Carbing/Conditioning in a Cube before keg

[Yob]

Is that food grade duct tape?

Sorry...

 

[S.E]

Is that food grade duct tape?

Sorry...

Ha, I was thinking the same when I taped it up. Initially I was going to transfer to another cube but then remembered duct tape and plane repairs and thought what the hell.

So now I know I’m not going to blow myself up but may have poisoned myself. :unsure:

 

[S.E]

As WEAL has taken carbing in a cube to a new level over here in the https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/fermenting-under-pressure.66163/page-19 thread it has got me thinking about fermenting under pressure then carbing and conditioning in a cube before a keg (or cask).

Unlike racking to a cube and priming it, if using one as a pressure fermenter its going to need a Pressure relief valve so I’ve come up with this simple idea.

I have drilled a small 1mm hole in a piece of beer line (marked with red pen) and covered it over first with a wide elastic band tied around it.

Pumped up with a bike pump this releases excess pressure and holds at around 6 psi.

The green ring in the pic is a band from a Noosa rat trap, I then slid the elastic band off the hole and covered it with the green ring and pressure is released at around 15psi.

My thinking is that with playing around with different size rubber bands pressure could be regulated at whatever is desired. Start fermenting at a low pressure with light band then increase near the end with a heavier band.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I did try that but with a finger from a disposable glove and the elastic band, I actually think it was you that mentioned it Sean in one of the cube threads or the fermenting under pressure thread, since found these in a LHB
A none return valve which holds the pressure spot on 5 PSI, over that and it automatically vents, no need for a gauge.

 

[S.E]

5 psi would be ok for fermenting but it would be better to go a bit higher for carbing and conditioning to speed things up.

A couple of my UK plastic pressure barrels had a small hole near the bottom of the gas post covered with a rubber ring that vented co2 at around 10 psi

 

[wide eyed and legless]

5 psi would be ok for fermenting but it would be better to go a bit higher for carbing and conditioning to speed things up.

A couple of my UK plastic pressure barrels had a small hole near the bottom of the gas post covered with a rubber ring that vented co2 at around 10 psi

Yes that seems about right, it will go by the temperature the beer is served at, for me I would be needing to pressurise the head space at say 20 C to around 10 to 12 PSI cool to 10 to 12 C for an English ale to get the serving carbonation right.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

As WEAL has taken carbing in a cube to a new level over here in the https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/fermenting-under-pressure.66163/page-19 thread it has got me thinking about fermenting under pressure then carbing and conditioning in a cube before a keg (or cask).

Unlike racking to a cube and priming it, if using one as a pressure fermenter its going to need a Pressure relief valve so I’ve come up with this simple idea.View attachment 110367


I have drilled a small 1mm hole in a piece of beer line (marked with red pen) and covered it over first with a wide elastic band tied around it.

Pumped up with a bike pump this releases excess pressure and holds at around 6 psi.

The green ring in the pic is a band from a Noosa rat trap, I then slid the elastic band off the hole and covered it with the green ring and pressure is released at around 15psi.

My thinking is that with playing around with different size rubber bands pressure could be regulated at whatever is desired. Start fermenting at a low pressure with light band then increase near the end with a heavier band.

How did you go with that Sean, I have noticed that with a 4 mm dia tube between the fermenting cube and the gas catching cube the krausen seems suppressed I was thinking of using tap caps between the two cubes,

 

[S.E]

Edit: oops, sorry wrong thread.

 

[scomet]

Holy ****. Someone is going to cop a hell of a blast in their face

I agree with NickB, do the math 12psi over 200 sq" + gas is an energised fluid, the force is enormous! A split rim at 2psi will take your head off, this imho is a very unsafe practice. Just because it hasn't doesn't mean it wont....

 

[S.E]

I agree with NickB, do the math 12psi over 200 sq" + gas is an energised fluid, the force is enormous! A split rim at 2psi will take your head off, this imho is a very unsafe practice. Just because it hasn't doesn't mean it wont....

It just doesn’t happen mate. Time has shown that cubes are perfectly safe to use for fermenters, casks and no chill. No explosions and the sky has never fallen down. I have only ever had one cube fail in use as a cask and it just stretched until a pin hole appeared and squirted beer out the side.

There have however been plenty failures with cubes used for no chill which is probably the most common use for cubes in home brewing. They do burst if the wort is infected and spontaneously ferments in the sealed cube but again I have only ever heard and seen them stretch split and leak but no explosions.

Even with the latest craze of fermenting under pressure in PET fermenters there have been failures where they have burst and they hold far more pressure than HDPE cubes. So it could be argued that cubes are safer than PET fermenters or even stainless steel kegs where there have been explosions and fatalities.

 

[Andy Graham]

Dont worry sean, i have access to hydraulic relief valves, most set to 350bar. Ill fit them to your cubes at stout fest.

Wow, 350 bar. You forgot the decimal point mate. Think you mean 0.35bar
Andy