Pressure Fermentation Help Needed

[The Hansa]

I am doing my first pressure fermentation in a corny keg today but I can not get a good read on how to do it... Do I leave the CO2 Tank on the whole time with pressure going through the regulated spunding valve or do I fill the keg with pressure, turn off the CO2 tank and then clamp the spunding valve shut?
PS: I have both a spunding valve and a PRV on my corny keg lid just to make it known that I am doing this safely

 

[FunkedOut]

Turn off the CO2.
The yeast will create more CO2 than you need.
Set the spunding valve to whatever pressure you want to ferment.
Try 15psi for your first go.

 

[The Hansa]

Turn off the CO2.
The yeast will create more CO2 than you need.
Set the spunding valve to whatever pressure you want to ferment.
Try 15psi for your first go.

Thanks... I ran CO2 through it for a few hours but turned it off because it came off as counter productive

 

[odie]

ditch the CO2. Don't even hook it up. Just fill the keg, pitch yeast and close the lid. You can fill it with a full 5 gal of wort and you will have enough headspace left over. Put a spunding valve on your gas post or change out the PRV to a low pressure one. Once the fermentation starts it will seat the lid o-ring. It will contain all the krausen...unless it's a hefe.

For a lager you can go with higher PSI. For an ale I would go lower on the PSI to let the yeast "express itself" so to speak.

A lot depends on what type of beer and what temps as to what might be a good PSI to use. But basically under pressure you can run higher ferm temps

 

[The Hansa]

ditch the CO2. Don't even hook it up. Just fill the keg, pitch yeast and close the lid. You can fill it with a full 5 gal of wort and you will have enough headspace left over. Put a spunding valve on your gas post or change out the PRV to a low pressure one. Once the fermentation starts it will seat the lid o-ring. It will contain all the krausen...unless it's a hefe.

For a lager you can go with higher PSI. For an ale I would go lower on the PSI to let the yeast "express itself" so to speak.

A lot depends on what type of beer and what temps as to what might be a good PSI to use. But basically under pressure you can run higher ferm temps

Thanks, This was my original idea but got confused with all the info out there

 

[Spikybits]

i would not put 5g into the keg. you will not have enough headspace depending on the yeast type - last thing you want is a bunch of blow off running through your spunding valve. i would recommend 4.5g max and use femcap if you are nervous. most of my ales are done between 5-10 PSI. you can bump the spunding valve PSI at the end to 15+ to naturally carbonate. FWIW i converted all of my 15 kegs to fermentors and serve from them directly.

 

[The Hansa]

i would not put 5g into the keg. you will not have enough headspace depending on the yeast type - last thing you want is a bunch of blow off running through your spunding valve. i would recommend 4.5g max and use femcap if you are nervous. most of my ales are done between 5-10 PSI. you can bump the spunding valve PSI at the end to 15+ to naturally carbonate. FWIW i converted all of my 15 kegs to fermentors and serve from them directly.

I want to naturally carbonate and I thought I could do it at 5 psi. Am I wrong?

 

[Spikybits]

I want to naturally carbonate and I thought I could do it at 5 psi. Am I wrong?

No because ambient temp affects the CO2 absorption - when you cool the keg to serving, it will be flat - i burst carbonate at 30psi for 2-4 days depending on* the style at serving temp - i do not roll or agitate the beer when carbonating

 

[marc1]

I want to naturally carbonate and I thought I could do it at 5 psi. Am I wrong?

You need to use pressure and temperature to get the volumes of carbonation desired, just like carbonating in a kegerator:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/forum/attachments/beer-carbonation-chart-jpg.5061/

 

[odie]

at fermentation temps you probably need to be in the 30 psi range to fully carb up. I wouldn't worry about getting fully carbed since your gonna be on CO2 when it's tapped anyway. It will finish carbing then since you should be close.

 

[odie]

i would not put 5g into the keg. you will not have enough headspace depending on the yeast type - last thing you want is a bunch of blow off running through your spunding valve. i would recommend 4.5g max and use femcap if you are nervous. most of my ales are done between 5-10 PSI. you can bump the spunding valve PSI at the end to 15+ to naturally carbonate. FWIW i converted all of my 15 kegs to fermentors and serve from them directly.

A 5 gal corny holds 5.5+ With a few PSI it's not gonna blow out your valve unless it's a hefe yeast. Those are known to be monsters.

I start all kegs with 10psi PRV valves and a full five gal and none of them blow...except the hefe. After a couple days I'll swap the PRV to a 30psi one and let it carb up and finish.

You could even just start with the red 30psi PRV valve and a spunding valve at 10psi and then remove the spunding valve after a couple days while it finishes up....UNESS it's a hefe.