Fermenters

[Borret]

Gough,

I can only assume you have more of the same........ Go on humour me. Give me your best one. It's good I am not his only disgrutled customer!

Borret

 

[warrenlw63]

BTW if you do get one, and assuming you have never used one before. Always fit the airlock in the bung before puting in the carboy. I found out the hardway by trying to push an airlock into the bung already in the carboy. Had to fish the bung out of a carboy full of brown ale with heavy wire. Not happy jan. Hard enough to get a grip on a bung, let alone when you can't see it.

Good luck

Borret

[post="60865"][/post]​

Second that Borret,

Did the same. Luckily my carboy was empty. <_< Actually if you can get your hands on silicone bungs all the better.

The Brown rubber ones are inclined to pop out occasionally when you least expect it. Though they do tend to soften up over a long period of time.

Warren -

 

[Gough]

Gough,

I can only assume you have more of the same........ Go on humour me. Give me your best one. It's good I am not his only disgrutled customer!

Borret

[post="60875"][/post]​

Nothing as interesting as yours Borret. As I think I posted once in another thread, he once told me that grain was a waste of time in beer. If I was really keen though he had some (thousand year old bags of Brewcraft 'ale malt' gathering dust in the back of the shop) that I could boil with the kit for an hour :beerbang: He got stroppy when I questioned this and even stroppier when I didn't buy anything, and funnily enough I don't go back often... Sounds similar to your experience and others I've heard related...

Shawn.

 

[pbrosnan]

Did anyone hear back from Dundoon on the fermenters?

 

[Jino]

I agree Gough he is a weird one.

I think i would just buy one from Mark's. The only thing with Mark's is that I enquired and he ends up basically telling me he will only sell it to me if i buy that and a few others things i need for it for $100. I would only need the carboy, bung, brush and syphon wouldn't i? Surely that wouldn't cost $40- $45??

 

[warrenlw63]

Jino,

You don't even need the brush and syphon.

In lieu of brushing I add 10 litres of hot water and a teaspooon of napisan. Just tip the carboy upside down and put it into a milk crate (milk crates are a must for glass carboys).

Let it sit for a couple of hours and the krausen ring just dissolves. Just give it two rinses with some cold water after that and store it full with water and 30-50ml of bleach.

As for the siphon I just use 2 metres of 10mm racking hose. Just push it down close to the bottom of the carboy and let it sit against the wall so you can guage your depth.

To start the syphon just put a 50mm length of 12mm tubing over the end of your hose and suck. Once the flow starts, pull the 12mm tubing off and pinch your hose, then direct it to the bottom of your secondary fermenter or keg.

Easier than it sounds.

Warren -

 

[Jino]

Thanks for that i think i will definately just buy the carboy alone.

They sound easier to clean then my other fermenters!!!

Cheers

 

[warrenlw63]

Jino,

Just remember to try and find yourself a milk crate or two. Also it's very advisable to wear rubber gloves when handling wet carboys.

One of their flaws is the fact that they can be quite slippery, particularly when using napisan which is very soap like.

Warren -

 

[Jino]

Good call! If anyone could smash one it would be me!

 

[Borret]

Jino,

The auto syphons are usuall in the $18-20 range. The brush is at least ten. A bung is normally about 3-4 for that size and alot of guys sell the airlocks for about 5. So there's your hundred bucks. However buying it together you should get it cheaper I would think.
I have the siphon and do like it. I have however snapped the u part off the tube trying to get a hose off (more frustration). It still works well though. I also find the racking tube tends to lock up on the siphon so tight it's easier to cut the little bit off the end of the tube each time. ( saves another breakage.
The brush... I have that too but use with care. I slit some racking tube to go around the wire length of the handle as it will scratch the glass neck (it's not smooth wire, instead has barbed marks up the side from being gripped) and even though the bristle sort of stick out the end it's not hard for the wire to hit the glass too. I have noticed tiny scratches in mine which show up mainly when condensation forms. So I say go with warrens idea and stuff the brush ( I rarely use it now) and just rinse well.

Warren I have also read another technque that the yanks do to help clean the scum out. Apparently they pour some raw rice in there with a little cleaner and shake th crap out of it and it works like a scourer. Haven't tried it but it may hold merit.
I have also read of using river sand for the same thing but there's no way that's going anywhere near mine.

Cheers

Borret

 

[Guest Lurker]

Vaguely related useless observation of the day. If Napisan is soapy, why should wearing gloves make it so much less likely to drop a glass carboy? Answer. Because Napisan isnt soapy. But it reacts with and hydrolyses the natural body oils on your hands and converts them into soap, kind of like Docs beer soap. So its actually your hands that are soapy when you drop that carboy.

 

[warrenlw63]

GL,

Thanks for enlightening me to the fact that my hands are now prematurely old and scaley. Spent several years sticking my hands in bleach solutions and napisan without a care in the world. There goes my career as a hand-model and explains the stinging/itching sensations I used to encounter doing this. Ouch!

I mainly use gloves because I find that the dimpled palms help a little in keeping a good grip on the carboy. I always empty water out of them standing on the grass. At least if I drop one it minimises the chances of breakage. Also it's hard to avoid napisan on your hands while emptying one of these beasties. Note cleaning carboys in a more sober state always helps too. Keep the beer sampling for after the cleaning.

Borret,

I've heard of the rice idea and also agree with you about the brush. That's why I stopped using one. It started damaging the throat of the carboy.

However I think that the rice would most likely work like the brush, it would clean most of the debris off up to a point but not entirely. I used to brush like a madman, look at the carboy in the light and still see specks and lines on the inside of the carboy.

Napisan seems to work more thorough with no visible residue and less "Body-English" and assoicated risks of dropping the thing in the shaking process.

That said next time I clean one I'll try some rice and note my results. Any new idea is worth taking on board.

Warren -

 

[Jino]

Borret, when i enquired and he said it would be 100 for all the things you listed he said all it would cost $130 but he would sell it to me for $100! Not to bag Mark out but i think the prices you stated seem more realistic.

I think i'm just going to buy the carboy and bung. Thanks for all the cleaning info, better to get this information before then after i scratch the sh!t out of it whiles brushing and or drop it during cleaning on cement because the napisan reacted with my hand oil and i had no rubber gloves on!

 

[Borret]

Jino,

The ESB website has them for $65 with bung and airlock. I'd say that would be the best value you'll find.

Borret

(no affiliation........)

 

[Jino]

Thanks thats a good price. I'll check my local places first just to see if they are around that price. If so i will prbably save on postage.

 

[Weizguy]

The steel ones are just training fermenters up here. We just use them until we progress to lead. Gives our beers that extra 'kick' if you know what I mean

[post="60868"][/post]​

Mmmmm Lead I like a couple mls of antimony in mine for it's preservative qualities. :lol:

Warren -

[post="60874"][/post]​

Hmmmm, lead?

Remind me not to ask for a pint of "heavy" when I visit Shawn.

Myself, as a good Newie lad, brew in corrugated gal-plate water tanks. The yeast just luv zinc, according to Chris White.

Seth

 

[Borret]

The steel ones are just training fermenters up here. We just use them until we progress to lead. Gives our beers that extra 'kick' if you know what I mean

[post="60868"][/post]​

Mmmmm Lead I like a couple mls of antimony in mine for it's preservative qualities. :lol:

Warren -

[post="60874"][/post]​

Hmmmm, lead?

Remind me not to ask for a pint of "heavy" when I visit Shawn.

Myself, as a good Newie lad, brew in corrugated gal-plate water tanks. The yeast just luv zinc, according to Chris White.

Seth

[post="61027"][/post]​

Not forgetting to use the freshest of water out of coccle creek either. Gives you a stout so heavy you can't lift the galss!

Borret :blink:

 

[warrenlw63]

Not forgetting to use the freshest of water out of coccle creek either. Gives you a stout so heavy you can't lift the galss!

Borret :blink:

[post="61032"][/post]​

That is of course if the galss don't slap a sexual harassment suit on ya.

Transpose that "l". :lol:

Warren

 

[Borret]

Dare I say it Warren, I'm lost on that last one. Are you familiar with the various industries in newcastle and their location?

Borret

 

[warrenlw63]

Friday arvo Borret,

I was having a chuckle at your typo.. galss (gals, girls) as opposed to glass.

Awwwww feggedaboutit. Not that funny on reflection. :blink:

Think I'll keep my day job.

Warren -