Fermzilla

[theredone]

Reading Reg's post (106) about 'hot fill' I did look up what it was, a lot of juices get hot filled into PET bottles which can take close to boiling. For the bog standard plastics I came across this list.

What are the hot fill temperatures for the plastic bottles?
Hot fill temperatures for plastic bottles and jars.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) 120°F
PS (polystyrene) 150°F
HDPE (high density polyethylene) 145°F
LDPE (low density polyethylene) 120°F
PP (polypropylene) 165°F
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) 140°F

NOTE: The information provided above is intended to provide a relative comparison of plastic resin hot fill temperatures and should only be used as guide during the selection process. Individual plastic bottle resins may have hot fill temperatures that vary from those listed above. It is the buyer's responsibility to make the final determination as to whether a given bottle is suitable for their hot fill process. Chemical and temperature compatibility testing is, and will always be, the final determining factor in the bottle selection process.

just put my first brew in the 55, should have read this first i guess... transferred in at 60 degrees and left it overnight, had a look this morning and there are dints where it touches the frame, should have cooled it down a bit more but thought 60 should be ok. normally id droip it to about 40 but it was late at night and way past my bedtime.
will try putting some hot water in it to see if i can pop them out a bit later but i would be doubtfull.

 

[pauly]

Pretty sure someone asked if the FZ would fit in a series 4 kegerator. If you remove the collection container it just squeezes in along with one keg.

Not sure I'd be doing this regularly though, and I'd look at taking off the dump valve handle next time I do it.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

just put my first brew in the 55, should have read this first i guess... transferred in at 60 degrees and left it overnight, had a look this morning and there are dints where it touches the frame, should have cooled it down a bit more but thought 60 should be ok. normally id droip it to about 40 but it was late at night and way past my bedtime.
will try putting some hot water in it to see if i can pop them out a bit later but i would be doubtfull.

I wouldn't be using it for any pressure ferments now just in case it has compromised the pressure rating.

 

[buckerooni]

Pretty sure someone asked if the FZ would fit in a series 4 kegerator. If you remove the collection container it just squeezes in along with one keg.

Not sure I'd be doing this regularly though, and I'd look at taking off the dump valve handle next time I do it.View attachment 116542

one of those stainless QDs with a 90 deg thread would give u a bit more room too. I put some beer line between the QD and the valve

 

[theredone]

whats everyone doing for yeast harvesting? collection from collection container and build up again with starter? or just take collection container off to clean fermenter then pitch back ontop without a building a starter up?

EDIT: im using the 55ltr

 

[nala]

Recently bought a 27 ltr Fermzilla, decided to test it for pressure and set the spunding valve.
I have a leak somewhere and can't find it !
Using soapy water in a spray bottle isn't finding the leak anybody got a suggestion?

 

[Drewgong]

Recently bought a 27 ltr Fermzilla, decided to test it for pressure and set the spunding valve.
I have a leak somewhere and can't find it !
Using soapy water in a spray bottle isn't finding the leak anybody got a suggestion?

Got a big tub you could partially submerge the fermzilla in or a pool? obviously fill the fermzilla 3/4 full of water to make it easier to sink.

 

[Schikitar]

Using soapy water in a spray bottle isn't finding the leak anybody got a suggestion?

Fill it with liquid and turn it upside down, it's likely the carb posts..

 

[KegLand-com-au]

Fill it with liquid and turn it upside down, it's likely the carb posts..

Yes we have seen some of the carbonation caps like these ones where the rubber seal gets chopped up:
https://www.kegland.com.au/carbonation-line-cleaning-cap.html

I actually prefer these red plastic ones that cost less.
https://www.kegland.com.au/plastic-carbonation-line-cleaning-cap-fermzilla-cap.html
We will soon sell these as a pack of 10 and the cost will be about $20 for a 10pack. So you can take them to parties and it's not a bit deal if you loose them.

The red ones also have no "o-ring" or "washer". The hard engineering plastic seals directly onto the neck of the bottle without a seal so there is no conventional seal to loose or get damaged.

 

[pauly]

Recently bought a 27 ltr Fermzilla, decided to test it for pressure and set the spunding valve.
I have a leak somewhere and can't find it !
Using soapy water in a spray bottle isn't finding the leak anybody got a suggestion?

I find the carb caps need a bit of extra tightening on my one. When I assembled it there was a leak in the bottom too, not where the collection bottle is but the parts above it. I ended up disassembling it all, lubing it, and hand tightening it and it's now good.

I find for the top I need to hand tighten it then back it off a bit rather than tighten it more, it can be a bit counter intuitive.

I agree with Schikitar about turning it upside down, but that doesn't help you when you've got a brew going to practice a bit first.

 

[KegLand-com-au]

I find the carb caps need a bit of extra tightening on my one. When I assembled it there was a leak in the bottom too, not where the collection bottle is but the parts above it. I ended up disassembling it all, lubing it, and hand tightening it and it's now good.

I find for the top I need to hand tighten it then back it off a bit rather than tighten it more, it can be a bit counter intuitive.

I agree with Schikitar about turning it upside down, but that doesn't help you when you've got a brew going to practice a bit first.

Yes I would agree. Lube really helps a lot especially with the larger diameter seals. The Haynes lubri film does the trick and you only need a very small amount but this makes a huge difference.

 

[Schikitar]

I agree with Schikitar about turning it upside down, but that doesn't help you when you've got a brew going to practice a bit first.

Yeah, I mean I usually check the posts, the container seal and the cap/posts on the container aren't leaking when I sanitise the fermenter (just before dropping wort into it). So I fill it with about 5-10L of santisier, put some pressure on it and then check the bottom container seal for leaks, then open the dump valve and check the container posts etc., aren't leaking and finally I invert the FZ to make sure the lid and top posts aren't leaking. I had a terrible time the first time because I over tightened everything, learnt that I just has to hand tighten and then even back them off a smidge (or tighten them a smidge) to get the seal just right.

It's the only big flaw of this unit, finding the sweet spot for all the seals.

I had to replace the the bottom seal because I thought the included tool was for ensuring a really tight fit - turns out you shouldn't even need that tool, certainly not to tighten anything!

 

[nala]

Yeah, I mean I usually check the posts, the container seal and the cap/posts on the container aren't leaking when I sanitise the fermenter (just before dropping wort into it). So I fill it with about 5-10L of santisier, put some pressure on it and then check the bottom container seal for leaks, then open the dump valve and check the container posts etc., aren't leaking and finally I invert the FZ to make sure the lid and top posts aren't leaking. I had a terrible time the first time because I over tightened everything, learnt that I just has to hand tighten and then even back them off a smidge (or tighten them a smidge) to get the seal just right.

It's the only big flaw of this unit, finding the sweet spot for all the seals.

I had to replace the the bottom seal because I thought the included tool was for ensuring a really tight fit - turns out you shouldn't even need that tool, certainly not to tighten anything!

Thanks to all who replied I appreciate your helpful suggestions very much, thank you.

 

[KegLand-com-au]

Thanks to all who replied I appreciate your helpful suggestions very much, thank you.

Thanks for the feedback Schikitar. Much appreciated and I am sure others appreciate this too.

Yes the tool is really only for taking it apart. You can get it tighter than you should need by hand when putting the dump valve or lid on.

 

[nala]

Further to my previous post thanking members for their help.
Having used a bottle of gas to try to resolve this issue my visiting son suggested that I should use a bike tyre pump
with an attached quick disconnect instead of gas, I am posting a picture of what I did, also adopting the suggestion of immersing the top and bottom of the Fermzilla in my pool to detect the leak.
I pumped up the Fermzilla to 15 psi and could see where the problem lay, all resolved now, thanks once again.

 

[Half-baked]

I pumped up the Fermzilla to 15 psi and could see where the problem lay, all resolved now, thanks once again.

I need closure... where was it?

 

[RopesNZ]

Hi guys.

Looking forward to breaking in my Fermzilla sometime soon but just wondering if anybody is doing pressure fermentation? And when do you start it?

My idea was to set the fermenter in the fermentation fridge, have the carbonation caps on both posts and a spunding valve on one, set it at like 10psi from the get go? Then have a picnic tap coming out from the other one for samples.

Does this sound about right? How is everyone else going about it??

Cheers

 

[Grmblz]

I need closure... where was it?

+1

 

[Grmblz]

Hi guys.

Looking forward to breaking in my Fermzilla sometime soon but just wondering if anybody is doing pressure fermentation? And when do you start it?

My idea was to set the fermenter in the fermentation fridge, have the carbonation caps on both posts and a spunding valve on one, set it at like 10psi from the get go? Then have a picnic tap coming out from the other one for samples.

Does this sound about right? How is everyone else going about it??

Cheers

Ooooh! can of worms there ropes, some will say pressure stresses the yeast, others say that's bollocks and point to hydro-static pressure at the bottom of tall commercial fermenters, then there's the what type of beer are you brewing, and are you going to serve from the fermzy using a floating dip tube or transfer to keg, I brew ales (1050 +) in my fermzy, no pressure for 3 to 4 days (use the c02 to purge kegs) then apply 10psi, and the same as you suggest a picnic tap or pluto gun for samples and serving or transferring to keg at the end of fermentation.

 

[Schikitar]

Yeah lots of opinions here but yeast stress I feel isn't really one of them anymore, not with a healthy pitch. Anyway, I usually let the initial ferment go real low at about 3psi, after it's just past peak primary I then ramp to about 12psi. When I'm ready for cold crash I connect CO2 at 15psi and cold crash for two days, then pressure transfer to keg and your beer is carbonated and ready to go. I brew predominantly ales though.. this works for me but there will be a hundred other approaches for everyone else, you just gotta find what works for you!

Just one thing, if you plan to pressure ferment and also use the bottom container for dry hopping then be sure to purge the FZ headspace of pressure (via the PRV) just prior to closing the bottom valve. Then remove the container, maybe just cracking one of the side lids to relieve some pressure. It's a tricky area to work with and can get a bit messy - have sanitiser spray, bowls/plates, papertowel/cloths on hand. Also, make sure you purge the container with CO2 when you reconnect it but before you reopen the dump valve so you minimise O2 exposure - it's also a good way to double check that once you've screwed it back on that you don't have a leak BEFORE you open that valve..