DIY Stainless Steel Fermenters

[Minbari]

ya, I am gonna try it, got 12 of them coming. (6 per lid) Will report on how well it works.

got 2 of these, only 11" diameter, 6 should hold pretty well I hope

http://www.boscovs.com/shop/prod/stainless-steel-stockpot-16-quart/12395.htm

Was planning on rivets.

 

[leesmith]

Just found this on eBay. I'm interested in the clamps and where they source them.

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=201129408436

 

[leesmith]

Love this idea, just bought (2) 4 gallon stock pots for making 5 gallon batches (split) never liked the idea of plastic buckets.

****edit

maybe something like this to hold down the lid?

Toggle Latch

You could try to bend the latch part and eliminate the screw on catch. Hopefully it would then just catch the lid. It gives a few less holes to make.

 

[MerlinWerks]

Or you could go with something like THIS

Or some variation, if you google "lid latch" there are a number of choices...

 

[leesmith]

Or you could go with something like THIS



Or some variation, if you google "lid latch" there are a number of choices...

Awesome....stainless?

 

[Minbari]

Or you could go with something like THIS

Or some variation, if you google "lid latch" there are a number of choices...

Those might work, but are $5 each. I got 12 of the other ones for $11 shipped

 

[jpalarchio]

Or you could go with something like THIS



Or some variation, if you google "lid latch" there are a number of choices...

Those are basically what is used on the "Brew Bucket":

 

[orangehero]

Good guide on gluing the silicone:

Toward the end he makes the o-ring by taping the ends together and using silicone caulk to glue it together.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-silicone-O-rings-and-tubing/

That's a great guide, thanks!

If you get some thin-wall tubing (maybe latex, not sure how it will interact with the silicone caulk), you can set it on the vessel to cure with the lid or cover clamped down over it so that you get nice molded gasket.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I have fermented in stainless kettles for years, just haven't bothered with sealing the kettle with gaskets and clamps. I aerate, pitch yeast and lid the kettle, then before the kruesen falls I seal the lid with with a plastic bag over the top of the kettle, and wrap a piece of cord snugly around the kettle. I get the beer to a sealed keg within around 10 days, or a few days after fermentation is complete. Let the keg sit at cellar temps for a few days to a week, pipeline dependant. I feel the fears of oxidation and contamination are a bit over stated during active fermentation, never had a problem. The fermenting beer is producing CO2 in a reasonably well sealed vessel that is under very slight pressure...this is fine for fermentation, then transfer to a keg for conditioning / serving.

 

[Singletrack]

Brewzologist, Brilliant! Thank you for sharing this. I strongly considered doing something similar, except, like Wilserbrewer, I wouldn't have bothered to seal the lid. I really like your solution to get a seal, though.

I decided to buy a stainless steel carboy instead, and I now see that this was not a great decision. In case anyone else is weighing these options, here are a few of the items I dislike about my stainless carboy:
1. Unlike a nice pot, it is not completely smooth inside. It has a lot of welds that have been grinded "smooth." In addition, there are deformation ribs for strength/aesthetics, and embossing -- just to annoy me it seems. In comparison, a pot is much easier to clean.
2. Although it was advertised as 10 gal, it is only about 9.25. I really needed the full 10 gal. When you buy a 10 gal pot, you get 10 gal.
3. It is short and squat compared to a 1.2 ratio pot. This is not ideal for racking clear beer off the yeast cake.
4. It is very thin gauge compared to a nice pot.
5. Expensive.
On the plus side, my stainless carboy has a screw-on lid with o-ring gasket that works well. However, if I had it to do over, I would buy a 10 gal pot and convert it to a fermenter.

Regarding the drain valve: I love the valve on my carboy. I find it much easier to drain than it is to use a siphon. The valve is up above the yeast cake, and I just tip the pot at the end to get the last bit. To me, the benefits of the valve greatly outweigh the cleaning/risk of infection. If you are going to ferment in a pot, you can put some water in it and boil! Then use it to heat your strike water. Run Star San through the valve for good measure. Sanitized.

After seeing this thread, I may end up getting a 10 gal pot after all. You can always use another fermenter, right? Thanks again!

 

[Riot]

Does anyone else this would work awesome as a combo grant/ hop back with a smaller pot? Only issue I see is the fittings being worth meaningfully more than the pot.

 

[shoreman]

I've been interested in building one of these as well.

Those clips will work, this guy on youtube uses them:

http://youtu.be/YXKw6l0J0Sc

Pretty similar setup.

Also the SS conical company sells the rotating racking arm as an accessory so you could install that.

Update us when you put it through a couple of brews.

 

[Minbari]

ok, so here is how mine turned out. havent come up with an alternative for the copper, but it does give a nice color contrast

read the story here.

 

[shoreman]

What size is that? Looks great.

 

[Bensiff]

The big issue I had when looking into doing the same was finding latches that would work as you are not latching straight across as many are designed to do. I had a welder fabricate some latches and he came up with a rather nice design.

 

[Minbari]

What size is that? Looks great.

its a 4 gallon pot. of course you could do it with any size you like.

The big issue I had when looking into doing the same was finding latches that would work as you are not latching straight across as many are designed to do. I had a welder fabricate some latches and he came up with a rather nice design.

I am sure my solution is not perfect, but it seals really well and the double hindge pulls down the lid nicely. if you dont secure the latches, they pop back open. (gonna replace those little pieces of wire with pins that wont fall out)

 

[Bensiff]

I am sure my solution is not perfect, but it seals really well and the double hindge pulls down the lid nicely. if you dont secure the latches, they pop back open. (gonna replace those little pieces of wire with pins that wont fall out)

That is exactly what I was concerned about when I started researching those types of hinges. It didn't occur to me to use pins to force them to keep latched, good thought. My welder came up with a nice hinge design that is extremely beefy, I suppose they live up to the Stout Tanks namesake which they are welded to. I'm on my first experimental run, made a gasket with some vinyl tubing that holds pressure surprisingly well; but will move over to silicone next go around.

 

[Minbari]

Was pure luck i got locking ones.

Ya, i tried vinyl first, but it is too hard to compress and make a seal. Silicone works perfect

 

[Bassman2003]

Thanks for this thread. I have had a SS pot fermenter for the past few years and can not get a seal. I wanted to see through so I made a Plexiglass lid and clamp it down with J bolts on the pot handles. After seeing this thread it is so obvious to me now. I will add some C-clamps around the edges and it will probably finally work!

The 9 gallon pot cost $59 and I had a SS 1/2" pipe nipple welded on for transfers. Couldn't be a better way to ferment, especially once I get it to seal. Fits inside a wine fridge, easy to clean and since it is 9 gallons, the kreusen never reaches the lid. I agree that the seal is not the end of the world, but having the airlock bubble would kind of make it official...

 

[milldoggy]

Some good prices on eBay for pots,30 quart concord is only 40$. Makes for a cheap fermentor

 

[Minbari]

I got my (2) 16 qt stainless pots for $8 each, with lid. Allows me to do split batches or just the same batch in two containers.

 

[FuriousE]

Any updates on this thread? Anyone try to do a pressurized transfer with CO2?

 

[reelmower]

I'm interested in your silicone tubing gasket. Do you have to seal the ends of your tubing .. or does the pressure from the lid create the seal. Seems like 20 psi .. would leak out without sealed ends? I tried something similar with some beverage tubing .. which is rigid .. and I had to put a dab of keg lube on the ends of my gasket. 2-3 psi would blow the keg lube out. I couldn't get enough pressure on the lid with the beverage tubing gasket to hold any amount of pressure. My goal is to push my beer with CO2 .. and only need about 3 psi.

 

[alexc2013]

I built this fermenter but modified it some with the following parts:

-44qt Bayou pot (allows 10-10.5 gal brews) http://goo.gl/2epnWf
-Added a Italian Bottling Bucket spigot (bought at my local HBS for ~$2) http://goo.gl/oELLYM
-Added a 6" SS 1/4" npt weldless thermowell from BrewHardware - https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/mwl14thermowell.htm
-Lined the edge of the pot with 1/2"ID silicone tubing ~4ft long. I think smaller 3/8"ID tubing would work fine too
-Glued the ends of the silicone together with Permatex RTX silicone sealant http://goo.gl/qfmkDc
-In the lid, drilled a hole and added: 1/4 MFL x 1/8 MPT SS half union (http://www.chicagobrewwerks.com/stainless-steel-half-union-1-4-mfl-x-1-8-mpt/dp/1555), 2" SS washer with 1/4" hole, 2" rubber washer (~1/16" thick), pot lid, rubber washer, 2" SS washer, 1/8" SS nut (all from Lowes)
-Use large binder clips from Staples to keep lid sealed

The Italian bottling bucket spigot was super cheap compared to buying another big 1/2" SS valve. It is easily removable, very replaceable. Another nice feature is the faucet out portion of it can swivel up or down, which allows you to move it out of the way when transporting the fermenter. It also keeps the spigot from touching the bottom of the fermentation chamber (chest freezer) floor.

The thermowell installed very easily and allows me to monitor temps with my STC-1000 controller.

For the sealing rim tubing, I cut a length wise split in the tubing and then fit it to the pot. For the first batch I made, the ends of the tubing were not glued together. When silicone tubing gets cold (ie in fermentation box), it shrinks. Well my first batch got infected because the ends of the tubing pulled apart about 1/2" and allowed dirty air into the brew. I end up gluing the tubing edges together using the RTV silicone adhesive. Do this by cutting a small portion (~3-4") of 1/2" OD vinyl tubing, fitting it inside the 1/2" ID silicone tubing, and zip-tying the silicone tubing around the vinyl tubing, leaving about 1/8" gap between the end edges of the silicone tubing. Inject the adhesive in the gap evenly, cover with saranwrap and leave to cure for a few days. Works great now!

In the lid I wanted a 1/4" MFL barb so that I could attached my CO2 hose, fill the head space with CO2 and push the beer oxygen-free into the secondary/keg/etc. I jerry-rigged a sealing attachment using parts from Lowes to seal the hole in the lid and securely attach the 1/4 MFL x 1/8 MPT SS half union (bought from local HBS for ~$3). This part is sold at your HBS with the Blichman beer gun accessories. You can find a copper/brass version at any home improvement store (which is fine, it's never soaking in the beer). The 1/4" barb also allows me to affix a blow-off tube to it, or as in the picture, a short length of tubing and an airlock. I am able to push the beer out and keep the lid sealed with about 2-5 PSI and that works fine. No need to pressurize to 20PSI.

Right now I'm using binder clips to keep the lid on and it works fine, except that they rust in wet areas. Nobody has mentioned this in the thread above. Rust stains are gross when on your SS fermenter and next to your finished beer! At some point, I plan to rig up some sort of lid clips riveted to the side of the pot (as others in this thread have dabbled with).

Lastly, it is worth noting the Bayou pot is the thinnest, crappiest stainless steel pot I've ever seen. The handle welds show up as black dent/bumps inside the pot. The outside of the pot/lid show every little water spot. It dings and dents with almost no effort. Drilling the hole for the spigot using a step bit ended up warping the side of the pot. It works fine in this application as a fermenter, but I would NEVER use a Bayou pot for boil kettle/HLT/MLT. Anyone that does is either super cheap and/or lying through their teeth when they post to HBT about how great the pot is.

 

[mr_rogers]

Your post was educational and informative... Yes, until the point where you felt the need to pointlessly bad mouth many Brewers for their equipment preference. Apparently I am very cheap and regularly lie through my teeth when I recommend the bayou pot that I use and find works very well.

Although my opinion is probably invalid since I've actually used it as a brew kettle...

 

[beersk]

No problems with Bayou Classic kettles here either. I think they're great.

Great idea and great thread, OP! I've been looking at way to ferment in a kettle as well. Maybe you could just put some weight on the lid instead of using clamps. That's what I've always imagined doing anyway, the silicone ring for the seal is the key component!

Wilserbrewer, I see what you're saying, but I brew lagers as well and want my fermenters to be able to seal.

 

[alexc2013]

Your post was educational and informative... Yes, until the point where you felt the need to pointlessly bad mouth many Brewers for their equipment preference. Apparently I am very cheap and regularly lie through my teeth when I recommend the bayou pot that I use and find works very well.

Although my opinion is probably invalid since I've actually used it as a brew kettle...

I'm clearly cheap too. I've jerry-rigged just about every aspect of my brewing setup and have had successes and failures. I've realized that there is a lot of brilliant ideas on HBT and there's also a lot of chest-thumping bull**** ideas that only serve lead others astray. I've also used friends' Bayou pots as brew kettles and HLTs, and they all have the same problems with the flimsy, easily dent-able pots. If you have converted a Bayou pot into this thread's referenced fermenter, fine please share your opinion. Otherwise, spare everyone else the hot air.

 

[Bensiff]

Once again it must be noted that you get what you pay for. Want a cheap stainless kettle, bayou is as good as any other. That means 20 gauge or .8mm construction instead of 1 or 1.2mm construction of much more expensive kettles. I don't really see the issue though as .8mm is more than enough to hold the contents inside and not be flimsy unless one is moving it around when full. But if one moves a kettle around when full I would argue the real issue isn't the kettle, it is the brewery design that requires something asking for injury or damage. The whole point of the thread is to build a cheap stainless fermenter, it wouldn't really work if you start with an expensive kettle.

 

[Brewzologist]

Update: Posted an edit to the original post about sealing the ends of the gasket and added a pic.

After many batches this rig is still working fine. Sold off my glass carboys and I'm now committed to this setup. Haven't taken the plunge to add a drain valve, and don't think I will as the auto-siphon works well for my setup. May add a grommet or bushing to the sharp edges of the hole in the lid, though, because it cuts the stopper pretty good after awhile. Glad to hear this idea is working well for you all, and thanks adding some good ideas of your own!

Steve

 

[milldoggy]

I wonder if edge trim would work. McMaster Carr has a few different kinds, here is one
http://www.mcmaster.com/#silicone-rubber-edge-trim/=vifwxo