Anyone ever convert Corny opening to 4” TC?

[Komodo]

I’m considering it, though it’s a nice 10G Spartanburg so I’m really hesitant. The problem is a 6” is too big, and the 4” runs over the lid flange area. It would need to be hammered flat on two ends. I’ve done a fair but of metalworking, but stainless is not super malleable and it’s not an easy space to work. I’ve got a 4” flange and a great welder (person) to use.

Anyone ever try it or see it done?
My goal is a 4” TC cap with cooling coil to use it as a chiller and dedicated fermenter.

It’s also conceivable to use the IN / OUT somehow for the coil, but it would be fixed and hard to install and clean.

 

[beersk]

No, but someone needs to do this with the 1/4 barrel sanke kegs to make a fermenter. I don't know why one of the brewing outlets hasn't done this yet. They all use those stupid short, fat kegs. Not good dimensions. The 1/4 barrel ones would be perfect for 5 gallon batches.

 

[Broken Crow]

^^ Yes! What @beersk just said.... Hang on to that 10G, and just find a used sankey to do it too.. much easier to work with a perfectly symetrical surface and if you get one of modern sub-1/2 barrel sizes, the extra headspace will just mean less krausen out your blow-off or through your spunding valve. They do sell those, but the cost is high, since you already have the flange and a welder, just hit the used sankey market.

 

[Yesfan]

No, but someone needs to do this with the 1/4 barrel sanke kegs to make a fermenter. I don't know why one of the brewing outlets hasn't done this yet. They all use those stupid short, fat kegs. Not good dimensions. The 1/4 barrel ones would be perfect for 5 gallon batches.

Clawhammer does something similar with a 6G corny, but they want your first born for it compared to other offerings.

 

[Komodo]

They aren’t easy to find, but I ran across this one for a very little $, and I know for sure I’ll never use it as a corny for serving so I’m inclined to move forward. If you add a prv to a cap, it would basically be back to a corny again. I’m doing 6G batches, probably 6.5 into fermenter so it’s perfect. Are their Sankeys in 10G?

 

[Whisky River]

A little bigger than I think you were talking about, but this one is listed in the classifieds now…No affiliation but looks like a pretty good deal.

https://www.kegoutlet.com/half-bbl-sanke-keg-with-tri-clamp-removable-spear.html?
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...nt-for-sale-in-bay-area.725854/#post-10236454

 

[Brooothru]

I’m considering it, though it’s a nice 10G Spartanburg so I’m really hesitant. The problem is a 6” is too big, and the 4” runs over the lid flange area. It would need to be hammered flat on two ends. I’ve done a fair but of metalworking, but stainless is not super malleable and it’s not an easy space to work. I’ve got a 4” flange and a great welder (person) to use.

Anyone ever try it or see it done?
My goal is a 4” TC cap with cooling coil to use it as a chiller and dedicated fermenter.

It’s also conceivable to use the IN / OUT somehow for the coil, but it would be fixed and hard to install and clean.

1/6 bbl Sanke Keg with Tri-Clamp Removable Spear (5 Gallon)

A little pricey but fits the bill perfectly. It’s a sixtel with a 4” TC. I paired the keg with a Kegland 4” TC lid that is configured with Gas In and Liquid Out QD posts and a 1.5” TC port for whatever TC devices you want to add. The Beer Out port has a floating dip tube.

The sixtel keg is nearly the same size as a standard 5 gallon Corny keg (fits inside my 2 keg kegerator) and can be used directly for lagering and serving. For fermenting I fit a T-fitting on the 1.5” TC port, with a 90 degree elbow on the “T”. I mount a Spike combo spunding valve/PRV/pressure gauge, and run a CoolStix glycol chilling rod vertically into the keg through the 1.5” TC.

Functionally it is a temperature controlled, pressure capable unitank with pressure gauge and safety relief. In this configuration I can ferment, carbonate, and transfer clear beer to a serving keg (or serve directly) for ~$350.



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

 

[apache_brew]

Sure it can be done, but I would hate to see it happen to that 10 gallon keg you have. I would look for a slim 1/4 bbl sankey and hack it up before touching the 10 gallon corny. Even easier would be 1/2" bbl sankeys. Just don't let the sankey keg police catch you... Here's some links to some fun parts that might catch your interest.

Ball lock weld on threaded bung

Sankey keg ball lock conversion

Floating dip tube

Floating dip tube screen

 

[Komodo]

@Brooothru That’s exactly my goal. But the critical part here is the 10G. I’m doing 6G batches with around 6.5G in fermenter. Space is a huge consideration for me, thus no 1/2bb. Believe me, I understand the hesitation to touch a 10G corny, but the benefit is just too great. It will have the same capability as a regular corny as long as it’s welded good and can pass pressure test.

I’ll post pics but it may take awhile. The welder I want to is somewhat of a drive away, and I’ll be getting several things done and don’t have all the stuff yet.

 

[Brooothru]

I had a similar conundrum in reverse. I’d gotten a 7.6 gallon kegmenter from Kegland to augment my 7 gallon Unitank and Chronical. Functionally it did everything I wanted it to do, but it was just too large and unwieldy for my 73 year old body.

This sixtel-sized keg is just the ticket, plus I’m starting to focus on smaller batch sizes (~3 gallon) since my consumption has decreased while my desire to brew more often has increased.

Def a 1st World dilemma. So many beers, so little time.

 

[Yesfan]

@Brooothru That’s exactly my goal. But the critical part here is the 10G. I’m doing 6G batches with around 6.5G in fermenter. Space is a huge consideration for me, thus no 1/2bb. Believe me, I understand the hesitation to touch a 10G corny, but the benefit is just too great. It will have the same capability as a regular corny as long as it’s welded good and can pass pressure test.

I’ll post pics but it may take awhile. The welder I want to is somewhat of a drive away, and I’ll be getting several things done and don’t have all the stuff yet.

What about the 10 gallon Megamouth Torpedo kegs? LINK

It has the bale style lid like standard cornys, but they are much larger. If you're just wanting something that's easier to get inside to clean, the Megamouth should fit the bill. It's your cheapest option for a 10 gallon keg and it's taller and skinner compared to the short/fat kegmenters from Kegland that have the 4" triclamp. You could always add a triclamp bulkhead to the lid (I did this with my 15 G standard corny). If you screw the lid up, you can order replacement lids from More Beer.

 

[T Murph]

@Brooothru did you resolve your issue? I have been fermenting 5.5 to 6 gal batches in a 1/4 barrel sanke keg for many years. It has sufficient head space and beats the heck out of my Cf5 fermenting under pressure. With a little creativity I adapted fittings to wash, rinse and sanitize and also to fill and transfer from. If you have questions PM me.

 

[Brooothru]

Hey, Murph,

I got the sixtel sized keg with the Sanke fitting and spear mounted on a 4” TC fitting, and replaced the TC lid with the Kegland 4” TC that contains Cornelius Gas-in and Liquid-out posts AND a 1.5” TC port. The 1.5” port has a T extension that accommodates a CoolStix glycol chill rod and also a 90 degree extention. The extention has a spunding valve and PRV combo setup.

This lets me do everything in the setup that I can do in my unitank, but at a slightly lower volume to allow for fermentation headroom.

 

[T Murph]

That is an awesome set up you have there @Brooothru . You would think at my age (over 70) and with all the brew gadgets I have that I too would have those fittings. But no I still struggle with the lock ring and physcally old man handle the kegs. I do however plan on getting a larger TC port put on a quarter.

 

[Bassman2003]

I did a unitank project with a slim 1/4 sanke last year. Sourced the parts, hired a great welder and it turned out really nice. The 7.5 gallon slim 1/4 was $30 on Craig's list and everything else was expensive but not more than commercial bling! The 4" TC opening is perfect paired with the Kegland post insert. Easy to clean and use. So I say go for it using a slim 1/4.

 

[Brooothru]

Yeah, that’s the same Kegland 4” TC cap. Works great, and I can still lift it, unlike the 7.6 gallon rig.

 

[beersk]

This is what I've been talking about for a while. I wish the brewing outlets would make a 1/4 barrel keg fermenter with the 4" triclamp opening. It'd be perfect for 5 gallon batches. I don't even know how to go about hiring a welder to do sanitary welds like that for a 1/4 barrel keg or I'd get that set up.

 

[Bassman2003]

I agree. I thought the same so I had one made. But looking back, I thought I needed a conical but with fermentation purging, my other fermenter is just a good. The other being a Kegland short 1/4 barrel kegmenter. Same lid structure. I just let the beer finish out then closed transfer over to the gas purged keg. About the same effort as a yeast dump with the conical. BTW, the kegmenter also fits in my wine fridge.

 

[beersk]

I agree. I thought the same so I had one made. But looking back, I thought I needed a conical but with fermentation purging, my other fermenter is just a good. The other being a Kegland short 1/4 barrel kegmenter. Same lid structure. I just let the beer finish out then closed transfer over to the gas purged keg. About the same effort as a yeast dump with the conical. BTW, the kegmenter also fits in my wine fridge.

I've thought about picking up one of those but they're too big around. I'm not sure it'll fit in my fermentation fridge, if so it'd be pretty tight. But yeah, the conical isn't necessary. Being able to pressure ferment (at least 2 bar), to me, is far more important of a feature.

 

[Bassman2003]

I agree as well. My kegmenter barely fits but it fits. Previously I was spunding after transfer and the conical seemed like such a great improvement. And it is. But I did not visualize how efficient letting the beer finish and be drawn away like a siphon into the already purged keg is. And oxygen friendly. Yes, 2 bar can make some magic.

 

[Broken Crow]

You could always try what I've been calling a Fermhead:

The 2"TC fitting is great, BUT... There's a rim inside the standard sankey's for the spear...You need to take either a plasma-cutter or a Dremel-type tool to remove the rim inside the mouth and the usual float-ball will fit through.
If you don't want to shave a TC gasket, you can buy a one-side-flat gasket here:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc2gksingle.htm

 

[Bago-0]

Been using this 1/4 barrel kegmenter from SABCO for years. Works great and hold pressure well.

 

[Yesfan]

I did a unitank project with a slim 1/4 sanke last year. Sourced the parts, hired a great welder and it turned out really nice. The 7.5 gallon slim 1/4 was $30 on Craig's list and everything else was expensive but not more than commercial bling! The 4" TC opening is perfect paired with the Kegland post insert. Easy to clean and use. So I say go for it using a slim 1/4.

What's the total cost you have in that, if you don't mind me asking? That's a sweet looking fermenter. Great job!

 

[Bassman2003]

Thanks. I would say $800+ The welder was a fair amount and the cone was $240.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

I think I exhausted about every combination of keyword searches for slim 1/4 barrel triclamp kegs.

I had custom built a combination keg and fermentation chamber a few years ago and the small kegmenter is just too wide to fit without cutting my chamber count down from 3 to 1. Finally just gave up and picked up a 6.1 gallon megamouth keg and used Bobby’s pull through tool to put a 1.5” TC ferrule on the lid. Once soldered, a quick hit with a flap disk and it looks almost as clean as a welded fitting.

I’ve done three batches in it now. With a few drops of ferm cap, no issues brewing a full 5 gallon batch. If you have the tools already, $175 for pressure capable stainless fermenter, with ability to attach various TC fittings/oxygen free dry hopping apparatus.

Happy enough with it that I picked up two more. Pressure tested to 45 psig, but pretty sure the solder joint could take more.

 

[apache_brew]

I think I exhausted about every combination of keyword searches for slim 1/4 barrel triclamp kegs.

I had custom built a combination keg and fermentation chamber a few years ago and the small kegmenter is just too wide to fit without cutting my chamber count down from 3 to 1. Finally just gave up and picked up a 6.1 gallon megamouth keg and used Bobby’s pull through tool to put a 1.5” TC ferrule on the lid. Once soldered, a quick hit with a flap disk and it looks almost as clean as a welded fitting.

I’ve done three batches in it now. With a few drops of ferm cap, no issues brewing a full 5 gallon batch. If you have the tools already, $175 for pressure capable stainless fermenter, with ability to attach various TC fittings/oxygen free dry hopping apparatus.

Happy enough with it that I picked up two more. Pressure tested to 45 psig, but pretty sure the solder joint could take more.

That's badass. If I hadn't already bought the 6" tri clamp ferrules that I already planned to weld onto my sankey kegs for fermenters, I would definitely go this route for simplicity. I really like the Torpedo kegs that I have and this looks like a clean solution. I would go with a 2" ferrule if it would fit though and see if someone could TIG weld it in though.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

You could definitely fit a 2” TC on there. There is room on the lid.

 

[Yesfan]

That's what I want to do. Along with a 2" TC, you could probably still have space for other items. The best I've done was add a 1.5" TC bulkhead to my 15G corny. It's cramped with a standard corny bale, but works. I've got a second batch in it now (pic is from first pressure test)

.

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

Nice thing is you can buy spare lids for $25. So you could do different set-ups. (Or buy an extra in case you mess up).

Edit: link to spare lids: Replacement Lid for Megamouth Torpedo Keg | MoreBeer