Brew Bucket by SS Brewing Technologies

Haven't had any issues myself, but I stuck to the finger tight instructions.

 

The nut has two different sides, one side is chamfered a bit to secure the oring.

 

I have beer fermenting in my SS brew bucket right now for a few weeks, and there are no leaks. I just did as instructed with the instructions that came with the bucket, I only tightened it finger tight. I think you may have an issue if you over tighten it with a wrench. I should also note, as someone already pointed out that you should lube up your o-rings on the bucket before installing the arm. Star San solution worked just fine for me.

Cleaning it will be a bit more involved than a regular bucket, because of the valve assembly, but everything comes apart pretty easy, and a soak in PBW and a star san rinse should be just fine.

This thread has exploded since I was on last. I just came on to say I liked the bucket so much, I ended up getting some money for Christmas and decided to buy their chronicle conical. I actually never thought I would get one, seeing as how most conicals are $500 when on sale, and usually closer to $700 if you order them with legs. So I bit on the this one with a minimum investment of my own money using a bulk of Christmas gift money for the purchase. I will do a quick write up this weekend if anyone is interested. I have not had a chance to put any beer in it yet, as I just got it. But it's pretty solid.

 

i filled mine with water after installing the valve finger tight and it leaked a bit so i reached in and tightened a tiny bit more and it stopped. i've had a beer fermenting in it since thursday and it has not leaked, don't expect it too either. the silicone washers do seem kind of soft and if i find the red silicone kind i'll swap them out.

 

When I got mine, I washed it really well with dish soap to get the oil off of it and I am sure it was dirt free. I just did the passivation step (after getting the email) with starsan and after it dried I wiped it with a white paper towel. Well, the towel appeared to have grayish-black residue all over it after wiping the surface of the fermenter.

I am unfamiliar with Stainless steel passivation, so if anyone can fill me in on whether or not the paper towel should have turned black that would be great..thanks

 

Just used mine for the first time yesterday and sure enough, the O-rings on the racking arm ripped as soon as I put it in. I even lubed them with starsan. Is there any negitive affect of using a black nitrile o-ring in the beer? I would like to upgrade to something a bit stronger, and the nitrile rings are $.10 a piece as opposed to the $4.90 the o-ring kit costs.

Also, in terms of passivation, am I correct in assuming all I have to do is give it a good cleaning with a non-metallic scrub pad and bar keepers friend and then let it sit after rinsing? Please point me in the right direction as I am not familiar with this step.

 

My first batch is in there right now. I found it terribly annoying yesterday that the lid gasket kept falling out. I must have re-cleaned and sanitized 3 times. Guess I just need more practice with this thing.

 

I looked at this when assembling. I used a little keg lube and have been fine with that process. That said I've got 4 chugging away right now

 

Will this fit in the 4.3cu ft kegerator that a lot of people make? Danby, fridgidaire ect

 

Update: I contacted SS about the o-rings tearing, just to confirm that using a nitrile o-ring of the same size would work without any ill effects on the beer, and they said it would, told me a few places I could find them, and are sending me some at no charge. I got that response within a few hours (after working hours at that). They were super cool and very happy to help me. These guys are A+ for customer service. I wish every company would work like them.

 

Hooked up the blowoff. This fit perfectly in the fermentation freezer.

 

Where did you order the replacements from?

 

Tried to take a gravity sample from the valve and it must be clogged cause I got not a drip. Would it be insane to hook some co2 to the barb and just give it a little gas to clear it?

 

Did you crack open the lid a tad to release the vacuum?

 

Yeah I tried that and rotating the valve to make sure I was in the right orientation...using wlp002 which is crazy flocking...

 

To answer my own question above...the bucket will fit in a Danby 044 fridge if you prop it up a bit

 

my bucket leaked from the valve but only after i put it in the fridge for a cold crash. i'm guessing maybe a 1/2 cup of beer leaked out, maybe a little more. the temperature change must have caused the assembly to shrink enough to let beer seep out. i'm kegging the beer in a few minutes then i'll very gently tighten the valve a little bit more, fill with water and chill it to see if it seeps.

 

Also make sure they weren't over tightened, you'll squish the orings out to a point where they could leak as well

 

I saw some earlier posts about the rotating racking arm being a little short. Does anyone know if the manufacturer modified it yet or if they plan to modify it to make it a little longer? Has anyone tried installing their own tube yet to make it a little longer? I typically can rack all but .25 gallons or so from my carboy, so the only drawback to this bucket from what I've read in the posts is that I would be leaving an additional 1/2 gallon behind.

 

I noted the same thing. I used abit of silicone hose (couple inches)
to the end of mine. That made a big difference in my lagers which have a smaller trub to them

 

this is what i plan on doing too, a silicone hose on the end of the pickup tube.

 

I got mine yesterday from a fellow local brewer who wasn't going to use it. My racking arm looks completely different than this one! The o-rings on mine don't go on the racking tube, they are on the inside of the part the racking tube goes into... Also, none of the o-rings on mine are silicone, they are black (I am assuming nitrile?)

Overall, I am very pleased with the design... The new thicker lid gasket definitely provides a better seal; in fact, the lid bows just a little bit around the clamps with the new gasket.

Like the others, I plan on attaching a short piece of silicone tubing to the end of the racking arm.

I'm looking forward to getting a beer in this thing. I just have to wait until it gets a little warmer outside to brew!

 

When you can, would you post some pics of the racking arm? Thanks

 

I'll try to get to it this evening...

 

This has happened on my conical when I've gone to rack it to a keg. What I've done is hook up a hose to the racking arm and suck on the other end to get the yeast/trub moving. Works fine and probably less messy than trying to blast it with CO2.

 

This last batch I did I didn't even use the arm....worked fine

 

So, here are the photos of my racking arm... Sorry, the one is a little out of focus, but you get the point. There are no grooves on the racking arm itself.

 

I am pretty sure that was how mine was too. I can take look at it today or tomorrow after I transfer the beer that is currently in it to a keg. Likely they have gone through a couple design changes and suppliers as they've tried to build up supply to meet demand. That would explain the differences.

 

Availabile....and gone in less than 27 minutes

Gotta get quicker.

 

That was too fast. Stepped out for lunch; came back and it had come and gone!

 

Make that less than 10 minutes! Put it in the cart and it was removed automatically...

 

W . Dang ! Sorry guys, all of mine are currently full and working (3 with lagers, 1 stout and an IPA). Had to get 3 more.


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May I say that I hate you?!?!?

 

Had one in the cart, got an error then every time I went to check out it was removed. I was there within seconds of the email being sent.

Back to waiting.

 

I get that a lot.


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Wait, so I only have one... that I had to buy off craigslist... and only want one more.

And you have 7?

I guess the "spread the wealth" thing truly isn't working, huh?

 

I have 8, I have been very lucky. Wish it would carry over to the Powerball or when I go to Vegas next


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Oh, yeah... 8. That makes me feel better.

 

You guys can buy up all the brewbuckets you want, just hands off my 17 gallon chronical when they come out. It's gonna sit nice and pretty next to my brewhemoths!

 

I'm assuming that everyone else just got the update email as well, the first email today was a false alarm...

So, uh, what are the promo codes that the second email eludes to?