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Recommendations on fermenters?

edited October 2013 in Accessories

I have been using 7ish gallon fermenters so far but since i have upped my boiler volume it would be nice to have a matching sized fermenter.

I have been looking at this one but i have a bit of an issue spending 90 bucks for a glorified bucket....

So if someone else has some recommendations that would be great!

I'm looking for something in the 15 to 30 gallons max range.

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Comments

  • edited October 2013

    20G Brutes. food grade. BUT the lid is not air tight. you can use a garbage bag and bungee cords for that.

    Rubbermaid Brute FG262000WHT White 20 Gallon Trash Container

    But the stainless Blichman conical fermenters are also nice.

  • Rubbermaid brute trash cans are a favorite. Home Depot should have them or check here.
    Get the matching lid and dolly.
    Usually our ferments are strong and fast enough that, as distillers, we don't really need it to seal tight - just enough to keep the bugs out and let the CO2 outgas.

    Also, your local homebrew store may have ~15? gallon plastic barrels that they get their liquid malt extract in. I got several of them free.

  • edited October 2013

    I'm kinda liking the idea of a rubbermaid trash cans....
    And the dolly!!

  • edited October 2013

    checkout the cone bottom tanks like UP Plastic make

    Inductor Cone Bottom Bulk Storage Tanks

    cheaper than a SS conical

  • edited October 2013

    For the aussie in Sydney who needs a 1500L one.... lol

    1500 litre Intermediate Bulk Container

    but, damn I wish I could get a plastic ~200L one

  • Best price I've found for a 20gal Brute with lid was Walmart Canada at < $14.

  • @Stinger said: Best price I've found for a 20gal Brute with lid was Walmart Canada at < $14.

    Thats not bad at all!!

  • @Law_Of_Ohms there real cheap Loo i wonder if they would bleed flavour into the wash or not be god to make a big tpw ;)

  • I usually rely on a pair of 42 gal barrels, usually ferment on the one with the stc-1000 then rack to the otherone for clearing, also a heap of 8 gallon cubes for running tests on diff recipies

    image

    ATM I have my first Panela in 4 cubes with approx 7 gals each 12 Lb Panela, just started today and 2 packs of EC-1118, all I had left...per cube, and a 40 gal pseudo wineos wash with Daddys distillers yeast

    image

    and 80 lbs cracked corn soaking to use in my 80-20-10 bourbon mash tomorrow

    image

    then on my way to get more supplies, like I need more, I scored a bran new un-used 1000Liter HDPE tote for 90 USD

    image

    I think I will use it for cooling water reservoir for the DASH-2, no way I am making that big of a wash :-) $$$$$

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  • Very envious of that tote!

  • There still one more, they had 2 at that price think I should jus bite it and buy the otherone also

  • So how well would one of those 275 gallon totes cool a dash sized still? After looking around i can find them locally for around 100 bucks.
    100 bucks will also run the well pump for a long time as well B-)
    But in an effort to not run hundreds of gallons of water on the ground i'm willing to find an alternative.

  • @Cambo don't know but I think @fadge uses a 1000 L tote on his, maybe he can tell us how it does for him on a typical run.

  • You'd get better efficiency pumping your water from a full one through the condensors and into an empty one. No worries about the water warming up through a run then.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Hum...so what you're saying is I should bite the bullet and get that other 1000L tote...darn, there goes another 90 USD :-)

  • You could link them together then, pump out of one and back into the other with a 1.5-2" link at the bottom. You'd have 2000 shengs of cooling then.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited October 2013

    13 gallon Barrel Drum Plastic multipurpose white red Lid

    For a 10 gal still charge (or storing grains). I drilled a 1/4" hole in the top and use a rubber grommet with airlock.

    PLASTIC BARREL 25 GALLON WATER SYRUP FOOD HYDROPONICS SURVIVAL BARRELS

  • @punkin I hope that between 1000 L and a radiator with a fan I can get by, if it does warm up a bit on a long run, ie I have a 50 gal and 26 gal boilers, the I will either replenish some water or consider the mighty dynamic duo 2000 shengs but I am running outta room as it is.

  • @Usge Nice find on the barrels, i think i will get a few of the 25 gallon ones. Great price and free shipping can't beat that!

    I'm sure everyone else has measured their temps at one time or another, but i will share my findings for comparison,
    At almost full reflux, putting in about 17 amps to the boiler.
    My pump provides 2.5 gallons/minute feeding the RC and the PC it raises the temp of the cooling water from 65F to 70F.

    So each hour it would raise 150 gallons 5 degrees if separated into two vessels as Punkin describes.
    So in my setup, i would empty one of those 1000l tanks in just under two hours, and then i would have to supplement more water, or switch my supply tank to the other one....
    Which leads me to my next question, i realize that the hydrometer is calibrated at a certain temp, but how warm is too warm as far as cooling water goes? Could i switch to the other tank of once used warmer 70* water and still be okay for the remainder of the run?

  • I am still hoping @fadge will chime in before I make my decission. I think ole Coop uses a radiator and fan as well so maybe he can shed some more info. I already stole a lot of his ideas on flow control boxes etc... so, how about it Coop? Any words of wisdom :-) I have added a misting system to my fan to see if it helps, next run will tell. In this pick there was only a bit of water in the cooling vat just for testing for leaks and such..

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    the mister only uses 0.2 gal/hr from my well at 72F it actually feels godd when you stand in the path of the air flow like them football palyers.

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  • On the Brute 20 gallon containers...any chance a keg will nest inside for storage. I figured someone here would know. Measurements on paper say height on brute is 22.88 inches and keg height is 24. But lid sometimes gives a bit more headspace. I'm sure it will nest but not sure if lid will snap on. Anyone here know???

  • ok, so I will answer my own question...a keg will not nest with lid on, short about an inch. plus the bottom of the brute can has a bubble in the middle so the headspace is even less. The bubble is so the dolly will secure. The dolly is awesome I would recommend getting it. Keg will nest for storage in 32 gallon brute. Looks like it's double batch time!

  • i prefer the 33gal HDPE blow molded one over the brute

  • @captainshooch sorry mate I haven't made my cooler yet as I have been very busy we have moved into a house with a pool so don't have a coolant issue but if I needed to set up a water chiller I have found a few options one being your setup which I think is pretty good a simple to setup if you have the parts lying around the bigger the radiator the better obviously but if you use a large reservoir and a radiator this could be perfect !

  • edited June 2014

    Does anyone know where I can get a couple of these plastic conicals?

    15 Gallon Conical Fermenter Beer and Wine Fermenter @ eBay

    In Australia?

  • edited June 2014

    @cooperville said: Does anyone know where I can get a couple of these plastic conicals?

    15 Gallon Conical Fermenter Beer and Wine Fermenter @ eBay

    In Australia?

    What state are you in coops? I did see a guy at Melbourne market in February that said he could get them. I will go back when its open again and see if he's there.

  • edited June 2014

    Alternatively this is cheap!!!!! 200L Home Brew Conical Fermenter

  • I use one them 1000lt cubes as a coolant tank. It seems to be working prity good in the cooler weather but I recon she will need a cooling tower for the summer.

  • I'm in wa but think the price is a bit up there .. In the states a 15 gallon is going for 75shengs

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