Spike Conical- observations and best practices

[beervoid]

What I have found, that works well for me at least, has been to remove the elbow completely and similar to a few others go fermenter>valve>SG>valve>QD. This allows me to account for most situations.

If I dry hop, I’ll close the first valve (SG still filled) to allow better contact with beer instead of sitting in a SG. Once DH is done I’ll open it up and let the hops settle down into SG and continue dumping hops/yeast until I see beer at the top of the SG.

If I harvest yeast, I’ll dump trub and early floc’d yeast by connecting normal 1/2”ID tubing that’s 4’ or so to provide enough resistance to avoid the slow to explosive release that usually busts through the sediment bed. Once I’ve got a SG full of healthy yeast I’ll remove the tubing and go straight into a flask.

Taking that approach I don’t have issues clogging or worrying about the bubble going up through the fermenter. If on rare occasion I need to attach the SG after the fact I’ll purge it with CO2 beforehand. I’ve had my frustrations as many of you have as well, but once you find a good process it becomes easier to avoid the headaches and you know what to expect.

How many PSI top pressure do you have?
What diameter is the QD?

 

[FswBG]

How many PSI top pressure do you have?
What diameter is the QD?

Usually between 5 to 10 psi from spunding and 1/2” ID TC

 

[beervoid]

Does anyone here has any experience with these types of pressure relief valves?

I bought one which is rated 0 to 30psi. I've got it on my fermenter now which is sitting at 4psi pressure and screwed all the way down but it doesn't seem to start releasing anything.

 

[RCope]

That looks like the same mechanism of the SS Brewtech one that I have, accept mine has a reservoir around it so you can see bubbles. The way I do it is to unscrew it until it is loose, then tighten it down very slowly until the pressure you want reads on your gauge. You could unscrew yours until the pressure begins escaping, then adjust it to your desired spunding pressure. Screwed down all the way = no CO2 escape. Which is what I do when I cold crash.

 

[beervoid]

That looks like the same mechanism of the SS Brewtech one that I have, accept mine has a reservoir around it so you can see bubbles. The way I do it is to unscrew it until it is loose, then tighten it down very slowly until the pressure you want reads on your gauge. You could unscrew yours until the pressure begins escaping, then adjust it to your desired spunding pressure. Screwed down all the way = no CO2 escape. Which is what I do when I cold crash.

how much PSI is yours rated?
I unscrewed it all the way up but it did not release pressure at all.

 

[RCope]

The website doesn't say "pressure rating". I ferment around 5 psi after a few days with a blow-off. I don't naturally carbonate, but if I did, I think 15 psi is the max you'd want to go, especially since the Conical has a built in relief valve set at that level on the pressure gauge fitting. Maybe disassemble it and make sure the membrane is freely mobile? When it is loosened so that the spring puts no pressure on the membrane, gas should freely escape...

 

[beervoid]

The website doesn't say "pressure rating". I ferment around 5 psi after a few days with a blow-off. I don't naturally carbonate, but if I did, I think 15 psi is the max you'd want to go, especially since the Conical has a built in relief valve set at that level on the pressure gauge fitting. Maybe disassemble it and make sure the membrane is freely mobile? When it is loosened so that the spring puts no pressure on the membrane, gas should freely escape...

There are different models with different springs, I suspect mine that goes up to 30psi is not so precise when it comes to sub 10psi pressures perhaps

 

[RCope]

That, and it may be a completely different mechanism despite the similar appearance. I still think all spunding valves should release pressure when they are loosened completely...

 

[iandanielursino]

I had an issue when I first got my all in 1 prv and it was slowly leaking from the plunger that you push down to release pressure. I had to kinda mess with that plunger a little to get it to seal.

How did you know the plunger was causing a leak did it make noise?

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

How did you know the plunger was causing a leak did it make noise?

Yeah very slightly, and I basically just twisted it a little bit and that seemed to keep it from leaking. It was on my first batch using it and I took it all apart again after that batch and put it back together, seems to be fine now.

 

[Broothru]

I snagged one of the new Spike spunding valve combo rigs a year ago when they first came out. It has an integral pressure gauge and adjustable release pressure between 0-15 psig. The pressure relief has a built-in plunger that lets you immediately dump pressure manually, though it sprays water from the reservoir cup if you have to use it. There’s also a handy Gas-in Cornelius quick disconnect that lets you use bottled CO2 to pressurize the unitank.

I like it a lot (using on a fermenter right now) but wish I could set the PRV release point past 15 psig. My Unitank has a maximum rated operating pressure of 2+ BAR, and this spund was designed for Spike tanks rated to 1BAR or less. Otherwise, it’s a very nice piece of gear.

 

[Yesfan]

I snagged one of the new Spike spunding valve combo rigs a year ago when they first came out. It has an integral pressure gauge and adjustable release pressure between 0-15 psig. The pressure relief has a built-in plunger that lets you immediately dump pressure manually, though it sprays water from the reservoir cup if you have to use it. There’s also a handy Gas-in Cornelius quick disconnect that lets you use bottled CO2 to pressurize the unitank.

I like it a lot (using on a fermenter right now) but wish I could set the PRV release point past 15 psig. My Unitank has a maximum rated operating pressure of 2+ BAR, and this spund was designed for Spike tanks rated to 1BAR or less. Otherwise, it’s a very nice piece of gear.

Are the spunding valves like Spike's universal on the max prv release point (SS BrewTech, BruBuilt, etc)? I'd like to add that kind of spunding valve to my converted 15G corny.

 

[FswBG]

I had an issue when I first got my all in 1 prv and it was slowly leaking from the plunger that you push down to release pressure. I had to kinda mess with that plunger a little to get it to seal.

Has anyone else had this issue with the AIO PRV? I have/had the same problem with my first PRV from Spike, I could have the dial all the way closed for max pressure and would still see CO2 escaping through the spring/plunger and bubbling out the back of the cup of starsan. I emailed Spike and they sent me an exchange, but I still run into this issue every few batches. Even if I drain the starsan so that I can hit the plunger to attempt to reset, I then have to refill the cup and hook up CO2 to see if it's fixed which I have had no luck in doing so with it attached to the tank as of yet. Super frustrating...

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Yeah, so mine was good for a few batches and I thought I had it fixed, nope, most recent batch it leaked again.

 

[Broothru]

Are you leaking down to zero pressure differential? I’ve noticed that the pressure relief on mine begins to release at around 13.5 psig as opposed to the stated 15psi. The same thing happens with my Spike TC manifold device as well.

The weird thing is that both Spike devices are indicating 15 psig when they release. If I connect to bottled CO2 (I have 3 different tanks with 3 different brand regulators) with the regulator set at 15 psi, the Spike PRVs start to release at 13.5 psi as indicated on the non-Spike gauges.

I have also measured the keg/fermenter pressures with three different gauges/spunding valves and they all indicate 13.5 psi when the Spike devices release. Oddly, the Spike mounted gauges all indicate 14.5~15.0 psig when the PRVs release. There is a consistent 1.5 psig difference between the 2 Spike gauges and seven other pressure gauges I use. That includes the SS BrewTech gauge on my Unitank that is directly connected to the same blowoff pipe manifold as the Spike AIO spund/PRV.

For me, it hasn’t been a problem because when I cold crash, 13.5 psi is pretty close to the volumes of CO2 I want in my carbed beer at serving temperature. I just leave a CO2 bottle attached while crashing to maintain proper saturation.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

When mine leaks down it goes to 0 then I mess with with and eventually I get it to seal and it holds fine, I don't typically go that high though, usually 10 to 12 psi

 

[FswBG]

Are you leaking down to zero pressure differential? I’ve noticed that the pressure relief on mine begins to release at around 13.5 psig as opposed to the stated 15psi. The same thing happens with my Spike TC manifold device as well.

Yes it leaks all the way down to 0. When I set it for spunding I typically aim for 12psi so I haven't noticed how close it'll get to 1 bar for comparison.

 

[Broothru]

Yes it leaks all the way down to 0. When I set it for spunding I typically aim for 12psi so I haven't noticed how close it'll get to 1 bar for comparison.

Have you tried the old "soapy water/Star San spray" around every threaded or gasketed connection point? Or are you only seeing bubbles around water in the spunding cup? Maybe disassemble the plunger and apply some keg lube around the bottom where it seats against the housing, and also on the TC fitting and gasket. Try applying more teflon tape around the threading on the pressure gauge and Gas In post. Other than that, there aren't any other places where I can imagine a leak.

 

[Yesfan]

I got the Spike AIO not too long ago, so I guess I'll have to keep an eye on mine to see about this issue. I pressure tested it before I left on vacation to see how long it would hold 10psi. I got back a week later to see it reading 0, so at best case no more than 6 days.

Redoing the test to see how long it lasts. What I done was clamped it to a closed butterfly valve, then hit it with 10psi from my CO2 tank.

EDIT: Going back down for a beer refill, I see I've dropped 2psi since making this post.

EDIT: 10pm on 6/10 and the pressure is down to 2-3psi.

 

[Whalewang]

How are we cleaning the lid?
I can clean everything with pretty much just a sponge but the lid takes a a green scrubby to get off the caked on mess. How are you guys going it?

 

[Jag75]

How are we cleaning the lid?
I can clean everything with pretty much just a sponge but the lid takes a a green scrubby to get off the caked on mess. How are you guys going it?

I usually don't have any hard stuff to get off the lid. I'd be leary of using a green scrub pad .

 

[Whalewang]

I usually don't have any hard stuff to get off the lid. I'd be leary of using a green scrub pad .

Why should I be leery? Because it scratches the metal?

 

[Yesfan]

Why should I be leery? Because it scratches the metal?

Yep. I usually use the blue pads and I don't even like using them.

 

[Whalewang]

Is the concern that a micro scratch could cause an infection or ...?

 

[Jag75]

Is the concern that a micro scratch could cause an infection or ...?

Yes the scratches could harbor infections that might be missed .

 

[Yesfan]

Is the concern that a micro scratch could cause an infection or ...?

That and I'd also hate to ruin that polished finish as well, which makes them easy to clean. You can use the blue pads as they are not as abrasive, but I always just used a wash cloth and plenty of soap.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Don't use anything abrasive on those polished surfaces. After my CF10 is drained I remove the lid and put in a bus bin in the sink. I spray down the inside of the fermenter with hot water to remove the big chunks. After that I fill it with hot water a cleaner like PBW. I also use some of that solution to clean the lid. A wash cloth works or a soft bristle brush. Wash everything real good then drain and take all the fittings off then clean those. Rinse, dry, sanitize then reassemble.

 

[IDMaynard]

Green scrubby shouldn't cause micro scratches, since polymers are much softer than metals. I use a CIP ball to clean mine, but as Jag75 mentioned I don't get much on my life either.

 

[IDMaynard]

I got the Spike AIO not too long ago, so I guess I'll have to keep an eye on mine to see about this issue. I pressure tested it before I left on vacation to see how long it would hold 10psi. I got back a week later to see it reading 0, so at best case no more than 6 days.

Redoing the test to see how long it lasts. What I done was clamped it to a closed butterfly valve, then hit it with 10psi from my CO2 tank.

EDIT: Going back down for a beer refill, I see I've dropped 2psi since making this post.

EDIT: 10pm on 6/10 and the pressure is down to 2-3psi.

View attachment 822037

Check the CO2 post I found mine was only fiber tight.

 

[CDS]

How are we cleaning the lid?
I can clean everything with pretty much just a sponge but the lid takes a a green scrubby to get off the caked on mess. How are you guys going it?

Interesting. I have a CF10, but only ferment 5-gallon batches. Never had anything on the lid. What size is your fermenter, and how big are your batches?