Pumping out of an SS Brewtech bucket

[Barny]

Hi all,
I've switched over to SS Brewtech buckets for fermenting. Big step up from plastic buckets both with stainless and with the temp control add-on.

The one drawback over the more expensive alternatives is you can't pressure transfer (well, I know some have hacked it for that by drilling through the lid and someday I may go there...). I bottle some, but I primarily keg. For filling the keg I'm lifting the bucket up fairly high and doing a gravity feed into the keg. I'd love to leave the fermenter where it's sitting and pump into the keg instead both for my back and so that I don't have to remember to do it well in advance to allow the yeast to re-settle. However, the barb on the bucket is 3/8" as opposed to the pump standard 1/2". I've thought about doing a coupling to move up to 1/2" but a) I worry about trapped air bubbles and oxygenating all of the beer as it goes through and b) the coupling into the keg is the corny 3/8".

Should I just be looking for a pump with a 3/8" intake and outtake? I've read here and there that going down to 3/8" introduces cooling issues with the pump but I don't know that would matter for a simple 5 gallon transfer. Any gotchas to just doing a 3/8" pump or anything I'm missing?

 

[cactusgarrett]

I have a couple brew buckets, myself, but never tried pressure transfer. I've read/heard that the buckets can hold up to something like 2 or 3 psi - shouldn't that be enough to closed-transfer to a keg? You could bung up the airlock hole, and hook up gas via the 90 degree elbow attachment designed for blow off.

 

[TennBrewer]

I have a couple of BrewBuckets that I plan on using a pressure transfer with. Got the kit but haven't tried it yet. Here's a link to the info:
https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/e...zed-transfer-with-the-Brew-Bucket-s-flat-lid-

 

[Chorgey]

I have a SS Brewtech bucket and transfer without any drilling or pumps.

I follow the method recommended by @brewbama

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/what-i-did-for-beer-today.294038/page-393#post-8741999
Here is another post, with a pic

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...r-really-necessary.667423/page-2#post-8624387

 

[Barny]

I have a couple of BrewBuckets that I plan on using a pressure transfer with. Got the kit but haven't tried it yet. Here's a link to the info:
https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/e...zed-transfer-with-the-Brew-Bucket-s-flat-lid-

Let me know how it works out!

 

[matt_m]

The kit really isn't necessary. A piece of typical 1/2" ID silicon brewing hose fits snugly in the 17mm bung hole and will certainly hold 1-2PSI especially with a little keg lube. From there there's a number of ways to go. If you use MFL ball locks your local hardware probably has what you need to get from 1/4" flare to the 1/2" hose. Or if you want a quick connect, Brew Hardware has a 1/2NPT to gas ball lock. NPT Male, 1/2'' Ball Lock Gas. You could also punch a hole in the lid and permenantly install one of thee as you would a fitting in a kettle.

 

[sicktght311]

The kit really isn't necessary. A piece of typical 1/2" ID silicon brewing hose fits snugly in the 17mm bung hole and will certainly hold 1-2PSI especially with a little keg lube. From there there's a number of ways to go. If you use MFL ball locks your local hardware probably has what you need to get from 1/4" flare to the 1/2" hose. Or if you want a quick connect, Brew Hardware has a 1/2NPT to gas ball lock. NPT Male, 1/2'' Ball Lock Gas. You could also punch a hole in the lid and permenantly install one of thee as you would a fitting in a kettle.

this

I don’t know who told you brewbuckets can’t easily pressure transfer. I did it for a year

1/2” silicone snugly fits in the hole for the airlock, and actually sealed well enough for me that it held 2psi all through cold crash and then closed transfer.

 

[Skram]

I have the brew bucket mini. For a while my method for closed transfers was basically this:



Except I would put the hose from the CO2 tank directly into the silicon blow off tube. More recently I upgraded to this setup:

Blow off set up....

My first transfer with the new setup was pain free - I wish I would have upgraded sooner.

 

[Jtvann]

I've got a few old posts that are searchable with pictures of my setup. I drilled a 1.5 TC port in the lid and attached a blow off cane. That was also replaceable at the time of dry hopping with a pressure transfer barb.

Remove blow off, dry hop through the port, install pressure fitting. Attach directly to CO2 tank. Any pressure that is built wont be much and will vent. When time to cold crash, just give it enough pressure to not let the lid collapse. When ready to keg, attach to raking port and add about 2 psi. The lid will flex out. If it hisses, it's too much pressure. Never had any trouble with clogging, even doing naked dry hop neipas with up to 10 oz dry hop in a 6 gallon batch.

 

[Testuflo]

I have the brew bucket mini. For a while my method for closed transfers was basically this:



Except I would put the hose from the CO2 tank directly into the silicon blow off tube. More recently I upgraded to this setup:

Blow off set up....

My first transfer with the new setup was pain free - I wish I would have upgraded sooner.

Hi Skram, your link to the "Blow off set up..." doesn't work anymore. Could you update the link or explain here how you changed your setup?
Thanks,
Flo

 

[marc1]

Hi Skram, your link to the "Blow off set up..." doesn't work anymore. Could you update the link or explain here how you changed your setup?
Thanks,
Flo

The Wayback Machine has it:

https://web.archive.org/web/2023013...undrybrewing.com/2017/05/blow-off-set-up.html