15 gal conical I put together

[issack]

What size hole did you end of cutting to get the conical to fit like that?

I don't remember. But i will grab a tape tonight and measure and let you know.. As you lift up the conical the racking port does not get in the way at all when you take it out to clean..

how are you planning to control temps?

My fermenting room stays 70/72 year round

Could we also get a picture of the conical from underneath the table?

I would be interested to see how much room you have for the racking port,etc.

Thanks!

I'm in the process of designing a fermentation cabinet that will hold two of these (i've had one that I have never used since Jan 2008) and 6 carboys.

Thanks again!

yes i will snap a shot tonight for you.

How did you attach the valve to the conical, what hardware is used?

I used a SS weldless fitting Bargain Fittings you have to get the 1.5 inch nipple cause the walls of the tank are about 3/8 thick. I tried the regular fitting you get for the kegs but was not enough thread space to secure. so 1 1/2 nipple and good to go.

 

[Sager Brewing Co.]

If you have a local lowes or home depot you can get all those fittings parts a lot cheaper.

 

[issack]

If you have a local lowes or home depot you can get all those fittings parts a lot cheaper.

the Lowes and Home Depot here where i live don't have anything Stainless Steel fittings. If they do in your neck of the woods then great.. there is no one here on this island that has the fittings i needed for this conical. I highly doubt that they have Polyethylene and polypropylene reducer fittings and SS ball valves at any of the stores period anywhere for that matter.. Let alone wieldless fittings..

Does anyone know of a Home D or lowes that sells Wieldless fittings.. ?? Chime in if you do..

 

[McKBrew]

You might be able to piece together the stuff from HD or Lowes, but finding a full on weldless fitting is not going to happen. I feel for you out there. Hawaii could really use a bit of help in the homebrew department. Even on Oahu, it was a PITA.

 

[issack]

I am lucky to have my friend down the street as the local home brew supplier for the island. and he has every grain, and mostly a large selection of whole hops. But when it comes to Specialty items and fittings, I'm better off ordering and paying a crap load for shipping..

Mcbrew i see you have lived here before.. So i know you really do feel my pain.. lol. and that goes for anything really.. you get what you get when it's here..

Oh well .. I can't complain really. it's sweet on the big island..

I hope you guys are going to be sending your beers for next years Kona brew fest. we had 245 entries last year for home brewers. hope to get more this year..

 

[FSR402]

My fermenting room stays 70/72 year round

That's what I was worried about. At those temps without being able to cool the fermenter the beer will be pushing the upper 70's. Not a good thing. You really need to figure out a way to keep the temps down in the mid/low 60's

 

[HarvInSTL]

I don't remember. But i will grab a tape tonight and measure and let you know.. As you lift up the conical the racking port does not get in the way at all when you take it out to clean..

yes i will snap a shot tonight for you.

Thanks! I look forward to the pictures and measurements in hopes I can put your knowledge to good use on my conical. If everything works out I will have to go buy a second!

Thanks again!

 

[Skins_Brew]

When you dump the yeast cake wont that cause the level of the beer to drop slightly therefore creating a small vacuum and suck whatever is in your airlock (and possibly outside air) into the fermenter? Do you plan on taking the airlock off (or lid I guess) when you dump? I have seen on a lot of the expensive SS conicals that they have a CO2 hookup on the top (I guess to solve the above mentioned problem, but i dont know). Any plans on adding something like that?

 

[Sager Brewing Co.]

Sorry let me be more clear. You can get the individual parts to build your own fittings a lot cheaper at the hardware stores. That web site showed both complete fittings and individual parts, all of which are very over priced. Not all places will have stainless steel ball valves. Mine only had brass. But it works just as well and is even less expensive. The parts to build weldless fittings are very common and most hardware stores will have them.

 

[issack]

Thanks! I look forward to the pictures and measurements in hopes I can put your knowledge to good use on my conical. If everything works out I will have to go buy a second!

Thanks again!

16 1/4 inch in diameter hole and dropped it in. That's pretty much it. Just make a sturdy stand and cut a hole and done deal. i cut a slot to clear the racking arm, but only to find out it was useless. it clears the hole just fine as you put it in. I'll try and get pics tomorrow. sorry for the delay but have been busy..

 

[issack]

When you dump the yeast cake wont that cause the level of the beer to drop slightly therefore creating a small vacuum and suck whatever is in your airlock (and possibly outside air) into the fermenter? Do you plan on taking the airlock off (or lid I guess) when you dump? I have seen on a lot of the expensive SS conicals that they have a CO2 hookup on the top (I guess to solve the above mentioned problem, but i dont know). Any plans on adding something like that?

I have been using conicals since the first time i brewed a couple years ago. Yes i take the air lock off before i bleed the yeast. ( who wouldn't.? ) and i do blast CO2 in after i am done. I just have a tank with a regulator and use a hose and fill from the hole in the top. I never used to do that, and never have i had a problem or infection in any brew i have done. but i guess it's safe piece of mind in case. Honestly i think it's overkill. But we do a lot of overkill in this hobby..:rockin:

 

[issack]

Could we also get a picture of the conical from underneath the table?

I would be interested to see how much room you have for the racking port,etc.

Thanks!

I'm in the process of designing a fermentation cabinet that will hold two of these (i've had one that I have never used since Jan 2008) and 6 carboys.

Thanks again!

with the 16 1/4 hole you can just lift it out and the arm does not get in the way.. works well..


Update. In order to make the racking arm with the wieldless fitting work you need to get a 1 1/2 nipple and not the 1 1/4 that comes with the kit. and you will need an extra Stainless washer on the inside of the tank to get it tight and water proof..

It's working well and no leaks. I'll be fementing in it next week hopefully.

 

[jamescb77]

do you have a dip tube off the racking arm so when you transfer you get all the beer or do you just let what ever is left in there go

 

[issack]

when i am done bottling, I bleed off the small amount left of yeast and then i bottle the rest.. i set these bottles aside and they are carbed up faster and ready to drink cause it has more yeast in it.. i just fill up a container with the last of it and pore into bottles.. you can get about 10 bottles with what is left.. the beauty is that these are ready to drink in a week..

 

[Ben25]

Once I have room for a Fermentation Freezer, I think I'm going to get an upright freezer and put in a shelf with a hole for one of these...

 

[BrewBeemer]

Well my good friend wants to brew, and has limited funds so i told him he could buy his own grain and brew at my place and ferment in my room.

So he gave me 200 bucks and off i went online searching for the right deal.

I use the mini brew polyethylene plastic conicals and have been having great success with them. So I found these Bio diesel storage tanks that are made of polyethylene as well.Cone Bottom Inductor Tanks
I know some others have done this too on here as well. But mine will have different fittings.

Cost of the tank. 56.00
Shipping 110.00 ( I know its complete rape, but i am in Hawaii and nothing is cheap to ship.)
2" to 1/14 polypropylene reducer 8.80 Reducer Nipples
I found a set of two Stainless 1 1/4 Ball valves on Ebay for 40 bucks (got one for myself so i can make another if i like it)
I'm going to use a 1/2 SS wieldless fitting for the racking arm 20.00
and found another set of two 1/2 SS three piece Ball valves on Ebay for 33.00.
I'm just going to drill a hole on top and pop the S lock bung in there.
And of course i have to build a stand. ( well he is anyway)

Pretty good deal i think. thought i would share.

issack; sounds like you used Fed-X shipping they use canoes vs UPs they use kayaks that are faster and cheaper besides union.

A little off topic here; one person went from Monterey California to Hawaii in a Necky Arluk III kayak, it took 63 days instead of the planned 58 days.
Yup I have the same one I play in the San francisco bay and down the coast to Monterey, I have a property in Pacific Grove two blocks from the ocean. I also live on an island, Alameda California. Cheers bro have some suds.

 

[Yambor44]

Nice!!

What happened to the "In Use" pics? Have you given it a run yet?

 

[TerapinChef]

Yeah I'm pretty into this. A 15G conical for about $155, minus a stand. Now to incorporate a storage system into my planning for a fermentation chamber.

 

[p4ck37p1mp]

Bump for a report, I know these have had several brews in them by now. I'm about to get two 35g Norwesco inductor tanks to do the very same thing.

 

[TerapinChef]

Was just thinking that it might be a good idea to find some kind of gasket to go around the hole in the stand. I think over time you might get a bit of wear on your fermenter from sitting in there all heavy and stuff with that raw wood rubbing on your tank. Just a thought.

 

[samc]

Great idea here. I currently use a V-Vessel which holds 6 gallons and is that odd looking light bulb shaped plastic fermenter with a removable capsule on the bottom. The problem is often times it will get clogged with break or pellet hops that have not filtered out because they were too fine. This tank solves that problem.

Is 15 gallon capacity too large for a 6 gallon batch? Will all that head space cause problems or will the CO2 take care of it? Wondering if something like this "10 Gallon Square Specialty Rinse Tank" might be a better choice for small batches

 

[BrewBeemer]

samc; for the price they are asking for that 10 gallon rectangle tank besides not stating it "Meets FDA standards", for almost the same price I would purchase a 15 gallon "Inductor Cone Bottom Bulk Storage Tank. Normal temp range 120*F withshort or flash temps to 140*F.
$79.42 item # 8784. 91" x 21", this must be the body dimensions not counting the 60* cone, comes with a 12" screw on lid. The bottom discharge is 1 1/2" FPT, this thru; http://www.usplastic.com. Plastic Tanks, Plastic Buckets, Plastic Bottles, Labware, PVC Pipe - United States Plastic Corporation ®. They are asking $81.10 for the metal stand, item #9907. Their prices have gone up a few dollars vs my 2007 catalog, well everything has. I would think a round fermenter would be better than a rectangle unit without those corners to clean and better for less trub anyeast to collect in. As far as stands like the OP for $83 one would be nuts to pay that price. If you were that rich you would be looking at stainless steel fermenters in the first place. Make your own stand. If you make a stand make it a round one for a round conical, square for a square not a square on a round conical. You may dent or damage it with the small contact pressure points. Something to think about as 15 gallons forcing a cone down adds a lot of unnecessary stress on the cone section. There are no worries with having a 5 or 6 gallon batch in a 15 gallon fermemter as the Co2 gas is your sealing blanket above the wort. You can ferment in a open pot if there were no air movement in a room that would displace the settled Co2 down on the wort's surface.

 

[stoneman]

After looking at the Norwesco website I just found 2 Suppliers within a 10 minute drive from me. Has this conical worked out well for you?
I'm trembling in anticipation...

 

[Henny]

Couple of questions.

1. How do you fill this thing?

2. How do you put it into your beer bench once full?

10 or so gallons of wort

 

[missing link]

Couple of questions.

1. How do you fill this thing?

2. How do you put it into your beer bench once full?

10 or so gallons of wort

When I get mine I will carry the wort to the basement in 5 gallon buckets then dump them in. If brewing in the same room that you ferment in - then just pump into the fermenter!!

Linc

 

[p4ck37p1mp]

I'm running a 1/2" line from my brewery area to the fermentation area so I can pump pbw, star san and wort to the conicals. Ball valve at the conical will let me pump star san through the line until I see wort, at which point I'll close the dump valve and fill the conical. I'm also running co2 to the conicals so I can purge them before pumping wort in as well as pressurize them when I dump trub, totally closed system. There is a basement door near where the conicals sit so I can run a line out the door when I'm cleaning, filling, etc.

 

[issack]

Sorry guys.. have been busy and not much internet time.

I have done three brews in this thing.. (sorry no pics but i'm sure you can get the picture of wort in the tank.. lol ) 2 beers and 1 mead. I'm about to do a port wine in it. I'll snap some pics off when i do that.. might even be tonight..

Works fine no leaks..

To answer someones question. I transfer the wort from my kettle several trips to fill it up.. same thing i do with all my fermenters..

 

[atl_sud]

Great thread on the conical here.

While I did see the link to the SS weldless fittings I am curious to see the internal portion of the racking port. Is there a racking arm? Pics and parts list would be fantastic.

Thanks,
T

 

[mnadamn]

issack, I was wondering. What is the longest you have left anything in this connical? I have been doing research and it seems that these are made of MDPE and are UV resistant. The only thing I cannot find is how they hold up against oxygen. As you seem to like this solution (I do as well) I doubt there have been any problems but just thought I would ask.

I plan on getting one of these in the next month (been thinking about it for a year) and your thread is what has been the deciding factor. Thanks, Enjoy, and Happy Brewing.

 

[issack]

The mead i did in it, was in there for two months before i racked it off to other fermenters to make some fruit meads. They taste great.. actually entering my Blueberry mead next week in the homebrew comp.