I set mine up with the sample valve and the thermo-well switched. Clean samples.It’s in my to-do list
I set mine up with the sample valve and the thermo-well switched. Clean samples.It’s in my to-do list
Before Spike had the multi-port cover, the one port lid as you have, I built my own spunding set up. A 1/2" tee from a 1.5" TC. Straight up is a 1/4" cross fitting with the spunding items (gauge, adjustable PRV and a keg QD post). Also on the 1/2" tee is a small ball valve that I can attach a blow off tube. A picture would help if I had my phone with me - sorry.Let me add some other notes/questions.
First, not trying to discourage on this. I signed up for email notifications when available (spring '22). Since I have a one port lid could I.....
Use a tee on that port with a that spunding valve on top tee and from the side tee a blow-off cane>valve>blowoff tubing assembly? With that valve, is the blow-off cane assembly even needed (it looks cool on the pro brewer's conicals).
The best suggestion I have seen here is to just swap the thermowell and sample port. If you use the thermometer, then this might not work or may be less advantageous.Is anybody using a racking arm on their sample port? Any other strategy to get a clean sample out of that port?
Guess I should have refreshed. Needless to say, I agree.I set mine up with the sample valve and the thermo-well switched. Clean samples.
Use a tee on that port with a that spunding valve on top tee and from the side tee a blow-off cane>valve>blowoff tubing assembly? With that valve, is the blow-off cane assembly even needed (it looks cool on the pro brewer's conicals).
The best suggestion I have seen here is to just swap the thermowell and sample port. If you use the thermometer, then this might not work or may be less advantageous.
Guess I should have refreshed. Needless to say, I agree.
finally felt up to doing some testing on the cip today, Been down with the post-covid wuhan funk. I tried both pumps. a blichmann riptide and a generic mark vII or whatever it is. both were about the same and disappointing. i put the elbow on the sample port to run sanitizer back to the pump, pump up to the cip, pump sitting about a foot off the floor. i ran that for about 10 minutes each with the coil out and the 4" open. Cip was spinning but a lot of water was dumping out low, the sides were getting hit with a weak spray. the top 4" of sidewall in the cf10 and lid were pretty dry. i had to put my hand in about 4" to start feeling some intermittent drops. not sure if its an issue with the CIP, my pumps, or the setup.
- ok sounds good . I’ll look into that at HD . Itll give me something extra to do with the old 5G fermenting bucket. Lollikely a pump issue. i use a 1/3 hp sump pump from a big box store and that thing blasts. with your setup, a riptide is only going to get you maybe 5 gpm of flow. that sump pump is about 30 gpm.
- ok sounds good . I’ll look into that at HD . Itll give me something extra to do with the old 5G fermenting bucket. Lol
I built the same set up but for the bucket part I drilled 1" holes around the perimeter on bottom edge. The bucket then sits in my brewery sink filled with PBW and hot water. I use this setup mostly to clean kegs, but it could be adapter to the clean the fermenter too as you have noted. Works great with a utility pump but the 1/3 HP you have would work better with the fermenter 4"TC spray ball setup I bought. So many nifty things we build!i basically built this: Another DIY Keg/Fermenter Washer
it was built to clean kegs and carboys and while it still cleans kegs, easily adaptable to a conical. there is enough water blasting out the top of the pump discharge that i replaced that spray ball with a camlock connector, no impact on keg cleaning. so when cleaning the conical, i run a hose from the pump discharge to the spray ball on the conical lid, conical discharges into the bucket the pump sits in.
i also use the pump/bucket to clean my keezer lines (six faucets). take the faucets off and hook pump discharge to one of the faucet positions. jumper beer lines together in the keezer and remaining faucets on exterior so all the lines are in series. last connection drains into the sump pump bucket, easy recirculation of cleaner. there is enough resistance in all the tubing that the 1/3 hp pump doesn't overpower it.
Most are rated up to something like 120-125°F (basically hot tap water). They cannot withstand heat anywhere near what a Chugger/March/Blichmann can.Not sure how they handle hot water but we’re going to find out in two days
Hmm. Could pump in to fermenter around 150 and dump heavy debris. Open drain to sump bucket when gets down to 125. That should be warm enough to have a good cleaning circulation with pbwMost are rated up to something like 120-125°F (basically hot tap water). They cannot withstand heat anywhere near what a Chugger/March/Blichmann can.
Temperature is an issue with the 1/3 HP pumps. I press mine to about 135F, but not more than that. I run 180+F PBW through a Riptide for 20+ mins., to get the heavy stuff out, then replace fluid to a new 135F batch and use the high volume sump pump for another 20+ minutes. I also remove the coil, to reduce the potential for blind spots. and clean that by hand in the bucket. This process seems to work pretty well.Most are rated up to something like 120-125°F (basically hot tap water). They cannot withstand heat anywhere near what a Chugger/March/Blichmann can.
I found a decent looking sump pump 1/4hp 30gpm with no float shutoff. Thats probably 5-6x what I have now. Should work well. Not sure how they handle hot water but we’re going to find out in two days
The CIP ball really does not tolerate solids much at all. I get the solids out with a hose and tap water. I'm using a 1/3 hp sump pump and keep my cleaning solution at 125-130F. I just run it longer than I might be able to if the solution was much hotter. The lid comes off every time and gets cleaned by hand in a sink with warm water and a soft sponge. Then it gets put back on and run through the cleaning cycle.
that is starting to sound more appealing at least for the initial clean. i mean youre going to remove the lid anyway and clean the accessories. fill with 1-2G water/cleaner, quick sponge wipe to get the crud out. drain. sounds pretty easy. It also seems like the cip ball just doesn't work that well. not sure its worth it to make it work. would it be less hassle to just do as OIB mentions above and do similar for the sanitizing, pour some in and wipe?Not to side-step the pump/CIP cleaning of the Spike fermenter but why not just clean it up by removing the lid and flushing out the big chunks to drain from the bottom. My fermenter sits near the brew sink. After a brew I dump any residuals into a bucket then remove the fermenter lid and flush it out with a hose connected to the sink. After that I fill the fermenter with hot water and PBW then clean the inside manually. After I drain the fermenter, I remove everything from the body and clean those. After everything is clean and dry I spray every part with sanitize then reassembly everything. Yeah, it's the old fashion way but I like to make sure every nook and cranny is clean. It only takes a speak of crap to ruin a batch of beer. But, whatever way works for the masses, no wrong way to keep everything clean.
Not to side-step the pump/CIP cleaning of the Spike fermenter but why not just clean it up by removing the lid and flushing out the big chunks to drain from the bottom. My fermenter sits near the brew sink. After a brew I dump any residuals into a bucket then remove the fermenter lid and flush it out with a hose connected to the sink. After that I fill the fermenter with hot water and PBW then clean the inside manually. After I drain the fermenter, I remove everything from the body and clean those. After everything is clean and dry I spray every part with sanitize then reassembly everything. Yeah, it's the old fashion way but I like to make sure every nook and cranny is clean. It only takes a speak of crap to ruin a batch of beer. But, whatever way works for the masses, no wrong way to keep everything clean.
that is starting to sound more appealing at least for the initial clean. i mean youre going to remove the lid anyway and clean the accessories. fill with 1-2G water/cleaner, quick sponge wipe to get the crud out. drain. sounds pretty easy. It also seems like the cip ball just doesn't work that well. not sure its worth it to make it work. would it be less hassle to just do as OIB mentions above and do similar for the sanitizing, pour some in and wipe?
@eric19312 @WESBREW
I also ordered those dip tubes from Bobby.
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I bought these initially for when I upgrade to some new kettles. I may give them a test run and see how they perform in a conical/Flex.
Mind if I ask what the O.D. of the pickup tubes is? I'm thinking those are the ones with the friction seal O-rings. I've been looking at the to fit the drain port of a Braumeister 20L all-in-one. Clearance around the heating elements in the pot looks to be adequate as long as I can get a good seal between the dip tube and inside wall of the drain port.
What exactly you ordered from spike may also sway you one way or another. If you ordered the entire package, you’ll have a controller and extra pump in the mix. In that boat, I’d strongly consider ignoring the built in pump and just use the spike pump for simplicity’s sake. The pumps spike sells are perfectly good. You might also want to take a look at yet another controller even though it feels like a waste to bring another controller into play. I cannot count how many times I’ve used the WiFi control of my Inkbird WiFi controllers. It seemed like a silly upgrade when I bought them, but it’s been quite handy to ramp ferm temp while out of town or from work. They are constantly going on sale on Amazon. I think they are a good deal when they can be had for under $40.
Absolutely, and thanks. It's probably going to be too large. Most of the dimensions and fittings are metric, but I'll probably order one to see if it's at least close. I have a threaded TC fitting on the opposite side (outside of the BV drain port) with a butterfly valve, so the fitting doesn't need to be totally 'liquid tight' to work. Any minor seepage around the dip tube would be contained by the TC fittings. All I really need is for the dip tube to remain inserted in the port and not rotate freely. Hope @Bobby_M accepts returns.I don't mind at all. If you're talking about the tube itself, around 1". The flange part that has the O-rings that the tube is pressed into looks to be around 1-7/16". They fit pretty snug in my Flex+ ports. Hope this helps.
Absolutely, and thanks. It's probably going to be too large. Most of the dimensions and fittings are metric, but I'll probably order one to see if it's at least close. I have a threaded TC fitting on the opposite side (outside of the BV drain port) with a butterfly valve, so the fitting doesn't need to be totally 'liquid tight' to work. Any minor seepage around the dip tube would be contained by the TC fittings. All I really need is for the dip tube to remain inserted in the port and not rotate freely. Hope @Bobby_M accepts returns.
Hey, Bobby.
this is good explanation of my problem. That port being aimed up like it is just collects a lot of yeast. Not an issue i guess if you are looking to get a gravity sample but I was hoping to see the beer drop clear. Might be the yeast ... I normally brew with US-05 (new packs or harvested) and haven't had as much issue with that yeast. This batch I used LalBrew Verdant which is supposed to be a dry version of WY1318. Was not looking for a hazy beer. Was aiming for this: Brighid's Irish Red Ale
and frankly the sample tastes good, beer tastes done, but it looks horrible. Really hoping it is issue with the sample port. Guess I will keg it and see what I get.
--I hope that push in pick up tube works out. i decided to return the CIP as it wasn't quite working for me. Since they gave me a refund, went on and ordered another racking tube from them for the sample port.Not to side-step the pump/CIP cleaning of the Spike fermenter but why not just clean it up by removing the lid and flushing out the big chunks to drain from the bottom. My fermenter sits near the brew sink. After a brew I dump any residuals into a bucket then remove the fermenter lid and flush it out with a hose connected to the sink. After that I fill the fermenter with hot water and PBW then clean the inside manually. After I drain the fermenter, I remove everything from the body and clean those. After everything is clean and dry I spray every part with sanitize then reassembly everything. Yeah, it's the old fashion way but I like to make sure every nook and cranny is clean. It only takes a speak of crap to ruin a batch of beer. But, whatever way works for the masses, no wrong way to keep everything clean.
We both tried other ways to clean the CF10, but cleaning it manually isn't so bad and really doesn't take that much time as you have found out. Like I mentioned I use one of those plastic spongy things or a wash rag and it does the job just fine. After dismantling everything I can visually check all of the valves, elbows and any other fittings. I use a spray bottle with sanitizer to spray everything down before reassembling. After it's all put back together, I open all of the valves and spray it down again till it drips out then close it up till brew day. On brew day I circulate sanitizer through the fermenter, chill coil, pump and all connected tubing. Standard practice and it works fine for my brewery. Let me know how that "push in pickup tube" works for you.--I hope that push in pick up tube works out. i decided to return the CIP as it wasn't quite working for me. Since they gave me a refund, went on and ordered another racking tube from them for the sample port.
--I couldn't get the CIP to work well enough with my brew pumps. I tried a sump pump which worked much better but kind of creates other issues. i didn't want to have all that in the house for the CIP ball.
Decided to do similar to what you describe to keep things simple. they are getting too complex.lol. bought a longer SS water hose and metal spray nozzle to go from the CF10 to the brew sink. i'll just manually CIP with hose and sponge. Its hands on but i can do that in 10 minutes while soaking lid/coil and parts in the sink. I can run really hot water to the tank from the HLT if needed and can adapt the hose to go from the HLT to the CF10 to spray it down with sanitizer. Sponge method might be good enough though. thats the plan anyway
To be honest even with the pump the agitation created by the ball is underwhelming. I'm currently pushing the cleaning solution up a 60" in a silicone tube (1/2 ID) to an elbow barb leading into the CIP ball. I'm thinking to swap that for a 60" x 1.5" PVC tube before reducing to the half inch silicone tube for last 6" or so. Any pump experts out there think that would help me get more pressure to the CIP ball?
I believe it is accurate to believe the fermenter manifold pressure reading is the actual pressure within the tolerance of the gage. Carbonation levels take 12-24 hours to equalize for the Spike carbonation stone. I have seen the fermenter gage reading approach the carb stone input pressure soon after connecting, however after a day the fermenter gage values for my stone are typically ~3 PSI less than the pressure input to the stone.Spike states the wetting pressure of their carb stone is 4psi in their process guide. In my experience, it seems to be 1psi or less. If I set my regulator to 13psi, in about 10 minutes the gauge on the their pressure manifold will read 12.5psi. Is it accurate to think that what the gauge on the manifold is reading is the actual pressure?
The beautiful look of stainless steel - great picture!Shot from the top with racking added to the sample valve port. All good and the price from spike is really good. No noticeable weight added to front of conical. A lot of it is inside
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I no longer use my sight glass so my dry hopper will fit in my fridge...I did my first hop rousing yesterday morning after dryhopping a neipa in my cf15. Once in the morning and once in the evening about 10 hours apart. I did my dry hop in 2 stages this time splitting the total amount in half and did 1 addition tuesday morning and the second addition Wednesday morning. My set up on the bottom of the cf15 is sight glass, butterfly, 90° elbow, butterfly, gas post. So I didn't have the elbow on during fermentation and didn't want to push the oxygen that would be in it into the fermenter, so I hooked the gas post to it at about 5psi, loosened the tri clamp at the top of the elbow and purged it the best I could then tightened the clamp... any thoughts on this or are you all keeping the elbow in place with the butterfly on the bottom of it and fill it on brewday when you fill the fermenter?
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