Conical Fermenter Sample Valve Clogged With Yeast

[BIGRUGBY]

Went to transfer my beer from the fermenter to the keg, doing a closed transfer out of the sample port, and it (for the second time) was clogged with yeast/trub.
Any ideas or solutions out there? Is the best way to sanitize a coat hanger and poke through it from the top?
I also tried cold crashing it and it is still clogged.

 

[VikeMan]

Since you are doing a closed transfer, can you increase the pressure temporarily?

 

[logdrum]

Don't know what type of fermenter you're using, but could you hook up a c02 line & gently blow it clear?

 

[BIGRUGBY]

Definitely have never tried it. I believe I have a spike stainless conical. What pressure should I use? Or would it be better to pressurize a keg and use that to blow it through, as if I was doing a closed transfer?

 

[mongoose33]

I have a Spike CF10. It never would have occurred to me to try to transfer from the sample valve. Are you putting a piece of tubing over the spout of the valve?

I always transfer out of the racking valve which is the tri-clamp port at the lowest point. Here's a pic showing that. The sample port is just under the thermometer, and then the racking port under that, and then the yeast/trub dump port on the bottom.

And if you are using the sample port at the location shown in the pic, you're leaving a lot of beer in the fermenter, aren't you?

 

[VikeMan]

Definitely have never tried it. I believe I have a spike stainless conical. What pressure should I use? Or would it be better to pressurize a keg and use that to blow it through, as if I was doing a closed transfer?

Assuming your conical can handle pressure, I'd slowly increase the pressure until it unclogs. What pressure are you pushing with to start?

 

[logdrum]

If it's a Spike like pictured, the sample port is not the place you want to transfer from. I've had my sample port clog many times and I just wiggle the valve till I get a drizzle & go from there. Like Mongoose said tho, the place to transfer from is the racking valve on the slope of the conical. I suspect that you don't have a racking arm, in which case, that boat has sailed.

 

[apache_brew]

If you haven't dealt with it already, blow some CO2 into the fermenter through the sample valve outlet to unclear it back into the beer. Sure it may stir up some sediment, who cares. let it sit another day and then it will be clear.

Why aren't you using the rotating racking cane?

 

[BIGRUGBY]

I mixed up my 5 letter fermenter brands that begin with S... I have a Stout brand fermenter (picture attached).

I opened it and let the yeast slowly drain out. About 15 minutes of letting the (painfully slow) yeast drain out until I got a flow that could go through my transfer tubing. I filled my keg with star san solution and pushed it out with CO2, then forgot to detach the CO2 to the keg (saving grace mistake). When I hooked up my transfer tubing to the keg, a bunch of built up pressure (12-ish psi) came rocketing out of the keg and unclogged whatever yeast was still built up in front of the sample port. Never have I ever been more thankful that I filled my line fully with beer, when I heard all those air bubbles!

Not wanting to fill my fermenter with pressure (in case my rookie self accidentally over does it), this way sure worked. The extra sediment I stirred up should come out in my first glass from the keg. Is there a better way to set up my port attachments? I could switch my temp gauge and sample valve but then I would lose my ability to do a closed transfer.