# Conical Fermenter - Best Bang For Your Buck?



## Mitcho89 (3/8/11)

Hi guys, 

I just had a brain wave about getting/making a conical (cone bottom) fermenter on a pretty tight budget. I just recently saw a nice homemade one on this site just before and it really good me excited because I'm good with my hands and tinkering. I just wish I knew the size of the funnel. I'd probably get a large hose clamp, make a good gasket and compress for a water tight fit other than silicon it and risk infection. I'd love to be able to completely pull it apart for sterilization. Maybe I could turn one of those blue office plastic water containers into one... The other alternative is getting one of those inductor tanks but they seem to be very hard to locate in Brisbane.

If anyone has got any advice I'd be very appreciative.

Thanks and kind regards, 

Mitch.


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## Wolfy (3/8/11)

"_Conical fermentor_" and "_on a pretty tight budget_" are mutually exclusive, while they are a cool idea, if it was easily/cheaply possible, there would be info all over about how to do it.
By the time you add up the cost of the items, all the fittings, the time and effort, you are well beyond what I'd call 'tight budget' costs.
While the hose-clamp, silicon and office water container all sound like valid ideas, they would not last long (a few brews at the most for the water-container, and I doubt the hose-clamp would hold the seal either).


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## razz (3/8/11)

Thirstyboy made one a few years back Mitch, shoot him a pm. I think he did a pictorial on one of the US forums.


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## Mitcho89 (3/8/11)

Before I got into brewing I was pretty heavily into Spud guns. Not the "pvc pipe, bbq lighter and hairspray" but copper and galvanized steel pneumatic air guns so I have more spare brass plumbing parts than I can poke a stick at. 

Seeing as a cheap alternative has not been posted heavily I might make this my next project and see If I can get one going!

Thanks for the heads up Razz, I'll have to have a good look!


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## Fourstar (3/8/11)

Ever thought about fermenting in a corny keg and using the dip tube to collect break an yeast from the bottom? I have. 

There are a few web articles on the subject. 

I like the idea of removing the poppets from the gas post and the internals of a gas disconnect coupled with beer line as a blow off tube.

You can then use this same gas disconnect to push the beer from the :corny fermenter" to the new serving corny keg via the beer out. Only problem might be hop particles being caught in the poppet during transfer.

From what ive watched/read, the first L or so is murky then the rest flows as clean as a whistle until you hit the end (which you need to keep an eye on.) Pretty much the same as when you keg to keg transfer after crash chilling bright beer or using gelatine in a keg i suppose.


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## Mitcho89 (3/8/11)

Yeah I just read up on that actually. I had a look on ebay and saw some SS funnels. Could be very good with my good mate being a boiler maker....Hmmm.


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## seravitae (3/8/11)

After all the screwing around and 'money you save', you will inevitably chew up in your own labor time and potential frustrations for a likely substandard product with silicone contaminations.

I'd bite the bullet and get a rotamoulded conical honestly.


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## argon (3/8/11)

Fourstar said:


> Ever thought about fermenting in a corny keg and using the dip tube to collect break an yeast from the bottom? I have.
> 
> There are a few web articles on the subject.
> 
> ...


I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I reckon it would be an excellent way to ferment and package in an O2 free environment. Been trying to source a 23L corny as they'd be perfect for a 20L batch, utilizing a blow-off tube and yeast harvesting vessel. Frag dog recently sold one that I missed out on.  

Or in the states they sell sanke keg fermentor conversion kits that look pretty good. 

While not conical, the above solutions still enable sanitary yeast harvesting and stainless fermentation. Not a bad compromise.


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## Wolfy (3/8/11)

argon said:


> I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I reckon it would be an excellent way to ferment and package in an O2 free environment. Been trying to source a 23L corny as they'd be perfect for a 20L batch, utilizing a blow-off tube and yeast harvesting vessel. Frag dog recently sold one that I missed out on.


Some of the new-plastic-kegs are/will be about that size, some even with a plastic-lining to make it easier again.


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## Phoney (3/8/11)

A while ago you could get plastic conicals for about $100.


Here's the thread:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&hl=conical

And here's a chap who made his own

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...nical+fermenter

and another

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...nical+fermenter


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## Wolfy (3/8/11)

phoneyhuh said:


> A while ago you could get plastic conicals for about $100.


One of the guys on the UK JBK forums purchased one similar/same as those.
By the time he added fittings it turned out a fair bit more expensive, also the finish was not so good and it scratched easily.
The main benefit of using plastic for fermentors is that they are cheap and easily replaceable, when they get old/scratched/infected, simply throw it out and buy another, but when you start getting more fancy and expensive they're not really replaceable but are sill not very durable.


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## Thirsty Boy (3/8/11)

Fourstar said:


> Ever thought about fermenting in a corny keg and using the dip tube to collect break an yeast from the bottom? I have.
> 
> There are a few web articles on the subject.
> 
> ...



Have a look at this website - http://www.chicompany.net/

Ball lock and pinlock parts. There are enough various adapters and connectors that you might easily get away wothout having to bastardise a QD but still be able to use the keg for fermenting and pushing.

I have a 23L keg and a "thing" i want to try that is a bit like what you guys are talking about. I shall be a little mysterious about it because if it doesn't work i will look stupid for even suggesting it and you will never hear about it again - if it does work i shall reveal it in triumph and proclaim myslef clever.


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## argon (3/8/11)

Thirsty Boy said:


> ...proclaim myslef clever.



Lolz...

I for one want to know how you plan to do it... Cause if I can get myself a 23 I'll be doing it for sure.


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## bradsbrew (3/8/11)

Thirsty Boy said:


> Have a look at this website - http://www.chicompany.net/
> 
> Ball lock and pinlock parts. There are enough various adapters and connectors that you might easily get away wothout having to bastardise a QD but still be able to use the keg for fermenting and pushing.
> 
> I have a 23L keg and a "thing" i want to try that is a bit like what you guys are talking about. I shall be a little mysterious about it because if it doesn't work i will look stupid for even suggesting it and you will never hear about it again - if it does work i shall reveal it in triumph and proclaim myslef clever.



TB , if you used a john guest one way valve attatched to your gas disconnect would it not do the same thing? Allowing the gas out but nothing back out.

Good idea


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## Thirsty Boy (3/8/11)

bradsbrew said:


> TB , if you used a john guest one way valve attatched to your gas disconnect would it not do the same thing? Allowing the gas out but nothing back out.
> 
> Good idea



Yeah, but i think the concern is that with a relatively small amount of headspace in the fermenter, you might well be pushing things other than gas through that outlet and a bit of an unobstructed pathway might be a good thing.

If it were just about gas i would just pull the PRV and sit a PET bottle cap upside down over it. Or some such thing.

In fact thats the whole problem with using a corny - the tubes are a bit narrow for pushing yeast and cant deal at all with chunks, hops etc. A gutted QD or some other solution like that at least means that you get the full width available rather than having to squeeze past the valves etc.

A sanke keg would probably be a better solution, nice wide pick-up tube in one of those unlikely to be phased by a bit of yeast or a hop pellet or two.


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## eamonnfoley (3/8/11)

Wolfy said:


> Some of the new-plastic-kegs are/will be about that size, some even with a plastic-lining to make it easier again.


 Plastic kegs - YUK!!!!!!!! Never in this lifetime


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## booargy (3/8/11)

I have used these kegs as FV they seem to work alright with no mods. I just bent the dip tube sideways so it is up from the bottom and gas connect with tube into a jug of water. push out with co2 into another keg for secondary with no disconnect for carbonation. I had a pressure gauge on it and just released pressure to desired level. Transfer to a 19l keg to drink. now I do the same with 50l kegs.


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## Fourstar (4/8/11)

Thirsty Boy said:


> I have a 23L keg and a "thing" i want to try that is a bit like what you guys are talking about. I shall be a little mysterious about it because if it doesn't work i will look stupid for even suggesting it and you will never hear about it again - if it does work i shall reveal it in triumph and proclaim myslef clever.




I'll be watching this space thirsty, If you want to throw around ideas you know where the PM button is.


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## Fourstar (4/8/11)

not the most flattering bloke on your eyes but a decent little tutorial here on fermenting in a corny.


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## dabre4 (4/8/11)

Fourstar said:


> not the most flattering bloke on your eyes but a decent little tutorial here on fermenting in a corny.




Holy crap, is he pregnant!


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## dabre4 (4/8/11)

Also Mitch, If your talking about the plastic conical I made the funnel was one of these. link. Biggest problem with these is the spout isn't perfectly round, it has a kind of "key" slot up the entire length.


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## The Giant (4/8/11)

Excuse my ignorance but whats the benefits of fermenting in the conical fermenter and fermenting in stainless over plastic?


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## TmC (4/8/11)

I dont think there is a huge difference but probably that stainless is harder to scratch which offers less places for germs to grow and its easier to clean. The conical bit allows you to separate the yeast trub from the bottom without racking to another container.

EDIT: The bottom valve would also be great for harvesting yeast.


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## A3k (9/8/11)

Fourstar said:


> Ever thought about fermenting in a corny keg and using the dip tube to collect break an yeast from the bottom? I have.
> 
> There are a few web articles on the subject.
> 
> ...




Is there any need to remove the beer from the keg at all if doing this? could you just remove the yeast from the bottom, then carb as usual? The only problems i can see here are that you may not get all the yeast & crud from the bottom, and you also leave the crud at the top, and can't filter.

However, the advantages are: less transferring, less oxidising, less hassel.

i've got a 50lt keg which i've never used, and i'm considering doing this with a 40lt batch. Any thoughs?

Cheers,
Al


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## booargy (9/8/11)

A3k said:


> Is there any need to remove the beer from the keg at all if doing this? could you just remove the yeast from the bottom, then carb as usual? The only problems i can see here are that you may not get all the yeast & crud from the bottom, and you also leave the crud at the top, and can't filter.
> 
> However, the advantages are: less transferring, less oxidising, less hassel.
> 
> ...



I think you may be better off starting in your usual FV and treat the keg as secondary that way you transfer to another keg or drink it from there. 
Or put a filter between keg and tap. after 5 days taste test every day until ready.


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