liquid-out ball lock installed at bottom of fermenter

[quantumguy]

I was just looking to see if I could find an extra hop bong end for inline use with a pump, and it looks like Kegland already thought of that;
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/hop-bong-2tc-inline-kit.html
(Sorry for the Canadian link... I can't find it in the US yet, but morebeer carries spare parts:
https://www.morebeer.com/search?search=hop+bong and you could assemble one yourself.)
If you have a diaphram pump, it would be an option to consider while space is limited..in future with a larger ferm chamber you could mount it on the top.

umm, I'll have to think if dealing with an extra pump and such would be worth it

 

[quantumguy]

I was just looking to see if I could find an extra hop bong end for inline use with a pump, and it looks like Kegland already thought of that;
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/hop-bong-2tc-inline-kit.html
(Sorry for the Canadian link... I can't find it in the US yet, but morebeer carries spare parts:
https://www.morebeer.com/search?search=hop+bong and you could assemble one yourself.)
If you have a diaphram pump, it would be an option to consider while space is limited..in future with a larger ferm chamber you could mount it on the top.

how freely do your hops move through the inner workings of the ball valve that is attached to your hop bong?

 

[apache_brew]

I wonder if instead of a TC tee, one side for the Sanke adapter and the top for a hop dropper, where the 2" TC tee would presumably be too tall, I use a TC 3-way valve instead? I think this might be a much lower profile. Of course I can just pull the fermenter out of the fridge to attach the hop bong, dump in hops, remove it, and stick it back in the fridge. I'm just not sure I can find one in a 2" TC

Actually pretty cheap off of e-Bay, only about $35. I would just have to be able to orient the handle so that the side and top can be opened without it pointing down

I wouldn't like to isolate the PRV/gas post on the sankey adapter from the hop dropper by using a three way valve. keeping the sankey adapter in the system at all times is useful for venting and purging. If you have room, perhaps you can get away with installing a BFV on the top of the tank, and mount the sankey adapter to it. When it's time to drop hops, vent the tank, close the valve, pull out the fermenter and attach your hop dropper tee assembly (sankey adapter on the side) and drop your hops. When done, close the valve, remove the assembly, reattach the sankey adapter to the top of the BFV (purge/vent the space between the adapter & closed BFV), then open the BFV and put the fermenter back in your fridge, connect blow off tube to sankey adapter gas post, etc...

 

[quantumguy]

I wouldn't like to isolate the PRV/gas post on the sankey adapter from the hop dropper by using a three way valve. keeping the sankey adapter in the system at all times is useful for venting and purging. If you have room, perhaps you can get away with installing a BFV on the top of the tank, and mount the sankey adapter to it. When it's time to drop hops, vent the tank, close the valve, pull out the fermenter and attach your hop dropper tee assembly (sankey adapter on the side) and drop your hops. When done, close the valve, remove the assembly, reattach the sankey adapter to the top of the BFV (purge/vent the space between the adapter & closed BFV), then open the BFV and put the fermenter back in your fridge, connect blow off tube to sankey adapter gas post, etc...

the issue with that setup is that I need a liquid out connected to the Sanke adapter that leads into the tank to my floating dip tube. So I can't easily remove it, reinstall it on the hop dropper assembly, etc. Of course, I could get around that by punching a new hole in my tank towards the top and installing a dedicated liquid-out post. Also, part of my motivation for isolating the Sanke adapter via the 3-way valve was to prevent any hop material from finding its way into the PRV and such.

 

[quantumguy]

My vote is to avoid NPT at all costs and try and stick with as much TC and sanitary welded parts as possible. Sidewall mounted floating dip tube is no problem and should work fine. Also ideally would be to avoid high krausen by utilizing ferm cap to reduce the chance of clogging a corny keg style PRV. Even better would be to utilize a legit dedicated TC PRV in addition to it. View attachment 845139View attachment 845138

For a sidewall mounted floating dip tube or one coming off a tee, is there any issue with the silicon tube crimping shut when it makes the angled turn downwards?

 

[Broken Crow]

umm, I'll have to think if dealing with an extra pump and such would be worth it

I already had a couple pumps from aliexpress; the first one was part of a racking kit that included a SS racking cane that fit in the orange carboy caps as I was still using glass carboys at the time but wanted to do closed transfers. The second came with knockoff of Blichmann's quickcarb (big mistake, but it left with a spare pump.) If you equip it with ball lock disconnects you can save CO2 when kegging...also helpful in sanitizing in a totally closed system where using gravity is too much for a damaged spine.

how freely do your hops move through the inner workings of the ball valve that is attached to your hop bong?

I don't know... While I was still learning and exploring options for O2 exclusion, I made up a mason jar lid that I could pump through, but it was annoying to hold upside down to 'rinse' all the hop sludge through and it left me with a messy poppet that didn't want to close. That was one of the reasons I chose to make a 'Fermhead' with an unrestricted blowoff path, mainly to keep krausen out of my poppets, but also for a path for addtions. I still haven't decided all the details of how I'll do it myself, but I'm leaning heavily toward buying the regular hop bong and a simple 1.5"TC>1/2"hose barb so I can pump from the fermenter to the ball lock end of the hop bong and out the barb and back into the fermenter through the blowoff barb/ball valve.

 

[apache_brew]

the issue with that setup is that I need a liquid out connected to the Sanke adapter that leads into the tank to my floating dip tube. So I can't easily remove it, reinstall it on the hop dropper assembly, etc. Of course, I could get around that by punching a new hole in my tank towards the top and installing a dedicated liquid-out post. Also, part of my motivation for isolating the Sanke adapter via the 3-way valve was to prevent any hop material from finding its way into the PRV and such.

Your liquid out post is mounted in the 1.5" TC fitting on the side using a floating dip tube.

For a sidewall mounted floating dip tube or one coming off a tee, is there any issue with the silicon tube crimping shut when it makes the angled turn downwards?

Are you talking about the silicone dip tube hose kinking from the liquid out post as the beer level drops within the tank? I don't think this will be an issue. Test it with water first to confirm. You're just mounting a liquid out post directly to the 1.5" TC with one of these right? https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15bll.htm

 

[quantumguy]

Your liquid out post is mounted in the 1.5" TC fitting on the side using a floating dip tube.

Are you talking about the silicone dip tube hose kinking from the liquid out post as the beer level drops within the tank? I don't think this will be an issue. Test it with water first to confirm. You're just mounting a liquid out post directly to the 1.5" TC with one of these right? https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15bll.htm

No, I was thinking along the lines of attaching my dip tube hose to the liquid-out post on the Sanke converter adapter that is oriented 90º from vertical on a 2" TC tee attached to the top of the fermenter (as in your hop dropper assembly but I guess your dip tube hose is attached via your other port).

But yes, maybe I should stop trying to hack this and just punch another hole in my fermenter for a liquid out post.

 

[apache_brew]

No, I was thinking along the lines of attaching my dip tube hose to the liquid-out post on the Sanke converter adapter that is oriented 90º from vertical on a 2" TC tee attached to the top of the fermenter (as in your hop dropper assembly but I guess your dip tube hose is attached via your other port).

But yes, maybe I should stop trying to hack this and just punch another hole in my fermenter for a liquid out post.

Why not use the sidewall TC for a liquid out post?

 

[quantumguy]

Why not use the sidewall TC for a liquid out post?

Do you mean my existing one at the bottom where my dip tube and such is currently attached? If so, that gets me back to the original question in my post