Super Simple 15G Plastic Conical

[l3asturd]

Are folks getting the 1 1/2 FPT or 2 MPT? Any concern about the threaded piece internal on the FPT?

Might have to make a FAQ for this thread Go with 1 1/2" full drain. It is a better option because there is less grooves and such for stuff to get stuck in. Also, fittings, if you go stainless, are MUCH cheaper for 1 1/2".

 

[funkapottomous]

I'm on my mobile right now so sorry if this has been answered already.


How important is the weather stripping/addidng your own airlock stuff? It seems like the lid being the way it is would work well enough keeping air out. Especially if your only going to do say, ten gallon batches, it seems like the leftover headspace would be more than enough fpr the carbon dioxide.

Just wondering as I'm planning on getting my frame built in the next few days and have some beer that needs to get racked over.

 

[allclene]

I think its a matter of preference really. I prefer a positive pressure airlock to insure no added bacteria etc. Others feel that the leaky lid is sufficient for most brewing from what ive read on this blog. I have noticed that with the air tight seal and airlock my brew has better carbonation retention than i was getting before i got the conical. And i find it easier to push beer out of it into keg reducing further contamination risks. All in all i like the airtight version better than non airtight option. Is there any other opinions on this matter out there?

 

[sebring96hbg]

I totally duplicated allclene's method and it works nicely. The D type weatherstripping is better than the ribbed for achieving a seal. I used the DAP food safe silicone to seal the inner and outer edge of the weatherstripping.

I think I can now feel more comfortable using it for wine as well where I can have a blanket of argon at ~1 PSI using a secondary regulator or a low pressure propane regulator.

 

[cscade]

When I ordered mine, a INFD015SWSS 1.5" FPT Full Drain model (ordered via Rural King, drop shipped from Den Hartog), I spent a lot of time evaluating it as a sane fermenter. I ended up deciding that sealing it was pointless due to the design of the moulding.

I removed the screws and inset ring (black), and then used a razor knife and a lot of arm control and force to carve out the excess thin moulding at the top into a smooth opening. I cleaned up the screw holes so that there were no dangling bits of plastic. I then screwed the lid into the inset ring and was done. The inset ring has a smooth form, and the moulding it seats into provides a double ledge for a good gravity seal. The positive pressure of fermentation is more than enough to keep the inside sanitary.

So in my case, the lid is more like a "cap" since it just sets in. I do not unscrew it. I have reduced the overall surface area that could harbor contamination (the screws, stainless or not), and the only thing I lose is the ability to pressure transfer.

Not saying sealing it is a bad idea, it's just simply not necessary with this design. Works great!

 

[sebring96hbg]

Linked is a video showing my batch of porter destined for a plastic firkin (purchased at UK Brewing) enjoying a closed fermentation after having applied an airtight seal to the lid assembly.

Please pardon the low production values and voice talent.

http://s1145.photobucket.com/albums/o520/randomzymurgist/?action=view&current=e0a71a4b.mp4

 

[HellBentBrewCo]

Ok guys i broke cardenal rule and opened my conical for a pic so here you go.
1. Remove screws by hand that hold the lid ring on.
2. Put a ring of the rubber "D" shaped weatherstrip around flat surface as close to inner wall as posible. If you did this right you should still see part of the holes for the screws.
3. Use silicone and run a descent bead around lip next to weatherstrip covering screw holes with it.
4. Set ring into place and hand screw your screws back in. Do not use screw gun you will strip the holes out.
5. Use finger and smooth off acess around outside that squished out from the lip.
6. Put 2 seperate rings of weatherstrip around contact surface of lid be sure to put seams 180 degrees out from each other for better seal


7. screw lid on as tight as you can and let sit for a day to compress it a bit. I used a long screwdriver between lid handles to tighten it with
8. Attach your hardware to your conical for racking and air lock etc. I use a bucket with water and a hose from the top for airlock
See pics for parts etc.

I sealed mine up today using this method. Worked perfect. Now what is everyone doing for a fermentation chamber? I want to put this in my garage but it's going to take up a lot of space (because I want two of them). I'm thinking of using an air conditioner and a few reptile heaters to hold temperature, thoughts?

 

[FSR402]

I sealed mine up today using this method. Worked perfect. Now what is everyone doing for a fermentation chamber? I want to put this in my garage but it's going to take up a lot of space (because I want two of them). I'm thinking of using an air conditioner and a few reptile heaters to hold temperature, thoughts?

I have a 24x24 barn that's insulated and I just keep it at 60* in there.

 

[whis121surfing]

Tri Clover connections on my 15 gal conical fermenter.
This is prob a little more expensive using the TriClover connections but I chose them for 3 reasons.

1. THEY LOOK SWEET!
2. Super easy to work with and clean.
3. Very sanitary.

Derrin from BrewersHardware.com was great helping me out with my order. Below is the list of items I got.

Induction tank I bought: http://www.ruralking.com/15-gal-full-drain-inductor.html
• Fitting on tank- 1 1/2" FPT BOSS $61.00 with FREESHIP

Brewershardware.com items
SKU / Product Item / price / Quantity / Total
TC15M15 1"/1.5" Tri Clover X 1.5" Male NPT $19.00 2 =$38.00
TC15CAP 1"/1.5" Tri Clover Cap $3.00 2 =$6.00
TC15CLAMP 1"/1.5" Tri Clover Clamp $6.00 4 =$24.00
TC15VBFVPT 1.5" Tri Clover Butterfly Valve - Pull Trigger $51.00 1 =$51.00
TC15GASSIL 1.5" Tri Clover Gasket Silicone $1.25 5 =$6.25
TC15SG 1.5" Tri Clover Sight Glass $54.00 1 =$54.00
Subtotal: $179.25
Shipping cost: $14.95

Total: $194.20 + $61(for induction tank)= $255.20

Racking Arm is next once I get some more fun money.

 

[Old_mil_guy]

I'd like to see this. The tri clover sounds nice.

Tri Clover connections on my 15 gal conical fermenter.
This is prob a little more expensive using the TriClover connections but I chose them for 3 reasons.

1. THEY LOOK SWEET!
2. Super easy to work with and clean.
3. Very sanitary.

Derrin from BrewersHardware.com was great helping me out with my order. Below is the list of items I got.

Induction tank I bought: http://www.ruralking.com/15-gal-full-drain-inductor.html
• Fitting on tank- 1 1/2" FPT BOSS $61.00 with FREESHIP

Brewershardware.com items
SKU / Product Item / price / Quantity / Total
TC15M15 1"/1.5" Tri Clover X 1.5" Male NPT $19.00 2 =$38.00
TC15CAP 1"/1.5" Tri Clover Cap $3.00 2 =$6.00
TC15CLAMP 1"/1.5" Tri Clover Clamp $6.00 4 =$24.00
TC15VBFVPT 1.5" Tri Clover Butterfly Valve - Pull Trigger $51.00 1 =$51.00
TC15GASSIL 1.5" Tri Clover Gasket Silicone $1.25 5 =$6.25
TC15SG 1.5" Tri Clover Sight Glass $54.00 1 =$54.00
Subtotal: $179.25
Shipping cost: $14.95

Total: $194.20 + $61(for induction tank)= $255.20

Racking Arm is next once I get some more fun money.

 

[whis121surfing]

All I have with me is the picture of the parts I got. I will upload some more once the setup is complete.

1. The sight glass will collect the trub in the first 24 hours.
2. Close the butterfly valve and disconnect the sight glass to dump the trub.
3. Clean and sanitize the sight glass to reattach and open the butterfly valve within that first 24 hours so the air that flows up won't harm the beer since the yeast will just be starting the exponential growth phase.
4. Once the yeast floc out you will see pure yeast collecting in the sight glass.

Until I get the cash for the racking arm setup I am going to siphon. Budgets..... you got to love em.

 

[iandh]

Can some post the dimensions of the Ace 15 Gallon Full Drain Tank when in the stand being sold?


http://www.ruralking.com/15-gal-full-drain-inductor.html
http://www.ruralking.com/agricultur...uctor-tanks/15-gal-inductor-stand-for-fd.html

Sorry if I missed this in the previous pages.

 

[chuckjaxfl]

All I have with me is the picture of the parts I got. I will upload some more once the setup is complete.

1. The sight glass will collect the trub in the first 24 hours.
2. Close the butterfly valve and disconnect the sight glass to dump the trub.
3. Clean and sanitize the sight glass to reattach and open the butterfly valve within that first 24 hours so the air that flows up won't harm the beer since the yeast will just be starting the exponential growth phase.
4. Once the yeast floc out you will see pure yeast collecting in the sight glass.

Until I get the cash for the racking arm setup I am going to siphon. Budgets..... you got to love em.

I haven't got the conical yet, but your setup here is pretty much the route I intend to take... except I don't want to do drill for a racking arm at all.

I want to take this tri clover and add this adapter and keg post.

It seems you could just slap that on there when you remove the sight glass full of yeast, open the butteryfly, and then go from ball-lock fitting to ball-lock fitting right into your keg. No drilling, no leaking racking hole, easier to clean than some of racking arms I've seen on here.

So... it would be really cool if someone would spend the $40 to guinea-pig my idea for me!

 

[luhrks]

Have to admit, I'm not real keen on the idea of the yeast catcher. With the enclosed yeast catcher container there is basically a quart of air that has to be displaced, and the only place for it to go is back up into the fermentor. Seems like just sticking a pitcher under the outlet would be better from an oxygen contact with the beer perspective. Yes, you will have to let some air in the top while drawing out the yeast but the relatively heavier CO2 in the headspace will mostly keep it away. letting it bubble up through the beer seems ... undesirable.

You leave the valve open when you fill the fermenter, close it to disconnect, and then you're done. No air displacement.

 

[SpottedDogBrewing]

Have to admit, I'm not real keen on the idea of the yeast catcher. With the enclosed yeast catcher container there is basically a quart of air that has to be displaced, and the only place for it to go is back up into the fermentor. Seems like just sticking a pitcher under the outlet would be better from an oxygen contact with the beer perspective. Yes, you will have to let some air in the top while drawing out the yeast but the relatively heavier CO2 in the headspace will mostly keep it away. letting it bubble up through the beer seems ... undesirable.

you could definatly put a gas in and pressure release on the catcher. fill it up with co2 and bleed out the air before you open the ball valve.
I've brewed multiple times without issues of air in the catcher.

 

[ghoti]

@HellBentBrewCo - I plan on storing mine in the garage as well. I am building a fermentation chamber with double pink foam core insulation. Instead of reptile heaters I am using the light bulb can (http://brewstands.com/fermentation-heater.html) to keep up the temperature, and a dorm fridge to cool it down. I am building it this weekend so once it is complete I will let you know how well it works out.

 

[Covert]

Go to this web page and you can download the technical drawing. It is the second one from the top:

http://www.denhartogindustries.com/inductor-tanks

The only thing that isn't specified is the size of the area that fits into the stand. I made my own and cut an 18 5/8" hole and the tank fits perfectly.

Can some post the dimensions of the Ace 15 Gallon Full Drain Tank when in the stand being sold?


http://www.ruralking.com/15-gal-full-drain-inductor.html
http://www.ruralking.com/agricultur...uctor-tanks/15-gal-inductor-stand-for-fd.html

Sorry if I missed this in the previous pages.

 

[iandh]

Go to this web page and you can download the technical drawing. It is the second one from the top:

http://www.denhartogindustries.com/inductor-tanks

The only thing that isn't specified is the size of the area that fits into the stand. I made my own and cut an 18 5/8" hole and the tank fits perfectly.

Great! Thank you!

 

[HellBentBrewCo]

@HellBentBrewCo - I plan on storing mine in the garage as well. I am building a fermentation chamber with double pink foam core insulation. Instead of reptile heaters I am using the light bulb can (http://brewstands.com/fermentation-heater.html) to keep up the temperature, and a dorm fridge to cool it down. I am building it this weekend so once it is complete I will let you know how well it works out.

nice, very interested to see this

 

[Neopol]

OK... per a request from a fellow HBT member “Apoxbrew” and since no one has yet to explain their racking arm solution, I will show what we did to install a rotating racking arm to the 30 gallon fermenters. I won’t address the Tri-clover fitting setup.This has been done ad nauseam, and I duplicated exactly what others have done before me.

The center of the hole was drilled 6-1/2” up from the where the angle begins at the 1-1/2” FPT extension. When drilling the hole, we used a step drill bit. When we got close to the final size, we removed the bit from the drill and finished the hole by hand (using the bit). The plastic was soft enough to allow quick work. We slightly undersized the hole to allow the threads on the fitting to cut threads into the plastic. BE CAREFUL! Could easily be an oops! The seal is really on the o-ring. We just wanted the secondary protection.

I used fittings from BargainFittings.com:
1. the "new" Keg Weldless Bulkhead with the standard coupling, SS 2-piece ball valve, and the 1/2" Male NPT to 1/2" barb.
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=178
and
2. the Side Pickup weldless version Drain/Dip Tube SS kit with the standard compression fitting option.
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=46&product_id=157
and
3. 6ft. of 1/2" I.D. silicone tube.
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=52&product_id=122
Total cost was in the neighborhood of $70.00 plus shipping.

Racking Arm horizontal, with slight tip upward to allow air to escape, when filling

Racking arm rotated 90 deg downward, leaves a measured amount of a little less than a quart when vacuum breaks on the siphon.
Depending on the wall thickness of your specific conical you may have to Dremel and fine tune the area at the hole, as this weldless fitting only permits about 2 threads to extend into the interior of the conical, which was plenty for the fitting to fasten to on one of ours. Also this is why we decided to use the Silicone O-ring in lieu of the silicone flatwasher that the fitting came with. So far we have done several runs on each conical and no leaks, racking works beautifully as it only needs to rotate once and 90 degrees. Cleanup and disassembly is a breeze, I only tighten as tight as I can with my hands, no tools required.

I am happy to answer any specific questions and edit this thread should this not be clear, or if I have left something out.

 

[cscade]

@Neopol: Your decision to do your yeast collection after the butterfly rather than before it intrigues me. Was it simply a matter of space constraint, or did you have something more specific in mind?

My setup is catcher->butterfly, I do an initial trub dump, then harvest, then rack, all off the bottom in my configuration.

 

[ghoti]

@Neopol - Where did you get your cart from?

 

[Apoxbrew]

@Neopol - Thanks a ton. Really appreciate the setup info!!

 

[endoquest]

I'm in, ordered two of them. Welding up a rack/stand. Building the yeast trap. Making airtight. Installing racking arm. Great thread.
This is going to take a lot of hassle out of the post-brew necessities. Cheers!

 

[Neopol]

@Neopol: Your decision to do your yeast collection after the butterfly rather than before it intrigues me. Was it simply a matter of space constraint, or did you have something more specific in mind?

My setup is catcher->butterfly, I do an initial trub dump, then harvest, then rack, all off the bottom in my configuration.

Well after seeing that the trub flowed out like drywall mud when draining it off (but when it breaks it flows), I figured that using the sightglass would let me make a little less of a mess when I purge the trub.
So my process is once I get to my target gravity and plan to rack it off.
I purge the trub, close the valve when I see the buttery colored yeast start into the glass.
Remove, dump, clean, sanitize, reassemble and install end cap loosely to purge air out rather than into your tank.
Open butterfly and collect one cylinder of "Middle Layer" yeast, and pour into a flask for washing/harvesting.
Reassemble and drain the rest of the yeast off for dumping (this is at least a quart or more of yeast and trub on 20+ gal).
(This is the hard part it requires...P..A..T..I..E..N..C..E..)
Clean and reassemble and let it rest for a couple more days to continue floccing and allow what may have stirred up to settle again before moving the process to to racking arm alone.

You have a little less moving parts, its all about what works for you and your process. The above takes me about 15-20 Minutes on a Wed night for a Sat racking.
Hope that helps! Sorry if its overly wordy.

@Neopol - Where did you get your cart from?

Amazon, it is 18 x 24 with a basket, handle and casters I dont recall the brand but there was only a couple options that were reasonable about $80. Very convenient to move 200lbs of liquid around and for cleaning, different ferm-temps etc...next project is to figure out an exterior pex tubing jacket or internal SS coil for isolated temp control.

@Neopol - Thanks a ton. Really appreciate the setup info!!

Sir, you are very welcome!

I owe a big thanks goes to all those who worked, innovated and shared ideas from the beginning of the thread.

It is truely amazing how well an open source of idea sharing can work to the benefit of many .. now if only our congress would quit throwing sand and crapping in the sandbox and cooperate...I know wishful thinking...

In Beer We Trust!

 

[Apoxbrew]

question about the lids on the norwesco tanks. mine has a blue piece in the middle. it almost looks like it's a plug that goes all the way though... but then again, i couldn't move it in any way so maybe it's a solid piece.

anyway, wondering if i'm interested in sealing this thing if i'll need to do something with that middle blue plug-like piece.

thanks!

 

[Apoxbrew]

well i discovered the answer to my own question. the blue plug looking thing on the lid ISN'T sealed. not a big deal, i'll just seal it before next batch... but a heads up to anyone out there getting a norwesco tank and wanting to seal the lid - you need to seal that blue center plug piece.

 

[drkwoods]

Great thread!! I'd do this in a second if my fridge width was bigger. I'm limited to 17.5". Ideas??
Could I make it work?

 

[fletchsj]

Great thread!! I'd do this in a second if my fridge width was bigger. I'm limited to 17.5". Ideas??
Could I make it work?

Make your own insulated box and use the guts of your fridge to cool it. There are lots of threads in the DIY section on people who have done that. Some who just took the door off and built an insulated box around it.

 

[drkwoods]

ah, found one that works.. Square 13" x 13" but I'll have to settle for 10 gal. hopefully theres some headspace I can use above the 10 gal
http://www.norwesco.com/page.cfm?menu=63