looking for tips for fastferment conical fermenters

[rydnly5]

I got one of the conical fermenters from fastferment just after the new year. I used it for one batch. I was hoping to get some feedback from some home brewers that also use this vessel.
I brewed a double IPA (1.08 OG) and it was basically fully fermented after 2 days which is great if you are looking to get a batch ready quickly. I was not in a rush so I let it go for over a week. I took the collection ball off and emptied it then added some dry hops. About an another week later I was ready to keg this batch. I emptied the collection ball again and could tell that a lot of trub was clogging the bottom neck of the conical. I shook it around and filled the collection ball one more time, however I think there was more beer in it that trub/sediment. I hooked up the tubing and filled the keg. I could tell that the beer going through the lines seemed more cloudy than I am used when using buckets to carboys for 1st and 2nd fermentation. After all the beer was emptied, I was surprised to see that there was still so much trub and sediment left inside the conical.

My initial motivation in getting this fermenter was that I would not have to rack into a secondary in order to save time. my assumption was that I could just take the collection ball off after primary and secondary to get the beer of the trub. I emailed fastferment and they suggested that the ball should be emptied every couple of days after primary is complete.

I really want to get efficient using this vessel because I do really like the concept. I was curious if anyone has any tips when using this fermenter to make my next batch go a little easier and get close to all of the trub out before I rack to a keg.

 

[lstewartff]

I just bottled from mine, when I took the ball off it was real cloudy. I hooked up the tube and bled it a little. Then I put the ball back on after cleaning it out and opened the valve to let the bubbles dislodge anything settling at the valve. I let it sit for the rest of the day and then transferred to a bottling bucket. It was a lot clearer. Next time I am going to change the ball out a few days before I bottle and see how much of a difference it makes.

 

[Westermans]

I emptied my ball twice. Brewed an American ale. The first ball was emptied after week one, all grain trub. I could see the yeast in the bottom cone of the main fermenter. I purged the second ball with co2 quickly opened the valve and all the yeast fell down to the empty ball. After another week the yeast cake was all in the ball. Bottled this batch right from the conical only had about 2oz of runoff before beer was clear. I've read a lot of post with people having blocked valves. I have not have this problem. Worked like a charm. My second batch and both acted the same.

are you purging the ball with co2? Maybe the heavy gas helps disperse the trub.

Do you filter your wort? I filter twice. Once after mashing and one more as it's going into the fermenter. Cuts grain/hop trub down to bare minimal. Just deal with yeast. Raise the temp after attaching second ball (after stable FG) to help the yeast move down.

I can't imagine the frustration I will have when I experience my valve getting clogged. Maybe the steps above will help your process. I love this damn thing. For the price it's a no brainer.

 

[rydnly5]

i have only used it once and did not purge the ball with c02. how would i do that? take off ball lock fitting and just put hose into the ball and then quickly attach the ball back on fermenter?

 

[Westermans]

Yes. The co2 actually stays in the ball pretty well. I did it fairly quick but didn't have to rush to screw it on.

 

[gotbags-10]

There are some people that attach the hose first before the ball. Then let the trub settle for a few hours and dump out of the hose. Then put on your collection ball. This gets the bulk of the trub out so it lessons the chance of a clog later on