New Conical - Check my plan

[Langerz]

I've been brewing about a year and fermenting with a big mouth bubbler glass carboy. If I knew then what I knew now I would not have gone that route for a few reasons (even though overall I like the big mouth). I just upgraded to a conical though and excited to try it. I'm mainly an IPA guy and over my first year have gotten pretty decent at keeping oxygen out with my current process, but it's a struggle with the current equipment and I know I'm not perfect with it. I wanted to lay out my plan here and get input. I have searched the forums and other sources and seen bits and pieces but haven't seen that describes everything I am looking for so thought I'd put my plan out there and let people pick it apart. Just going to start at the fermenter portion since I'm not changing the hot side. My new fermenter is an 8 gallon Ferm Tank TC from delta brewing.

1) Transfer from kettle, aerate and pitch yeast. This part seems pretty straight forward.

2) Initially I'm planning to connect a 1.5" barbed blow off to one of the 1.5" ports on the lid. I probably could skip this step with the headspace of the 8 gallon FV, but I have yet to not have a lot of krausen in the blow off tube when I brew a NEIPA so feel nervous not doing this.

3) After high krausen I'll replace the barb with a cap with an air post then connect a tube similar to a blow off into a bucket of star san. I get that I am introducing a bit of air here, but fermentation should still be active and creating CO2 so hoping minimal effect. Eventually I'll probably get brave (probably after the first time) and skip step 2 to eliminate that. I could also go with an airlock here, but I feel like not having to deal with that later in the process will be helpful.

4) After fermentation is done soft crash to 50F. I'll connect the post I was using for blow off to about a psi of CO2 to account for temp change. After about 24hrs dump yeast. My plan to prevent O2 from bubbling up into the fermenter leave the ~1 psi on the gas post.

5) Dry hop - I built a dry hopper I can connect to the 4" TC in the lid. (I get the 4" is probably overkill - I don't plan to use the chiller option so might as well use the big hole to dump hops in). Add the hops to the dry hopper. Purge with CO2. Dump the hops in.

6) Rouse hops - If I can I'll just shake the fermenter here (today I just shake the keg), but likely will need to connect CO2 through the drain port, purge everything and then burp some CO2 to stir things up.

7) Cold crash - similar procedure the soft crash.

8) Closed transfer - I'm planning to have a FDT and liquid port on the other 1.5" TC. I know the FV has a racking port and maybe I'm weird here but I just feel more comfortable using the floating dip tube because that's what I've done with all batches so far. I'm sure I'm leaving hops in the FV this way and seems the easiest way to keep the transfer air free.

Once it's in the keg things would be the same as today.

Partly it helped just to type that out, but looking to see what I may have missed. Thanks for the input and if there are resources I missed feel free to point me there.

 

[micraftbeer]

This is pretty much my process as well, except the "rouse the hops" steps. I like to let sleeping particulates lie, and thus let anything that gravity has dropped to the bottom just sit there.

I have a few different fermentors, but one recent addition is the Fermtank TC, as well. I didn't even think about using one of the 1.5" TC holes for a liquid post + FD. Don't know why, because I do have the TC gas post. The route I did go (and I'm going to start my trial with it today) is I bought some tubing to go on the pickup tube inside (that's connected to the racking port), and then plan to attach FD there. I'm a bit worried about the hose fit to the floating end because the pickup tube is fairly large diameter so I had to go to a bigger size tubing. I think the lid TC with liquid post sounds better. Next time...

 

[BrewsterAles]

What about getting a TC elbow and a ball valve on one of the top ports then you can get a TC fitting for your CO2 line and just connect your tank to gas 5 psi for cold crash and also have an easy way to transfer under pressure. The TC fitting on the CO2 line will be helpful to rouse dry hops from dump valve too. Would be two fittings well worth the money.

 

[Langerz]

What about getting a TC elbow and a ball valve on one of the top ports then you can get a TC fitting for your CO2 line and just connect your tank to gas 5 psi for cold crash and also have an easy way to transfer under pressure. The TC fitting on the CO2 line will be helpful to rouse dry hops from dump valve too. Would be two fittings well worth the money.

I essentially did the first part of what you said. I ended up putting a gas TC on one 1.5” port and a liquid TC with FDT on the other. I also ended up skipping the blow off tube and it worked fine. I was still nervous about something plugging and over pressurizing the fermenter so I put a spunding valve set to about 4-5 psi on the liquid port. I know with the FDT it would have spewed beer everywhere if the pressure got that high but it as insurance.

That leads me to a question if you over pressurize a fermtank what’s the failure mode? I assume it likely blows a seal but curious in case a line got plugged. I wouldn’t want to damage the FV.

The other part that didn’t work very well was dumping trub. I would get some but then beer would squirt through. I repeated that several times but don’t think I got even half dumped. I have read upon that some and want to try some o different things next time

 

[BrewsterAles]

I have a 23 gallon SS conical from Stout Tanks. Only 1 port up top. I run the TC elbow to ball valve I was talking about and have blowoff hose there during fermentation. Once fermentation is done I remove the blowoff hose and hit the tank with about 2 PSI pressure intermittently while cold crashing. Works very well for me.

Dumping yeast - when you open the dump valve you should be cracking it very little only enough until you see yeast start flowing out. Hold it there. Valve may be only 5% open. Low and slow. A sight glass and hose that match the ID of the dump valve may help.

 

[Langerz]

I have a 23 gallon SS conical from Stout Tanks. Only 1 port up top. I run the TC elbow to ball valve I was talking about and have blowoff hose there during fermentation. Once fermentation is done I remove the blowoff hose and hit the tank with about 2 PSI pressure intermittently while cold crashing. Works very well for me.

Dumping yeast - when you open the dump valve you should be cracking it very little only enough until you see yeast start flowing out. Hold it there. Valve may be only 5% open. Low and slow. A sight glass and hose that match the ID of the dump valve may help.

I didn’t open far but definitely more than 5%. How long does it take to dump that way? I’d assume a while. The yeast/trub didn’t move very fast at even 30% ish open.

 

[micraftbeer]

@Langerz which fermentor are you talking about?

The base Fermtank has a 3/4" diameter pipe and ball valve. This is really only of use when cleaning, and requires a brush to clear the yeast cake blockage pretty much. The newer Fermtank TC has a 1.5" diameter pipe and butterfly valve. With it, you can successfully dump yeast and debris out the bottom.

I've used both of these fermentors, so I know from personal experience.

 

[Langerz]

@Langerz which fermentor are you talking about?

The base Fermtank has a 3/4" diameter pipe and ball valve. This is really only of use when cleaning, and requires a brush to clear the yeast cake blockage pretty much. The newer Fermtank TC has a 1.5" diameter pipe and butterfly valve. With it, you can successfully dump yeast and debris out the bottom.

I've used both of these fermentors, so I know from personal experience.

It’s the TC version with the 1,5” pipe and butterfly valve

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I strongly suggest investing in a PRV for your cover TC port. There's several styles out there and if you're comfortable you could build your own. You don't want excess pressure building up in your sealed fermenter. The lid gasket might blow, but if it doesn't . . .

This arrangement will have a pressure relief valve (PRV) to bleed off excessive pressure, a pressure gauge and a qd fitting to add more CO2 if needed. Get one that has a way to adjust your pressure. This whole arrangement acts like a sounding valve but are purposely built to control pressure inside your fermenter.

 

[Langerz]

I strongly suggest investing in a PRV for your cover TC port. There's several styles out there and if you're comfortable you could build your own. You don't want excess pressure building up in your sealed fermenter. The lid gasket might blow, but if it doesn't . . .

This arrangement will have a pressure relief valve (PRV) to bleed off excessive pressure, a pressure gauge and a qd fitting to add more CO2 if needed. Get one that has a way to adjust your pressure. This whole arrangement acts like a sounding valve but are purposely built to control pressure inside your fermenter.

Isn't a spunding valve a PRV? The one you posted does look more robust and having the QD and manual release on it would be nice. Next time though I was just planning to tee in my spunding valve on the gas port. Seems like it would be accomplishing the same thing.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Isn't a spunding valve a PRV? The one you posted does look more robust and having the QD and manual release on it would be nice. Next time though I was just planning to tee in my spunding valve on the gas port. Seems like it would be accomplishing the same thing.

Yes it's like a spunding valve. If I would have noticed that spell check changed that word it would have made better sense. Sorry, stupid me.

 

[Langerz]

Yes it's like a spunding valve. If I would have noticed that spell check changed that word it would have made better sense. Sorry, stupid me.

No problem my mind spell checked for you without issue . Mainly I was wanting to make sure there wasn't some advantage over just teeing in my spunding valve since I'm planning to go that way next time. The one issue I could possible see is tee fittings and small lines (my spunding valve has pretty small tubing) potentially getting clogged with krasuen. The fermtank has some pretty good headspace though and I didn't even come close to the lid last time. Trying to debate spending $100 on a fancy TC version of that I have (x2 for 2 fermenters)

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Those purchased units are pricey. I built my own using 1/2" NPT fittings. I also added a mini valve so I could bypass the relief valve using a blow off hose.

It sounds like you have very little head space in your fermenter if you're worried about plugged lines. My fermenter is a Spike CF10 and I don't have any problems.

 

[Langerz]

Those purchased units are pricey. I built my own using 1/2" NPT fittings. I also added a mini valve so I could bypass the relief valve using a blow off hose.

It sounds like you have very little head space in your fermenter if you're worried about plugged lines. My fermenter is a Spike CF10 and I don't have any problems.

No I think I have plenty of headspace. Krausen wasn't even close to the top on the first batch and it was a beer that typically has one of my more aggressive fermentations.

It's just by first time using a shiny, new, expensive fermenter while trying to get used to not having a carboy where I could see what is going on any more - so unneeded worry.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

No I think I have plenty of headspace. Krausen wasn't even close to the top on the first batch and it was a beer that typically has one of my more aggressive fermentations.

It's just by first time using a shiny, new, expensive fermenter while trying to get used to not having a carboy where I could see what is going on any more - so unneeded worry.

On my Spike I bought the clear 4" TC cover so I could look inside. I know you mentioned being able to hop through that top but depending on how you build that piece you still might be able to add a clear cap to your build. I don't do anything like that but if I squint real hard I can visualize what you want to do.

 

[Langerz]

On my Spike I bought the clear 4" TC cover so I could look inside. I know you mentioned being able to hop through that top but depending on how you build that piece you still might be able to add a clear cap to your build. I don't do anything like that but if I squint real hard I can visualize what you want to do.

I have a butterfly valve 4" TC and built myself a dry hopper that goes on the top of it. I could probably get a glass cover to put on the top of that and look through the open butterfly valve.

In the end though after a couple of batches I'll probably just learn to trust that this are fine in there. (I do use tilts to monitor that fermentation is actually happening)