Fermenting in Sankey

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HazyBeer

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Since I am on a budget I bought a Sankey keg to pressure ferment in and pressure transfer from. I am loath to cut the down tube so I am thinking when it comes time to transfer I'll first connect a picnic tap and run that until I see no more trub, then connect the liquid to the transfer keg to do the transfer. Anyone else doing this? Oh and does everyone hate the little metal ring that secures the D style valve? That thing was a ***** to get out! There must be a better way?
 
I am loath to cut the down tube so I am thinking when it comes time to transfer I'll first connect a picnic tap and run that until I see no more trub, then connect the liquid to the transfer keg to do the transfer.

I haven't done this, but it sounds like a recipe for a clogged spear/valve. And even if you get away without a clog (doubtful IMO), you'll have stirred up a lot of trub, undoing the settling that happened after fermentation.
 
I took the spear out altogether. I use this Brewers Hardware Sanke Keg Fermentor Kit with Thermowell which works great, and allows pressure transfer etc.. Any 2" tri-clamp and half-flat gasket will fit with the Sankey kegs.. when I started fermenting in it, I just put a lid on that I had drilled out and added a grommet to stick an air-lock on.
 
My initial sanke kegmenters I had fitted with a ball lock base in the top for a gas port. I then had 2" TC caps setup with the liquid ball lock post and a thermowell. Made things easy. I also cut the corny keg liquid dip tube to leave a set amount behind, giving me clear beer out.

I've been looking to setup my mill to make more of the caps (need to drill the holes) and then get them over to the welder to get the items TIG welded in place.

I did, originally, use the caps from Brewers Hardware, but didn't like how they worked. Hence creating my own.
 
Thanks for the responses! Yes VikeMan I was probably heading to a clog. And khannon and Golddiggie got me to thinking that there had to be a better part. And I did not even want to thing about dealing with that metal ring every ferment on the Stainless Steel US Sanke Keg - 7.75 gal.. And voila I found this Ball Lock Adapter Tapping Head for Sanke Kegs. It's a 2" TC with gas and liquid ball locks and PRV. And Torpedo Keg Buoy ™ Floating Dip Tube. Now for the pressure fermentation I can connect a spunding valve to the gas post. Then after fermentation push the beer (using the floating dig tube to stay above the trub) into my purged and loaded with hops 5 gallon corny.
 
Thanks for the responses! Yes VikeMan I was probably heading to a clog. And khannon and Golddiggie got me to thinking that there had to be a better part. And I did not even want to thing about dealing with that metal ring every ferment on the Stainless Steel US Sanke Keg - 7.75 gal.. And voila I found this Ball Lock Adapter Tapping Head for Sanke Kegs. It's a 2" TC with gas and liquid ball locks and PRV. And Torpedo Keg Buoy ™ Floating Dip Tube. Now for the pressure fermentation I can connect a spunding valve to the gas post. Then after fermentation push the beer (using the floating dig tube to stay above the trub) into my purged and loaded with hops 5 gallon corny.

check to see that float fits through the sanke neck. Also pick up dip tube filter. The thread in my signature line goes over my sanke fermenter setup. Best bang for the buck IMO.
 
check to see that float fits through the sanke neck. Also pick up dip tube filter. The thread in my signature line goes over my sanke fermenter setup. Best bang for the buck IMO.
Great catch with the float fitting the 2" opening. I'll check. I will not be dry hopping in the Sankey, just fermenting. I'll dry hop in the corny where I drilled a hole in a hop blocker and stuck the dip tube in it. What is "The thread in my signature line" please? Can you post a pic?
 
Thanks for the responses! Yes VikeMan I was probably heading to a clog. And khannon and Golddiggie got me to thinking that there had to be a better part. And I did not even want to thing about dealing with that metal ring every ferment on the Stainless Steel US Sanke Keg - 7.75 gal.. And voila I found this Ball Lock Adapter Tapping Head for Sanke Kegs. It's a 2" TC with gas and liquid ball locks and PRV. And Torpedo Keg Buoy ™ Floating Dip Tube. Now for the pressure fermentation I can connect a spunding valve to the gas post. Then after fermentation push the beer (using the floating dig tube to stay above the trub) into my purged and loaded with hops 5 gallon corny.
This is the setup I use. It works great other than not being able to use hop socks. It’s my favorite fermenting vessel so far and really inexpensive. As for the comment elsewhere about the float fitting; mine did but just barely. If there are different sizes available you could get one that doesn’t fit.
 
To make it easier to remove the securing metal rings, I have ground down the outer edge of each end to make it easier to get a small straight bladed screw driver between the sanke neck and ring to pry it out. I also do my best to align the securing rings with the notch in the neck. To make them even easier to remove, I will leave the last third of the securing ring out of it’s groove, unless the keg is going to be under pressure.
 
Instead of cutting the dip tube/spear … I use sanke spears instead of dip tubes. I have an assortment of sanke kegs, many with different length spears. I typically get about a 1/2” of trub and have found that with a spear that sits 1/4” above that expected trub line or 3/4” off the bottom of the sanke fermenter, works well. I still get some initial trub, but I use that for a hydrometer reading and tasting.
I don’t have a floating dip tube yet. I expect that is a better solution to solve this problem. I haven’t found a floating dip tube solution that fits on a sanke spear. Any suggestions?
 
I just saw you set up @apache_brew. That is a nice setup! My only question, how do you clean the inside of it and ensure it is cleaned?
As soon as I rack the beer out, either keep it locked under CO2 pressure, or rinse immediately and pour in a gallon of hot pbw and swash it around and let it sit upside down overnight to eat up the krausen ring. That works for me, but the bottom line is they’re the same to clean as a carboy.
 
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