Kickstarter for SS Mash Tun, Kettle and Fermenter

[KevinP]

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.

Sorry. No the supplied bulkhead fittings are not welded in. They are weldless so all I am doing is not using them, drilling the holes out and installing different ones.

 

[user 204491]

Sorry. No the supplied bulkhead fittings are not welded in. They are weldless so all I am doing is not using them, drilling the holes out and installing different ones.

Ahh, got it, thanks! I was a bit confused, as there are threads in the ports. So basically you're just drilling out those existing threads and replacing it with a weldless bulkhead from Bobby?

 

[KevinP]

Ahh, got it, thanks! I was a bit confused, as there are threads in the ports. So basically you're just drilling out those existing threads and replacing it with a weldless bulkhead from Bobby?

No its not the threads Im drilling out. The threaded parts are not welded in. They are removable. I'll get a picture when Im home unless someone beats me to it.

 

[user 204491]

No its not the threads Im drilling out. The threaded parts are not welded in. They are removable. I'll get a picture when Im home unless someone beats me to it.

Ahhhhh.... ok, I got it. Sorry, I only took a quick look at mine last night and saw the threads in the ports. I would have probably realized they were removable once I actually tried to put things together this evening.

 

[chigundo]

Does Chapman know about this thread?

 

[Gavin C]

Does Chapman know about this thread?

They were involved earlier on. They do seem strangely quiet. Proably not monitoring the site thread much if they are all based in China.

 

[chigundo]

Pretty sure they're in Portland. China is just where they had it all manufactured.

 

[Roadliner]

I keep expecting to see them stop by like they did during the campaign.

 

[user 204491]

Hmm, yeah @ChapmanEquipment was pretty responsive during the campaign and afterward addressing concerns, so I imagine they'd come along here at some point and respond to some of these concerns.

 

[chigundo]

I assume they will after this first batch of initial shipments go out.

 

[kcbeersnob]

I see several comments about the ThermoBarrel sprinkled throughout this thread. To make it easier for people to find feedback on that product, I've created a dedicated thread and posted my initial review.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7040178

Thanks to val214 for posting the pics.

 

[val214]

Just a update.
I did email chapman brewing soon after I saw the damage to the thermobarrel on Sunday. He replied Monday morning and we exchanged a few more emails.
Steve chapman did offer to replace the unit and apologized for the damaged thermobarrel. He is also aware of the shipping issues. He mentioned they were working on how to go about returns of the damaged thermobarrel and return labels. As they want to prevent any further damage to the unit on its way back to chapman. He also mentioned that they were looking into new packaging methods to avoid any further damage.

I refused a replacement. I just feel that I got a great deal. After all I was funding a first run of a product. Hopefully this will help them learn a few things.
At first I was a bit upset to see a dent on the thermobarrel. Will it affect its performance? Doubt it.

I do understand the frustration with the initial shipment, damages and the lack of response. I can only imagine what his inbox looks like and stress level is like.

 

[dirkomatic]

Yes, he has been very open and helpful during the whole thing... I emailed him a while ago to change my shipping address and he got it worked out for me. That's really the reason I'm not bothered about the bulkhead and the incorrect volume labels. I can deal with the volume markings and the nipple cost me $5. It's not worth bothering him about. I still got a good deal on a nice piece of equipment

 

[Roadliner]

as long as the actual buckets are in good shape, I'm not too worried about anything else. With the price we paid for them, I can upgrade just about everything on it, and still be doing well. My one and only concern is the bends and dents in the steel. Maybe I'll be lucky and get gentle mailmen handling it lol.

 

[dirkomatic]

I guess I was lucky in the shipping regard... Mine made it all the way to VA with no visible shipping damage.

 

[user 204491]

Maybe I'll be lucky and get gentle mailmen handling it lol.

No such luck, these are being delivered by FedEx!

 

[Roadliner]

lol wife just emailed me and said they arrived.. I'll have to wait for her to get time to check them out for damages.

 

[jimmayhugh]

My 14G fermenter arrived in good shape. I'm going to convert it to tri-clamps as time allows.

 

[Resonator]

Dang, wish I found this sooner haha

 

[foodplusbeer]

Anyone else NOT get a shipping notification yet? I'm still waiting on 15G Thermobarrel and 14G Fermentor...

 

[Frostbrewer]

Steve responded to my concern about my fermenter clamps not actually sealing the lid down. Here is the response.

Hi Frostbrewer,
Most of our fermenters have been fine. We tested a bunch and they were all airtight so we sent out the rest without testing every one. I'm sorry that yours didn't clamp all the way down.
We have been looking into ways of bending the clamps so that they clamp down all the way. But they are thick enough that this isn't easy to do by hand. So if you can figure out an easy way to bend the clamps let us know.
Until then, the temporary solution would be to add a shim to the top of the fermenter, so that it clamps down tight. This isn't a permanent solution, but if you wanted to keep your current fermenter, then you could proceed that way.
But if you want a full replacement we can send you a return label and send us back the fermenter. When we receive the fermenter back from you, we will send out a new one with an airtight seal. Then we will find out a way to bend the clamps at the warehouse.
You will need to send the fermenter back in the same packaging it came in. Also, you should keep the fittings and we will send you just the fermenter and lid. Let me know if you want us to send you a return label.
-Steve

Works for me. Awesome customer service. I will be sending it back, i have no idea how to appropriately bend those clamps and I really don't want to deal with adding a shim to the lid.

I hate to say it but I am a tad worried that the missing .25 gallon of headspace will negatively affect the fermenters performance. It isn't enough to make me demand a refund but I'll really have to be careful about how full I get the fermenters. That tiny hole on top likely wont cut it as a blowoff hole.

 

[user 204491]

Yeah, that seems like pretty reasonable customer service for a company just fresh off their first Kickstarter. He's said all along that if anyone was unsatisfied for any reason he'd offer a full refund, and it looks like that applies to exchanges as well.

Still haven't had much time to really tinker around with mine too much, but from what I've seen so far, the things look pretty darn solid, and they won't take much modification or updating to turn them into something I'll be extremely happy with.

 

[Roadliner]

That's what I was thinking. as long as there are no damages to it, you can order everything you need from Bobby to upgrade them for whatever you want.

 

[user 204491]

Yeah, from just looking at it so far and seeing people's initial feedback my plan is to replace the false bottom/dip tube setup with Bobby's false bottom 1/2" connector setup, leave the kettle alone other than adding a street 90 or something for the inside pickup, and I'm selling off the fermenter.

 

[chigundo]

Yeah this dip tube in the barrel is interesting.. because it's not air-tight to the nut, you lose any siphon you have once the water level drops below the nut.. so that leaves a lot of waste. If it was sealed, even with a small O-ring, i don't think it would be a problem.

 

[user 204491]

In case folks didn't see Chapman's comments on the Kickstarter page:

"A couple of notes:

Some of the ThermoBarrels were sent with inadequate packaging. If your ThermoBarrel was damaged in shipping, please send us an email at [email protected] and we will work something out to remedy the situation.


Some people are having trouble with assembling the bulkhead on the fermenter. We are now realizing that it's a little more difficult than we anticipated. We are working on putting together new instructions and other ways to remedy this in the future. If you are having problems and want some tips on alternative directions for assembly, send us an email.


We are working on shipping out the larger pieces of equipment and combination packages now. Some of your rewards will ship in multiple packages and they won't come all at once. Also, we've had to special order boxes for rewards that include multiple fermenters, and these will be shipping last. We are anticipating completing shipping out 95%+ of the rewards by the end of next week."

 

[dirkomatic]

Nice. I really feel that Steve is doing a reasonable job at making things right.

 

[user 204491]

Yeah, I would agree. My guess is he is pretty darn busy still trying to get everything shipped out and responding to the emails as they come in, hence him not posting here directly to address concerns at this point.

All-in-all, we got a steal with the Kickstarter prices, and I'm glad I backed this project.

Just being honest though, looking at the retail prices today, if I were in the market for an insulated SS mash tun, I would be pretty hard pressed to choose the Chapman model over the SS Brewtech model, which is only $50 more. I'm essentially going to spend about $50 swapping out the dip tube contraption to something 1/2" end-to-end, so with the Kickstarter price I'm still doing alright, but at the retail price you'd be neck-to-neck with the SS Brewtech price.

The SS Brewtech comes with (what's perceived to be) a more accurate thermometer, drains to no loss, but does not include the recirc port that the Chapman model does. For my particular setup I wanted a recirc port, but if you don't need that, the SS Brewtech model seems to be the better piece of kit.

 

[k47k]

i was looking at the SS brewtech site the other day and it said the mash tuns come with recirc port.

 

[kcbeersnob]

i was looking at the SS brewtech site the other day and it said the mash tuns come with recirc port.

Looks like that's only on the 20G version at the moment.