Hello, looking to get some feedback. Finally making the move to the SS Brewtech Brew Buckets (2x 7 gallon buckets for my 10-12 gallon batches) and was already thinking of some upgrades I wanted to make, pretty much converting it to TC fittings instead of weldless.
The reasons for the buckets is I already have two 5 cubic foot chest freezers as fermentation chambers so conicals are out as they wouldn't fit and I don't want to go through the hassle of trying to sell them to buy two new conicals plus some sort of new fridge or glycol setup - way too much money all around.
So as for the brew buckets, I was originally thinking the brewmaster ones as they have the thermowell I need for my black box temp controller probe but as I'm thinking of converting it to a TC setup, I might as well save the $30 and put that towards welding costs. My idea is as follows:
Thanks!
The reasons for the buckets is I already have two 5 cubic foot chest freezers as fermentation chambers so conicals are out as they wouldn't fit and I don't want to go through the hassle of trying to sell them to buy two new conicals plus some sort of new fridge or glycol setup - way too much money all around.
So as for the brew buckets, I was originally thinking the brewmaster ones as they have the thermowell I need for my black box temp controller probe but as I'm thinking of converting it to a TC setup, I might as well save the $30 and put that towards welding costs. My idea is as follows:
- Weld on a 1" TC ferrule for a TC thermowell at the same location as their brewmaster series w/ LCD thermometer and weldless thermowell.
- Weld on a 1" or 1.5" TC to replace the 3/8 weldless valve to add a TC ball valve w/ racking arm (butterfly is way too big for this application). Granted due to the short legs of the bucket, I might need to extend them or put it up on some sort of stand to get more clearance for the valve itself.
- Last, purchase the domed lid that comes with a 3" TC fitting in the center (https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products/copy-of-lid-3-tc-7-gal-fermenters) and add a 1.5" TC ferrule for a blow off port/pressure transfer port towards the side of the lid. This would leave the center available for dry hopping (without removing the blow off) or a cool idea like Spike has on their conicals for using a polycarbonate cap as a type of site glass/viewing area to be able to visually check in on the fermentation progress (https://spikebrewing.com/collections/conical-accessories/products/clear-tc-cap). This link also shows what I'm trying to accomplish by modifying the SS domed lid to match what Spike offers on their conicals. This second port on the lid just makes it that much more versatile to be able to attach multiple different accessories or attachments.
Thanks!