Ideas for closed transfer from basic HDPE fermenter

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I do this works good
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I had a go with this. A butchered bottle filler with a 6mm line onto a disconnect. It worked but it was slow. Took a good 5 mins to transfer 7L. I had my hand on the PRV pulling it every 3 seconds or the CO2 was going to push the beer back out into the fermenter. Others have this experience?
Maybe the 6mm line is too narrow?
 
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I had a go with this. A butchered bottle filler with a 6mm line onto a disconnect. It worked but it was slow. Took a good 5 mins to transfer 7L. I had my hand on the PRV pulling it every 3 seconds or the CO2 was going to push the beer back out into the fermenter. Others have this experience?
Maybe the 6mm line is too narrow?
I would suggest you just put a gas disconnect on the in post after you start filling to allow the pressure to equalise.
 
It is slow, yes. But just leave the prv open and then close it once the transfer is finished, rather than continually open-closing it.
 
I would suggest you just put a gas disconnect on the in post after you start filling to allow the pressure to equalise.
This is what I've found works best. Less back pressure than an open prv.
 
This is what I've found works best. Less back pressure than an open prv.

Could you elaborate on this please as I don't understand what you mean? I have the gas line/disconnect onto the gas post on the target keg and I have this at a low psi (~5 or so). I then (obviously) have the 'custom' line from the fermenter onto the beer 'in' line. So what do you mean 'put a gas disconnect on the in post after you start filling...'?
 
Could you elaborate on this please as I don't understand what you mean? I have the gas line/disconnect onto the gas post on the target keg and I have this at a low psi (~5 or so). I then (obviously) have the 'custom' line from the fermenter onto the beer 'in' line. So what do you mean 'put a gas disconnect on the in post after you start filling...'?
Why are you leaving the gas hooked up to the keg? You don't want any pressure in the keg (unless it's a closed loop siphon from a pressure fermenter / another keg) - leave the PRV open or as suggested above put a disconnect onto the gas post with no line attached - this will let the CO2 in the keg vent as it fills with beer.
 
Yeah, I don't think the original OP was asking about transferring from a pressure vessel - that's a slightly different process depending whether it's a pressure transfer or a closed-loop siphon.
 
Why are you leaving the gas hooked up to the keg? You don't want any pressure in the keg (unless it's a closed loop siphon from a pressure fermenter / another keg) - leave the PRV open or as suggested above put a disconnect onto the gas post with no line attached - this will let the CO2 in the keg vent as it fills with beer.

Ah yes ok. I had the gas hooked up to the keg. I would think that might do this initially to remove O2 from the Keg then remove the disconnect? But yes, next time then, don't have the gas hooked up to CO2 and just leave the PRV open.
 
Yep, purge the keg with CO2 (fill with sanitiser and push it out the liquid post) and then vent that pressure out through the PRV or a gas disconnect before trying to fill with beer, and let it keep venting as it fills.

Don't forget to close the PRV or remove the gas disconnect vent once it's full...
 
Yep, purge the keg with CO2 (fill with sanitiser and push it out the liquid post) and then vent that pressure out through the PRV or a gas disconnect before trying to fill with beer, and let it keep venting as it fills.

Don't forget to close the PRV or remove the gas disconnect vent once it's full...

Thanks Meddo.
 
This is next on my list of brewery upgrades, probably about the first thing I'll sort out once we move house in a couple of weeks. Just need one of those bottling wand thingys and some 6mm line which shouldn't be too hard to get.
 
I only had 5mm and it still worked ok, probably about 20mins to half an hour.
By the way Rocker it was a second batch of your red going in[emoji38]
The first didnt last too long, its the best beer i have in my folder so far.
 
I haven't got any spare beer line anyway so I'll still have to buy more to do it, might as well go the 6mm. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out how full it is either as I keg my beers straight from cold crashing, condensation should give a pretty good idea especially if the transfer is slow.

Nice one mate, glad it's turned out well!
 
I had mine on a set of scales but i didnt need to, as you said it was very easy to tell by the condensation.
 
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