Glass carboy with hole on top

[HoppingC]

Truly scary ****! Cant wait to see if it holds up. I have thought about doing my better bottle the same way. Let us know how it turns out!!!

 

[SDBreWs0624]

Would love to see the result of this.

 

[BeerGrylls]

The negativity in this thread is making us all seem like we're all afraid of brewing unless it's some fancy expensive gear. Personally I think it's really cool. Well done, bahed, and I hope it ends up working the way you intended.

 

[Zuljin]

Make with the brewing! I've two carboys, a drill and rewards cards to spend at Ace.

 

[bahed]

I swapped out fittings and now have a turn off valve. I want to start fermenter but I am being held up by a welder that has my 1/2 bbl BK.. soon!

 

[bahed]

and there is no reason to fear this... even my wife's kitty isn't afraid of the inverted carboy throne!

 

[TIPA0303]

There was a DIY thread I saw in HBT the other day where a guy took a 6.5 gal glass carboy with a threaded neck. He modified the screw on top with an attached 1.5 in tri-clover fitting. This may be a more sturdy approach. The guy was making a CO2 forced transfer cap for his carboys...search the DIY forum for something like that. Hopefully it helps.

 

[TIPA0303]

After thinking about it more, you could even add a yeast catcher fitting to this thing if you had some sort of standard fitting on the bottom (top).

 

[ChugachBrewing]

If you do use the orange cap, try adding a large hose clamp w butterfly adjustment.

 

[bahed]

The new fittings on the bottom are hard to see, but it is a 1-1/4" turn off valve attached to the carboy with a Fernco-like (2-1/4" x 1-1/4" reducing) coupling with band clamps. The valve buts right up against the glass inside the coupling.

The ID of the fittings is 3/4" with the addition of the elbow (the elbow takes it down from an 1" ID). I started kinda remembering that when I used to use it, the openings on that orange cap were a bit small for trub removal.... Trial and error is expected, but hopefully the memory kicks in, even 10 years later, and I can do a little less trial and error!

TIPA - I'll look for that thread - thanks!

 

[Minjin]

http://morebeer.com/products/65-gallon-carboy-threaded-neck.html?gclid=CNzO0ty5w7kCFdAWMgoddQkAxA

 

[MaddBaggins]

Cool idea. I hope it works out for you. If not, the stand could be used as a porta john.

 

[LoloMT7]

I swapped out fittings and now have a turn off valve. I want to start fermenter but I am being held up by a welder that has my 1/2 bbl BK.. soon!

Bahed you are the man! I love your stand on wheels! You have inspired me and I am going to have to build one now! I love the wheels on that baby for sure. Roll it to the closet then roll it to the kitchen for bottling day. Very cool.

 

[n240sxguy]

Because plastics don't belong in brewing.

Just curious, but does the drain valve and fittings not fall under this? I like the idea, just thought that was contradictory.

 

[MichaelsBrewing]

Truly curious so, consider me subscribed!

 

[Denny]

I thought I would give it a shot. It was a bit nerve racking for the 10 minute cut time.... but I am jazzed now. I have yet to make a stand for it, but I hope to employ it to ferment 5-gallon batches and be able to rack off trub and hopefully harvest and re-use the yeast. Here are some pix:

What you are attempting is like a commercial product called the fermentap. It is widely reviled and ridiculed as ineffective becasue the shoulders of a carboy aren't steep enough to drop the yeast. While I admire your ingenuity, I think you'll find the same thing.

 

[Homercidal]

What you are attempting is like a commercial product called the fermentap. It is widely reviled and ridiculed as ineffective becasue the shoulders of a carboy aren't steep enough to drop the yeast. While I admire your ingenuity, I think you'll find the same thing.

I agree. Though it is interesting and I applaud the DIY aspect, if carboys were good at Doing the job of conicals, everyone would convert their $25 BB into plastic conicals.

Actually, I wonder why people don't make PETE Carboys with enough angle to use as a conical. Would be a great seller since you could use them the regular way, or turn them upside down. Seems like they could come with a screw-on neck and everything.

 

[n240sxguy]

I wonder if you could heat up the top of a better bottle, and pull it into a mold to straighten the sides to make a conical?

 

[Denny]

I wonder if you could heat up the top of a better bottle, and pull it into a mold to straighten the sides to make a conical?

And that would be easier than just buying a plastic conical of the same size? C'mon guys, I admire the creativity and "can do" spirit, but you have to be realistic!

 

[n240sxguy]

And that would be easier than just buying a plastic conical of the same size? C'mon guys, I admire the creativity and "can do" spirit, but you have to be realistic!

I have a 15 gallon plastic conical. I'm not gonna mess with any of this stuff. Just coming up with ideas. I jumped past 5 gallon batches as soon as I could. If I have to potentially get hassled about a brew day, I'm gonna make as much as I can on that brew day. And nobody's any wiser for it.

 

[BurgBrewer]

Seeing the ingenuity of this, can it be completed with a Better bottle?? I think it's more realistic for the rest of us to drill a hole in to plastic than glass. I don't think I have the patience to drill through 1/2" glass.

 

[Denny]

Seeing the ingenuity of this, can it be completed with a Better bottle?? I think it's more realistic for the rest of us to drill a hole in to plastic than glass. I don't think I have the patience to drill through 1/2" glass.

Keep in mind that dropping the yeast still won't work even with a Better Bottle. There's just a basic flaw to the whole design.

 

[BeerGrylls]

Keep in mind that dropping the yeast still won't work even with a Better Bottle. There's just a basic flaw to the whole design.

ok we get it, thanks for reiterating.

 

[ChefRex]

ok we get it, thanks for reiterating.

I do think Denny knows of which he speaks.

 

[Zuljin]

Hmmm. So maybe the sides aren't right. Maybe the wort will core right through the trub. Maybe it whirlpools a bunch of trub into the wort.

Maybe tilt the bottle. I'm picturing it and thinking that may make it worse. We have clarifiers at the plant. The walls are designed 'just so' to prevent water from corning or coning through the sediment. And while some are laid with a slope, they're not cockeyed in the ground.

Hey, whatever happens, as long as it still holds wort, it still works. He can access it through the bottom now top instead of the top now bottom. And, and, he has a carboy that can be washed through from both ends.

And the commode on wheels stand. That could have all kinds of uses.

 

[Artanis]

At the very least used for a secondary ferm. I bet bottling straight from this would be that much more beautiful.

Hell maybe this is the birth of a new design glass carboy. With steeper necks, and a threaded plug for just these reasons. I'm mean someone is still cranking out the old ones right.

I don't really brew to save money on my beer budget. I would totally spend extra on a new design of glass carboy. And this looks damn cool.

 

[mors]

I don't see anything wrong with this for dumping trub. True you won't get to drop all the yeast out the bottom because of the shoulders...but if you give that thing a whirlpool 24 hours into fermentation you should be able to drop out 90% of the trub.

 

[Denny]

I do think Denny knows of which he speaks.

I bought one of the Fermentap units 15 years ago. When I used it, I wondered what I was doing wrong. Then I heard from others who told me it was a design flaw. I'm speaking from experience, here.

 

[Denny]

I don't see anything wrong with this for dumping trub. True you won't get to drop all the yeast out the bottom because of the shoulders...but if you give that thing a whirlpool 24 hours into fermentation you should be able to drop out 90% of the trub.

You'd think so, but you'd be wrong. I tried many different ways to get it to work before I gave up on it.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

stainless, and silicone. only plastic/rubber I use are non contact items like airlocks and bungs.

Soooo, plastics ARE used in brewing...