Fermzilla 2 Conical 7.1gal- Reviews Wanted

[nick sekerak]

Has Anyone tested out the new Fermzilla 2 yet???? I am looking for a new conical to replace my fastferment and the price looks pretty reasonable. I see it on beveragefactory.com for $135.00

Reviews wanted please share what you may have discovered of found out.

 

[rjolin01]

I don’t think this is out in the states yet. I seen that you can order from beveragefactory.com but all other sites are still waiting. Other sites are also listing for $119 w/ free shipping at some. So going to wait and save a few bucks. I recall reading somewhere that they expected to be out June 16 timeframe, unless I got that date mixed with something else.

 

[augiedoggy]

looks promising, the only drawback I see is the shallow pitch of the conical bottom which may leave a lot of yeast sitting on the cone instead of dropping

 

[homebrewfinds]

Just became available for pre-order - http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2019/06/fermzilla-conical-fermenters-now-available-for-pre-order.html - currently quoting a mid July ship date

 

[nick sekerak]

thanks for the heads up

 

[nick sekerak]

Just keged my first brew with this and it is way better than I thought it would be.

 

[cpham574]

Just keged my first brew with this and it is way better than I thought it would be.

Can you elaborate more please? What did you like about it? Did you dry hop through the bottom? Was dumping trub/yeast easy? Do you have the pressure kit? Any temp control? Ferm temp control?

 

[brew703]

Received the Fermzilla on Monday. I cleaned it with Oxy as it had a very bad order, thinking from the plastic or the strap that came with the "zilla.

The concept is great but I cannot get the collection container to seal properly. Once I add water and add the lid, the pressure builds slightly and it starts leaking. I have added keg lube to the seal and tightened up as much as I could. Even had my neighbor come over to see if he could get another 1/4" turn but he could not.

The seal is not damaged. It appears it's sealed as much as it could be. There is literally no way to gain any leverage to try and tighten up the cup. The only place to hold is the valve arm but I'm afraid of bending if too much pressure is applied. If you hold the fermenter against your body then the sides start to cave in, not much but enough to stop. Makes one wonder how much pressure is actually needed to seal this thing up. I am not the biggest person or strongest but it took a lot of pressure to get the cup to where it is and it still leaked. Continued straining could potentially cause damage to one self (Hernia comes to mind). Insane that Kegland could not have come up with a better design. One should not need to use extreme force to try and make a seal.

It's funny to watch the Kegland video on YouTube about this fermenter. They make it look so easy when in fact it's not. Their video doesn't include any liquid in the fermenter and they only hand tighten the lid and cup and show how the strap is to be used.

Even if the cup did seal and pressure tested, then once the cup is removed to dump yeast/trub and re-attached, there is no way to know if the cup is sealed until the valve is opened and wort flows to the cup. If it's not sealed and there is a leak there isn't a lot space to work with the strap to try and tighten the cup. SO I would not be confident dry hoping through the cup and taking a chance it isn't sealed. One could potentially lose an entire batch if the cup doesn't seal. Only way to stop the flow would be to close the valve and hold it seals under pressure.
One of the main reason's I bought this thing was to dry hop from the cup and if I cannot trust the seal then it's useless to me.
Maybe the one without the collection cup is the better idea. There aren't a lot of reviews or video's I could find and the ones I did see were positive so that led me to purchase.

I sent Kegland and the vendor I purchased from an email this morning and so for no reply from either. I realize there is several hours difference between AUS and the US so I'm hoping I get a reply soon. I am frustrated with this issue. Maybe it's just my fermenter or maybe there are others who may have experienced the same thing. At this point I believe I will request a refund and put my funds towards a Spike Flex+ but at almost three times the cost it makes the decision more difficult.

I really wanted to test this thing over the holiday weekend but that's not going to happen.

The OP seems to not have any issues so maybe it's either me or the fermenter I received. Either way, very frustrating.

 

[cpham574]

Received the Fermzilla on Monday. I cleaned it with Oxy as it had a very bad order, thinking from the plastic or the strap that came with the "zilla.

The concept is great but I cannot get the collection container to seal properly. Once I add water and add the lid, the pressure builds slightly and it starts leaking. I have added keg lube to the seal and tightened up as much as I could. Even had my neighbor come over to see if he could get another 1/4" turn but he could not.

The seal is not damaged. It appears it's sealed as much as it could be. There is literally no way to gain any leverage to try and tighten up the cup. The only place to hold is the valve arm but I'm afraid of bending if too much pressure is applied. If you hold the fermenter against your body then the sides start to cave in, not much but enough to stop. Makes one wonder how much pressure is actually needed to seal this thing up. I am not the biggest person or strongest but it took a lot of pressure to get the cup to where it is and it still leaked. Continued straining could potentially cause damage to one self (Hernia comes to mind). Insane that Kegland could not have come up with a better design. One should not need to use extreme force to try and make a seal.

It's funny to watch the Kegland video on YouTube about this fermenter. They make it look so easy when in fact it's not. Their video doesn't include any liquid in the fermenter and they only hand tighten the lid and cup and show how the strap is to be used.

Even if the cup did seal and pressure tested, then once the cup is removed to dump yeast/trub and re-attached, there is no way to know if the cup is sealed until the valve is opened and wort flows to the cup. If it's not sealed and there is a leak there isn't a lot space to work with the strap to try and tighten the cup. SO I would not be confident dry hoping through the cup and taking a chance it isn't sealed. One could potentially lose an entire batch if the cup doesn't seal. Only way to stop the flow would be to close the valve and hold it seals under pressure.
One of the main reason's I bought this thing was to dry hop from the cup and if I cannot trust the seal then it's useless to me.
Maybe the one without the collection cup is the better idea. There aren't a lot of reviews or video's I could find and the ones I did see were positive so that led me to purchase.

I sent Kegland and the vendor I purchased from an email this morning and so for no reply from either. I realize there is several hours difference between AUS and the US so I'm hoping I get a reply soon. I am frustrated with this issue. Maybe it's just my fermenter or maybe there are others who may have experienced the same thing. At this point I believe I will request a refund and put my funds towards a Spike Flex+ but at almost three times the cost it makes the decision more difficult.

I really wanted to test this thing over the holiday weekend but that's not going to happen.

The OP seems to not have any issues so maybe it's either me or the fermenter I received. Either way, very frustrating.

Thank you for this review! Mine will be delivered today, but I am on vacation and won’t be able to test it out just yet. I will let you know if I have the same problems when I finally get the chance to check it out.

 

[brew703]

I did get a reply from Kegland. They stated to pressurize the vessel to 10 PSI which should seat the seal and would be able to tighten down the cup more. Well I tried this and no go- could not turn the cup even a hair. I guess it's set as far as it can go.

What's confusing is when i open the valve it leaks- when the valve is closed the leak stops. The gasket is fine so not sure what's causing the leak.

I'm currently waiting for a reply from the vendor i purchased from. I'm really fed up messing around with this thing. Just want to return it for a refund.

 

[brew703]

Vendor I purchased from will send out another Fermzilla and will return the one I have. If this next one leaks then going to get a refund. Hoping it's something with the one I received.

 

[cpham574]

Vendor I purchased from will send out another Fermzilla and will return the one I have. If this next one leaks then going to get a refund. Hoping it's something with the one I received.

I’m glad their customer service is doing the right thing. Have you tried spraying a soapy solution to see exactly where the leak is coming from?

 

[brew703]

I’m glad their customer service is doing the right thing. Have you tried spraying a soapy solution to see exactly where the leak is coming from?

I can see where it's coming from. The cup attaches to a threaded ring. for some reason this is't sealing properly. I've tightened as much as I can- even had my neighbor try and it would't tighten any more.

TBH the seal is very thin- Kegland could have designed it better using a silicon gasket on the inside of the threaded ring or something. Over time, the thin seal will wear out which is why they include a spare.

Also, one should not have to use as much force as I've used trying to get the cup to seal. Maybe the replacement is better but if it's the same, I'm returning for a refund. Not going to continue messing with it any longer.

 

[nick sekerak]

"Brew703" sounds like a new unit should fix the problem.

I have one too but have not had any leaks from the collection cup. I use the cup to dry hop and really like it. I pressurize the collection jar to purge and leak test before adding hops in. I just have been hand tightening as tight as i can until it will not turn any more and it has worked fine for me so far. I have run two batches through mine and i have to say i love this thing, low O2 fermentation has really stepped up batches in tasting even better. I could really notice the difference with my NEPIA recipes!

My fermzilla setup consists of the floating dip tube, pressure kit with three screw on keg posts( two on the lid and one on the collection jar). i use a temp controlled ferment chamber also. I like the visibility you have with the clear plastic, for checking on the fermentation activity and how cold crashing is coming along. It really helps to know where you are by just taking a quick look at the fermzilla, especially not having to open the lid up exposing O2 to your brew. One sweet thing i like with the floating dip tube is, that you can hook a picnic tap line up to the keg post to take samples for tasting or checking the SG. This makes it not only more sanitary by not having to use a thief to extract the brew but also no O2 enters your beer from opening the lid. the only thing i still want to do to modify mine is to put some kind of blow off valve on the second opening of the collection jar. So when purging the jar i do not have to unscrew the cap on/off. Has any one found something that works good for doing this?

 

[brew703]

"Brew703" sounds like a new unit should fix the problem.

I have one too but have not had any leaks from the collection cup. I use the cup to dry hop and really like it. I pressurize the collection jar to purge and leak test before adding hops in. I just have been hand tightening as tight as i can until it will not turn any more and it has worked fine for me so far. I have run two batches through mine and i have to say i love this thing, low O2 fermentation has really stepped up batches in tasting even better. I could really notice the difference with my NEPIA recipes!

My fermzilla setup consists of the floating dip tube, pressure kit with three screw on keg posts( two on the lid and one on the collection jar). i use a temp controlled ferment chamber also. I like the visibility you have with the clear plastic, for checking on the fermentation activity and how cold crashing is coming along. It really helps to know where you are by just taking a quick look at the fermzilla, especially not having to open the lid up exposing O2 to your brew. One sweet thing i like with the floating dip tube is, that you can hook a picnic tap line up to the keg post to take samples for tasting or checking the SG. This makes it not only more sanitary by not having to use a thief to extract the brew but also no O2 enters your beer from opening the lid. the only thing i still want to do to modify mine is to put some kind of blow off valve on the second opening of the collection jar. So when purging the jar i do not have to unscrew the cap on/off. Has any one found something that works good for doing this?

My replacement should deliver today. I'm hoping something was messed up with the lid for the collection jar or the seal. I don't want to have to use the strap to tighten the cup and then fight to get it off. Anything more than hand tight will not work for me.
I've already decided if this one leaks, it's going back for the Kegmenter.
One of the main reasons I ordered the Fermzilla was to be able to dry hop using the collection cup. I like the fact it comes with the floating dip tube which I will use for samples. I also plan on naturally carbing in the Fermzilla then transfer to keg for serving.
Going to test it tonight- hopefully no issues.
Update: No FedEx today. Hopefully it arrives tomorrow. Already having to push back brew day until next Saturday.

 

[cpham574]

"Brew703" sounds like a new unit should fix the problem.

I have one too but have not had any leaks from the collection cup. I use the cup to dry hop and really like it. I pressurize the collection jar to purge and leak test before adding hops in. I just have been hand tightening as tight as i can until it will not turn any more and it has worked fine for me so far. I have run two batches through mine and i have to say i love this thing, low O2 fermentation has really stepped up batches in tasting even better. I could really notice the difference with my NEPIA recipes!

My fermzilla setup consists of the floating dip tube, pressure kit with three screw on keg posts( two on the lid and one on the collection jar). i use a temp controlled ferment chamber also. I like the visibility you have with the clear plastic, for checking on the fermentation activity and how cold crashing is coming along. It really helps to know where you are by just taking a quick look at the fermzilla, especially not having to open the lid up exposing O2 to your brew. One sweet thing i like with the floating dip tube is, that you can hook a picnic tap line up to the keg post to take samples for tasting or checking the SG. This makes it not only more sanitary by not having to use a thief to extract the brew but also no O2 enters your beer from opening the lid. the only thing i still want to do to modify mine is to put some kind of blow off valve on the second opening of the collection jar. So when purging the jar i do not have to unscrew the cap on/off. Has any one found something that works good for doing this?

This all sounds so good! I cannot wait to use mine when I come back from vacation.

Just to make sure I understand your dry hop process...you screw on the collection jar, purge, test for leaks, then take it off and add the hops, screw the jar back on, purge, test for leaks, and then open the valve? Do the hops easily move through the beer or do they stick to the bottom?

Also, what are you using as a ferm chamber? Some kind of upright freezer?

 

[nick sekerak]

This all sounds so good! I cannot wait to use mine when I come back from vacation.

Just to make sure I understand your dry hop process...you screw on the collection jar, purge, test for leaks, then take it off and add the hops, screw the jar back on, purge, test for leaks, and then open the valve? Do the hops easily move through the beer or do they stick to the bottom?

Also, what are you using as a ferm chamber? Some kind of upright freezer?

That is pretty much what i did for the first batch i ran through it. Now, since i have not had any leaks i do the following:
1.) Remove/dump trub from jar
2.) Sanitize jar and connection to the fermzilla. Make sure you spray sanitizer to clean threads off on the fermenter they get all caked with trub and it could prevent a good seal. They are hard to see unless you look up and underneath at them.
3.) Put hops in the jar, attach to Fermzilla and purge with the other cap removed for like 30 seconds. Then i put the other cap on and pressurize the jar with like 15psi and hold for 3-5 seconds and then release. i repeat this like 5-7 times. it may be overkill but i hate O2!!
4.) Opening the valve, last batch i just opened it normally and all the beer slammed into the jar but some of the hops stayed in the jar. I would say that 10-15% stayed in the jar and the rest floated up. On my last batch i opened the valve so just a trickle flowed into the jar and once it was completely filled i opened it all the way. This seemed to work better and less hops were stuck in the jar. I think a few will always stay in the jar because a the pellets stick to the sanitizer or a little trub backflows into the jar pinning the hops down. Next time i will try to add hops and purge quicker to see if that helps. To fix this i just picked up the whole fermzilla turned it upside down a few times to mix it good. You probably dont have to do this but i figured it could not hurt. I try to stir the hops up by swirling/shaking the FV 2-3 times a day to get better hop utilization.

I made a ferm chamber out of a mini fridge here are some pictures. Its not too pretty but it works great.

 

[brew703]

Nice write up. I see no way of being 100% certain the collection cup will seal 100%. The second one I received seals much better. with just hand tightening, I doesn't leak but I do see a drop or two that is sitting on the rim of the cup. IMO, if you think the cup is sealed 100% and release the vale and it isnt sealed then you would have to fight to try and seal it. I guess the option would be is to turn the Fermzilla upside down so the liquid in the cup is transferred back to the Zilla then try and reseal the cup and repeat. Probably not going to be an issue and a drop or two i can live with.

One question I do have is when it's time to clean, do you dis-assemble the parts to clean or just use Oxy or PBW and let it soak?

 

[nick sekerak]

i just soak in PBW, i have not attempted to take the valve apart and deep clean it yet. I prob will in 2-3 more batches, but i do not really see the need for it. It seems like it is a really tight componet and i do not see any crud getting stuck anywhere yet. There is not really any nooks or crannies for stuff to build up. Ill have to wait and see, i may not even mess with it if it doesn't seem to be a risk for infections.

Brew703 - i would seal up the jar how you are doing and pressurize it with like 20psi then spray soapy bubbles around the seal. Maybe you can pinpoint the leak area. Then take it apart and see whats causing it in the bad areas. Take the gaskets off and look for imperfections on the gaskets, on the jar under where the gaskets sit, and on the female end of the FV. Use a flash light too. If it is a manufacturing error, like a plastic bur or something dumb like that you may be able to smooth it out with some very fine grit sand paper. You prob have a bad or twisted gasket, they are small and it would be hard to notice unless you are up close to it. If its a big gash/bubble in the plastic jar i would contact the seller and have them replace ECT...Good luck i hope you get it figured out, i really like mine. For the price of these things i would never upgrade to SS, i like mine that much. But you need something that works for you too.

 

[brew703]

The replacement seems to be ok. I may brew tomorrow and use it for the first time.
I like the design- just wish they had designed the seal / gasket better.

 

[kako187]

Hi. Just got my fermzilla. How are you guys purging the collection jar? Mine just came with the two black plastic caps and the pressure kit is on backorder everywhere. Was the pressure kit available previously? I was under the impression it hasn't even been released yet.

 

[brew703]

Hi. Just got my fermzilla. How are you guys purging the collection jar? Mine just came with the two black plastic caps and the pressure kit is on backorder everywhere. Was the pressure kit available previously? I was under the impression it hasn't even been released yet.

You can order a floating dip tube and two carb caps from Ebay. That will make up the pressure kit.
You'll need at least one carb cap to be able to purge The collection jar.

 

[Mark Solomon]

I ordered a Fermentasaurus when they first came out and LOVED it. The only issue I had with it was that the valve was way too small, for both trub and ESPECIALLY for dry hopping. The seals were also a bit of a pain, as well as the CO2 valves with the pressure kit.

The new Fermzilla, fixes all three issues. I couldn't be happier with it! Only issue I had was that my first unit (from July) got crushed in shipping, but I got another one sent out when the Aug shipment came to the US. I spoke to Kegland about their packaging, and they made some adjustments that seemed to work (mainly, shipping with the collection jar not installed).

One thing that I noticed is that with the new seal design (O-rings), there should be less of a need to crank the fittings down tightly. On my first batch, I just lightly hand tightened the lid, base seal, and collection jar and I had no leaks. The old design forced you to crank the lid on tight, but not with the new Fermzilla.

I also got the pressure kit a few weeks ago but have not used it yet (my first batch was not pressurized). I love the new design and the fact that they decided not to use proprietary parts other than the floating diptube. Well done Kegland! The pressure kits came to the US in mid August with the last shipment, but I assume they sold out pretty fast by all us who received the July shipment.

I noticed that they also sell a thermowell, and a temperature control device that can be mounted through the lid....look up "temp twister".

While my last brew was a barrel aged RIS, I typically brew NEIPAs, and I gotta say that the Fermzilla is a game changer. Being able to ferment AND transfer in a closed system makes a world of difference since NEIPAs oxidize very easily. I brewed one back in June and it is still drinking solid. I could never do that prior to my Fermentasaurus/Fermzilla...

-Mark

 

[bronc72]

Thanks for the reviews, I saw this at my local shop and and thought it was interesting. I watched the videos. I am on the fence, but looks like a Fermzilla may be coming home soon.

 

[cpham574]

You can order a floating dip tube and two carb caps from Ebay. That will make up the pressure kit.
You'll need at least one carb cap to be able to purge The collection jar.

How’s your replacement holding up? I had to email keg land and morebeer about my lid. I hand tightened the carb cap with plenty of lube and could still hear it leaking from there. When I unscrewed the cap, it took a bunch of the plastic threads with it. I know it wasn’t cross threaded either since i was extremely careful with it. Not sure how I feel about this design since it looks like this area could easily just keep failing.

 

[brew703]

How’s your replacement holding up? I had to email keg land and morebeer about my lid. I hand tightened the carb cap with plenty of lube and could still hear it leaking from there. When I unscrewed the cap, it took a bunch of the plastic threads with it. I know it wasn’t cross threaded either since i was extremely careful with it. Not sure how I feel about this design since it looks like this area could easily just keep failing.

I sent it back for a refund. One of the side caps leaked no matter how tight I got it. I added a carb cap and it didn't help. Just got tired of messing with the issues.
The collection cup didn't leak as long as I loaded the seal w leg lube.
The idea of not know if the cup was leak proof until after re-installing just concerned me. Just not worth the hassle.

 

[brew703]

I can see how the seals could be an area of concern. I find they are too thin.
Its unfortunate. I like the idea and design.

 

[cpham574]

I can see how the seals could be an area of concern. I find they are too thin.
Its unfortunate. I like the idea and design.

Even though I specifically told keg land that I hand tightened the cap, they still accused me of not hand tightening and saying it is user error. This is ridiculous. Hopefully morebeer can make this right. Otherwise, like you, I might have to look at a refund here.

 

[Mark Solomon]

I could be wrong, but it appears that there is a rubber washer missing from the inside of that carb cap. Was that part of the pressure kit, or did you buy that separately? It should not need much tightening. Should be similar to a garden hose.

-Mark

How’s your replacement holding up? I had to email keg land and morebeer about my lid. I hand tightened the carb cap with plenty of lube and could still hear it leaking from there. When I unscrewed the cap, it took a bunch of the plastic threads with it. I know it wasn’t cross threaded either since i was extremely careful with it. Not sure how I feel about this design since it looks like this area could easily just keep failing.

 

[brew703]

Even though I specifically told keg land that I hand tightened the cap, they still accused me of not hand tightening and saying it is user error. This is ridiculous. Hopefully morebeer can make this right. Otherwise, like you, I might have to look at a refund here.

I reached out to Kegland as well and they were not helpful at all. They sorta implied I was doing something wrong.
I also bought mine from MoreBeer and they gave me zero issues with the return. Only problem is it took several emails and a week of waiting for my refund.