Fermzilla

[Plyplema]

The gauge is only measuring what's enclosed and as long as there's only 1 exit then the gauge can go anywhere before the valve. The T-piece can go any-which-way.

The beer looks to have come through the lid due to a poor seal and I don't think that's krausen as you can see where the high krausen mark settled. My money is on the brewer pulling the pressure release valve and letting gas flow out too fast causing it to foam up and then come out the poor seal and spunding valve..

I'll just add that I've found it pretty easy for my release valve to get stuck open slightly on mine.

 

[Meddo]

Looking at the way it was set up, shouldn't the spunding valve come before the pressure gauge, with the Tee piece after with the pressure gauge on one side of the Tee piece and blow off on the other? The internals of the gauge will have copped a load of krausen in the guts. Also thats a hell of a lot of krausen for a pressure ferment, I found the krausen to be subdued under pressure.

Nah, if you do it that way the gauge would just be reading atmospheric pressure. I had a similar ****** using that arrangement on the weekend for back pressure while filling a keg with one of those silly flow "stopper" things from KL. Flow stopper stopped nothing and filled the valve and gauge instead. Then it was my own ****** that I forgot that I'd removed the shutoff ball from the coupler and proceeded to dump 2L of beer on the floor when I pulled the coupler off the spear rather than just removing the beer line...

 

[Grmblz]

you can definitely tell it isn't connected to a dip tube though

i've never used anything between fermenter + spunding except what is in this pic, what do you mean by intermediate vessel?

Gas post on fermenter connects to receiver post that has silicon tube attached to it which goes to the bottom of bottle, other receiver post connects to spunding valve, any liquid exiting the fermenter goes into bottle first (in this case a 1.25L pet) and only goes to spunding valve once the bottle is full. You vary the size of the receiver (bottle) to suit your needs. On larger volumes you can sub the bottle for a corny keg.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Nah, if you do it that way the gauge would just be reading atmospheric pressure. I had a similar ****** using that arrangement on the weekend for back pressure while filling a keg with one of those silly flow "stopper" things from KL. Flow stopper stopped nothing and filled the valve and gauge instead. Then it was my own ****** that I forgot that I'd removed the shutoff ball from the coupler and proceeded to dump 2L of beer on the floor when I pulled the coupler off the spear rather than just removing the beer line...

Yes your right it has got to be before the spunding valve, what Grmblz suggested to razz would be the best way, keep the krausen out of the gauge and the spunding valve. But surely there should not be that amount of krausen under pressure?

 

[Grmblz]

Yes your right it has got to be before the spunding valve, what Grmblz suggested to razz would be the best way, keep the krausen out of the gauge and the spunding valve. But surely there should not be that amount of krausen under pressure?

I had 23L in a 37L fermenter @ 10psi, filled my bottle and valve and put another Ltr or so onto the floor, I did overpitch due to attenuation concerns, it was a large RIS. Lesson learnt though, would probably be categorised as pilot error.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I had 23L in a 37L fermenter @ 10psi, filled my bottle and valve and put another Ltr or so onto the floor, I did overpitch due to attenuation concerns, it was a large RIS. Lesson learnt though, would probably be categorised as pilot error.

Is that the pilot error of a peat digger?

 

[Vic]

T

Gas post on fermenter connects to receiver post that has silicon tube attached to it which goes to the bottom of bottle, other receiver post connects to spunding valve, any liquid exiting the fermenter goes into bottle first (in this case a 1.25L pet) and only goes to spunding valve once the bottle is full. You vary the size of the receiver (bottle) to suit your needs. On larger volumes you can sub the bottle for a corny keg.

Tube does not need to go to the bottom of the bottle, a short 30mm tube will suffice, if the tube goes to the bottom then when fermentation is finished it is possible the contents of the bottle will be sucked back into the fermenter, when cold crashing it will be sucked back in. IMO just use a short 30MM tube just to make sure input does not meet output.

 

[Plyplema]

But surely there should not be that amount of krausen under pressure?

It's not krausen. It's foam from releasing pressure too fast. High krausen is at the 26L mark.

 

[Vic]

D

Yes your right it has got to be before the spunding valve, what Grmblz suggested to razz would be the best way, keep the krausen out of the gauge and the spunding valve. But surely there should not be that amount of krausen under pressure?

IMO the best way is gas out from fermenter to collection vessel, then to pressure gauge and spunding valve. That way no crud can enter either. May brewers start ferment at little or no pressure and then turn pressure up when fermentation is clearly active. It is possible to miss the time of rising activity and (if not using a collection vessel) krausen will enter the spunding valve and gauge. I know, this has happened to me. Initially no devastating issues. As fermentation subsides, the spunding valve may stick due the sticky sugary stuff inside and/or the crud now in the pressure gauge that has set resulting in wrong readings. In my case gauge reported 15PSI but gas was venting from PRV. Removing the gauge, the reading dropped slowly. Clearly blocked. Could this explain some of the exploding FZs?

 

[Grmblz]

T
Tube does not need to go to the bottom of the bottle, a short 30mm tube will suffice, if the tube goes to the bottom then when fermentation is finished it is possible the contents of the bottle will be sucked back into the fermenter, when cold crashing it will be sucked back in. IMO just use a short 30MM tube just to make sure input does not meet output.

Agreed, depending on process, I only have it connected during early fermentation, and certainly disconnect if crashing which I rarely do, I usually keg condition with a few points left, I should have mentioned that, thanks for making that clear to others not versed in the procedure.

 

[Grmblz]

Is that the pilot error of a peat digger?

Nope, no Gaelic blood here, pure mongrel, Viking, Norman, Roman, and whoever else invaded and left there sperm behind, Oh I'm forgetting US troops WW2, they talk about hybrid vigour, looking back at my old countrymen (been here 40yrs) I'm yet to be convinced.

 

[awfulknauful]

Has anyone got the V2 FermZilla, would love to know how that is performing, the original is sure plagued with problems.

 

[Nullnvoid]

Just kegged my 15th beer and 8th pressure ferment out of my Fermzilla. Once again worked a treat and had no issues. I was one of the first ones to get my hands on it.

Has worked spot on every time. The only **** up, was completely my fault, cannot blame the fermzilla and it was a simple error.

Out of all the fermzillas we only seem to hear about the issues and I really think they are few and far between. There must be thousands like me that have never had any problems. Never taken it apart and never had an issue.

 

[awfulknauful]

Looks like there are an equal number who are having issues, that's why I would like to hear some feedback about the V2.

 

[Nullnvoid]

Looks like there are an equal number who are having issues, that's why I would like to hear some feedback about the V2.

Proof on the equal numbers?

 

[awfulknauful]

Proof on the equal numbers?

Proof on the "thousands" like you without a problem, and name them.

 

[Nullnvoid]

Proof on the "thousands" like you without a problem, and name them.

You are the nay sayer derailing the thread. Not me

 

[awfulknauful]

Why is it derailing the thread, the thread is about the FermZilla whether it be good or bad, you started the thread, you should have stated only good feed back required. Have a look on all the facebook pages they are full of negative remarks about the FermZilla. I got one too at the start, just wasn't merchantable quality. Nearly got caught with the long awaited Maltzilla, made my mind up now anything ending in Zilla is likely to be CRAP.

 

[Vic]

I have 3 FZs and after 40+ brews in these, no problems. Please advise what is the V2? No mention of a V2 on their web site.

 

[awfulknauful]

I have 3 FZs and after 40+ brews in these, no problems. Please advise what is the V2? No mention of a V2 on their web site.