Brew Bucket by SS Brewing Technologies

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Excellent information Morrey, thanks. When it comes down to all of the money I've spent on brewing another $17.95 is really no big deal and it saves me the time and trouble to try and make something else work.

I'll pull the trigger on this, thanks for the information. This will make me even happier with my BrewBucket.
 
my 7.5g SS Brewbucket BME arrived on Monday and I filled it up yesterday, and my Danby 36 bottle DWC93BLSDB also arrived yesterday. It's a tight fit - and I need to use tape to ensure that the door stays closed. Eventually I will build a platform so that brewbucket sits level with the compressor hump. A plastic 6 gallon carboy fits perfectly fine. I purchased the BME so I had the thermowell, and placed my STC probe in there. So far so good.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20171121_164535.jpg
    IMG_20171121_164535.jpg
    2.6 MB · Views: 588
Oldskewl said:
Chris is napping,

Can you rotate it so the two legs are flush against the hump.
Click to expand...
sure, when i take a gravity sample in a few days i'll move it around. The upper portion is what is slightly too large. Once I have something set up so that all 4 legs are even with the compressor hump, it'll be fine.
 
Do any of you guys cold crash in the brew bucket? I was thinking about it but I am worried about introducing too much oxygen. Anyone have a good method to do this or would I be better off just crashing in the keg?
 
You could add a gas post to your lid and pressurize the brewbucket with 1 or 2 psi of C02 while cold crashing. I haven't done this but it's something I may consider.

philly224 said:
Do any of you guys cold crash in the brew bucket? I was thinking about it but I am worried about introducing too much oxygen. Anyone have a good method to do this or would I be better off just crashing in the keg?
Click to expand...
 
sillbeer said:
You could add a gas post to your lid and pressurize the brewbucket with 1 or 2 psi of C02 while cold crashing. I haven't done this but it's something I may consider.
Click to expand...

Interesting, that sounds like a good idea. Do they sell anything or would I have to DIY?
 
I don't see anything on their site but it doesn't mean they don't have something available. I would email them. They may or may not recommend it. I vaguely remember there being a max pressure recommended for the brewbuckets but it's been awhile. I bet JayBird (http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/index.html) on here could get you something. They do a lot of custom stuff.
 
philly224 said:
Interesting, that sounds like a good idea. Do they sell anything or would I have to DIY?
Click to expand...

IMG_1512.JPG

I made this and posted about it a while back....serves as a blow off tube, and a way to push the beer, and my friend (who came up with the idea) uses it to add CO2 while cold crashing (I don't cold crash). Article from my blog below:

http://www.laundrybrewing.com/2017/05/blow-off-set-up.html

You could also just rig up a hose going into the blow off hole and put a couple PSI on it or silver solder a gas post to the lid...I'm sure there are many ways to do it. I haven't seen anything sold for the brew buckets though.
http://www.laundrybrewing.com/2017/05/blow-off-set-up.html
 
Hi all,

I'm going to be picking up a brew bucket in either late December or early January and I'm on the hunt for a mini-fridge that'll fit the vessel prior to its arrival. I was wondering if one of you kind gentlemen might be able to help me out by measuring your fermenter and letting me know what the dimensions are in the attached image.

B & C might be pretty hard to measure. For C, a circumference should work if that's easier, and for B, if it's too difficult, I can probably just figure out that dimension from the leg distance A.

Thanks in advance!

xq5qefF.jpg
 
"D" is 4 5/8". The top of the leg is actually even with the base of the cone, so it is a little different than your drawing. Unfortunately I can't measure anything else since it's currently crammed into the mini fridge.

I can tell you one other thing that may help. Mine is in a Vissani 52 bottle wine cooler/mini fridge with a 12" deep flat floor before the compressor hump, which itself is 7" tall. The compressor hump is itself 6" deep for a total depth is 18". The fermenter seems to be only 13" wide at the top, so it leans over the compressor hump by less than an inch.

Hope you can make it work, I love mine.
 
i knew i had a pic somewhere...............
 

Attachments

  • conical.jpg
    conical.jpg
    600.4 KB · Views: 364
Does anyone not use the racking arm? It gets you .25 liters out of the fermenter. I am not so sure that it is actually gaining me anything, as I usually don't rotate it completely down when racking.

My only concern is the angle of the hole, and getting clogs. The racking cane being down eliminates matter from settling in the hole. I'm not sure if this would really be an issue....

Thoughts?
 
I use it and it's one of the features I like the most. I keep it horizontal during fermentation so it doesn't collect yeast... Though if the yeast are trucking along, it can happen anyway. When kegging I rotate as needed to draw in clear beer above the yeast cake.

I've never had a clog. 5 gallons of beer above the outlet provides plenty of pressure to get things moving even if the tubing is full of yeast.

Can't imagine not using it, honestly.
 
I've forgotten to install mine a couple times and during transfer I haven't had any issues yet. I don't see any reason to not install it.

radwizard said:
Does anyone not use the racking arm? It gets you .25 liters out of the fermenter. I am not so sure that it is actually gaining me anything, as I usually don't rotate it completely down when racking.

My only concern is the angle of the hole, and getting clogs. The racking cane being down eliminates matter from settling in the hole. I'm not sure if this would really be an issue....

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
philly224 said:
Interesting, that sounds like a good idea. Do they sell anything or would I have to DIY?
Click to expand...
They do now have a Pressure Relief Valve that allows you to push CO2 back into the ferementer for a closed transfer. I looked at it a few weeks ago but based on the discussion here and some crafty ingenuity I put together something myself that works, too.
 
Might I bother you kind gentlemen for one two more dimensions?

Would someone mind measuring the overall height of the bucket without the lid as well as the diameter at the top of the bucket without the lid?

Thanks in advance, and I promise I'll never bother you again.
 
Oldskewl said:
Chris is napping,

Can you rotate it so the two legs are flush against the hump.
Click to expand...
oh i totally forgot about this - when they legs are flushed - it is still a bit large. I am fermenting my second beer in it now - and it's holding up just fine with some tape to keep the door closed. not the perfect solution - but it allows me to use a 3 piece blow off. eventually i'll get a block of food to make the front portion level with the compressor hump.
 
Horseflesh said:
I use it and it's one of the features I like the most. I keep it horizontal during fermentation so it doesn't collect yeast... Though if the yeast are trucking along, it can happen anyway. When kegging I rotate as needed to draw in clear beer above the yeast cake.

I've never had a clog. 5 gallons of beer above the outlet provides plenty of pressure to get things moving even if the tubing is full of yeast.

Can't imagine not using it, honestly.
Click to expand...
The thing is, Normally if your using the conical as intended you would have already dumped the yeastcake after the primary fermentation stage and whatever yeast that settles during cold crashing should be below the level if the side port your kegging from. thats the idea behind a conical is you can get the beer off the yeastcake without doing transfers..
At least my experience with 3 years use on my three conicals.. when I open my side valve I get a tiny bit of yeast which settled in the port opening which amounts to about an inch in my hydrometer tube.

EDIT*** My apologies, I just realized this is not a conical thread its a brew bucket someone asked about these in the spike conical thread and I mixed up the threads.... I can see where this arm would be beneficial here.. some people bought these to use with conicals and thats where they have less merit.

I'm honestly suprised no one has put a bottom drain on one of these yet.
 
Last edited:
I'm sure this has been asked, but I can't find an answer anywhere. Is there a teflon washer that can be used to replace the internal O-ring on the racking arm/valve? The o-ring squeezes out from under the nut after a half rotation for me. I know I only need a partial rotation to rack the beer, but I just don't like an unconstrained o-ring for a moving piece.
 
I have been seriously thinking about the best way to install a bottom drain without increasing the height of the brewbucket itself.
 
Kealia said:
I would love to see a bottom drain on these. I'm not hands-on enough to try and do it myself, though.
Click to expand...
I belive the cone area is shallow enough were a person could literally just drill a hole in the botton and install a weldless fitting with a good silicone oring inside. you can get an additional small ball valve just like ss uses on the side port for under a dollar shipped on aliexpress.
 
philly224 said:
Do any of you guys cold crash in the brew bucket? I was thinking about it but I am worried about introducing too much oxygen. Anyone have a good method to do this or would I be better off just crashing in the keg?
Click to expand...


You may have already gotten this information, but my picture shows a CO2 reservoir system that will prevent suck back into your fermenter. These lids with nipples are available at NorCal Brewing Solutions, or are you can make DIY. During off gassing, CO2 fills the quart jars, so in my case as pictured, I have about 1.5 quarts of CO2 that can fill the jars as a reserve. During crashing, the star san is pulled back into the empty jar (along with CO2 reserves) but can never reach back into the BO tube. I use mine every brew day, and in fact crashing a lager now with the jars in place.
 
MaxStout said:
I just bought the CO2 Harvester and picked up some 1/2 gal canning jars. Haven't used it yet, but looking forward to cold-crashing and lagering w/o suckback, and reducing O2 uptake.
Click to expand...

Did you buy the lids from NorCal?

I had an air leak at first but solved it by putting a bit of keg lube on the silicone sealing ring on the jar lids, and by using 3/8" tubing on the 1/2" nipples. Put a good amount of torque on the jar lid sealing rings and all is well!
 
Morrey said:
You may have already gotten this information, but my picture shows a CO2 reservoir system that will prevent suck back into your fermenter. These lids with nipples are available at NorCal Brewing Solutions, or are you can make DIY. During off gassing, CO2 fills the quart jars, so in my case as pictured, I have about 1.5 quarts of CO2 that can fill the jars as a reserve. During crashing, the star san is pulled back into the empty jar (along with CO2 reserves) but can never reach back into the BO tube. I use mine every brew day, and in fact crashing a lager now with the jars in place.
Click to expand...
So you only use about a quart in your jar? How long do you crash and how much water/starsan is left in the jar with the airlock when your done?
 
Morrey said:
Did you buy the lids from NorCal?

I had an air leak at first but solved it by putting a bit of keg lube on the silicone sealing ring on the jar lids, and by using 3/8" tubing on the 1/2" nipples. Put a good amount of torque on the jar lid sealing rings and all is well!
Click to expand...

Yep, from NorCal. Good idea about the keg lube and torque. I might seal the end and do a leak test of them in a bucket of water.

I did the math and even with 2 gal of headspace (more than I will ever have), dropping from 70F to 32F would create only about 18 oz. suckback. Having the second jar half full of Starsan just before cold-crashing will provide more than enough liquid to prevent it all from being sucked back into the first jar (and air getting through).
 
ba-brewer said:
So you only use about a quart in your jar? How long do you crash and how much water/starsan is left in the jar with the airlock when your done?
Click to expand...

That's a quart jar so about 1/2 jar equals a pint of sanitizer starting off in jar 2. I crash 5F at a time until I hit 35F. All said and done, all of the sanitizer from jar 2 with the airlock will have been pulled back into jar 1 attached to the BO tube. As MaxStout says above, you only need 18 or so ounces of CO2 in reserve so no outside O2 is drawn in. BTW....I started using a 3 pc airlock on the second jar for an additional safety measure.
 
Morrey said:
That's a quart jar so about 1/2 jar equals a pint of sanitizer starting off in jar 2. I crash 5F at a time until I hit 35F. All said and done, all of the sanitizer from jar 2 with the airlock will have been pulled back into jar 1 attached to the BO tube. As MaxStout says above, you only need 18 or so ounces of CO2 in reserve so no outside O2 is drawn in. BTW....I started using a 3 pc airlock on the second jar for an additional safety measure.
Click to expand...


MaxStout will be using 1/2 gallon jars...not quart jars like I am using. I think I'll shift to 1/2G next brew.
 
ba-brewer said:
Once you empty jar number 2 you would be pulling oxygen back into your fermentor. How many days to get down to 35F?
Click to expand...

I can crash with my glycol chiller from 65F to 35F in an hour...but I go in 5F increments every 4 hours.

With a 3 pc airlock (using that now) on jar 2, the top hat of the airlock would suck down to seal off the stem if that happens, but jar 2 is half full of CO2 also.

But....I have never seen jar 2 fully emptied of sanitizer even with quart jars. 1/2G jars may be an overkill, but I plan to go that route next brew.
 
Are you somehow flushing those jars with co2 before starting fermentation? If not, wouldn't the o2 in the air (in the jars) diffuse with the incoming co2 and still be present when cold crashing?
 
MaxStout said:
FWIW, here's the formula for determining suckback:

Suckback volume = Headspace volume*(1-(Mintemp+459.67)/(Maxtemp+459.67))

Temps in Fahrenheit. Volume units don't matter, as long as you use the same.
Click to expand...


MaxStout, do you mind double checking my math for me?

I have 5.5G in a 7G fermenter. My fermenting temp is 65F and my temp to crash to is 35F.

I am coming up with .241665. Is this basically 1/4 of a gallon or 32 ounces?
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

segallis
Fermenter King Unitank Question
Replies
3
Views
857
segallis
segallis
MaxStout
Preventing O2 ingress when cold-crashing for lagering - ideas?
2 3
Replies
81
Views
4K
jerrylotto
jerrylotto
movet22
For Sale Electric Brewery for Sale (Philly/South Jersey)
Replies
1
Views
595
Indian_villager
I
caspio
For Sale NorCal - Complete 10G all grain brew setup and Kegerator
Replies
0
Views
432
caspio
caspio
Benman37
For Sale EUGENE, OR - Complete Stainless All-Grain Brewing Setup - $800
Replies
0
Views
615
Benman37
Benman37
wps-hbt2

Latest posts

Back
Top