Tri clamp INSIDE fermenter

[tll77]

FWIW, the initial pic posted in reference to the inside of the fermenter has clips to hold the lid, these pics of your fermenter has a band to hold the lid. Not a bad thing mind you, just noticing.

would make me wonder what else is different. I would insist on inside pics.
be sure to let us know about the quality when it arrives.

 

[augiedoggy]

FWIW, the initial pic posted in reference to the inside of the fermenter has clips to hold the lid, these pics of your fermenter has a band to hold the lid. Not a bad thing mind you, just noticing.

would make me wonder what else is different. I would insist on inside pics.
be sure to let us know about the quality when it arrives.

The OP mentioned the manufacturer explained they have used the latest type of lid on the fermenter as they have been testing different types of lids.

 

[tll77]

Yep. I noticed that.
I wanted to bring it up in case others following the thread and considering purchasing one of these units, pending a review by OP, hadn't noticed it.
OP stated the manufacturer is 'experimenting' with the lid clamp(but not as far as to provide a pressure rating).Which is why I asked what else is different.
And why I would ask for inside pics.
If the sale is based off pic of unit X and now they are shipping unit Y, that would concern me.
Especially since this thread was started to address the tri clamps INSIDE the fermenter, I would expect to see pics of those.

 

[augiedoggy]

Yep. I noticed that.
I wanted to bring it up in case others following the thread and considering purchasing one of these units, pending a review by OP, hadn't noticed it.
OP stated the manufacturer is 'experimenting' with the lid clamp(but not as far as to provide a pressure rating).Which is why I asked what else is different.
And why I would ask for inside pics.
If the sale is based off pic of unit X and now they are shipping unit Y, that would concern me.
Especially since this thread was started to address the tri clamps INSIDE the fermenter, I would expect to see pics of those.

as far as I know its a conical fermenter and not advertised a brite or unitank.. Most homebrewing conical fermenters are not really built to hold much pressure if any. thats said I can pressure transfer from all mine even though they are not speced for pressure. I wouldnt expect these to be especially for the "cheap" price the OP talked about.

 

[tll77]

I fully agree. I'm not questioning the pressure rating of the unit, in fact OP does not intend to pressurize it but...

I think it will be surprisingly comparable in both material quality and feature set to a SS brewmaster edition or spike conical

a published pressure rating is part of the feature set for both of these units.
I hope this fermenter arrives to the OP in fantastic condition and we hear great reviews, I will be one of the first to get in line to buy one. But, 'cheap' is subjective and if you have to spend more to make it right, its not cheap anymore.

 

[goodolarchie]

Ps. The factory is finished building it and is shipping today or tomorrow. They sent me a few photos of my actual fermenter. Looks OK to me, looking forward to a close inspection when it arrives. See attached

Any update? I just have to know if they have the ridiculous internally-facing welded TC port...

 

[augiedoggy]

I fully agree. I'm not questioning the pressure rating of the unit, in fact OP does not intend to pressurize it but...

a published pressure rating is part of the feature set for both of these units.
I hope this fermenter arrives to the OP in fantastic condition and we hear great reviews, I will be one of the first to get in line to buy one. But, 'cheap' is subjective and if you have to spend more to make it right, its not cheap anymore.

Quality is subjective also. Out of all four of the different chinese made conicals I own the SSBT one I have is the cheapest made of the thinnest material it actually appears to be stamped not welded with non sanitary weldless fittings threaded onto it. Yet it cost more than all the rest for some reason. In some ways its great.. but think about it.. They didnt bother to polish the inside (or outside) they didnt add sanitary fittings, they used a thinner gauge of stainless to build it. To me its not "right" or sanitary either, yet here we are nit picking over a TC ferrule being in contact with beer.. and an advertised pressure rating that doesnt even apply to 80% of the home brewers that would own a conical. I just think some are being a bit over critical is all.

 

[kduvey]

I’m in agreement with augiedoggy Above. Just to put some numbers to it, I speced my fermenter at 1.5mm thick 304 stainless, polished inside and out. You’ll find that SS’s and spikes fermenters are made from much thinner material.

I will also add this: yes there is some differences between the example pictures I was given while negotiating and the photos of the actual fermenter they made for me. This is due to two main reasons, 1) every fermenter they make is custom handmade to your specifications and 2) its China. Things work different there. they frequently change and communication can be a challenge. If you want consistency and certainty, stick to a western supplier and brand name (and pay the money for it)

 

[SanPancho]

Agreed.

And eagerly waiting your baby’s arrival. My only question is the pressure hold capabilities. Although to be honest, even if was just a few psi for transfers thatd be enough for me.

 

[MaCheFai]

If anyone is interested, in doing a google image search on the OP's image returned a state side seller with some additional details: https://www.olympicdistillers.com/micro-distillery-equipment-1/conical-fermenter-26-gallons-100l

 

[augiedoggy]

If anyone is interested, in doing a google image search on the OP's image returned a state side seller with some additional details: https://www.olympicdistillers.com/micro-distillery-equipment-1/conical-fermenter-26-gallons-100l

and for those that want to go directly to china I think this is it (even the tile floor and damaged baseboard is the same)
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...l?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.49.722d6a9fx1xxbr

and for more sizes
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...l?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.49.722d6a9fx1xxbr

quite a markup on the olympic site. but thats without the optional coil.

 

[kevink]

Nothing wrong with those. They look a lot like my Stout which I'm sure is made in China. The quality of these fermenters (or any fermenter) is going to come down to the individual unit. If all the welds are polished nicely and there aren't any bad scratches that can't be easily sanitized, they'll do the job.

 

[kduvey]

Hi guys

I will say this, buying from China is risky. There is no way that I’m aware of to be 100% sure what you’re getting and who you’re getting it from. I dealt with a lovely lady over a Chinese IM phone app, and I have no idea how or who she relayed my requests to (I have a factory name, but that dosent necessarily mean much). This is why I have been maybe a bit vague about my source... because I don’t really know! (And also I think it would be irresponsible to share a whole lot prior to actually receiving it)

The reward, however, is price. That 750$ fermenter from that Olympic supplier/imported would cost you about 200$ direct from China, and about 100$ to get it direct shipped to your door via air freight. (please also keep in mind that cheaper shipping options, larger items, more expensive items, depending on your countries' laws, may end up also meaning additional costs related to importing)

Tracking tells me it should be arriving in a few days, I’ll be sure to report back.

 

[augiedoggy]

Nothing wrong with those. They look a lot like my Stout which I'm sure is made in China. The quality of these fermenters (or any fermenter) is going to come down to the individual unit. If all the welds are polished nicely and there aren't any bad scratches that can't be easily sanitized, they'll do the job.

yes stouts conicals are all chinese made by different manufacturers depending on product.

 

[augiedoggy]

Hi guys

I will say this, buying from China is risky. There is no way that I’m aware of to be 100% sure what you’re getting and who you’re getting it from. I dealt with a lovely lady over a Chinese IM phone app, and I have no idea how or who she relayed my requests to (I have a factory name, but that dosent necessarily mean much). This is why I have been maybe a bit vague about my source... because I don’t really know! (And also I think it would be irresponsible to share a whole lot prior to actually receiving it)

The reward, however, is price. That 750$ fermenter from that Olympic supplier/imported would cost you about 200$ direct from China, and about 100$ to get it direct shipped to your door via air freight. (please also keep in mind that cheaper shipping options, larger items, more expensive items, depending on your countries' laws, may end up also meaning additional costs related to importing)

Tracking tells me it should be arriving in a few days, I’ll be sure to report back.

yes that is my experiences as well...Honestly its been positive, small and large purchases alike.
I purchased all my 3bbl kettles and accessories there direct for about 2/3 the price the exact same kettles would have cost me with the US brand nameplate welded to them. and that was with shipping and customs vs not including shipping from the US seller/importer. Ive also bought many of these TC based elements which come out to around $30 each with shipping (which come in 1.5 ort 2" bases and have CE certification.

 

[augiedoggy]

I also just bought one of these pumps which hasnt arrived yet but I believe its from the manufacturer march uses direct..
https://www.morebeer.com/products/march-nano-brewery-pump-polysulphone.html

I paid less than 1/3 of what more beer wants.
The markups are nuts on some of this stuff.

 

[MaCheFai]

and for those that want to go directly to china I think this is it (even the tile floor and damaged baseboard is the same)
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...l?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.49.722d6a9fx1xxbr

and for more sizes
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...l?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.49.722d6a9fx1xxbr

quite a markup on the olympic site. but thats without the optional coil.

Those look interesting! Seem to be 220v though, so no go for me. :/

 

[kduvey]

The fermenter has arrived. Ive spent a few hours dissembling everything, cleaning, inspecting, testing. have a few things to say about it, cause i know theres some interested eyes out there.

lets get the negatives out of the way first...

-The internal tri clamp fittings are not good. this is really the only big negative for me. Not sure how best to communicate how they executed it, but its only welded on the outside, so there is def a nasty crevasse on the inside that is darn near impossible to properly clean. Ive attached a photo of it. Im not sure what to do about it, I'm wondering if there is any kind of food grade silicone adhesive that might do the trick? or I could just break out a torch to sterilize it between brews. Any ideas? trying to avoid welding and polishing if i can.

-A bit of grease and soot here and there. They didnt clean it very well after manufacturing. not too big a deal, everything is easily broken down and cleaned.

- Both o-rings in the sample port were damaged. I noticed it when i took it apart to clean the soot and grease out of it. Not a big deal, new o rings are cheap and easy to get.

-The rotating racking arm, while very high quality, is not bent at the right angle. Its bent at 45 and i think closer to 90 would be better. I will have to bend it a bit more if I can.

-the cooling coil is a bit meh. there is a sloppy weld on it and one of the tri clamp fittings is a bit crooked. Ive presure tested it while hooked up inside the fermenter and all is good, its probablhy more cosmetic thatn anything.

-My name was spelled wrong on the package (i know i provided them my name correctly spelled) thank god they didn't mess up my address..


the good:

-Everything that was promised was there.

-it was shipped in a nice custom built wood box. no damage from shipping.

-in general, the build quality is very good. the welds look good and sanitary (with the exception if the cooling coil...), the stainless is thick, every single part is highly polished, the valves and clamps are very high quality.

-the lid seal and clamp look really good. I have no doubt it will hold pressure, at a minimum enough to pressure transfer.

-everything works, no leaks, I'm happy.


Now, to sort out the strange cooling coil connections...

 

[kduvey]

Okay, Ive done a bit of thinking and some research and want to clarify how they did the double sided TC ports for the cooling coil.

They have dimpled the wall of the fermenter outward with a die (like this: ), then TIG welded on the outside only. See my drawing.

I'm thinking i can get away with soldering the inside around the fitting to fill in the 'gap' similar to the guy in the video. There are a few videos of guys doing this with their brewing equipment on youtube.My only worry is I may not be able to properly clean inside the void to get the solder to adhere.

Another option would be to use silicon sealant or something. Sounds a bit dodgy, but Im thinking if I did it cleanly it would be OK.

Thoughts? Recommendations? (returning it to china to get 'fixed' is not an option)

 

[augiedoggy]

JBWELD Its completely inert and foodgrade when cured. I used it to seal thermal probes Ive made myself.
The racking arm should ideally only be bent enough that it doesntfill with dropping yeast when its turned down.. You may already know this but the idea is you drain the yeast cake out and then turn the valve to drain the conical out of the upper port. the racking port then being away from the wall wont pull yeast from the sidewall.

For $300 Id order one without the coil and use the blue discharge hose for cooling. in fact im considering inquiring about a couple 2 bbl versions

 

[SanPancho]

Looks nice and clean. Aside from the whole internal coil business id say im impressed.

 

[BarleyPopBrewer]

The fermenter has arrived. Ive spent a few hours dissembling everything, cleaning, inspecting, testing. have a few things to say about it, cause i know theres some interested eyes out there.

lets get the negatives out of the way first...

-The internal tri clamp fittings are not good. this is really the only big negative for me. Not sure how best to communicate how they executed it, but its only welded on the outside, so there is def a nasty crevasse on the inside that is darn near impossible to properly clean. Ive attached a photo of it. Im not sure what to do about it, I'm wondering if there is any kind of food grade silicone adhesive that might do the trick? or I could just break out a torch to sterilize it between brews. Any ideas? trying to avoid welding and polishing if i can.

-A bit of grease and soot here and there. They didnt clean it very well after manufacturing. not too big a deal, everything is easily broken down and cleaned.

- Both o-rings in the sample port were damaged. I noticed it when i took it apart to clean the soot and grease out of it. Not a big deal, new o rings are cheap and easy to get.

-The rotating racking arm, while very high quality, is not bent at the right angle. Its bent at 45 and i think closer to 90 would be better. I will have to bend it a bit more if I can.

-the cooling coil is a bit meh. there is a sloppy weld on it and one of the tri clamp fittings is a bit crooked. Ive presure tested it while hooked up inside the fermenter and all is good, its probablhy more cosmetic thatn anything.

-My name was spelled wrong on the package (i know i provided them my name correctly spelled) thank god they didn't mess up my address..


the good:

-Everything that was promised was there.

-it was shipped in a nice custom built wood box. no damage from shipping.

-in general, the build quality is very good. the welds look good and sanitary (with the exception if the cooling coil...), the stainless is thick, every single part is highly polished, the valves and clamps are very high quality.

-the lid seal and clamp look really good. I have no doubt it will hold pressure, at a minimum enough to pressure transfer.

-everything works, no leaks, I'm happy.


Now, to sort out the strange cooling coil connections...

So minus the welds not being sanitary at all it's good . Having crevices in the welds is only asking for infection issues. Also I would highly recommend not pressurizing that thing. There is 0% chance they have done any testing on pressure rating. Let's say the tank is 12" in diameter. At 15psi that's almost 2,000lbs of force pushing up on the lid. That's nothing to joke about. Also that lid clamp is not made for pressure. If you walk past that while the tank is pressurized and your belt loop catches the latch watch the F out. I will stick to companies that actually test their products like Ss, Spike and Blichmann.....

 

[kduvey]

Thanks mate. I won’t pressurise it, I’m too young to die.

Sorry maybe I wasent clear - all the internal welds are actually very sanitary. Have a peak at the images.

Issue is the lack of welds on the inside of the cooling coil connections.

 

[SanPancho]

15psi implies its a unitank (on homebrew level). Dont recall anyone claiming as such. No reason to get bent. Transfer only needs 2-3 psi, tops.

 

[mongoose33]

So minus the welds not being sanitary at all it's good . Having crevices in the welds is only asking for infection issues. Also I would highly recommend not pressurizing that thing. There is 0% chance they have done any testing on pressure rating. Let's say the tank is 12" in diameter. At 15psi that's almost 7,000lbs of force pushing up on the lid. That's nothing to joke about. Also that lid clamp is not made for pressure. If you walk past that while the tank is pressurized and your belt loop catches the latch watch the F out. I will stick to companies that actually test their products like Ss, Spike and Blichmann.....

I agree with what you say above but I don't think it's 7000 pounds of force. A 12" diameter lid has 113 square inches of area; times 15 psi that's not quite 1700 pounds. Nothing to sneeze at, still, but unless I'm doing the math wrong, not 7000.

 

[kduvey]

It’s a mute point anyways, I have no need or desire to pressurise to 15 psi. I carbonate and lager in my kegs.

1-2psi maybe for transfers is all I’ll want, and I feel confotable trying that when the time comes. The thing is very sturdy and well built.

 

[BarleyPopBrewer]

I agree with what you say above but I don't think it's 7000 pounds of force. A 12" diameter lid has 113 square inches of area; times 15 psi that's not quite 1700 pounds. Nothing to sneeze at, still, but unless I'm doing the math wrong, not 7000.

Ha that's what I get for trying to do math in my head! Edited, thank you.

 

[kevink]

Sorry maybe I wasent clear - all the internal welds are actually very sanitary. Have a peak at the images. Issue is the lack of welds on the inside of the cooling coil connections.

I thought you said there's a nasty crevasse on the inside that is darn near impossible to properly clean? This was the part you wanted to silver solder or silicone, right? I would just silver solder it and be done with it. That is easily the best option. TIG welding that will be almost impossible due to the way they dimpled the wall, the tri clamp fitting being in the way, and the difficulty of tigging inside of a vessel in general.

 

[kduvey]

I thought you said there's a nasty crevasse on the inside that is darn near impossible to properly clean? This was the part you wanted to silver solder or silicone, right? I would just silver solder it and be done with it. That is easily the best option. TIG welding that will be almost impossible due to the way they dimpled the wall, the tri clamp fitting being in the way, and the difficulty of tigging inside of a vessel in general.

Yep that’s right. They just didn’t weld it, I guess that’s why, too difficult. I’m leaning towards silver soldering

 

[augiedoggy]

So minus the welds not being sanitary at all it's good . Having crevices in the welds is only asking for infection issues. Also I would highly recommend not pressurizing that thing. There is 0% chance they have done any testing on pressure rating. Let's say the tank is 12" in diameter. At 15psi that's almost 2,000lbs of force pushing up on the lid. That's nothing to joke about. Also that lid clamp is not made for pressure. If you walk past that while the tank is pressurized and your belt loop catches the latch watch the F out. I will stick to companies that actually test their products like Ss, Spike and Blichmann.....

why so biased and such an unfair comparison?
Actually all the welds look great and everything was sanitary except the optional coil I believe the OP added as a custom option. Again It's not a unitank it's a regular conical, they are not for carbonating in! Pretty sure my old ss brew tech conical wont hold more than a couple pounds thanks to the non sanitary weldless fittings and my stout conical failed to hold more than like 3psi before the seal leaked the third one I have with the clasp lid just like the one pictured here holds the most pressure at about 6 psi.. the seal leaking is the worse that would happen here.
If some American middleman started offering these at $400 a pop without the coil you critics would be all over them.