haven't used a spike but seem to be drawn to their qualities. the band on top scares me, but you say it works perfect. leaning towards one i saw in the bargain bin.
I have had zero issues from day one. Tight seal with no leaks. My understanding is they had a lot of leaks during the trail phases several years ago, but have perfected and learned from the earlier prototypes. I would purchase without fear of CO2 leakage. Carbonation in the fermenter in a day is no joke.
I have a Spike CF5 (purchased in September, 2019) and agree with others here. Be nice to the gasket, make sure it is seated correctly, use a thin layer of keg lube to insure a good seal (I ferment under 6-8psi) and you’re all set. The ability to access the entire conical with the lid removed for cleaning and inspection is one of the reasons I went with the Spike, and glad that I did. I think some get hung up on the fact that it’s not a TC fitting as I almost did when deciding between the Spike and the SS.
I am very interested in this. Did you buy the sanke new?
No, I inherited it from my son a couple years ago. It had a Norcal setup on it that I was apprehensive about using with all the crevices for stuff to hide in. Once I found the kegland ball valve piece it’s been my go to. I’m not sure how hard this size sanke is to find but it’s perfect for 5 gallon batches.
Hot PBW and a long soak(over night). Always worked for the glass carboys. I might rig up a keg washer or buy one of those flap things you attach to a drill but no problems so far.
Also, some people steam sanitize them with water on your burner. Boil the water for a while pushing steam through the pressure spunding valve.
Unless you want to do warm lagers pressure isn’t really a big deal. Keep the bucket sealed up and you will be good. It is nice for my ocd to see a stable pressure gauge, even if it’s only a pound or two though.
I was more interested in closed transfers but that is more because I am addicted to gear and diy stuff and I just want to say I’ve done it to know the process, I guess. I have to talk myself out of things because my process works and it’s no big deal. I just love experimenting and building things.
You should be able to do closed transfers with the bucket. Hook up the spigot to the keg beer in and run a line from the keg out up to the bucket vent to keep the pressure equalized and let gravity do the work. If both are full of co2 to start with you are just swapping locations of the beer/co2. You could also do a pressure closed transfer but will have to keep the pressure really low.
I appreciate the advice. I’m not trying to hijack the thread. I have a spunding valve. I’m about to experiment with using that with the brew bucket and keg for closed transfers.
Nice setup for dry hopping!
my thoughts exactly and a road i don't want to go down
winner
+1
What do you with THAT much beer?
I have multiple beer drinkers at home and share some with friends but mostly we go through it here at home. OP was talking about 0.5 to 1.0 BBL fermentors... I appreciate that the Spike CF15 can deliver 15 gallons to the kegs. To do so with a heavily dry hopped beer I have to start somewhere north of 17.5 gallons in the fermentor. The CF15 can accomodate just about 18 gallons if filled to the lid gasket.
