Doubling Down: SS Brewtech Conical + FTSS + Glycol Power Pack

[boasist]

I never cold-crash that low (usually around 40), but I still get crazy condensation, even with replacing the stock tubing with thicker-walled tubing. Wish there was a work-around for this...

Ahh, USplastics, I used to use them all the time when I was building water cooled PCs.

Thank you for the information, I'll get those parts in and should be good.

As for the condensation, yes, it's a bit of a pain, I could insulate the lines, I do have some insulation left, perhaps I'll try and see.

 

[Gustatorian]

Ahh, USplastics, I used to use them all the time when I was building water cooled PCs.

Thank you for the information, I'll get those parts in and should be good.

As for the condensation, yes, it's a bit of a pain, I could insulate the lines, I do have some insulation left, perhaps I'll try and see.

There have been people on this thread that have use insulation, but it looks rather bulky. Let me know if this is a solution for you.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I use thick walled silicone tube and the black pipe insulation from the hardware store. It helps reduce condensation but you'll still get some. I'm in the middle of moving and I'll be bringing everything inside at the new place. I'm curious to see if I get less condensation inside than in my garage. I'm assuming that climate controlled air will make a difference.

 

[Gustatorian]

I use thick walled silicone tube and the black pipe insulation from the hardware store. It helps reduce condensation but you'll still get some. I'm in the middle of moving and I'll be bringing everything inside at the new place. I'm curious to see if I get less condensation inside than in my garage. I'm assuming that climate controlled air will make a difference.

Mine is inside. Not sure how bad your condensation is but mine is bad but controllable. I usually just walk by it a couple times a day and wipe it down with a rag. Puddles can form but nothing unmanageable.

 

[Gustatorian]

When you guys cold-crash your beers to sub-40ºF temps, are you worried about how often your glycol chiller runs? I usually cold-crash my beers to mid-40's and that thing is on constantly (and my glycol chiller/reservoir sits in a 70ºF room). Could I be running this thing too much?

 

[helterscelter]

When you guys cold-crash your beers to sub-40ºF temps, are you worried about how often your glycol chiller runs? I usually cold-crash my beers to mid-40's and that thing is on constantly (and my glycol chiller/reservoir sits in a 70ºF room). Could I be running this thing too much?

I wonder and worry about the same thing.

 

[boasist]

@PenguinChillers

Is there a runtime on these units? And being curious, what about the MTBF?


Last time I cold crashed it couldn't get to 32, so I set it to 35.5 and it held fine there, the unit probably runs 5-10 minutes every 45-60 minutes I'd say. And the set temps above are what I had the ftss for the beer at, if memory serves, the chiller was set to 26. Ambient is about 65.

I was a little disappointed upon receiving the unit as the reservoir and lid are nothing but a plastic half pan without (visual inspection only) insulation. But otherwise, the unit is great.

 

[PenguinChillers]

@PenguinChillers

Is there a runtime on these units? And being curious, what about the MTBF?


Last time I cold crashed it couldn't get to 32, so I set it to 35.5 and it held fine there, the unit probably runs 5-10 minutes every 45-60 minutes I'd say. And the set temps above are what I had the ftss for the beer at, if memory serves, the chiller was set to 26. Ambient is about 65.

I was a little disappointed upon receiving the unit as the reservoir and lid are nothing but a plastic half pan without (visual inspection only) insulation. But otherwise, the unit is great.

Chillers and all refrigeration for that matter has a lifespan determine more so by the number of cycles rather than the run time.

The issue you experienced with not being able to get to 32F is likely due to ice formation the on the coils in the fermenter due to the glycol being too cold. If ice begins to form on the coils that are at 26F it forms a bit of insulating layer that will insulate the rest of the batch from further cooling. Try running the chiller a little warmer at 28F-32F. As mentioned the chiller was only running 5-10min every 45-60min, so it was not the limiting factor in reaching 32F. If fully loaded the chiller would run continuously.

The lid is not insulated as noted, however very little heat will be transferred through the lid since it does not come into contact with the chilled glycol. Also the pocket of air beneath the lid acts as a bit of an insulator. However the reservoir is insulated with 1"-1.5" of foam insulation. Going back to your mention of run time, specifically how little the unit runs to maintain temperature even while under external load, should be a testament to the insulation value of the reservoir

 

[boasist]

Chillers and all refrigeration for that matter has a lifespan determine more so by the number of cycles rather than the run time.

The issue you experienced with not being able to get to 32F is likely due to ice formation the on the coils in the fermenter due to the glycol being too cold. If ice begins to form on the coils that are at 26F it forms a bit of insulating layer that will insulate the rest of the batch from further cooling. Try running the chiller a little warmer at 28F-32F. As mentioned the chiller was only running 5-10min every 45-60min, so it was not the limiting factor in reaching 32F. If fully loaded the chiller would run continuously.

The lid is not insulated as noted, however very little heat will be transferred through the lid since it does not come into contact with the chilled glycol. Also the pocket of air beneath the lid acts as a bit of an insulator. However the reservoir is insulated with 1"-1.5" of foam insulation. Going back to your mention of run time, specifically how little the unit runs to maintain temperature even while under external load, should be a testament to the insulation value of the reservoir

Thank for the honest information and product. The notes on my usage were really just for the thread, but I appreciate the breakdown as it educates me.

 

[marjen]

I just bit the bullet and pre-ordered a 14 gal SSBT unitank. Once it gets closer to ship date I will purchase the penguin chiller. Time to step up my home brewing to pro level

 

[Morrey]

I just bit the bullet and pre-ordered a 14 gal SSBT unitank. Once it gets closer to ship date I will purchase the penguin chiller. Time to step up my home brewing to pro level

Same here...excited when September gets here and my new uni tank ships. I use standard glycol chilled Ss Brew Buckets now so some of this new uni tank process is new to me.

Dry Hopping: I use Arbor Fab cylindrical mesh hop strainers to keep beer somewhat free of hop trub. The 2.75" strainers will fit down in thru the 3" TC port for the PRV. Would it be best for me to dry hop while at fermenting temps once FG is met, then crash so yeast and trub will drop out...then dump yeast before carbing?

Or...crash, dump yeast, then dry hop before carbing? Only thought is dry hopping is slower when cold. Not sure how others with this experience sequence this process.

 

[marjen]

Same here...excited when September gets here and my new uni tank ships. I use standard glycol chilled Ss Brew Buckets now so some of this new uni tank process is new to me.

Dry Hopping: I use Arbor Fab cylindrical mesh hop strainers to keep beer somewhat free of hop trub. The 2.75" strainers will fit down in thru the 3" TC port for the PRV. Would it be best for me to dry hop while at fermenting temps once FG is met, then crash so yeast and trub will drop out...then dump yeast before carbing?

Or...crash, dump yeast, then dry hop before carbing? Only thought is dry hopping is slower when cold. Not sure how others with this experience sequence this process.

I have been going back and forth with SSBech the last couple of days and basically this is what I will be doing. I usually only do NE IPAs so I don't cold crash in my process.

What I am probably looking at doing anyway is letting it ferment normally for the first 2-3 days. Drop the trub and add dry hops and dry hop under pressure with a spunding valve. Once I reach FG drop trub again, for hop material, open the carb stone to get up desired PSI then transfer to keg.

 

[Morrey]

I have been going back and forth with SSBech the last couple of days and basically this is what I will be doing. I usually only do NE IPAs so I don't cold crash in my process.

What I am probably looking at doing anyway is letting it ferment normally for the first 2-3 days. Drop the trub and add dry hops and dry hop under pressure with a spunding valve. Once I reach FG drop trub again, for hop material, open the carb stone to get up desired PSI then transfer to keg.

I like what you are saying! Fermenting under pressure is new to me but I have read it is a fairly new process enabled by systems like we are buying.

Wouldn't you want to lower the beer temps down into the 30's or close prior to carbing? Warm beer isn't very receptive to carbonation.

I'll keep in close touch and maybe we can start a NE IPA at the same time and compare notes daily. Thanks!!

 

[marjen]

Wouldn't you want to lower the beer temps down into the 30's or close prior to carbing? Warm beer isn't very receptive to carbonation.

My understanding is this is not an issue. You need to carbonate at much higher temps as you want to keep the beer at fermentation temps. Only difference is you need much higher PSI to reach desired carb level. For example to hit the 2.3 or so I want for my beers, when in the keezer that is between 10-12 psi. At 65 degrees you need to get up to like 27 PSI. Also in talking with SSBT, the carb stone seems to be totally different in how it carbs as compared to just applying pressure.

And yes that sounds good, coordinated brewing, i like it!

 

[Morrey]

My understanding is this is not an issue. You need to carbonate at much higher temps as you want to keep the beer at fermentation temps. Only difference is you need much higher PSI to reach desired carb level. For example to hit the 2.3 or so I want for my beers, when in the keezer that is between 10-12 psi. At 65 degrees you need to get up to like 27 PSI. Also in talking with SSBT, the carb stone seems to be totally different in how it carbs as compared to just applying pressure.

And yes that sounds good, coordinated brewing, i like it!

Excellent...partners in NE IPA crime!

Consider Ss Michael quoted me the pressure relief valve (PRV supplied for the 3" TC) is set to relieve at 18psi. Next I read the online users guide, and regarding carbing on page 7, the directions state to set your CO2 regulator to deliver 20 psi. Wonder how long it will take for the head pressure to build up enough to start venting thru the PRV?

 

[pennengr]

Is it just me, or did SS Brewtech just raise their price by $100?

 

[Gustatorian]

Same here...excited when September gets here and my new uni tank ships. I use standard glycol chilled Ss Brew Buckets now so some of this new uni tank process is new to me.

Dry Hopping: I use Arbor Fab cylindrical mesh hop strainers to keep beer somewhat free of hop trub. The 2.75" strainers will fit down in thru the 3" TC port for the PRV. Would it be best for me to dry hop while at fermenting temps once FG is met, then crash so yeast and trub will drop out...then dump yeast before carbing?

Or...crash, dump yeast, then dry hop before carbing? Only thought is dry hopping is slower when cold. Not sure how others with this experience sequence this process.

I'd love to see the this dry-hop set up. Are you planning on going through the 3" opening on the domed lids? Are you planning on hanging the hop strainer in some way? Let me know!

 

[Morrey]

I'd love to see the this dry-hop set up. Are you planning on going through the 3" opening on the domed lids? Are you planning on hanging the hop strainer in some way? Let me know!

I think, at least at this point, I'll drop the dry hop strainer down into the 3" TC port and put a thread of dental floss under the TC gasket to hold it in place. When I transfer under pressure for a closed system O2 free transfer, I don't know yet if I want to pull the hop strainer since it may be in the way of the racking arm...or leave it and pull it out after the transfer. All this is going to take a brew or two to get my groove back. I need to be aware of O2 exposure, so the fewer times I open the tank, the better I'll feel about it.

 

[helibrewer]

Pre-ordered the 14 gal Unitank, just ordered the SS Brewtech glycol chiller....can't wait for Fall!!

 

[helibrewer]

I'd love to see the this dry-hop set up. Are you planning on going through the 3" opening on the domed lids? Are you planning on hanging the hop strainer in some way? Let me know!

Love the Arbor Fab stuff....use it for dry hopping in my kegs

 

[Morrey]

Pre-ordered the 14 gal Unitank, just ordered the SS Brewtech glycol chiller....can't wait for Fall!!

Excellent!! I also have this uni tank on order as does Marjen. I already have a glycol chiller in operation, and IMHO, this is really almost necessary for us to gain the full benefits of the tank. I realize it may fit in a commercial fridge, but just seems to me the glycol chiller ices the cake so to speak.

I'll make a post when mine arrives, and I suppose they ship them out in the order in which they received the payment.

 

[Gustatorian]

Excellent!! I also have this uni tank on order as does Marjen. I already have a glycol chiller in operation, and IMHO, this is really almost necessary for us to gain the full benefits of the tank. I realize it may fit in a commercial fridge, but just seems to me the glycol chiller ices the cake so to speak.

I'll make a post when mine arrives, and I suppose they ship them out in the order in which they received the payment.

Are you guys brewing up 14 gallons for the unitanks? Do you think these tanks would be OK for brewing 5-10 Gallons?

 

[Neens_]

A 14 gallon tank would work for 10 gallons but 5 isn't enough. I talk to Brewtech and their response was you could do half batches but any less wouldn't really be ideal. I think because of the cooling coil and head space.

 

[Gustatorian]

A 14 gallon tank would work for 10 gallons but 5 isn't enough. I talk to Brewtech and their response was you could do half batches but any less wouldn't really be ideal. I think because of the cooling coil and head space.

Nice! I feel like brewing up 11-12 G and splitting it into 2 5 G kegs would be my move.

 

[Morrey]

A 14 gallon tank would work for 10 gallons but 5 isn't enough. I talk to Brewtech and their response was you could do half batches but any less wouldn't really be ideal. I think because of the cooling coil and head space.

My plans are to use the 14G uni tank for 11G batches into kegs. As you said, the cooling coil depth and headspace would be concerns for smaller batches. I think Spike has addressed this concern and has made a way to use their tank for half batches.

Nice! I feel like brewing up 11-12 G and splitting it into 2 5 G kegs would be my move.

My plan as well.

 

[Matt617]

Nuts! I'm a 5g brewer and hoped my 6.5 batches was enough for 14g unitank. I will soon find out. I'm not ready for 10g batches yet as I'm still brewing on my electric coil stove. Any suggestions?

 

[boasist]

Picked up a brewpi today to get some automation in my fermentation. I've been traveling so much lately and having fermentation automation is a great thought.

Apparently I just stick a probe in the glycol as room temp, and a sensor in the chronical as the beer temp, and it will take care of the rest. I also got some 2.1mm to screw down terminal adapters to adapt the pump and heater to the new system. If all goes well, I won't be needing my two ftss controllers.

 

[Ss_Michael]

Nuts! I'm a 5g brewer and hoped my 6.5 batches was enough for 14g unitank. I will soon find out. I'm not ready for 10g batches yet as I'm still brewing on my electric coil stove. Any suggestions?

You can half batch with a 14G Unitank!

 

[Gustatorian]

You can half batch with a 14G Unitank!

Good news! It sounds like the coils can reach 5-6 G in the unitank, but just for my edification, are there any drawbacks from having too much headspace in a tank? Could there be an issue with fermentation behavior?

 

[boasist]

What have you all thought about the FTSs controller? I'm constantly seeing it fight itself on cooling then the next phase is heating/etc. Plus I wish I could program it for a fermentation profile and walk away. I don't like ramping up or down manually.

As such, a new brewpi v3 is arriving tomorrow and I'll be programming it to make it happen.

 

[Gustatorian]

What have you all thought about the FTSs controller? I'm constantly seeing it fight itself on cooling then the next phase is heating/etc. Plus I wish I could program it for a fermentation profile and walk away. I don't like ramping up or down manually.

As such, a new brewpi v3 is arriving tomorrow and I'll be programming it to make it happen.

What's the learning curve on the brewpi? I'd love to play around with it but I'm not savvy with the tech at all.

 

[boasist]

Don't get discouraged by the threads on here about it. Those are a DIY dream and work great. If you buy the unit directly from brewpi.com it's much more streamlined, and you get the latest features.

The install on the v3 is all done through software mostly with a good wiki write up on how to. A little more work is needed to configure the unit with the sensors and such. It's straightforward and works well, in addition, the brewpi community forums are quick to respond and help if need be.

You do have to wire up some solid state relays and such, but that's simple with basic DC or AC knowledge.

All is all, I'd say it's absolutely worth it as having a smart fermentation is a great thing. I set my profile up when I'm waiting for the boil once I have all of my variables hard lined. Start with pitching temps, then slightly warmer until the rest, then start lagering or cold crashing. All at the proper rates, you want to cold crash at no more than 10 degrees in a 24 hour period? No problem. Not to mention just the temp control itself is so accurate. Remote monitoring/etc. I could go on, but I've talked to much already here.

I'll be putting up my notes in this thread here on the brewpi site so you can check it out.

 

[helibrewer]

Good news! It sounds like the coils can reach 5-6 G in the unitank, but just for my edification, are there any drawbacks from having too much headspace in a tank? Could there be an issue with fermentation behavior?

Headspace in a Unitank is not an issue, once fermentation begins, the headspace will contain CO2, you can monitor the headspace pressure and even inject CO2 into the tank via the carb stone.

 

[Gustatorian]

Anybody have a solution for keeping hop particulate out of the keg during a direct transfer without cold-crashing? I assumed SS had something that would cover the racking arm, but they don't. They recommended trying a screen gasket, but I could see that thing getting blocked off fairly quickly...especially when you DH the crap out of your beers.

 

[kwdriver]

Any suggestions for a replacement FTSs style pump? I noticed Ss Brewtech recently quit selling the pumps to people that hadn't previously purchased FTSs packages.

I'm installing my own coil into a Stout 14.5 conical. Recently purchased the 60' Run Glycol Beer Chiller System from Rapid Wholesale. Previously used dual stage controller, coldplates and a reptile pad for temperature control. Sick of the inefficiency and not being able to get below ~50F. Looking forward to completing this project.

Great thread!

 

[Morrey]

Any suggestions for a replacement FTSs style pump? I noticed Ss Brewtech recently quit selling the pumps.

Ss BrewTech does still sell their pumps but buying them is more or less reserved as replacements for folks who have previously bought their FTSs packages.

They will sell the individual components but they don't want you piecing together components. I bought a replacement pump last week but they have records of my previous purchases and knew my request was legit.

 

[kwdriver]

Huge help thanks a lot pal.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Anybody have a solution for keeping hop particulate out of the keg during a direct transfer without cold-crashing? I assumed SS had something that would cover the racking arm, but they don't. They recommended trying a screen gasket, but I could see that thing getting blocked off fairly quickly...especially when you DH the crap out of your beers.

Have you tried dumping trub before transfer? I haven't done it warm but it should work for you, it works for me. Plus you can play with the orientation of the racking arm too.

 

[PedroNeves]

Hey guys, i'm starting a nano brewery in Portugal and after reading this thread i came up with something for cooling my 3 - 2BBL fermenters (Ales only, between 18-22ºC), and maybe could crashing too.
Just wanting to hear some feedback from you guys about it, here i post the layout i'm thinking of building...

 

[Dcpcooks]

Hey guys, i'm starting a nano brewery in Portugal and after reading this thread i came up with something for cooling my 3 - 2BBL fermenters (Ales only, between 18-22ºC), and maybe could crashing too.
Just wanting to hear some feedback from you guys about it, here i post the layout i'm thinking of building...

It should work great. Just make sure you have enough btu's to handle all three running. With enough cooling capacity you should be able to cold crash.