Anvil fermenter design flaw?? Possible fix.

[fun4stuff]

I’m doing my second brew with my new anvil fermenter.

I’ve found that no matter how much i rotate the racking arm and tilt the fermenter arm it still leaves around 1/2 gallon in fermenter. I rarely have even half that much trub.

Seems like a design flaw, since amount of trub varies. Seems like they should have built it with the option to drain it completely and just rotate the arm down until you start getting trub.

Am i missing some thing? Yea, i know i can just adjust my process to plan on wasting 1/2 gallon more in the fermenter but this just seems wasteful and a lot of kits are for 5 gallons, although i will be dumping the half gallon into a pitcher, putting in fridge to let yeast settle and then decanting off the beer and fast carb’ing in a 2 L with a crab cap. So not a complete loss.

So i guess I’ll just add on a short segment of tubing so that the racking arm can get to the bottom of the fermenter. I’m just surprised i no one else complained about this in the reviews.

 

[Coookies58]

I have not experienced that with my 4 gallon fermenter. Seems like it goes to the bottom. Never left beer behind

 

[fun4stuff]

I have not experienced that with my 4 gallon fermenter. Seems like it goes to the bottom. Never left beer behind

Oh, yeah I’m talking about the 7.5 gallon version. Surprised there’s a difference between versions.

https://cdn3.volusion.com/zdhmk.puhgm/v/vspfiles/photos/ANV-FV-7.5gal-6.jpg?v-cache=1507636448

Doesn’t look so bad in the pic but i think it doesn’t go as low as it shows there. About a 1/2 gallon and i can’t remember last time i had 1/2 gallon of trub in a beer that i didn’t add a lot of fruit or dry hops too.

edit:

actually, i don’t think you can get any of the beer out that’s below the level of the spigot.

 

[highland_brewer]

Just add a piece of 3/8" silicone tube to the bottom of the arm if you want to get lower like you said. I never have an issues I generally target at least 5.5 gallons in the fermenter.

 

[McKnuckle]

I also have the smaller Anvil and it gets nearly everything. Just attach a short silicone tube and be done with it. That's a perfect simple solution.

 

[Bobby_M]

You're reaching too much for a tiny amount of beer. Put 5.5 gallons into the fermenter.

 

[fun4stuff]

Just add a piece of 3/8" silicone tube to the bottom of the arm if you want to get lower like you said. I never have an issues I generally target at least 5.5 gallons in the fermenter.

Yeah, i also have a new electric kettle and steam condenser so still getting boil off rate down.

I did a closed transfer and by weight ended up with 4.5 gallons in keg. I targeted 5.5 gallons (and hit 5.5 gal according to the kettle marks), but when i transferred to fermenter only had 5 gallons. I think volume marks on kettle may be off, but that’s a separate issue.

Every last drop counts!!! Haha

 

[McKnuckle]

You're reaching too much for a tiny amount of beer. Put 5.5 gallons into the fermenter.

Some of us are bothered by unnecessary waste. This type of suffering is part of the human condition. I would recover the extra beer, too.