Can I use a bottling spigot on a fermenter?

[ErikRobers]

I got some 5-gallon food grade buckets for about 5 bucks a piece and I want to add spigots to them so I can make what would essentially be a siphonless brewing system. When I looked for spigots at Midwest Supplies, they had the typical bottling spigot, which my hoses fit, and a "drum spigot" which appears to be what I would need to put onto a bucket I intend to use for fermenting. Only problem is, it's wider than the bottling spigot and won't fit my hoses.

Would it be okay to use a bottling spigot on a fermentation vessel?

If so, how high from the base should I drill so it doesn't pull trub in with the beer?

Am I better off continuing to use a siphon?

 

[kh54s10]

I always question the possibility of something nasty growing in the spout during the fermentation. Some say it is no problem, others try to tie a plastic bag of sanitizer on the spigot. Also, I only trust the cheap plastic spigot for the length of time it takes to bottle a batch.

How high to keep trub out of the beer? It will be a little different every brew. I think you would either lose more beer trying to keep out the trub with a spigot, or that you will get more debris transferred.

I prefer the siphon.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Opinions vary, while adding spigots to your fermenters makes moving your beer easier, they also need to be removed and cleaned thoroughly or they are a sanitation risk. Leakage is also possible.

I have become proficient at racking with a cane and tubing, so for me it doesn't seem worth it, yet others love a siphon less system.

 

[mbbransc]

Easiest way to limit O2 pickup while racking into a keg. I have a hose I connect to the spigot with a liquid ball lock on the other end and rack to the bottom of a purged keg. When I'm racking a hoppy beer, I connect another hose to the blow off on the primary with the other end connected to the same keg via gas ball lock. Simple closed system transfer.

(purge your hoses before hook-up to further reduce O2)

 

[KegWrangler]

I do this, and not that this is a scientific representation but "it hasn't been a problem" (so far).

To keep things sanitary I attach about 12" of hose and then a ball lock on the end - all of which gets sanitized on brewing day. Also, I disassemble and clean the spigot, etc. and then reassemble just before sanitizing to ensure no slurry gets left to mold inside between batches.

When it's time to rack the beer, I just dip and swish the ball lock end in some boiling water (10-30 seconds - depending on how frisky I'm feeling), then attach to a sanitized keg.

 

[Mismost]

I have bottling spigots on all my buckets. They get cleaned and sanitized before each use. Before transfer i always turn the spigot upside down and fill with Starsan and drench the outside too...let that soak a while and then down it down and dump it out...rig your transfer hose and move the beer.

I also keep the spigot wrapped in foil during fermentation...just in case any critters want to crawl in there. Easy to take samples, just rinse the spigot out good afterwards. Easy to transfer without sloshing the bucket around or stirring it up with a racking cane. Since I rarely use a secondary, I like the spigot mounted a little higher on the bucket so I get most of the really clean beer...then I might tilt the bucket and try to get another bottle or two which I "hand prime".

Has worked good for me, so far, no problems.