I think it's just polishing compound.
Brew Bucket by SS Brewing Technologies
- Thread starter Schumed
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This sounds easily explainable.
First off, sounds like your lid isn't completely flat and flush with the bucket, and that your gasket is not providing a good seal. Are you using the replacement seal that they provided? I don't know how theyre shipping them now, but mine came with a replacement gasket that was to be used instead of the one that was already installed.
Secondly, it's likely that the blowoff clogged the hole at the top, since that hole is 3/8 of an inch. You say it wasn't clogged, but what are you basing that assumption off of? Just looking at it from above? It could easily be clogged deep below the surface, where you can't see.
Combine those 2 things together, and it blew out the side of the lid instead.
Tell me this, and this could totally destroy my explanation --- did your blowoff/airlock/rig on the top bubble while the blowoff was happening out the side of the lid?
Mine blows off through the side as well. I had to put some shims on the latches for it to seal correctly.
I just soaked mine in hot water and PBW overnight and gave it a good cleaning with a soft sponge, washed it well then put some Star San in it. My unit was pretty clean but I knew there were likely oils on it.
dirkomatic
Well-Known Member
Just to let everyone know... Earlier in the thread I posted a picture of my racking tube and valve which seemed different than what others had. I ordered the longer racking arm and when I got it I saw it wouldn't work with my current valve. I contacted ss brew tech and they sent me the newer valve, racking arm and extra o-rings.
These guys believe in customer service... It's nice to see.
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These guys believe in customer service... It's nice to see.
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SpeedYellow
Well-Known Member
I measured how much liquid is left behind with the various arm options:
1) Stock short arm: 0.56 gal (72 oz)
2) No arm used: 0.40 gal (51 oz)
3) Longer arm: 0.33 gal (42 oz)
4) No arm used, tip fermenter: 0.01 gal (2 oz)
$10 on the longer arm was a waste, since it still leaves too much behind (if you remove trub before fermenting). Much more effective to simply use no arm and tip the fermenter near the end.
Why can't they just give us a long arm!?!? This is crazy.
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1) Stock short arm: 0.56 gal (72 oz)
2) No arm used: 0.40 gal (51 oz)
3) Longer arm: 0.33 gal (42 oz)
4) No arm used, tip fermenter: 0.01 gal (2 oz)
$10 on the longer arm was a waste, since it still leaves too much behind (if you remove trub before fermenting). Much more effective to simply use no arm and tip the fermenter near the end.
Why can't they just give us a long arm!?!? This is crazy.
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NervousDad
BFM
I measured my remaining with the short arm and I got 3/4 of a gallon, but the second that is starts sucking air I stop.
I love that it leaves that much beer. I make a 8 gallon batch of beer leave 2 in the kettle, 6 in the brew bucket and 5 goes into the keg perfectly
clear.
Edit: I was never able to get a true 5 gallon batch using carboys. With the brew bucket I can.
I love that it leaves that much beer. I make a 8 gallon batch of beer leave 2 in the kettle, 6 in the brew bucket and 5 goes into the keg perfectly
clear.
Edit: I was never able to get a true 5 gallon batch using carboys. With the brew bucket I can.
I think it's crazy to ***** about the racking arm when, as already stated, you can just add a piece of silicon tube or tip the bucket. Seems to be a lot of unrealistic expectations being thrown at this product versus others. People pay a lot more for Blichmann but don't nearly gripe as much. I've had to clean every piece of stainless/aluminum equipment I've bought and they have always had some sort of residue on them. That's just SOP prior to brewing with anything.
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FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
If the bucket leaves more behind than you last fermenter change you process. Are you really stressing out about 1/2 a gallon? If you are you may have a problem that is completely unrelated to the bucket. Relax it's not the end of the world and easily compensated for in you process.
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It was providing a good seal. It had been bubbling like crazy out through the blowoff tube. Without a good seal, it would have just gone out the side. Mine came with the new seal.
I pulled the lid and looked at it. The tube only extends about 1/4" below the lid. The krausen was to the top of the lid, but the tube was clear, yet nothing was coming out (this is before it blew out the side). Once the krausen receded, it started bubbling through the blowoff tube again. I was also using a 1/2" blowoff tube.
I don't know. I didn't see it when it blew out the side. But it did start bubbling again after the krausen receded.
dirkomatic
Well-Known Member
Argh! I used a green pad to clean mine and evidently, my green pads are not "scratch free." There are lots of swirling scratches at the top of the inside of my fermenter now. Does anyone know of a way to get the scratches out? Or am I worried over nothing?
You're worrying over nothing IMO, but if you must remove the scratches then you'll need successively finer grit pads and/or rubbing compound to accomplish that. Search for Bobby's thread "Polishing your keg is more than a euphemism" (or something like that) for a step by step tutorial.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
I've heard a rumor that Stone has ordered some buckets for projects. I need to ask around to see what they may be using them for. I have hard Stone is doing a lot of projects with different hops. Cool use of the bucket.
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Cider123
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Ok, so I got one too. The increase in price is actually and mostly absorbed when you consider that the lower price didn't include the approx $35 shipping, but the higher price includes free shipping from Morebeer.
But on to more important things:
I really like the way this thing looks and I'm excited to use it, but have a few concerns that I thought I'd ask here since customer service is closed till Monday.
Can anyone help with these questions?
1. While I see that there will be some indentations on the inside of the bucket from the spot welding, I am more concerned about the welds where the handles are. These welds are so deep that they created sharp and rough edges on the inside of the bucket. The inside of the lid also has a long and deep scratch that also looks to have penetrated the metal. I am concerned that these areas will rust. Anyone faced this before?
2. I didn't get a 2nd replacement gasket for the lid. Are these still being included?
Thanks for any help
But on to more important things:
I really like the way this thing looks and I'm excited to use it, but have a few concerns that I thought I'd ask here since customer service is closed till Monday.
Can anyone help with these questions?
1. While I see that there will be some indentations on the inside of the bucket from the spot welding, I am more concerned about the welds where the handles are. These welds are so deep that they created sharp and rough edges on the inside of the bucket. The inside of the lid also has a long and deep scratch that also looks to have penetrated the metal. I am concerned that these areas will rust. Anyone faced this before?
2. I didn't get a 2nd replacement gasket for the lid. Are these still being included?
Thanks for any help
formula2fast
Well-Known Member
The newer buckets are coming with the new designed seal, so the one in the lid is the newer one. I think the last 2 or 3 shipments have had the newer seal on the lid. I know my second one was from 2 shipments ago and it only came with the new seal already in the lid.
I used mine today for the second time. I forgot to put the arm in.
well that sux! but should be fine since arm is parallel anyways
yeah i don't see it being a problem either.
to be honest, i think it will be easier to get more brew out. remove the lid prior to racking so you can see/tip all the brew right through the valve.
now that I think about it - I might leave the arm off on my next batch
macewank
Member
1: I haven't had any issues with that so far, but I haven't had the bucket long enough for it them to rust yet. Can't help ya here.
2: I don't think so. The earlier batch of buckets had a different gasket on the top and they were shipping out a second one that was different. The newer ones just come with the new gasket preinstalled.
I just racked a batch into a Speidel for secondary. I came back in to order the longer arms and decided to peruse this thread once again and ran across your post. Thanks for doing this. I can now brew two more batches and go armless. I'll just tilt mine a little until I get enough out.
missedtheapex
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I'm pretty surprised to hear that anyone could be successful with leaving the arm out. In the one batch I have finished in the Brew Bucket—a 1.072 IPA with Bell's yeast—the trub completely filled the bottom cone and was actually above the level of the valve. The racking arm acted as a snorkel, and I actually couldn't lower it all the way before picking up sludge.
Before finishing that batch, I, too, was a little disappointed with the reach of the original racking arm. I was sure it would leave too much beer behind. I was so sure of it that I ordered the longer version before even finishing up a batch. But in my single data point's worth of experience, the short arm actually proved to be the most optimized solution. The longer arm wouldn't have helped, and no arm at all would have been terrible.
I can see where a smaller beer, or one with a yeast that compacts much better (Bell's is known to be a bit fluffy) could benefit from more reach or going armless.
Before finishing that batch, I, too, was a little disappointed with the reach of the original racking arm. I was sure it would leave too much beer behind. I was so sure of it that I ordered the longer version before even finishing up a batch. But in my single data point's worth of experience, the short arm actually proved to be the most optimized solution. The longer arm wouldn't have helped, and no arm at all would have been terrible.
I can see where a smaller beer, or one with a yeast that compacts much better (Bell's is known to be a bit fluffy) could benefit from more reach or going armless.
I drained it into a carboy. Replaced the arm and poured the wort back in. More aeration!
SpeedYellow
Well-Known Member
No; the reason some of us must remove the arm is because we remove the trub and hop gunk before fermenting. So after fermentation, there's a cup or two of yeast, and that's it. If we used the racking arm, we'd be leaving lots of beer behind.
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missedtheapex
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I didn't mean to leave the impression that I tossed everything from the kettle into the fermenter. That half gallon of gunk filling the cone was just yeast and 1.5 oz of pellet hops used to dry hop in the bucket. The kettle hops and break material were all left behind by a good whirlpool before fermentation. So yes, believe it or not, the cone in my brew bucket filled up with yeast after a clean start.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
Back to the topic of cleaning. I exchanged messages with a friend of mine who is a metallurgist. He confirms that the black reside is oxide. After a clean with normal cleaning supplies wiping down the surface with a clean towel/rag before sanitizing is a good idea. The oxide will build up if the Stainless Steel is not used for an extended period of time.
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FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
Did you get in touch with SSBrewtech about the gasket?
As for the scratch, why do you think a surface scratch rust? Have you talked to SSBrewtech about the scratch?
Would like to know how the customer service is treating everyone.
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renthispace
Well-Known Member
So whats the consensus on taking apart the ball valve? Do we need to be doing this between every brew or will running pbw through it suffice?
In my opinion you should take it apart and clean it after each batch.
Sometimes beer can get behind the Teflon seals in that type of valve and flushing it won't ever get all of it out.
Just be sure to use something soft to get the inner seal out. You don't want to damage or scratch them.
Sometimes beer can get behind the Teflon seals in that type of valve and flushing it won't ever get all of it out.
Just be sure to use something soft to get the inner seal out. You don't want to damage or scratch them.
microbusbrewery
Senior Member
+1 to this. A while back I replaced a couple ball valves that weren't full 1/2" for ones that were. It'd been a while since I'd disassembled them so I figured I'd give them a good cleaning before tossing them into the spare parts bin.
The one that came off my HLT was fine, but when I took apart the one that came off my mash tun...holy hell! The aroma/vapors coming off of it were indescribably overpowering. I think I'd rather smell a dumpster that's been sitting in the summer sun behind a seafood restaurant. I disassemble all my ball valves on a regular basis because of that experience.
OP
OP
Schumed
Well-Known Member
Officially got the new racking arm let's see how the extra arm works out
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Cider123
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I contacted Morebeer last Monday about the welds and scratches. They immediately sent me another bucket and it got here in 2 days. The new one is in nice shape, and I'll be shipping the old one back at their cost. Morebeer was very courteous in the process.
I did not ask about the gasket. Someone else said that they are now sending them out with the new gasket. I have a wit beer fermenting in it right now and it seems to form a good seal.
The jury is still out for me on whether it is worth the 225 bucks. I am looking forward to racking from the bucket into a keg and seeing how much better the process is compared to messing with a siphon.
It looks real pretty sitting there in all its shinyness. But... unlike what others said, it was a pain to clean and rinse in a sink. That hole at the bottom dumps water everywhere when you try to rinse it out under the sink. It pissed on my shoe yesterday. You can only fill cleaning solution to the level of that hole unless you leave the spigot attached...but you want to clean it at the same time. Then clean the spigot and the lid gasket and attach everything again and make sure it all sanitized again.
I also noticed the sharp edge of the hole for the airlock slices up the stopper when you push it in. Got to be gentle there. I must say it did not leak when I was rocking/shaking it before pitching to aerate. But I was fearful to really give her the spurs the way I would with the closed lid on a plastic bucket. That lid seals tight but it's not as tight as one of those plastic lids (which admittedly is a PITA to remove in itself)
So I'll post back with more findings, but right now my thoughts are it's a novel toy. The old plastic bucket wins on ease of preparation.
JoesInBoston
Well-Known Member
I put my first batch of beer into my Brewbucket last night. It was pretty easy for me to clean and sanitize, I think.
I also had a problem with the stopper getting cut pretty easily. It didn't go all the way through to the drilled hole, but it definitely won't last more than another brew or two if I have to keep taking it out and putting it back in.
I also had a problem with the stopper getting cut pretty easily. It didn't go all the way through to the drilled hole, but it definitely won't last more than another brew or two if I have to keep taking it out and putting it back in.
I just put my second beer into this fermenter yesterday. I love it. Easy to clean,move and store.
It's odd though that in both my two brews so far in this bucket I see no activity in the airlock. Now I know things are fine but in my plastic buckets, I always see things in 24 hours but it likely has nothing to do at all with the bucket but I am just being OCD.
My first beer in this bucket came out awesome. I swear it tastes better just cuz its in stainless!
It's odd though that in both my two brews so far in this bucket I see no activity in the airlock. Now I know things are fine but in my plastic buckets, I always see things in 24 hours but it likely has nothing to do at all with the bucket but I am just being OCD.
My first beer in this bucket came out awesome. I swear it tastes better just cuz its in stainless!
^ +1 to what this guy says. Everyone expects a piece of brewing equipment to come custom tailored to their process and what they want. The listened to customers and provided a longer arm. The purpose of the cone in the bucket is not to drop yeast/trub, but to reduce the surface contact with the beer....which it does. If you take measures to reduce/eliminate the trub and leaving behind about 3-5 cups of beer is a deal breaker for you, then your just never going to be happy. The solution for your process is simple, tip the fermentor...it doesn't take a lot of effort to do so. I don't understand the hyper critical comments either, beer is left behind in a blichman conical where is all the complaining that they don't get a custom tailored racking arm that doesn't go to the bottom? They listened to customers and provided a longer arm, they listened to customers and created a new gasket. I think the point is..they are listening to feedback and reacting accordingly. I just got a new arm and I like it because I get just a bit more beer. But in all honesty, I plan for some loss. I generally want 5 gallons for my keg and I plan for for .5 gallons of loss. It's not a big deal on the homebrew scale to miss out on a few cups of beer we are talking a few pennies worth of value here.
FastDogBrewing
Well-Known Member
Well said BarleyPop
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Does anyone know the diameter of the bottom of this unit? It appears to taper in size and I think it would work in my fridge. My mini fridge has a compressor hump at the bottom of the fridge that only gives me about 11.7" of clearance for about 4" vertically and then I have 17" after that.
old-pasture-brew
Well-Known Member
So 4" up is right where the legs meet the barrel. I measured back leg to front and got 10.25". See picture below. Hope that helps
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