Bernzomatic Oxygen Cylinders

[Justin]

Hi, has anyone seen the bernzomatic oxygen cylinders in Australia, like the yanks use for oxygenating their wort? I've got a 0.5uM aeration stone and wouldn't mind setting up an oxygen system using one of these tanks instead of an aquarium pump but I can only find the blue propane and yellow mapp gas ones. Has anyone seen the red oxygen ones?

Thanks, Justin

 

[ausdb]

Some Bunnings stores have them here in Perth they are about $29 each. They also have a left hand thread so unless you have the correct regulator for them you can't just dodgy up some other connection! I haven't actually seen any bernzomatic oxygen equipment for sale anywhere either so you would have to get the regulator kit from the US. I thought it was a good excuse to convince my missus that I need an oxy set at home!!! (so I could use the oxygen for brewing)

Cheers

 

[Justin]

Thanks. I was wondering if there was some restriction governing the O2 bottles here in Oz. You must be able to get the reg if you can get the bottle, if not then ordered from the states might be an option if I can source the bottles locally.

Cheers, JD

 

[ausdb]

I have just done a bit of gooling on the subject and I think the thread on the bottle is CGA 540 left hand

Here is an old google post about using them for wort oxygenation
http://groups.google.com.au/groups?hl=en&l...news.uswest.net

And for the lucky ones with lathes (sosman) here is some good info on the CGA threads
http://www.concoa.com/index.php?pagetype=showRef&id=11&ref=1

HTH

Ausdb

 

[Jye]

Justin, did you end up finding a local supplier of the bernzomatic oxygen cylinders?

Cheers
Jye

 

[Justin]

Nah mate, not found one in Tassie anyway. I can find them for sale on the net through google (search "bernzomatic oxygen" in google and tick the australian sites).

So far the SS air stone is still in it's packet, brand new and unused. I actually think I might sell it as I've just been oxygenating in my kettle when I recirculate the chilled wort. I just pull the return line up above the surface and let is splash for 5-10 mins or so before I let everything settle and drain to the fermenter with splashing.

Now, having said that, I have just scored three largish aquarium air pumps for nothing from work (on their way to the bin). I don't know if they will have the grunt to push air through the 0.5uM stone or not but I might try it.

As for the oxygen bernzomatic idea I think for me it's not going to go ahead. At $30+ postage (if they post?) I don't think it's worth it.

Cheers, Justin

 

[Jye]

Thanks Justin, I will probable check out my local bunnings but wont look further than that.

Cheers :beer:

 

[sosman]

I have just done a bit of gooling on the subject and I think the thread on the bottle is CGA 540 left hand

Here is an old google post about using them for wort oxygenation
http://groups.google.com.au/groups?hl=en&l...news.uswest.net

And for the lucky ones with lathes (sosman) here is some good info on the CGA threads
http://www.concoa.com/index.php?pagetype=showRef&id=11&ref=1

[post="36153"][/post]​

Thanks for the tip but I am fine with plain old air for now. The next step up for me will be a magnetically coupled "mother of all magnetic stirrers".

 

[Rex]

Went to Bunning in Vermont (MELB) the other day... lotsa MAPP and LPG Bernzomatic cylinders on the shelf, but no sign of oxygen ones...

 

[sinkas]

How long do these last?

 

[Asher]

190 litres of cooled, oxygenated wort and counting on mine.

 

[sinkas]

So Asher,
Is Bunnings still the best place to get them, and Morebeer for the regs?

 

[Jez]

I couldn't find these oxygen cylinders at my local Bunnings in Bankstown NSW and the guy told me they weren't likely to ever get them. Maybe WA is different?

I tracked them down at Heatcraft instead - www.heatcraft.com.au

Cost me $43 and not the quoted $30-odd but at least I found them. teamed up with the morebeer reg they work great.

Jez

 

[Asher]

Bunno's for the cylinders in WA.
Morebeer for the Reg, Filter & SS Stone combo.

I threw away the hose that came with it and swapped it with some PET hose I got with a BetterBottle prize. The new hose can be straightened and I use it like a wand in the fermenter. To sterilise i slip the hose and stone in a capped piece of DN25 HDPE pipe filled with Iodophor. Store in the drained dry pipe also.

 

[sinkas]

SO when using this set up, is it just meant to be a light sort of foaming that occurs, or is it supposed to be like a huge blast of gas, as I used mine for the first time today, and it seeed quite gentle, and only made a fairly thick scum of foam on the surface;

Sound about right?

Also asher,I can see why you threw away the short-dick hose that the set up comes with, strange length..

Cheers

 

[mika]

20 Second blast as long as you keep the airstone well under should just result in a bit of scum type froth on the surface and that's about it. Big froth and bubbles would mean the oxygen isn't being absorbed.

 

[sinkas]

oops, the friggin info sheet, says 2mins, which is what I did,

I only really asked as the info sheet also says, and to paraphrase "if foam n **** is goin every where, stop and allow to settle; you know what I'm sayin brudda"

if I get acetaldehyde in this brew, im gonna have a good reason to

 

[mika]

2 mins (and more) for one of the air pumps, not pure O2 source, whereas the little can is full of the good stuff.
I've heard of some people going for 15mins with an air pump :huh:

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I use the air pump and basically it gets up to an hour - usually the whole time it takes me to clean the brewery. I would consider anything less than 15mins to be not enough.

The thing is - with pure 02, you have to worry about the time. you can over oxygenate with pure 02. But with air... you cant over oxygenate, its just not possible. So - I just keep going till the froth gets to the top of the fermentor.

I'm not sure you are right mika - I am pretty sure I have heard people who regularly use pure 02 speaking of a "minute or two" as their oxygenation time. I dont think that amount of time would be nearly adequate if you were talking pumped air.

from the B3 website

" . . . Fermentap's Oxygenation System pumps pure oxygen into your cooled wort using a disposable oxygen tank and stainless steel diffusion stone. Takes a mere 1-2 minutes of operation to achieve adequate oxygen levels. Comes with a disposable oxygen tank regulator, sterile inline filter, our .5 micron stainless steel oxygenation stone and tubing . . . . "

and that matches up to the stuff I have heard listening to the brewing network and other podcasts from the states where the O2 set-ups are more common

but - like I said, I use pumped and filtered air, so what the hell do I know

TB

 

[ausdb]

I use the air pump and basically it gets up to an hour - usually the whole time it takes me to clean the brewery. I would consider anything less than 15mins to be not enough.

The thing is - with pure 02, you have to worry about the time. you can over oxygenate with pure 02. But with air... you cant over oxygenate, its just not possible. So - I just keep going till the froth gets to the top of the fermentor.

I'm not sure you are right mika - I am pretty sure I have heard people who regularly use pure 02 speaking of a "minute or two" as their oxygenation time. I dont think that amount of time would be nearly adequate if you were talking pumped air.

On this note I remember Dr Chris White (whitelabs guy) suggesting that a long areation with an air pump and airstone could actually be better in a homebrew system as it could be left running for even about 6 hours. Its added benefit was providing nucleation sites and through mixing of the yeast with the wort.

On the overoxygenation subject both White and Dave Lodgson raised this as an issue and I have trimmed my oxygenation usage down to only about a minute now. I originally used an inline system with pure O2 and would oxygenate for the whole time wort was transferring from my CFC and had an issue with oxidation which I put down to overoxygenating my wort.