12, 2018

When it was time to transfer, I remove the plug, purge with C02, and slide a stainless steel siphon in the grommet. I put a compression by male flare fitting on the end of the siphon. I connect a hose down to my liquid disconnect on a purged keg and push the beer out with 1-2 psi going into the carboy. Once the siponed started, I'd turn off the CO2 until the carboy started to get sucked in and then turn the gas back on to push it out again.

This does take a little bit of watching and tinkering, but it worked great. Just be careful not to over pressurize the carboy.

I will eventually add a 2 way manifold to my chamber, but didn't want to spend any more money on this if it didn't work like I planned. I do have a plug for one side of the gas lines if I don't need it.

 

[Sbe2]

Another option would be to have a T with with two valves, one going into a blowoff jar and the other to the tank. You could have your siphon in place with a plug in it. That way you wouldn't have to remove the air lock to add the siphon. This gives me an idea on how to resolve cold crash issues that I have.

I have a fermonster with a spigot so when I do a closed transfer I hook up the spigot to the liquid post and hook my blowoff line to the gas post. The blowoff line is attached to a #10 stopper that has two holes drilled, one for a thermowell and the other for the 90 hose barb. The hose submerged in a star san solution during fermentation and when I am ready to transfer I pop on a QD and attach it to the keg. The keg has about a pound of CO2 when I connect to it.

 

[Kahler]

I have a fermonster with a spigot so when I do a closed transfer I hook up the spigot to the liquid post and hook my blowoff line to the gas post. The blowoff line is attached to a #10 stopper that has two holes drilled, one for a thermowell and the other for the 90 hose barb. The hose submerged in a star san solution during fermentation and when I am ready to transfer I pop on a QD and attach it to the keg. The keg has about a pound of CO2 when I connect to it.

Rise old post, rise.

Sbe2, do you have a picture of this? after much searching I found this post, its exactly what i was looking to find out.

 

[Sbe2]

Rise old post, rise.

Sbe2, do you have a picture of this? after much searching I found this post, its exactly what i was looking to find out.

Wow had to do some digging... these are the only photos I could find

 

[Kahler]

Awesome! Thanks for digging, appreciate it.