SSBrewTech - SVBS

[bike2brew]

I saw this sale and after researching this went for the full Monty - SVBS with cube, Unitank 2.0 (7 gal), glycol chiller and various starter sets. Just got the 220 put in last week, cleaned everything and water tested it. First batch this weekend. Love ALL the comments and suggestions from everyone. Will save me a lot of learning curve. More time for BEER!

Congratulations. Brew cube, hop basket, and chiller make for a solid package. I had to order the casters under a different ticket because I failed to see how much they contributed to the complete package.

 

[bike2brew]

My set up

Sweet

 

[wepeeler]

Got it to dabble in Lagers. Also plan to use it to help get to pitching temp faster. Anyone have experience doing this with a chiller? I have an immersion chiller to get me down to 120 or so and then use this to take it to 65 fast

I try to get to 80 or under and then use the glycol to get to pitching temp. I don't like to push it harder than that. It's easier in the Winter when my ground water is very cold. I can get to under 70 in less than 10 min. Summer time can be trickier.

 

[bike2brew]

I use the IC with recirculating ice water to chill wort to pitching temperature before transfer to the fermenter. Once in the fermenter I use my cooler/ice pack FTS to control fermentation temperature. Not likely for me to maintain 52 degrees lager temperature but should be easy enough for the glycol based cooler. I like the Uni but don't have the footprint for it or the glycol chiller.

 

[jcech]

Well today was brew day with my new SS Brewtec SVBS and predictably it took longer than I had planned. When you're not use to all the automation and multiple valves and hoses, you make mistakes that cost time. A learning experience that will improve with use. In the end the equipment was a dream. Hit my OG and yield targets. Batch pitched and temperature holding nicely even in the 45 degree garage.

Pros:
Excellent control over boil up and temperature. Fast too at 220V
intuitive control screen with the FTs. More than I was expecting for such a small display.
The cube and arm are worth it. Right height and a needed sturdy flat surface to stage things.
Design on valving concept is brilliant. No need to take apart and easy to clean.
IC matched for the design was terrific. Very rapid T drop with just a garden hose
Fermenter is badass good. Sample port, thermo well, built in sparging port and integrated cooling plate chiller makes this so each to use.
SS Brewtec support

Cons:
Tricky 220 plug. Not a lot of room to grip locking ring.
Diffuser on recirculation was just a trickle under mask recirc conditions.
Trub screen blocked which restricted flow rate especially at the end. This might be because I double milled the grains in response to comments made about efficiency
Cleanup. This will be a learning experience. No amount of water or spray can remove small grains imbedded in the holes. Blasting on one side just puts it on the other side.
Watch out about unclamped loose hoses. They come off when you least expect it. Clamp everything

Lost about a gallon in the end because of the plugged plate. Will try single grind next time. Allow plenty of space. Lot of cables and hoses.

 

[bike2brew]

Can't remember if you also acquired the hop spider. That may help with the trub screen too. Among the best things I like was transferring the wort to my fermenter w/ the knock out pump, so no more lifting. Have fun brew often.

 

[jcech]

Can't remember if you also acquired the hop spider. That may help with the trub screen too. Among the best things I like was transferring the wort to my fermenter w/ the knock out pump, so no more lifting. Have fun brew often.

I did not buy a hop spider but had a bag that I forgot to use. Big mistake.
The knockout transfer is great. When I used it to pump sanitizer to the unitank, it was terrific. The initial wort transfer was good too until the screen blinded. That how I lost close to a gallon or wort. Will correct next time

 

[bike2brew]

My 2nd brew went better than my 1st, and 3rd better still. As I am transitioning from partial volume extract to full volume all grain I have been learning to allow for a more aggressive boil to hit OG with better boil off losses. It's a process but so far everything is linear, positive and tastes good.

 

[passedpawn]

I did not buy a hop spider but had a bag that I forgot to use. Big mistake.

That is why the trub blocker got clogged, not the double mill of the grains. I learned this the hard way. You must use a hop spider.

 

[passedpawn]

Cons:
Tricky 220 plug. Not a lot of room to grip locking ring.
Diffuser on recirculation was just a trickle under mask recirc conditions.
Trub screen blocked which restricted flow rate especially at the end. This might be because I double milled the grains in response to comments made about efficiency
Cleanup. This will be a learning experience. No amount of water or spray can remove small grains imbedded in the holes. Blasting on one side just puts it on the other side.
Watch out about unclamped loose hoses. They come off when you least expect it. Clamp everything

Lost about a gallon in the end because of the plugged plate. Will try single grind next time. Allow plenty of space. Lot of cables and hoses.

Make sure the rubber diffuser thingy isn't pressed all the way down. It only slides over the pipe about 1/2 inch, then you can feel the detent. Same for the metal plate that goes into the rubber thingy.

If you look above somewhere (here: SSBrewTech - SVBS), you can see the part numbers for some disconnects that you can wrench onto the barbs. This makes removing the hoses (cleaning, storage) a breeze.

I have never disconnected the power cord. I just wrap around the tank when done cleaning.

 

[bike2brew]

I painted marks on the male and female of the power cord to make connection easier.

 

[DuncB]

I painted marks on the male and female of the power cord to make connection easier.

Blue for the boy and pink for the girl?

 

[calandryll]

Brewed for the first time in almost a year, I forgot how awesome this system is.

 

[bike2brew]

Yes, its truly why would you consider anything else

 

[delcosansgluten]

im about to do my first brewday on the SVBS. Can anyone recommend hardware I need to pump wort from the SVBS to my CF5 fermenter?

 

[passedpawn]

im about to do my first brewday on the SVBS. Can anyone recommend hardware I need to pump wort from the SVBS to my CF5 fermenter?

It comes with a barb, so you'd want 1/2" silicone tubing. Slide it on the barb and fill up your fermentor.

I put a quick disconnect on my barb, so mine is different.

 

[jcech]

im about to do my first brewday on the SVBS. Can anyone recommend hardware I need to pump wort from the SVBS to my CF5 fermenter?

Hardware? All you need is tubing to connect the knockout port to the top of the fermenter. The internal pump in the SVBS does the transfer. Be sure to clamp the tubing and close the recirc and whirlpool knobs (they are not valves, just pinchers). The flow is fast even to elevated tanks.

 

[passedpawn]

Got mine dirty yesterday. 2 batches.

 

[passedpawn]

You can see the quick disconnect on the knockout port in the pic above. And right below that is evidence of a boilover - got distracted

 

[delcosansgluten]

Hardware? All you need is tubing to connect the knockout port to the top of the fermenter. The internal pump in the SVBS does the transfer. Be sure to clamp the tubing and close the recirc and whirlpool knobs (they are not valves, just pinchers). The flow is fast even to elevated tanks.

thank you, you can tell im new to the equipment.

 

[delcosansgluten]

You can see the quick disconnect on the knockout port in the pic above.

looks good, thanks for sharing!

 

[passedpawn]

thank you, you can tell im new to the equipment.

You might consider perusing this thread. You might finds some useful info. It's not too long.

 

[passedpawn]

looks good, thanks for sharing!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/ssbrewtech-svbs.704301/page-3#post-10253951

 

[delcosansgluten]

in terms of cleaning before first time use, the ss website says to wash using TSP. I've never used it before but ordered the powdered kind from Amazon. Is there anything about TSP I should be aware of before using? Is it just a stronger form of Star San?

 

[delcosansgluten]

also does anyone know if a steam condenser lid exists for this? my searches suggest not but you'd know more than me.

 

[passedpawn]

also does anyone know if a steam condenser lid exists for this? my searches suggest not but you'd know more than me.

I haven't seen one, but as i brew outdoors I never really look at those threads.

 

[passedpawn]

in terms of cleaning before first time use, the ss website says to wash using TSP. I've never used it before but ordered the powdered kind from Amazon. Is there anything about TSP I should be aware of before using? Is it just a stronger form of Star San?

TSP is VERY caustic. It can cause skin burns when diluted in high concentrations. I've used it a lot for cleaning things. Starsan is low pH (acid) TSP is high pH (alkaline).

As a strong alkali, TSP removes oils by turning them to soap. Literally - it's called saponification. Real soap is made the same way, but with Sodium Hydroxide (lye) as the strong alkali. After saponification, the oil becomes miscible in water and you can rinse it away.

Home depot carries powdered in paint dept, depending on your state - I think Calif carries some weak version of it without the phosphates. Even though I have it in the garage, I did not bother cleaning that way. I just did a test run with some water, drained that, and got to brewing. I'm still alive to tell the tale.

 

[coltr88]

also does anyone know if a steam condenser lid exists for this? my searches suggest not but you'd know more than me.

I bought the steam slayer from brew hardware, I cut a hole and did a weldless TC port. I just keep it capped when I'm not using it. I brew in my Houston garage and it was worth every penny to have that, especially in the summer. My boil off rate was about the same when I was at 75% power with an open lid with my new set point at 50%.

Ive been on a 8 month hiatus, brewing a Japanese lager and Orange Cream Milkshake IPA this weekend, ready to get that pipeline back up!

 

[passedpawn]

Note: do this at your own risk!

The SVBS halo element seems to be tolerant of a brief dryfire. I did it to quickly remove some crud (worked great), After, it's really important to tilt and spray those carbon flakes out with a hose. You don't want that stuff making its way into the pump tubing.

 

[passedpawn]

So, then I did suck a bunch of that black carbon krud into my pump.

I flipped the SVBS over There is a semi-circular plate secured with philips screwheads, which makes it easy to open and get to the tubing. looks like 1/2 silicone tubing and compression clamps, so pretty easy to get into tubing, remove obstruction, reassemble.

The rest of the panel is littered with a ton of security torx screws - I imagine few people have these (I do, pic below). It looks like some of those (probably around the peripheray) will need to be removed to replace the heating element - if that need arises some day.

Note in the pic you can see the pump and some Wago wire unions. Looks like a pretty clean build. One day I'll disassemble the whole thing and do a deeper dive.