PVC Pipe -- Friendly or No?

[Revvy]

A three year gap between posts? This has gotta be a record.

I always find it amazing that some new people on here can dig up ancient threads like this....

and other's can't/won't search, let's say for info on Better bottles vs glass, or whether or not their beer is ruined...


I commend Straydog on his search abilities or his persistence!!!!

 

[llazy_llama]

Good point. Rezzing a dead thread is better than starting the 5,000,000th "OMG DO I DUMP THIS BEER?" panic thread.

/salute Straydog

 

[TexasStu]

I would think this concept a good one if using the right type of plastic. Probably not as inexpensive but for some space is in higher demand than $$$, right?
I really like the plastic they use in the Coopers fermenters I have. Reminds me of the acid-resistant varieties I used (decades ago) making integrated ciruits for Fairchild.

I think I would want some better way to take off the 'end-caps' tho than try to wrestle a 4-5 foot tall tube filled with wort! Although.. if top bunghole was accessible and it had a spout added and perhaps a floor-drain... hmmm. I could imagine a 'wall' of these things.

Could you envision a room with a brew rig piped to multiple fermenters and auto-magically HERMS batches, filling menu-driven-selected fermenters, transferring select ones to secondaries (after so many days/weeks) and automating all but the adding of ingredients or bottling/kegging the secondaries? Who says this kind of imagining is a bad thing?
Certainly passes the time when waiting for a bus/train/plane!

 

[llazy_llama]

Although.. if top bunghole was accessible...

Heh.

But yeah, assuming the PVC or CPVC is determined to be safe, I can imagine an entire garage setup of fermenters. You could set up 5 or so, with airlocks built in, and with holes drilled for spigots. Maybe build a small shelf above that and have another row... We could get really creative with this.

"Oh, of course, Mr. BATF agent. I would -never- brew more than 200 gallons a year. I only use this setup once a year, I swear."

Now if only I owned my house and could actually do things like this.

 

[GreenMan]

Has anyone actually tried this?

Is there a way to test your beer to see if any of these plastics have been leached into it?

 

[Figbash]

PVC is fine for food/water as long as it's at room temperature, but why would you want to use it as a fermentor? Food grade polyethylene buckets are cheap and work great.

Tom

 

[NJTomatoguy]

CPVC is approved for hot and cold water use in NJ, and not generally accepted here. I was doing commercial new construction plumbing, building a senior housing bldg, and the inspector failed us and shut down the job.

Rigid PVC-SCH 40 can hold pressure, but is not intended for food use.

 

[GreenMan]

PVC is fine for food/water as long as it's at room temperature, but why would you want to use it as a fermentor? Food grade polyethylene buckets are cheap and work great.

Tom

To be able to fit more in a given amount of floor space. Also you could make 6" by 4.5' pipe or a 8" by 2.5' pipe much more attractive looking then a bucket.

I might try looking for HDPE piping rather then PVC just to be on the save side of the leaching plastics.

 

[Bobby_M]

IMHO, it was a stupid idea in 2006 and still is today. I call it opinion longevity.

The surplus of more appropriate and much cheaper options just make it impractical. You can find used/recycled HDPE open and closed head barrels in all kinds of sizes. You can get HDPE buckets from restaurants. You can ferment in Sankees or better bottles or glass.

Even if you discount the 6 or 8" pipe cost (let's say you found some), The price of two end caps ($16/ea) is far more than the cost of a better bottle. The joint where you'd cement them together is also a great spot for bugs to thrive.

 

[missing link]

what about the ideal height to width ratio for a fermenter? Isn't a narrow column going to create a lot of pressure on the yeast?

Linc