Owly055
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2014
- Messages
- 3,008
- Reaction score
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DO NOT BUY ONE
I recently purchased a 2 gallon Fast Ferment, having good luck with the larger 5 gallon version. I was excited about it, as I like to brew small, and the size is ideal. Unfortunately it simply does not work. The problem cannot be corrected without a redesign. The trub settles ABOVE THE VALVE, and does not pass down into the collection jar. This renders the fermenter useless. The problem is simply that the opening and/or valve is too small. When I first poured the wort in, I removed a jar of hops trub. Since then the opening choked and all that went into the jar was clear wort. Last night I emptied the jar back into the top after closing the valve, reinstalled it, and opened the valve......... nothing at all came through. Today I probed down through with a piece of steel brake line (new and sanitized) and got it moving. It was very clear that not only was it blocked by trub, but it was airlocked.
The collection jar which has only 4 oz capacity (118 ml) is far too small. It will accept any standard canning jar that isn't wide mouth, but 8 ounce is the largest that will fit under it in the stand, still too small. You cannot unscrew the canning jar to empty it without making a mess, so it is necessary to disconnect the coupler above it....... not a problem, just something to remember.
A taller stand is needed, and it should be C shaped so the fermenter may be lifted in and out without raising it over the top.
There is a threaded boss, presumably for a sample port, but no option offered for one, and tech support is singularly unhelpful, being slow to respond, and then failing to answer the questions I asked. For example I asked about the lack of a thermowell AND what was supposed to fit into the sample port and where to get it. They only answered that the had polled customers and found that they they didn't want a thermowell??? Really!!! And completely ignored the second question, and didn't respond to my second email. They also do NOT answer their tech support line EVER.
AS IT EXISTS, THIS IS AN UNSATISFACTORY PRODUCT TO THE POINT OF BEING "NON FUNCTIONAL" for practical purposes. The manufacturer has shown a contempt for it's customers by not addressing questions promptly and completely, and they have released what is essentially an untested product to the market. If they knew of the clogging problem the product should not have been released, if they didn't it should not have been released. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this.
Clearly the original worked very well, and the scaled up version did also. Scaling down did NOT work. The solution is simple. Use the same neck size and valve size as the original. Problem solved. It is however nearly impossible to recover from dissatisfied customers, particularly if you do not bother to address their concerns. It leaves a bad taste behind, and ill will, and obviously I will not have anything good to say about Fast Ferment. Word of mouth is your greatest asset.......... and your greatest potential liability in business. I speak from over 35 years of experience.
H.W.
I recently purchased a 2 gallon Fast Ferment, having good luck with the larger 5 gallon version. I was excited about it, as I like to brew small, and the size is ideal. Unfortunately it simply does not work. The problem cannot be corrected without a redesign. The trub settles ABOVE THE VALVE, and does not pass down into the collection jar. This renders the fermenter useless. The problem is simply that the opening and/or valve is too small. When I first poured the wort in, I removed a jar of hops trub. Since then the opening choked and all that went into the jar was clear wort. Last night I emptied the jar back into the top after closing the valve, reinstalled it, and opened the valve......... nothing at all came through. Today I probed down through with a piece of steel brake line (new and sanitized) and got it moving. It was very clear that not only was it blocked by trub, but it was airlocked.
The collection jar which has only 4 oz capacity (118 ml) is far too small. It will accept any standard canning jar that isn't wide mouth, but 8 ounce is the largest that will fit under it in the stand, still too small. You cannot unscrew the canning jar to empty it without making a mess, so it is necessary to disconnect the coupler above it....... not a problem, just something to remember.
A taller stand is needed, and it should be C shaped so the fermenter may be lifted in and out without raising it over the top.
There is a threaded boss, presumably for a sample port, but no option offered for one, and tech support is singularly unhelpful, being slow to respond, and then failing to answer the questions I asked. For example I asked about the lack of a thermowell AND what was supposed to fit into the sample port and where to get it. They only answered that the had polled customers and found that they they didn't want a thermowell??? Really!!! And completely ignored the second question, and didn't respond to my second email. They also do NOT answer their tech support line EVER.
AS IT EXISTS, THIS IS AN UNSATISFACTORY PRODUCT TO THE POINT OF BEING "NON FUNCTIONAL" for practical purposes. The manufacturer has shown a contempt for it's customers by not addressing questions promptly and completely, and they have released what is essentially an untested product to the market. If they knew of the clogging problem the product should not have been released, if they didn't it should not have been released. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this.
Clearly the original worked very well, and the scaled up version did also. Scaling down did NOT work. The solution is simple. Use the same neck size and valve size as the original. Problem solved. It is however nearly impossible to recover from dissatisfied customers, particularly if you do not bother to address their concerns. It leaves a bad taste behind, and ill will, and obviously I will not have anything good to say about Fast Ferment. Word of mouth is your greatest asset.......... and your greatest potential liability in business. I speak from over 35 years of experience.
H.W.
