7 gal SS Brew Bucket w/ FTss for 3-4 gal batches

[pursuit0fhoppiness]

Hey all, could anyone help me with the following? I am thinking of buying a 7 gal Brew Bucket, possibly with FTss (I figure if I get one I might as well go all the way as I normally just regulate the temp of my whole condo and this would eliminate that stress). I brew on my stove and only have a 5 gal mash tun and 5 gal kettle, so I'm restricted to making 3-4 gal batches (which is fine with me as I bottle it all). I understand that the current FTss for these Brew Buckets has a coil attached to the bottom of the lid, thus protruding downward into your wort. I believe I saw a picture or video of a coil entering from the side of the Brew Bucket, that might have been the old configuration?

So my question is, if I only have 3-4 gallons of wort in the Brew Bucket, would the coil reach far enough down into it to actually cool it?

Thanks so much!

 

[Vandulus]

Hey all, could anyone help me with the following? I am thinking of buying a 7 gal Brew Bucket, possibly with FTss (I figure if I get one I might as well go all the way as I normally just regulate the temp of my whole condo and this would eliminate that stress). I brew on my stove and only have a 5 gal mash tun and 5 gal kettle, so I'm restricted to making 3-4 gal batches (which is fine with me as I bottle it all). I understand that the current FTss for these Brew Buckets has a coil attached to the bottom of the lid, thus protruding downward into your wort. I believe I saw a picture or video of a coil entering from the side of the Brew Bucket, that might have been the old configuration?

So my question is, if I only have 3-4 gallons of wort in the Brew Bucket, would the coil reach far enough down into it to actually cool it?

Thanks so much!

You're in luck as SS offers extensions for the coil for $25 + shipping

 

[pursuit0fhoppiness]

Oh I should've checked the SS website, thanks! I'm located in Canada and my LHBS just started carrying Brew Buckets and FTss, but not sure about the coil extensions. Maybe that could be a custom order for me. Thanks again!

 

[Metzen]

I use a 7gal brew bucket. I decided to mount the coil through the side of the bucket so that I could used a domed lid with some TC fittings I have for CIP, pressurized transfers with PRV, etc.

View attachment IMG_2596.jpg

 

[Morrey]

You're in luck as SS offers extensions for the coil for $25 + shipping

I have two 7G brewbuckets with the Ftss heat and cool system which I recommend you considering. This gives you complete flexibility for any heat or cool situation.

I also have extensions as mentioned above which make it possible for the cooling coils to reach down into small batch volumes as you are looking to brew.

 

[pursuit0fhoppiness]

Nice setup Metzen! Morrey that sounds sweet too, do you mean you have the FTss2? I thought that was only for chronicals, not the Brew Buckets? I figure I would mostly need the chilling anyway, and if you were in a situation you'd think you might need to warm your beer couldn't you just replace your cooler with warm water and adjust the temp? Or does the FTss only decrease temp?

 

[Metzen]

Nice setup Metzen! Morrey that sounds sweet too, do you mean you have the FTss2? I thought that was only for chronicals, not the Brew Buckets? I figure I would mostly need the chilling anyway, and if you were in a situation you'd think you might need to warm your beer couldn't you just replace your cooler with warm water and adjust the temp? Or does the FTss only decrease temp?

When I bought my bucket, the FTSs2 wasn’t available for the brew bucket. So I bought he FTSs (cooling only). They seem to have the FTSs2 for buckets listed on the website now.

I currently use the equivalent of an FTSs2 but have a DIY CraftBeerPi controller, glycol (its in the mini fridge), and aquarium heating tape setup.

I use my DIY setup over the FTSs as I have used the heating more than I thought I would. I also use the temp control system for occasional batches of wine which need a higher fermenting temp and are more reliant on the heater in my cool basement. The way I have it setup now, I can control the target temp (heating and cooling) and set a temp schedule without any intervention and don’t have to mess with swapping out ice for heat or anything else.

In summary, I’d go for the FTSs2 for the heating and cooling if I did it all over again but am happier with my DIY setup given the added functionality of CraftBeerPi (its similar to the BrewPi).

 

[Morrey]

Nice setup Metzen! Morrey that sounds sweet too, do you mean you have the FTss2? I thought that was only for chronicals, not the Brew Buckets? I figure I would mostly need the chilling anyway, and if you were in a situation you'd think you might need to warm your beer couldn't you just replace your cooler with warm water and adjust the temp? Or does the FTss only decrease temp?

When I put my equipment together only cooling FTSs was available. I am in the fickle weather southeast where it may be 80F in the day and 50F in the evenings. Since brewcave is not temp controlled, I may need cooling by day and heat during the night.

I have a dedicated glycol chiller for cooling only, so I had no real heating option until recently. SsBT just recently brought back the heating added option specifically for brew buckets which is a cone shaped heat pad and a new dual port controller. It was $120 as an add on but worth it to me. However, I figure it would be cheaper in the long run to buy the FTSs2 from the get go. And since it is just now available to select both heating with cooling, that's a solid choice.

If you have questions and don't see exactly what you need on the website, you may want to contact support at SsBT. I went behind the scenes and they put the heat pad order together for me. They are very helpful.