How do i build a bottling bucket

[suzanneb]

anyone have a short parts list. i know i need a 5 gallon bucket and a spigot anything else i am gonna need like grommets or orings or anything.

prob gonna shop at home depot or lowes if that helps.

 

[BillyBroas]

I don't think it's worth it to build one when you can buy one for $12. You can get the bucket predrilled at any homebrew store and they also sell the bulkhead (valve and fittings) to go with it.

 

[malkore]

I mean, if you can find a bucket over 5 gallons at home depot, AND a plastic spigot, AND a hole saw for less than the price of an Ale Pail with the spigot on it already..more power to ya.

 

[TopherM]

Here's what I have:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/bottling-bucket-with-spigot.html

 

[Bernie Brewer]

You need a bucket and spigot. That is it. The spigot comes with a gasket. But like malkore said, you are gonna need something with which to drill the hole for the spigot.

 

[Revvy]

Looks like noone wants to ACTUALLY give you the info you asked.

Making a bottling bucket is easy and you don't need to spend 12 bucks on one with a predrilled hole (I've seen them for as high as 15 bucks, for just the bucket itself, no spigot, nothing.)

I've made several. And they've been cheap and simple to do. It takes 5 minutes to do, really.

My main one is the translucent Leaktite brand 5 gallon container with the gallon and liter markings from Homedepot. Under 5 bucks.

I also have one for small batch brewing that I made from a FREE cake frosting bucket.

Cutting the hole is not hard, all you need is one of these variable sized hole saw bits for a hand drill.

Most folks have one of these in the bottom of the tool drawer, if not you can even get them at some dollar stores these days.

If you don't have one, you can also just carefully cut the hole with an exacto knife. Just hold the threaded back part of the spigot up to the bucket, at the height you want the spigot, and trace it with a sharpie, then carefully cut it out (I usually cut INSIDE the line so it's smaller, then I can trim as needed. Better to cut too small and trim to fit.)

Hell you can even cut the bucket plastic with a pair of slightly curved fingernail scissors if that's all you have.

If you're using a hole saw and a drill, just trace the hole. Then draw an x through the circle to determine the center of the hole, and push a pushpin through the center to start a pilot hole for the center bit of the hole saw to go through.


You also need a spigot. They're about 2 bucks at any homebrewshop.

But you can also find a beverage one for the same price at most hardware stores as well.

Just make sure that the beverage replacement spigot has a "locked open" position, so you don't have to hold it open all the time.

You also need a spring loaded bottling wand.

In the old days the bottling wand was connect to a bottling bucket spigot by a lenght of tubing, but a lot of us mount it right to the spigot (I use a little piece of tubing as a "bridge" connector.

Optional, but handy, I have a dip tube in my bucket so I get all but about 4 ounces of stuff from my bottling bucket. What that means in my case is about another 6 pack of beer- 54 bottles instead of 48.

And the biggest thing about a dip tube is that there is no need to tilt to get the last few dregs of beer. It is easy to make, all you need to do is find a drilled stopper (or drill your own) that fits in the back part of your bottling bucket spigot (I got mine from my lhbs) then you need to find a tube that fits on the hole...It could be a piece of bent copper tubing, it could be the body of a ballpoint pen, it could even be a bent piece of racking cane....I made my latest one out of broken racking cane that I heated and bent over an alcohol spirit lamp, heating and cooling until I got the right bend. (One tip, bend it until the back part of the bottom of the tube touches the bottom of the bucket, leaving a tiny gap in the front for the beer to flow through.)

I don't use the copper one any more. I just took a piece of plastic tubing (A broken racking cane) and softend it over a candle flame and bent it to shape. And you just need a holed stopper that you can shove up the back side of the spigot.

If you look in my bottling thread you can see other folks versions of the dip tubes they've come up with some very ingenious stuff.


You can make your own bottling bucket for a lot less than the 12 dollar holey bucket someone earlier said. Especially if you can get a bucket for 2 bucks OR free.

And you don't need to be a surgeon to cut the hole for the spigot.



Hope this helps...

 

[tre9er]

Excellent explanation Revvy. That's why you're among the most helpful here. Kudos.

 

[suzanneb]

thanks for the great reply.
two question

does it matter how high from the bottom you place the hole. most buckets i have seen are about an inch above the bottom of the inside of the bucket. can it be lower than that

and two which may be obvious but.... why would you need a smaller bottling bucket for small batches. could you not just use the big one and it wouldnt be as full. am i missing something

p.s. can you use a bottling bucket for fermentation if you put a lid stopper and airlock on it or do you lose air through the spigot somehow.

thats three questions.

 

[roadymi]

I see no reason not tp have the hole as low as possible. If you have racked a couple of times and allowed your brew to clear properly you shouldn't have many nasties in the bottom anyways. One caution though...if you mount it low it will hang below the bottom of the bucket and you risk bumping it and springing a leak. On further thought Revy's method of internal drop tube is better than mounting to low.

Not sure why he wants 2 pails other than he can

You can ferment in bottling buckets but plain ole empty buckets can be found so cheap if you look around it's not a big deal. Finding the big 7 gal ones cheap is the challenge.

 

[Revvy]

thanks for the great reply.
two question

does it matter how high from the bottom you place the hole. most buckets i have seen are about an inch above the bottom of the inside of the bucket. can it be lower than that

You need to factor in the OD of all the connectors inside that hold the spigot on; the rubber gasket and the plastic nut on the back. You want it to be able to turn the nut as well.

Plus you have a seam where the bottom of the bucket and the walls meet. You don't want to gouge into that. I usually put the bottom of the rear nut about a quarter in up from the bottom.

If you're using a dip tube in the back, it doesn't really matter where you locate the spigot, the diptube brings the siphon down to the surface of the bucket.

and two which may be obvious but.... why would you need a smaller bottling bucket for small batches. could you not just use the big one and it wouldnt be as full. am i missing something

You don't, but I just find it easier to have a smaller container to handle smaller batches.

p.s. can you use a bottling bucket for fermentation if you put a lid stopper and airlock on it or do you lose air through the spigot somehow.

You can, but then your bottling bucket is unavailable when you want to bottle. The problem with bottling from a primary or secondary instead of using a bottling bucket, is that since you have patiently gone and let your beer settle and clear, in order to mix the priming solution and beer effectively, you would have to stir it in the carboy which would a) kick up all that nice sediment you have patiently let fall, b) possibly oxydize the beer.

It really defeats the purpose of both a long primary/no secondary or a secondary if you have to stir up all the nice sediment you patiently waited to settle just so you can have consistent carbonation.

Me, I just leave my bottling bucket as a bottling bucket, and my fermenters as fermenters. I have at least 9 different vessels to ferment beer in, so I'm not hard up for them.

 

[jstrong]

Does the suction from draining the beer let the last of the beer to come up the incline on the dip tubes?

 

[jstrong]

Im bottling soon, worried about keeping a siphon out of my second carboy. Thinkin of of goin to a bucket with spigot and bottling wand

 

[tre9er]

Im bottling soon, worried about keeping a siphon out of my second carboy. Thinkin of of goin to a bucket with spigot and bottling wand

I bottle with an autosiphon and never lose siphon. The bottling wand shuts when you lift it out of the bottle, maintaining liquid in the tube, then when you depress it in the next bottle it flows and siphons again.

 

[jstrong]

Oh ok. Thanks a bunch..saves me money lol

 

[tre9er]

Oh ok. Thanks a bunch..saves me money lol

To start the siphon though you'll need to depress the bottling wand, otherwise there's pressure in the line.

 

[jstrong]

By depress do you mean push the little needle like thing at the bottom of the wand

 

[Jeepinctbrewer]

yes