Kickstarter for SS Mash Tun, Kettle and Fermenter

[k47k]

definitely unconventional and in my case it does not work. i was able to get it to seal by putting a corney keg dip tube oring between the diptube and the npt fitting but this is a work around i dont expect to last very long.

 

[scottconnor]

I'll try and put water in mine tonight and see how mine works. Before you added the o-ring, was the dip-tube noticeably loose? Or did it appear tight but it's just not water tight? (Trying to figure out if i'll have the same problem)

 

[user 204491]

Uh oh, well this is starting to sound concerning. I'm assuming from the notes that Chapman sent out that it works, as they said they brewed with a full set of gear as soon as it arrives, but mine doesn't get here until later today to have a look myself. Was planning on doing a water test one night this evening and trying to brew with it on Saturday morning.

 

[k47k]

i tightened the nut until it was as far as it would go, the diptube seemed tight but would not seal.

 

[Roadliner]

I won't get a chance to even look at mine until October... so I'm curious about all these issues.

 

[k47k]

on the 15 gallon thermo barrel there is about 1 quart of liquid left in the tun based on my water test ( this is with the diptube working correctly). I never measured with my previous setup (cooler mashtun) but i assume that was closer to 1-2cups.

This is due to the flat bottom, a concave or conical bottom would allow more wort to be picked up (but also increase cost).


FYI. i emailed Chapman about the diptube seal issue and will post back should i get a response.

 

[Joe Dragon]

Never mind... I guess it would suck air.

 

[k47k]

Never mind... I guess it would suck air.

right, once the water level goes below the port it sucks air, which would leave over a gallon of wort in the tun.

 

[chigundo]

Packaging is rough. My 15g barrel got banged up.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1439332436.370636.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1439332447.437101.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1439332559.024752.jpg

 

[scottconnor]

I didn't measure how much water was left behind, but I filled it tonight and didn't have any issues getting the dip tube to drain. When I got it in better light, I did notice a scratch under the latch that was bent, so some styrofoam around the sides seems necessary during shipping.

Overall, these issues don't sour me on the great deal that we got on kickstarter. But if I paid retail price, I'd probably have higher expectations.

 

[KevinP]

Overall, these issues don't sour me on the great deal that we got on kickstarter. But if I paid retail price, I'd probably have higher expectations.

This^^^

 

[Roadliner]

Yeah a scratch.. or a valve wont bug me.. One that is really dented up and bent like a few of these pictures might though

 

[Gavin C]

I guess my expectations are higher than some.

Once they let us know the volume markings were off I asked for (and received) a full refund. No worries on that score. Thanks @Chapmanbrewing

Bad packaging, although not a damning indictment could point to a similar attitude toward quality in the factory. all these ding up pots, questionable dip-tubes and the like does not make me regret getting the refund.

I was disappointed to miss out on 2 SS fermentors at a great price but SS without accuracy seems pointless.

I don't care if I pay kicksatrter price or full retail for something, I expect the product to arrive ding and scratch free and be suitably packaged. if that's not the case then it's going back.

To each their own of course. Hopefully these are indeed all teething problems and this company will go from strength to strength in the future.

 

[Joe Dragon]

right, once the water level goes below the port it sucks air, which would leave over a gallon of wort in the tun.

20 gallon tun was delivered in good shape. Terrible packaging but I got lucky.

I shoved a red keg O-ring in the dip tube nut and it sealed very well.

Thermometer threads are loose but enough tape sealed it up. Thermometer was accurate within a degree but was easily adjusted with the nut on the back.

8 gallons of tap water in, drained in 4 minutes 47 seconds with a wide open valve. The dip tube sits flush against the bottom and is a small diameter.

Without touching the tun it emptied and left 24 ounces behind (3/4 of a quart).

 

[dirkomatic]

Got my fermenter, but could not for the life of me get the bulkhead to be drip free... Ordered what I needed from Bobby at Brew Hardware and expect everything to be great after that...

 

[KevinP]

Got my fermenter, but could not for the life of me get the bulkhead to be drip free... Ordered what I needed from Bobby at Brew Hardware and expect everything to be great after that...

Haha! I did this ^^^
Bobby has the best weldless bulkheads.

 

[user 204491]

Got my fermenter, but could not for the life of me get the bulkhead to be drip free... Ordered what I needed from Bobby at Brew Hardware and expect everything to be great after that...

What was wrong with the bulkhead, and what did you have to order to correct it?

 

[chigundo]

Just did water test on 15 gallon barrel. Dead space is just a hair under 1.5 quarts.

 

[chigundo]

Also my nipple on the barrel won't thread into the provided ball valve more than one thread, so it leaks a little regardless of tape.

 

[dirkomatic]

What was wrong with the bulkhead, and what did you have to order to correct it?

It's probably my experience with those types of bulkheads...

The "nipple" is a straight nipple instead of a tapered like I'm used to. The actual problem I was getting was leaking between the valve and the nipple. I couldn't get the right amount of Teflon on it to get it to stop leaking and get it tight.

I just ordered a close nipple from Bobby. I already had a lock nut and O-rings.

 

[k47k]

Also my nipple on the barrel won't thread into the provided ball valve more than one thread, so it leaks a little regardless of tape.

I have the same experience but was able to get it to seal.

 

[k47k]

just brewed my first batch on the 15 gallon thermobarrel 7 gallons of 1.87 Baltic Porter. overall it went pretty well:

1. temperatures held very well, the same or better than cooler mashtun (<1degree drop over an hour)

2. i had some issues with grain getting past the false bottom initially which clogged the line and prevented the pump from priming. i was able to get it to flow by blowing in the tube to unclog it several times. once the flow got going it was fine.

brewing 2nd batch as we speak, 1.093 Doppelbock.

 

[user 204491]

So got home last night and unboxed my 3-piece 10 gallon "triple threat" or whatever that combo was called. I got the 7 gallon fermenter, 10 gallon kettle, and 10 gallon MLT. Like some have said, the packaging left a little to be desired. The boxes themselves were quite thin, which led to a small bit of shipping damage, but inside most stuff was layered between either styrofoam or bubble wrap.

For me I only had one of the small "latch clips" or whatever the proper term for those is bent on my thermobarrel, and I was able to fix that pretty easily. I think just using a thicker outside box or putting some styro around those parts would avoid this in the future. Seems like a cheap fix to keep people happy.

Overall I'm initially impressed with the quality. Definitely a big step up from the Bayou Classic kettle and cooler MLT that I'm using now. The first thing that struck me was the weight of the kettle compared to the Bayou Classic one. When I first picked up the lid I thought "wow, that's pretty heavy," and for SS I generally equate heavy/thick as good.

Next I took a look at the fermenter, which while nice, really seems to me to be more of a SS bucket. I was kinda surprised there was no sort of gasket or seal on the lid. It's just metal on metal, held tight by some clamps. It might be air/water tight, but I've not had a chance to check yet. In all honesty this was the one piece I figured I'd pick up during the kickstarter and probably wind up not using and selling, which is still what I plan to do (so if you're interested send me a message!). I'm just a huge fan of the Spiedel tanks, and I'll probably stick to those for the forseeable future.

Lastly I checked out my thermobarrel, which is what I was most excited about. Again, overall quality appears good. It's nice and heavy and appears to be well insulated. I do have to say though, when I saw that dip tube/false bottom I literally said, "what the *%#* is this!?" I have so many questions... What's up with this flare at the end which is supposed to marry up to the SS nipple, but it's not quite the right size, and there's only this nut to make a steel-to-steel connection, with no sort of O-ring or gasket. Why doesn't it just attach normally?? Why isn't it 1/2" just like everything else? Why go down to the smaller size? It really just sits on the bottom of the tank? It doesn't connect to the false bottom at all? The more I look at it the more questions I have! I was expecting basically the same sort of thing you get when ordering a false bottom kit for the cooler tuns, so I was really surprised by all of this. I really wish it was just a 1/2" connection all the way through, and I may look into ways to mod mine as such (so if you have any suggestions I'm all ears).

Unfortunately with 2 kids I didn't have a ton of time to mess around with things last night, so that's about as far as I got. I'll obviously reserve final judgement for when I've got everything connected, done my water tests, and have actually brewed with the gear. My initial assessment would be that I'm generally impressed overall but there are a few "WTFs" that I still need to check out.

 

[dirkomatic]

Next I took a look at the fermenter, which while nice, really seems to me to be more of a SS bucket. I was kinda surprised there was no sort of gasket or seal on the lid. It's just metal on metal, held tight by some clamps. It might be air/water tight, but I've not had a chance to check yet. In all honesty this was the one piece I figured I'd pick up during the kickstarter and probably wind up not using and selling, which is still what I plan to do (so if you're interested send me a message!). I'm just a huge fan of the Spiedel tanks, and I'll probably stick to those for the forseeable future.

Strange... My fermenter has a silicone gasket inside the rim of the lid... You might want to check with Chapman on that.

 

[user 204491]

Strange... My fermenter has a silicone gasket inside the rim of the lid... You might want to check with Chapman on that.

Hey, thanks! I'll double check mine when I get home. I was looking over things pretty quickly last night, so it's possible I could have missed that, but I hadn't even had a beer yet!

If it is definitely missing I'll be in touch with them.

 

[user 204491]

2. i had some issues with grain getting past the false bottom initially which clogged the line and prevented the pump from priming. i was able to get it to flow by blowing in the tube to unclog it several times. once the flow got going it was fine.

Well that definitely sounds sub-optimal. After numerous batches with my cooler mash tun, I've never had to blow into it to clear a grain clog. Do you think it got in because the tube is not attached to the false bottom, so it came in from the gap between the tube and the bottom, or are the holes on the false bottom too big?

 

[k47k]

Well that definitely sounds sub-optimal. After numerous batches with my cooler mash tun, I've never had to blow into it to clear a grain clog. Do you think it got in because the tube is not attached to the false bottom, so it came in from the gap between the tube and the bottom, or are the holes on the false bottom too big?

not sure where it come from but i just started recirc on my 2nd batch and didnt have the same issue.

The Thermometer does not appear to be sealed in any way, after first mash there is condensation inside the glass. not sure this is normal as i dont usually use this type of thermometer.

 

[user 204491]

not sure where it come from but i just started recirc on my 2nd batch and didnt have the same issue.

The Thermometer does not appear to be sealed in any way, after first mash there is condensation inside the glass. not sure this is normal as i dont usually use this type of thermometer.

Cool, thanks for letting me know. I was already starting to look into something like this (or at least some of the parts from that) to eliminate that dip tube setup and change everything over to a 1/2" diameter.

I'm not sure on the thermometer. In my current cooler mash tuns I used the "Cool View" thermometers from William's and they never get any condensation on them.

 

[KevinP]

What was wrong with the bulkhead, and what did you have to order to correct it?

The female 1/2" threads on the bulkhead seem to be straight as well as the straight threads on the nipple.
I ordered some true bulkheads from Bobby.
https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1838.htm

 

[user 204491]

The female 1/2" threads on the bulkhead seem to be straight as well as the straight threads on the nipple.
I ordered some true bulkheads from Bobby.
https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1838.htm

Interesting, so you're basically attaching a weldless bulkhead to the one that's already welded in, or you're some how swapping them out? Sorry, I don't quite get what you're saying there.

Also, I love how so far for every problem that's come up the answer has been a link to some item on Bobby's page.