jiMithing83
Well-Known Member
It's really not hard, go for it! Just use cheap wood your first go around in case you goof.
Morebeer FerMonster
- Thread starter icebob
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DublinOhioBrewer
Well-Known Member
What kind of wood did you use? I'm sure the lumber store or Lowe's or Home Depot or wherever I go will cut the wood for me
jiMithing83
Well-Known Member
For the ferm chamber just off the shelf 1x6 from the hardware store. I did my keezer first and spent $80 on a 2"x8"x12' piece of red oak at a lumber specialty store, I was shaking in my boots on that one. Fortunately I only needed 10' so the couple oopses I made were easily fixed.
I see now you can get the Fermonster in 1 gallon and 3 gallon sizes, so I ordered a 1 gallon for some small batch brewing.
Right off the bat, I'm disappointed in how thin the carboy is compared to my 6 gallon versions. It's very thin and flimsy. In fact, there's a slight ding in the side near the bottom. It's not enough to have a crease, but I can't get it back straight either. The thickness difference between the 1 gallon vs the 6 gallon is like comparing a Coke bottle to a cheap water bottle. This is a bummer because I've been doing pressure transfers with my 6 gallon carboys. I also worry if the thinner plastic is more susceptible to oxygen permeation.
I hope the 3 gallon versions aren't the same, as I'd like two of those to replace my 3G Better Bottles.
Right off the bat, I'm disappointed in how thin the carboy is compared to my 6 gallon versions. It's very thin and flimsy. In fact, there's a slight ding in the side near the bottom. It's not enough to have a crease, but I can't get it back straight either. The thickness difference between the 1 gallon vs the 6 gallon is like comparing a Coke bottle to a cheap water bottle. This is a bummer because I've been doing pressure transfers with my 6 gallon carboys. I also worry if the thinner plastic is more susceptible to oxygen permeation.
I hope the 3 gallon versions aren't the same, as I'd like two of those to replace my 3G Better Bottles.
So has anyone else used the smaller Fermonsters? I would like to know your thoughts if you have. I went ahead and bought a pair of the 3 gallon versions to replace my 3 gallon better bottles. They are thin like the one gallon Fermonster. They are no where near as thick as the 6 and 7 gallon versions.
I have not used the 3 gallons yet, but I did use the 1 gallon, and recently racked from it to a small keg. I've had decent luck doing pressure transfers with the bigger Fermonster, but stayed with an auto-siphon to be safe. I think with these smaller carboys, one better not crank down on the lid after filling them with wert. I can easily see where you could put some creases in the side walls if you have to put it in an arm lock to get the lid off.
On another note, I did a trail run pressure transfer with one of my 3 gallons using star-san. No issues, but I'm leery of how thin the side walls are compared to the 6 & 7 gallon versions.
I have not used the 3 gallons yet, but I did use the 1 gallon, and recently racked from it to a small keg. I've had decent luck doing pressure transfers with the bigger Fermonster, but stayed with an auto-siphon to be safe. I think with these smaller carboys, one better not crank down on the lid after filling them with wert. I can easily see where you could put some creases in the side walls if you have to put it in an arm lock to get the lid off.
On another note, I did a trail run pressure transfer with one of my 3 gallons using star-san. No issues, but I'm leery of how thin the side walls are compared to the 6 & 7 gallon versions.
I've got 4 ported fermonsters and I really like them. The last two I bought came with conical washers on the spigot, which have leaked a bit and are kinda fidgety to get the tension just right. The instructions didn't specify which direction the conical side should be installed and so far I haven't figured out a foolproof arrangement, and now the brand new spigots at my LHBS only come with one conical washer. All the parts I have are from the vintage shop so they obviously are intended to work together, I just don't know how. So far I haven't lost any beer, but I did spill some water.
