PET Kegs and more

[GrumpyPaul]

Its a problem I agree - had to go and kick arse to make sure they get on. Check back in and I sure hope they are there by now.

Nope. Still can't find them

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Found the Chubby Handles

https://www.keg-king.com.au/handle-for-chubby-30l-fermenter.html

 

[Keg King]

Found the Chubby Handles

https://www.keg-king.com.au/handle-for-chubby-30l-fermenter.html

We always get there in the end.

How is the Chubby working for you? Done a beer in it yet?

 

[GrumpyPaul]

We always get there in the end.

How is the Chubby working for you? Done a beer in it yet?

Chubby is great - The spunding valve is the hard bit.

I have done a couple of brews - cant quite get the spunding valve right. It's either letting to much out or not letting anything out. But I shall persevere.

I'm glad I grabbed a FK Junior while I was there - these things work great together in pairs to transfer off the yeast and let the beer really cold crash and clear up.

But the thing I am loving the most about fermenting under pressure is getting finished, carbonated beer straight out of the fermenter. No more force carbing, rocking and rolling kegs for me - clear beer stays clear and doesn't need to be shake up to carbonate in a hurry.

I will definitely be getting Chubby handle when I am heading past next - it is a challenge to pick up a full Chubby without it.

@Keg King any plans to include the handles a a standard part of the Chubby kit in future?

 

[Keg King]

Chubby is great - The spunding valve is the hard bit.

I have done a couple of brews - cant quite get the spunding valve right. It's either letting to much out or not letting anything out. But I shall persevere.

I'm glad I grabbed a FK Junior while I was there - these things work great together in pairs to transfer off the yeast and let the beer really cold crash and clear up.

But the thing I am loving the most about fermenting under pressure is getting finished, carbonated beer straight out of the fermenter. No more force carbing, rocking and rolling kegs for me - clear beer stays clear and doesn't need to be shake up to carbonate in a hurry.

I will definitely be getting Chubby handle when I am heading past next - it is a challenge to pick up a full Chubby without it.

@Keg King any plans to include the handles a a standard part of the Chubby kit in future?

Possibly will include them. Also check out our new 10 and 15 psi PRVs so you don't need the spunding valve.

 

[Keg King]

PET Kegs and Fermenters produced by us are really taking off overseas. We will be making a formal announcement shortly about a signed agreement to deliver 10,000 pieces of the Fermenter King Juniors to a commercial customer in the USA. Our passionate Keg King team is incredibly proud that the start of something much bigger is now a reality and that Keg King PET products are pretty much becoming the go to kit for brewers everywhere. This is starting to earn some decent export bucks for Australia and I hope you will join with me in applauding our team which is able to do this right here in Melbourne.

 

[duncbrewer]

I second your issues with the spunding valve. My first one ( all metal bits) was just about manageable when fermenting. But had the problem that it degassed once output of gas fell. Gave up with it.
Recently had to reuse it as doing 2 pressure brews at once and had the fermenter ( fermentasaurus ) on the bench so was looking up at the spunding valve and spotted a tiny bubble and gas loss thru one of the metal pieces. Tried more PTFE tape and retightened which then just split the end of the piece with hole in completely.
Have now rebuilt it so that it has same valve and gauge but uses push fit connector from the T to the MFL connector.
Works much better now but still needs adjusting skills of a safe cracker!

 

[sixfignig]

Went to clean and use one of my FKJ (4th use) and noticed a big crack in the neck. Luckily noticed it before filling with beer. Pretty disappointed, feels like a disposable product at this point. I'm very careful with my gear so not really sure how that happened, presumption is simply by moving it about whilst cleaning.

 

[Skillz]

What's the chance of getting volume stickers for the chubby?

 

[Keg King]

Went to clean and use one of my FKJ (4th use) and noticed a big crack in the neck. Luckily noticed it before filling with beer. Pretty disappointed, feels like a disposable product at this point. I'm very careful with my gear so not really sure how that happened, presumption is simply by moving it about whilst cleaning.

Missed this post. Any chance you still have the unit?

 

[golfandbrew]

I second your issues with the spunding valve. My first one ( all metal bits) was just about manageable when fermenting. But had the problem that it degassed once output of gas fell. Gave up with it.
Recently had to reuse it as doing 2 pressure brews at once and had the fermenter ( fermentasaurus ) on the bench so was looking up at the spunding valve and spotted a tiny bubble and gas loss thru one of the metal pieces. Tried more PTFE tape and retightened which then just split the end of the piece with hole in completely.
Have now rebuilt it so that it has same valve and gauge but uses push fit connector from the T to the MFL connector.
Works much better now but still needs adjusting skills of a safe cracker!

Have you looked at getting a SpundIt?

 

[duncbrewer]

@golfandbrew
The spundit looks very good. No real complaints with the duotight blowtie other than that dial is so small, incidentally took mine apart the other day and removed a load of gunk from inside it. Must have had some blow off enter it at some stage, I understand the spundit is tolerant of liquid mishaps.
Currently have the blowtie spundit on one brew and my modded all metal safe cracker on another and both working okay.

 

[ThirstyFish]

Possibly will include them. Also check out our new 10 and 15 psi PRVs so you don't need the spunding valve.

Pressure fermenting AND relying only on a PRV sounds like a recipe for an explosion. Would only take some hop to block the PRV and you'd have a big mess

 

[S.E]

Pressure fermenting AND relying only on a PRV sounds like a recipe for an explosion. Would only take some hop to block the PRV and you'd have a big mess

I don’t think it would really make a lot of difference if you were venting through a spunding and also had a PRV as backup. If the krausen and hops reached the top of the fermenter they would block the spunding first then the PRV when it activated.

 

[ThirstyFish]

I don’t think it would really make a lot of difference if you were venting through a spunding and also had a PRV as backup. If the krausen and hops reached the top of the fermenter they would block the spunding first then the PRV when it activated.

I was responding to the suggestion of using a PRV instead of a spunding valve

 

[S.E]

I was responding to the suggestion of using a PRV instead of a spunding valve

Yes I understood that. I don’t see that it will make much difference. A spunding is just as likely to block as the PRV. If the spunding blocks then the pressure will build up and activate the PRV which in turn will block up.

 

[Keg King]

That is

Yes I understood that. I don’t see that it will make much difference. A spunding is just as likely to block as the PRV. If the spunding blocks then the pressure will build up and activate the PRV which in turn will block up.

That is exactly the case. Nothing is compromised by having a PRV that lifts at a lower pressure. If anything its safer and don't be fooled by the opposition trying to make that case.

 

[S.E]

That is exactly the case. Nothing is compromised by having a PRV that lifts at a lower pressure. If anything its safer and don't be fooled by the opposition trying to make that case.

To be fair I don’t think he/she was trying to fool us or make it the case, at least that’s not how I read it? Just airing a view that pressure fermenting without a spunding would somehow be dangerous and cause the fermenter to explode?

Not the first time someone has thought that pressure fermenting or even cask conditioning is dangerous and would end in explosion.

 

[ThirstyFish]

I think that it's safer to have two options for excess CO2 to vent than just the one. If others disagree that's their prerogative.

 

[Grmblz]

I think that it's safer to have two options for excess CO2 to vent than just the one. If others disagree that's their prerogative.

Agreed, although both PRV's and ball lock posts are readily blocked by hop debris, which is one reason I use a 13mm blow off tube till after high krausen.
I'm surprised no-one has thought to incorporate a burst disc type device similar to what a kitchen pressure cooker has. It wouldn't need to be sophisticated, just a shaped grommet with a large enough hole, say 15mm and a plastic plug in it that blows out at 30psi or whatever, easy enough to fit it into a lid, and idiot proof. You might still have a huge mess to clean up but at least it would prevent catastrophic failure of the vessel.