General Q re: use of Conical

[sensibull]

So I'm about 75% finished with my plastic conical build, which I started because I scored two free 15g conicals on craigslist... anyway, I'm still trying to wrap my head around best practices for these things.

So, obviously the conical part of the design allows me to dump trub and yeast and negates the need for a secondary. A racking bulkhead/valve will allow me to take samples and rack to my cornies, but here's the rub:

Once I dump most of the trub and yeast, I will never be able to get all the beer using the racking valve, unless I also rack from the dump valve, in which case, why have the racking valve at all?

So, those of you with conicals (without rotating racking arms), do you:

A) Simply write off that last gallon or so of beer that's below the racking valve?
B) Not dump yeast or trub until the end and rack first?
C) Also rack from the dump valve
D) ??

 

[audger]

normally in commercial breweries, they scrap the last few gallons in the cone. of course on smaller scales, a gallon is more valuable.

i would probably rack the beer out of it before dumping the cone of yeast. if i found this to be transfering some undesireable amount of solids, i would rack into a secondary or brite tank before kegging (or bottling). so, option B.

 

[samc]

If you are able to create, you can make an adjustable racking arm that extends lower by using a compression fitting. I tried this for a few brews but eventually stopped using a conical. Another method is a longer length arm that swings down to the bottom so you can slowly lower it as you go. This worked in a plastic conical because you could see where it was. In a SS conical you could just mark the reference point and lower it as needed.

Make sense?

 

[LordUlrich]

At work (10bbl pub system) we dump enough yeast so the yeast slurry is below the racking port and then transfer.

 

[sensibull]

Make sense?

Yes, but I'm seeing mixed reports about how sanitary and easy to clean DIY rotating racking arms are, not to mention the extra expense.

I think I like LordUlrich's solution the best, but I'm wondering at this point how much I gain by going to a conical at all...

Samc... were these issues why you stopped using a conical?