SS Brewtech Unitank VS Spike Unitank

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This is on the SS Unitank?

Do you know exactly where the thermowell sits? 4.5, 4 etc.
Yes, on the SSB Unitank.
I haven't measured exactly but if I transfer when the thermowell is barely submerged I cannot quite fill a 5 gal keg so I would say somewhere between 4.5 and 4.7 or thereabouts.
 
Temp control won’t work for a 5 gallon batch in a 14 gallon Ssbrewtech unitank.
 
Sorry to strum this older post up, but not sure I fully agree with or understand the ability to do 5G batches. I have tried using this for other fermentation of ciders etc. one of the things I don’t like is the thermowell as you mentioned is at ~5.5 G level. This makes it really not feasible to do an actual 5G batch... Unless I’m missing something.

I’m curious where the thermowell placement is on the Brewtech unitank. If it’s below 5G level, it’s definitely a step ahead of the Spike CF10 in have.

I typically have about 5.5 to 6 gallons in mine--and I use a Tilt Hydrometer to monitor gravity and temperature. The thermowell always reports within a degree of the Tilt, often are the same.

The vast majority of my brews have been 5-gallons in the CF10. I have friends who want to buy that beer at commercial prices, and a local bar wants to sell it. I don't think that beer is taking any hurt being brewed in a CF10.
 
Temp control won’t work for a 5 gallon batch in a 14 gallon Ssbrewtech unitank.
It depends on what you want to achieve. I often serve the beer straight from the fermenter and I can mantain serving temps (between 8 and 10°C depending on style) until shortly before the thermowell is no longer submerged. I then transfer what's left and can almost fill a 5 gal keg. I don't think I would be able to crash the beer to near freezing temps though but I could certainly maintain fermentation temp both for ales as well as for lagers.
 
Temp control won’t work for a 5 gallon batch in a 14 gallon Ssbrewtech unitank.
Working here. Here's the 5 gallon mark on a 14 gal chronical.
 

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SS brewtech has told me you need at least 8 gallons for the cooling coil to in my 14 gallon unitank (haven't actually tried that yet). the heating side will work on a 5 gallon batch though
 
Working here. Here's the 5 gallon mark on a 14 gal chronical.


The reason that I say it won’t work is by what I consider temperature control. If it can’t control it across all ranges of temps that I frequently use, I say it doesn’t work. I cold crash every batch. Cold crash for me is 35 degrees.

I can cold crash year round to 35 degrees and maintain it.

As soon as I start kegging my beer and a few gallons have been removed from the unitank, my controller starts to eek up higher and higher. Without a full volume of beer touching the coil, it can’t maintain the temp.

Maybe my standards are too high to answer the question. If all you’re looking to do is maintain 65 degrees, you can do that pretty easy with less than 12 gallons in the fermenter. I’m not going to blanket say “it works” though. Someone else might read that they can lager with less volume.

I’ll put it this way. Any beer will have diminishing returns on how cold you can get it and maintain it for every gallon you have under 11-12 gallons. Your ambient temp and your desired fermentation temp will dictate the minimum volume you can have.

In my case, 12 gallons “works”.
 
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