Fermentation vessel

[DNKDUKE]

I have an opportunity to pick up (2)cylinders 52"tall by 12" dia. Each will hold 25 gallon. They were used as water softeners.
If I don't cut them in half and remanufacture them and use them as is, would there be a problem with having too much head space if I only put 5 or 10 gallon in them?
Does anyone see any other problems that might come along?
TY

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[Wolfbayne]

What are they made of?

Also, what is your thoughts on how to drain and clean that deep?

I don't think there would be an issue with the head space...only if aging in there for a long while would you need to be concerned.

 

[DNKDUKE]

Made of SS but I don't know what grade.
I use PBW & hot water along with patience and have never had to do any scrubbing on glass carboys.
As for the opening...we'll just deal with it for now.

 

[DNKDUKE]

Draining wouldn't be the issue but cleaning would.

 

[PGEduardo]

If you're only doing 5/10 gallon batches, I think a half barrel sankey keg would be a better option. Tons of hardware available for doing that conversion...

 

[DNKDUKE]

If you're only doing 5/10 gallon batches, I think a half barrel sankey keg would be a better option. Tons of hardware available for doing that conversion...

True but...
For the adventurous, they could be cut in half and a ss cone welded on with all the fixins.

 

[PGEduardo]

If you're going to cut/weld SS, I still think a keg would be a better options since you know there wouldn't be any material mismatch (ie - wrong type of SS). Also, the added height might complicate your ability to manage temps, whereas kegs readily fit in freezers, and with an IC type chiller you won't have as much stratification if that's an issue. Just my $0.02...

But hey - I'm all for watching other people do cool stuff differently! Make sure to update on your build if you go ahead with it...