Question on closed system transfer

[soccerdad]

I can't say that I am a LODO brewer, but I am slowly taking oxygen risks out as I can understand how and why. My latest effort is to move fermented beer from 6 gallon Better Bottle to purged keg. I have a paintball tank that I can use to get the gas in, and a small regulator that I can set to about 2psi. I use one of those orange all purpose carboy caps. .. gas goes in one tube and beer out the other via racking cane, beer line and liquid post to long dip tube in the keg. My question is about that orange cap not fitting the carboy as well as I would like. I can wrap my thumb and forefinger around the cap at the neck of the carboy, but even then I have an escape of gas if I'm not holding it just right .. plus I lose the use of that hand to adjust regulator or tend to anything unforeseen.

Have any of you done something like this? A closed system transfer from a Better Bottle? Is there a better cap?

 

[day_trippr]

Would a worm clamp work on a BB?

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

How do you purge your keg?

If your keg is 100% liquid pre-purged and you fill through the liquid out post without removing the lid, then yes, a closed transfer from your fermenter is the last essential link. Otherwise, a closed transfer is kinda moot, as there's still plenty of oxygen left in the keg.

 

[soccerdad]

How do you purge your keg?

Generally - 2 kegs at the ready. One On Deck with a Star San solution, one In The Hole, cleaned and awaiting Star San. Jumper cable with 2 liquid quick disconnects to move Star San from On Deck to In The Hole. Gas in to the keg being emptied is bled off (mix of gas and air at this point). Gas stays on for a minute after Star San is gone.

Is that what you are asking?

 

[soccerdad]

Would a worm clamp work on a BB?

I can give it a shot. I don't s'pose you ever used the purple cap on a Better Bottle ??

 

[day_trippr]

Sorry, no. Old school glass only

Cheers!

 

[soccerdad]

yeah .. glass would be less permeable, but I'm too old and feeble to be lifting it with beer in.

 

[IslandLizard]

Generally - 2 kegs at the ready. One On Deck with a Star San solution, one In The Hole, cleaned and awaiting Star San. Jumper cable with 2 liquid quick disconnects to move Star San from On Deck to In The Hole. Gas in to the keg being emptied is bled off (mix of gas and air at this point). Gas stays on for a minute after Star San is gone.

Is that what you are asking?

Fill the first keg all the way with Starsan, up to the rim, insert the lid. Push out a pint (into the 2nd keg or a bucket) and purge that pint of headspace 5 times. Then push the rest out into the 2nd keg. Let stand for 10 minutes and blow off any Starsan that accumulated on the bottom.*

Key is to leave the lid on after purging, so the keg is filled with (near) 100% CO2. Then fill with beer through the liquid out post. Either open the PRV to vent the CO2, or... better yet, connect the gas post to the gas-in teat on the carboy cap, replacing the volume of beer going out with CO2 from the keg.

Once the siphon has started, the beer should transfer by itself, pressure is not needed.

* The LoDO forum has better, more rigorous methods to eliminate even the last little bits of O2. Worth looking into at some point, once you get the hang of this.

 

[IslandLizard]

glass would be less permeable

Those PET carboys are quite O2 tight, much, much better than a plastic bucket, for example. Home brewers use the same PET carboys for long term aging, so that tells you something. Perhaps they are the next best thing, after glass, without the weight and the risk of shards.

I can give it a shot. I don't s'pose you ever used the purple cap on a Better Bottle ??

You should be able to seal the purple cap to the Better Bottle neck with a worm clamp. If not, maybe put a piece of rubber under it?

 

[jdauria]

I can give it a shot. I don't s'pose you ever used the purple cap on a Better Bottle ??

I use a worm clamp on Better Bottle with the orange cap, works like a charm.

 

[soccerdad]

I picked up a large clamp at Lowe's . Now need to make some beer

 

[Schlenkerla]

Would a worm clamp work on a BB?

View attachment 604767

Cheers!

That's what I did on all my carboys. Works great.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I can give it a shot. I don't s'pose you ever used the purple cap on a Better Bottle ??

I use orange caps on my BB with a worm clamp.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I just bought all the fittings for fermenter gas purging.

Mostly disconnects and hose barbs. Still waiting on Northern Brewer to deliver the barbs.

This is my plan.

Sanitize my keg, drain drip-dry upside down.

During fermentation....

Fermenter air lock hole is plugged with a bung fitted with a 90 barb. The barb is then connected to a hose and liquid out keg fitting. Fitting attached to liquid out.

The keg "gas in" will have another hose that's long enough to 2L bottle of water.

Fermenter co2 out : -------> keg liquid out.
Keg Gas in: -----> blow off bottle 3/4 full of water.

At racking time....

My fermenter will gravity fill in a closed transfer.

Fermenter drain valve is connected to keg liquid in. The keg gas out to the fermenter air lock bung.

Fermenter beer out: ------> Keg liquid out.
Keg gas in: -------> Fermenter air lock bung.


This is an image of the set but with carboys.
https://goo.gl/images/e6Kpm2

 

[SanPancho]

My rig is similar to daytrippr but on a plastic better bottle as well as round carboys. I put a john guest fitting on the racking cane to mate my hose to black qd for transfer.

For purging i simply put a jumper between the gas in and the liquid qd on my serving keg, then a tube out the gas qd to star san. If worried about blowoff i put spunding valve on instead, about 2psi is enough to keep the foam down.

 

[Schlenkerla]

My rig is similar to daytrippr but on a plastic better bottle as well as round carboys. I put a john guest fitting on the racking cane to mate my hose to black qd for transfer.

For purging i simply put a jumper between the gas in and the liquid qd on my serving keg, then a tube out the gas qd to star san. If worried about blowoff i put spunding valve on instead, about 2psi is enough to keep the foam down.

My transfer doesn't have too be perfect. When I switch from purge to fill I will spund so any oxygen pick up in the hose swap will be consumed by the active yeast during the spund period.