Steve's Conical Fermenter thread

[ThorGodOfThunder]

I don't have any parts yet, but they are ordered, and I want to get input as I build this thing.

I ordered one of these:
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=9645&catid=958

Its a 5-gal square conical tank with an 8" lid and a 1-1/4" FPT outlet. Its polyethylene, which is about the best kind of plastic to use with food. The chemical sheet shows that it is resistant to anything beer or cider (what I'll primarily use it for) will produce. I'm a little concerned about oxygen permeability, but it should be negligible.

The first thing I'll do is build a stand for it, then make sure the lid is airtight then fit it for an airlock. I'll have to see if my welding skills aren't too rusty and make a stand out of some scrap metal I have laying around.

I'll be adding a ball valve and sediment reservoir to the bottom so I can easily discard trub and whatnot. I'll probably go with pvc since the surface area will be small and at the (relatively) low temps it shouldn't impart any flavor.

I'll post pics of my project as I progress, but I'd love to hear input and suggestions.

 

[ThorGodOfThunder]

The company I bought this from took so long to ship this out that I forgot about this thread :/

Unfortunately the build is complete and I forgot to take pics along the way.

I built a quick frame out of some scrap mahogany I had laying around. The boards were pretty warped, but at the small lengths it wasn't a problem.



I didn't want to drill holes in my tank just in case something went wrong. So I decided to put my drain in the side of the ball valve. Its tough to tap threads into pvc since it is so soft. You have to just barely get the tap through the material so you don't go too far and make the fitting loose.

When I close off the bottom ball valve I'll be able to pull all but 1" (about 1/8 cup) from the bottom of my tank without having to siphon or so any actual work at all.



The lid is not air tight. A big bead of food safe silicone solves this problem. It doesn't stick to plastic very well, so it can be removed easily enough to clean thoroughly if I fell like I need to.



Top-down view. Its hard to see, but there was a small lip where the threads started at the bottom of the tank. I took a razor blade and carefully trimmed it down smooth. It helps to make sure I get as much sediment out of the tank as possible.



I need to seal up the thread-on lid with a giant o-ring (which I'll get at work today) then I'm set. I haven't used it yet, but I plan on starting a batch of Skeeter Pee pretty soon so I'll try to post updates.

 

[robbyhicks]

Looks good man! Ill be interested in hearing how it works

 

[nosnhojm20]

Very interesting. Where will it live? Temp regulated fridge?

 

[rick689]

Hi Steve
I was just reading through threads and saw your fermenter. how did the square shape workout? Are you able to get most your yeast? or does it build up on the flat?
I just bought one and did not realize the bottom had the 4 inch flat. Just curious if it became a issue.

 

[ThorGodOfThunder]

So I forgot all about this thread.

It actually works really well. There can be a little bit of yeast accumulation on the tapered part, but a gentle swirl gets it moving and 99% of the trub gets to the chamber at the bottom. Anything that sits on the flat at the bottom where the thread starts mostly just stays there. It drains slowly enough that it won't stir up anything that is on that little ledge.

I just keep it in my basement where ferment everything. Temp stays consistent enough, but if I needed to lager (I have no plans to), this would easily fit in a fridge.