15.5 gallon keg suggestions....

[HawgDaddy]

I just purchased at an estate sale 2 of these. Great price. Excellent condition, I think were used in wine making but not sure. Cleaned well, with no smell or discoloration.

My question is this. I'm wondering what are you guys suggestions on what to do with these. I mostly keg in Corney's....do 5 gal. batches, my fridge is configured for 4 Corney's etc.

Do y'all use them for boil kettles, fermenters? What are some of the creative ways you have used them? I've got enough grills....lol

The dip tube and ball inserts are missing so unless I replace them, I'll be at least that limited.

Thanks ladies and gents!

 

[Mojzis]

There are DIY threads on here to turn then into boil kettles (cutting the top off and adding valves), fermenters (pressurized) and for kegging. I would suggest trolling the DIY section up above (click on forum, then DIY).

From there you can check out all the builds and decide what you like best.

Good luck and nice find!

 

[Phunhog]

I love using mine as fermenters!! Just treat them like a giant carboy....

 

[plumber_bob]

I use mine for fermenters. I leave the spears in them.
Since I happen to know that you have spears coming your way, ;-) , I'll post a pic of one of mine set up and working when I get home in the morning.

pb

 

[plumber_bob]

Here ya go:

Ya gotta take out any and all check vale/ball features from the coupler or it won't work right.

pb

 

[mikescooling]

Here ya go:

Ya gotta take out any and all check vale/ball features from the coupler or it won't work right.

pb

Will this work like a blow off hose, aka it won't clog? How about racking, do you just jump it to another keg, by making a coupler to coupler jumper? Liquid line to liquid line?

 

[plumber_bob]

On brew day the keg is already sanitized and under pressure.
During cool down of the boiled wort, I release the pressure, pull the spear.
Then gravity feed the wort from the bk to the fermenter, oxygenate, and pitch.
Replace the spear, add the blow off assy., and you're good too go.

The blow off doesn't seem to restrict any. It bubbles like crazy for the first several days then by the second week it is slowed down to very little activity.

When I'm ready to transfer to my kegs I Replace the blow off hose with a gas line. Push some beer out the party tap for a hydro sample. Then bleed off the pressure and hook up a transfer line, (beer to beer), and push it to the kegs. Seal and pressurize, then I'm fine till time to crash carb, and serve.

I think I covered your question. ???

pb

 

[mikescooling]

Plumber Bob you answered my question. I will give this a try.
thanks

 

[HawgDaddy]

Hoping I'm understanding this correctly I'll ask. Assuming that the "top outlet" is the liquid line, is that what you use as your blowoff tube? Or both? New to the 15.5 keg as you well know, so I'm just learning....meant to ask...HBS best place to look for sanke taps? I'll be needing one or two of these I'm sure....

 

[HawgDaddy]

I most likely had that reversed.....I think actually the gas line "the lower one" is the blow off since the top, or liquid line goes to the bottom....

 

[plumber_bob]

Hoping I'm understanding this correctly I'll ask. Assuming that the "top outlet" is the liquid line, is that what you use as your blowoff tube? Or both? New to the 15.5 keg as you well know, so I'm just learning....meant to ask...HBS best place to look for sanke taps? I'll be needing one or two of these I'm sure....

The top is the liquid out. Put a party tap/faucet on it so you can take samples.
The blow off tube goes on the side/gas inlet.

Again make sure all check vales/balls are remove, you will be using the coupler in reverse from it's intended design.

I bought my Sanke couplers, (4 so far), at the Beverage Factory, IIRC, but others have them too.

Tips:
1) weigh down the end of the blow off that goes into the bucket to insure it doesn't float. I use a barbed tail piece.

2) I have about 4-6 inches of sanitizer in the blow off bucket, this causes the bubble action to take longer to happen. If you consider the physics of what's going on compared to and air lock, you should see that it will be next to impossible for any suction of sanitizer to occur later on.

3) When oxygenating my wort I can't see in the fermenter well, so I set the bubble rate with the stone in the sanitizer bucket and while it's still going I put it in the fermenter and start my time. When done I pull it out and back into the bucket for a second before shutting off the O2.

4) To make life easier you may want to convert the coupler and lines to use swivel nuts. Makes life easier for sure.

I probably have more and just don't know it right now.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

pb

 

[cank]

I've wondered about all the yeast, trub, and dry hops at the bottom of the fermenter?

 

[plumber_bob]

I've wondered about all the yeast, trub, and dry hops at the bottom of the fermenter?

I made a simple keg rinser from a 1/2" copper coil and a, Navy Shower head, I hook it the shower spout and rinse in the tub. Works pretty good for both Sanke, and Corny kegs. Everything goes right down the drain, no problem.

I should be rinsing kegs today so I should be able to post a pic or 2 if anybody wants.

pb

 

[jflongo]

I just purchased at an estate sale 2 of these. Great price. Excellent condition, I think were used in wine making but not sure. Cleaned well, with no smell or discoloration.

My question is this. I'm wondering what are you guys suggestions on what to do with these. I mostly keg in Corney's....do 5 gal. batches, my fridge is configured for 4 Corney's etc.

Do y'all use them for boil kettles, fermenters? What are some of the creative ways you have used them? I've got enough grills....lol

The dip tube and ball inserts are missing so unless I replace them, I'll be at least that limited.

Thanks ladies and gents!

I got a nice false bottom and dip tube setup from Norcal Brewing, bought a nice thermometer and sight glass from Brewing Hardware, makes for an awesome brew kettle. I plan on doing this again, with a dip tube, thermometer, and sight glass for a really nice HLT, when I get another.

All you have to do is mix in a 50 - 70 quart cooler convert that to a mashtun for cheap, and you can easily do 11 gallon batches.

 

[cank]

I made a simple keg rinser from a 1/2" copper coil and a, Navy Shower head, I hook it the shower spout and rinse in the tub. Works pretty good for both Sanke, and Corny kegs. Everything goes right down the drain, no problem.

I should be rinsing kegs today so I should be able to post a pic or 2 if anybody wants.

pb

How about when you are transferring from the fermenter to your keg? Is any of that picked up and transferred through the spear?

 

[plumber_bob]

How about when you are transferring from the fermenter to your keg? Is any of that picked up and transferred through the spear?

Sorry for the delay in answering. Not sure how this slipped by me.

Yes there is some trub/yeast that comes thru. I use the party faucet to collect this then a sample for the hydro test. Release pressure, swap to a transfer hose and push the rest into a keg. Even the keg, when tapped has some, "Stuff", that I catch in a glass and toss. The rest is good to drink.

When I pull the fermenter's spear, I find what appears to be most of the residue and rinse it out with my handy dandy keg rinser.

pb --- again,... sorry for the delay. I don't know what happened!

 

[HawgDaddy]

PB, I would like to see a pic or two of your rinsing operation whenever you can. Sounds like a nice "retro" fit for my spare bath....

 

[plumber_bob]

PB, I would like to see a pic or two of your rinsing operation whenever you can. Sounds like a nice "retro" fit for my spare bath....

No problem.

Here is the tubing coiled so it will sit up right. 1/2" adapter on the top and bottom, with a garden hose adapter over the one on the bottom.

Next is a little better view of the bottom with the garden hose adapter on the 1/2" adapter.

Now for a shot of the Navy style shower head, it is designed for low pressure, so it will make a stronger spray. Plus fit through the neck of a sanke.

Pull the wire piece off so the valve stays on.

All set up and ready to rinse.

Keg is getting a rinse. You do have to lift and angle it around to insure you get a blast all over.

Rinse until clear water is coming out. Inspect and repeat if needed.

This all can be removed in less than 3 minutes easy.

pb --- More questions? Just ask.

 

[plumber_bob]

How did the spears work out?

Did ya have to trim one down, or did it go the other way?

pb

 

[HawgDaddy]

The spears worked out perfect. They both work yet one is shorter....I may use it in the primary which will allow me to transfer to a secondary minus the trub. Very nice, and I appreciate it very much! Thank you again and let me know if I can help you at all! Excellent job on the keg rinse coil. One question I have is how to you attach the hose to the shower outlet on the wall? Just with a hose clamp, or fitting?

 

[plumber_bob]

The spears worked out perfect. They both work yet one is shorter....I may use it in the primary which will allow me to transfer to a secondary minus the trub. Very nice, and I appreciate it very much! Thank you again and let me know if I can help you at all! Excellent job on the keg rinse coil. One question I have is how to you attach the hose to the shower outlet on the wall? Just with a hose clamp, or fitting?

I have a hose that has a 1/2" barb X 1/2" female thread that hooks up to the stub coming out of the wall, (where the shower head would normally mount). The other end has a 1/2" barbed X 1/2" male thread. A garden hose adapter fits on that fitting and all that hooks up to the rinser.

The extra fitting in the middle pic is a Garden hose to 1/2" adapter. It's for when I fill kegs with water, just to keep the gasket from flying out.
Hope that answers your question.

pb