Sixth barrel secondary fermenter conversion

[llamafur]

Hello, my name is Ian. Back in high school I made "wine" with the crude 2 liter and balloon setup. Recently I've got back into the loop making my first batch of banana wine following Yoopers recipe Banana wine.
I'm a creative person, looking to make things instead of buying them. Almost everything I use is. I already have a primary fermenter but lacked the secondary one. Why not build one?

Welcome to my shop.

Here is my setup, it's in its infancy. The sixth barrel has banana wine in it, racked it yesterday.

 

[llamafur]

Now on to part two.

Here is an empty "keg" I got it from a friend who dumpster dives. This is what we'll be using to build the secondary fermenter.

Here is the end product.

Tools you will need.
Pipe cutter, pliers, flat blade screwdriver, metal shears, and a dremel with a sanding attachment.

First step, remove the spring clip that holds the stem in place, save it for use later.

It was a royal PIA to remove, my screwdriver kept slipping. Be careful, treat the screwdriver like a gun (eg keep you body parts out of the way, cause the screwdriver WILL slip.)

Here is the stem, keep this because you will be modding it in the next few steps.

Use your pipe cutter and cut between the indents and the stem fitting.

This is what you will end up with. Use your pliers to rip out the spring and that little dome plug.

 

[llamafur]

Now clean up the sharp edges from pipe cutting.

Remember that clip I told you to save. Cut it like this. There are two reasons to cut it: First removing it later easier resulting in less harm and frustration. Secondly the contents of this container won't be very high pressure, you're using an air lock right?

Sterilize the container and stem. Use the container as a carboy. The only downside is there is no window to see what's going on inside.

Perfect fit, now you've got a carboy with strong handles and it will survive being dropped or knocked over. It takes up less space and looks BA.

Happy Brewing from llamafur

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

Just an FYI, you can use an orange carboy hood and it fits right over the sanke neck with a little stretching... it would save you a lot of time rather than cutting the stem. I've used them that way for years.

 

[llamafur]

Just an FYI, you can use an orange carboy hood and it fits right over the sanke neck with a little stretching... it would save you a lot of time rather than cutting the stem. I've used them that way for years.

Thanks for the advise, ya learn something new everyday. This is why I joined this forum. Next time I'm at the home brew shop, I'll make a point of buying some. Cheers.

 

[JuanMoore]

Just an FYI, you can use an orange carboy hood and it fits right over the sanke neck with a little stretching... it would save you a lot of time rather than cutting the stem. I've used them that way for years.

+1
And if you leave the spear intact, you can get a sanke coupler to do pressurized fermentation, bulk carbonate naturally, transfer easily with co2, and even use it as a serving vessel. The spring style retaining rings can also be replaced with 2" snap rings to make taking it apart and putting it together super easy.

 

[elpresidente]

The spring style retaining rings can also be replaced with 2" snap rings to make taking it apart and putting it together super easy.

Can you tell me a little more about the "snap rings" you are talking about? I do hate trying to mess with those retaining rings...are they that much easier to deal with?

 

[JuanMoore]

Can you tell me a little more about the "snap rings" you are talking about? I do hate trying to mess with those retaining rings...are they that much easier to deal with?

Yep, those spiral type rings are a pain even with the proper tool for removing them. The snap rings are super quick and easy to put in and take out, but do require specific pliers. Here's what they look like- snap rings You'll want the internal type in the 2" size. They can often be found much cheaper from local sources like auto parts stores. If you don't own a pair of the pliers, they're usually on sale at harbor freight for under $5. snap ring pliers