Attempted pressure fermentation - should I be concerned?

[Smplskls]

G'day all,

Complete newbie here - am attempting my first (ever) brew using a Fermenter King Jr under pressure as per photos. To get the hang of things I'm using a FWK IPA using US05 which I pitched about 18 hours ago and have it at ~19 degrees. Had the spunding valve pictured set to about 13-14psi and have just had a crack at the PRV and there's definitely plenty of pressure in the vessel although as pictured the spunding valve gauge isn't moving. Again I'm completely new to brewing - is there anything obviously wrong with the set up? Would the spunding valve be working even without a proper reading on the gauge? All of the equipment is brand new.



Thanks again guys.

 

[kadmium]

Hey mate. The slunding valve will work independently of the gauge, however without the gauge working correctly you have no way of knowing if your pressure is set right.

Have you made sure the valve is on the post correctly? They can be really tight to get on. Make sure it clicks on. If its not on right it won't have pushed the poppet down on the post and thus no pressure will display!

 

[Smplskls]

Hey mate. The slunding valve will work independently of the gauge, however without the gauge working correctly you have no way of knowing if your pressure is set right.

Have you made sure the valve is on the post correctly? They can be really tight to get on. Make sure it clicks on. If its not on right it won't have pushed the poppet down on the post and thus no pressure will display!

Thanks mate. I've just switched lids with the empty fermenter next to it and given the disconnect a good push down and am pretty sure it's properly connected. Will see if I can get some action on the gauge now.

 

[Smplskls]

No good - I'm assuming the check valve shouldn't be there although I don't have another gas disconnect. Nothing running through the check valve without the spunding valve. Could be totally wrong as I don't understand the parts that well.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I think you may have a faulty gauge.

 

[SponsorSFC]

That looks like it might be one of those gas disconnects that has a non return check valve.

If so they are one way. Gas can go into the keg/fermenter but no gas will be able to pass out of the fermenter through the disconnect to the spunding valve which is why there will be no reading on the guage.

 

[Smplskls]

That looks like it might be one of those gas disconnects that has a non return check valve.

If so they are one way. Gas can go into the keg/fermenter but no gas will be able to pass out of the fermenter through the disconnect to the spunding valve which is why there will be no reading on the guage.

This was it.. Using a normal disconnect now and everything seems to be working. Thanks all. Hopefully the fiddling, releasing of pressure and opening of teh cap doesn't affect things too much been pretty liberal with the sanitizer at least!

 

[kadmium]

Nah she'll be right mate, I open my fermenter to dry hop etc, so it will be fine. Once I started making fruit meads, where you open the fermenter 2 or 3 times a day and whip the bejesus out of it to degas, and then prod all the fruit back down into it for the first 2 weeks, I started getting less concerned with infecting my beer or oxidising it by dry hopping etc.

Plenty of people make great beer with good old buckets, and Heffeweizens are often brewed with no lids on. So don't stress at all!