Spike brewing conical fermenters unitanks

[pat_00]

That CF30 looks great for the price. Doubt you could cold crash easily with the coil though.

 

[Hubert]

Hey Hubert, if you get a chance would you mind checking the maximum depth of your unit for me please, as in front to back, including valves? I've got a pretty big fridge but I think it's more like 470 mm deep than 500. Would be good to make sure the door will shut before I purchase one.

Thanks mate

@Meddo, the unit itself is 430mm, with the valves extruding a further 80mm out from that. So from back to extremities is just over 500mm. Remember though, you will gain a few mm in the door thanks to the seal and if you take the shelves off.
Mine sits in a Fisher & Paykel C450 single door fridge nicely or reference.

 

[Meddo]

@Meddo, the unit itself is 430mm, with the valves extruding a further 80mm out from that. So from back to extremities is just over 500mm. Remember though, you will gain a few mm in the door thanks to the seal and if you take the shelves off.
Mine sits in a Fisher & Paykel C450 single door fridge nicely or reference.

Great, thanks Hubert. I reckon on an angle I'll be able to get it in fine.

 

[lespaul]

I’m interested, but a little unsure if this is going to be ideal.
I’m really after a stainless conical fermenter that can handle pressure ferment and transfer, with a thermowell. The chronically looks good, but i really need something that’s 8 gal, the 7 gal doesn’t seem to be enough headroom.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Meddo]

I’m interested, but a little unsure if this is going to be ideal.
I’m really after a stainless conical fermenter that can handle pressure ferment and transfer, with a thermowell. The chronically looks good, but i really need something that’s 8 gal, the 7 gal doesn’t seem to be enough headroom.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I wound up ordering a CF10 on my own - should be getting on a plane any minute...

I was tossing up between the Spike and the SS Brewtech unitank in 10 gal sizes. I chose the Spike cos I reckon it would be easier to clean with the full-width removable lid. I'm not so confident on the performance of my sump pump for CIP that I'm prepared to compromise scrubbing access...

I've also read a number of complaints about the weld quality on the SSB unitanks - possibly due to not having as easy access to the internals? No such complaints for the Spike, that I've found anyway.

I prefer the cooling coil design on the Spike, although I'm not sure I'll ever use it given the ambient temps in my Brisbane garage. On the plus side for the SSB they've got the local distribution set up, more ports, a larger TC port in the lid which potentially opens up more options with modified caps, and arguably a bit prettier...

Edit: just saw you mention the Chronical - I could be wrong but I don't think they'll do pressure fermentation, just low pressure transfers - you'll need the unitank for pressure fermentation or forced carbonation.

 

[lespaul]

Shame I just found the thread, I'm in Brisbane too. Thanks for the reply

 

[kingo102]

I was actually leaning towards the SSB unitank in a 14, although was also considering the spine. You mentioned poor weld quality, did you have a source or review? Can't seem to find many reviews on the SSB.

Cheers
Dave

I wound up ordering a CF10 on my own - should be getting on a plane any minute...

I was tossing up between the Spike and the SS Brewtech unitank in 10 gal sizes. I chose the Spike cos I reckon it would be easier to clean with the full-width removable lid. I'm not so confident on the performance of my sump pump for CIP that I'm prepared to compromise scrubbing access...

I've also read plenty of complaints about the weld quality on the SSB unitanks - possibly due to not having as easy access to the internals? No such complaints for the Spike, that I've found anyway.

I prefer the cooling coil design on the Spike, although I'm not sure I'll ever use it given the ambient temps in my Brisbane garage. On the plus side for the SSB they've got the local distribution set up, more ports, a larger TC port in the lid which potentially opens up more options with modified caps, and arguably a bit prettier...

Edit: just saw you mention the Chronical - I could be wrong but I don't think they'll do pressure fermentation, just low pressure transfers - you'll need the unitank for pressure fermentation or forced carbonation.

 

[Meddo]

I was actually leaning towards the SSB unitank in a 14, although was also considering the spine. You mentioned poor weld quality, did you have a source or review? Can't seem to find many reviews on the SSB.

Cheers
Dave

Hey Dave, this was the first one I found - did a bit more reading/watching afterwards and found a few other reviews with similar sentiment. I haven't looked at one myself so secondhand info only.

 

[lespaul]

How much was the unit delivered in $AUD?
Would you mind starting another thread when you get it to give it a review etc after you've done a couple of brews?
Would love to hear your thoughts on how it would go with a smaller sized batch ~23-26lt. Would also love to see some pics and feedback.
You must be pretty excited with that bit of shiny on the way!!!

 

[kingo102]

Damn that's unfortunate! Will have to have a look first hand when they arrive

Hey Dave, this was the first one I found - did a bit more reading/watching afterwards and found a few other reviews with similar sentiment. I haven't looked at one myself so secondhand info only.

 

[Meddo]

How much was the unit delivered in $AUD?
Would you mind starting another thread when you get it to give it a review etc after you've done a couple of brews?
Would love to hear your thoughts on how it would go with a smaller sized batch ~23-26lt. Would also love to see some pics and feedback.
You must be pretty excited with that bit of shiny on the way!!!

You can spend as much as you want on the fermenter itself, depending on accessories. I'm going to be picking up a few additional bits of tri-clamp kit from AliExpress when they finish partying, rather than buying it all from Spike.

It was about that $430 amount for shipping, plus $120 or so optional for shipping insurance ($AUD). I'll be copping a GST bill cos I couldn't show enough restraint with accessories, but shouldn't have to pay any duty on it. It got scanned into Sydney last night so I'll hopefully get a brew into it next weekend....

Seems like it'll be fine for 23-26 L batches - I certainly hope so cos that's my standard batch size. The table below is from Spike showing various dimensions, the only thing that would be affected is the location of the thermowell, although there's nothing stopping you just taping the temp probe to the outside of the FV.

Old mate in the vid below has a sook about the location of that thermowell for his 5 gal batches at about 15:55, although he seems to have brewed exactly 5 gal (19L) of wort and not allowed for any deadspace, loss to yeast/sediment etc. so I don't think it's really an issue as long as you take that into account.

FYI, in addition to the dimensions from Spike, I'd estimate there'd be about 600-750 ml of deadspace in the 2" sight glass, elbow and valve if you go down that configuration path. I'm intending to get a 2" diaphragm valve to go below the sight glass (once AliExpress reopens) - the downside of having a 2" butterfly is there's no real flow control in those valves, and in most of the video reviews the presenters seem to make a fine mess spraying yeast slurry everywhere using them. I'd perhaps suggest they trial a bucket, too, rather than a wallpaper tray like they all seem to use.

 

[Meddo]

Haven't yet brewed with my CF10 - they forgot to include the lid gasket plus not much time - but I've realised that my choice of accessories wasn't necessarily optimal given a few changing circumstances while the unit was in transit. If anyone in Brisbane decides to import one for themselves I've got the CF10 chilling coil (USD$90) that I'll likely never use now, so would be keen to swap that for a few other pieces if they can be included in a shipment.

 

[enoch]

Q re the carb stone versus the optional rotating racking arm.
By default the carb stone on the racking valve probably would cause a big bubble to form rather than a stream of fine bubbles coming out the racking arm.
Could you place the sample valve on the racking valve (2 valves in series) and put the carb stone on the port the sample valve is normally on? Are both ports standard 1.5 inch TCs?

 

[Meddo]

Q re the carb stone versus the optional rotating racking arm.
By default the carb stone on the racking valve probably would cause a big bubble to form rather than a stream of fine bubbles coming out the racking arm.
Could you place the sample valve on the racking valve (2 valves in series) and put the carb stone on the port the sample valve is normally on? Are both ports standard 1.5 inch TCs?

Haven't used mine yet, in the middle of a move so it's sitting idle. Not sure re bubbles going through the racking arm, what you suggest makes sense though.

Yes both ports are 1.5" TC. The racking arm and the butterfly valve are seperate fittings, so you could just put the sample valve onto the racking arm instead of the butterfly valve if you wanted to configure it that way. Not sure how good it would be for the carb stone to sit in beer for a few weeks if you left it attached?

My plan is to attach a carb stone in a sight glass below the dump valve after I've dumped the trub, and bubble straight up from the bottom. Will likely be a standard 2" TC stone rather than Spike's version. Should be able to purge the sight glass using the carb stone before connecting it to the butterfly dump valve - will lose a bit of beer when it's disconnected after but that's not the end of the world. Speaking of, I need to pull my finger out and get on Ali and order such a beast to make sure I get it some time this year...

 

[enoch]

Not sure how good it would be for the carb stone to sit in beer for a few weeks if you left it attached?

The ss Brewtech one goes on its own port with no valve so I guess it’s safe.
Being sorely tempted to buy but resisting thus far.

 

[Meddo]

The ss Brewtech one goes on its own port with no valve so I guess it’s safe.
Being sorely tempted to buy but resisting thus far.

Whereabouts are you?

 

[enoch]

Whereabouts are you?

Adelaide.

 

[lespaul]

@Meddo @Hubert 6 months down the track how's the Spike units going?
Might be heading to the states in a bit for work so will look at getting a CF10 sent to my hotel and bring it back on the plane. Keen to hear if it still gets the thumbs up!

 

[Meddo]

Mate I'm only on my third brew with it, haven't really formed much of an impression yet but comfortable with my purchase so far. The welds are all beautifully polished inside which makes it really easy to clean, along with the full size lid.

On the first brew I tried to put pressure on it prior to crash chilling (to prevent vacuum collapse) and it wouldn't hold pressure - turned out the the 1.5" TC port on the lid hadn't been welded on the outside and had a crack / leak. They were good enough to send out a replacement at their expense though so can't complain too much. This was the only real problem I've had with the unit and it got remedied quickly.

Second brew while I was waiting for the replacement lid I used glad wrap instead (two pieces cos one wouldn't cover the full opening) but my fridge dripped dirty condensation water onto it which found it's way through the overlapping glad wrap and wound up infecting it. My own fault for not setting it up better but I can't really draw any conclusions about the FV from this batch unfortunately.

Third one is underway at the moment with the replacement lid, no complaints so far.

A few things:

• The sample valve that comes with it has a fairly large barb (not sure exactly, maybe 10 mm), I've been using a spare one I had from AliExpress with an 8 mm barb instead - mounted on the racking arm rather than on a separate port
• The temp gauge has a fairly wide range, I can't remember exactly but it's like 5 - 100 degrees or something so not much use in a fermenter
• The spray ball is good but not good enough without a true CIP pump - I trialled it mounted in the centre of the lid (on a 4" to 1.5" end cap reducer) using a 65 W KK pump (3/4", max head 6.5m, max flow 52L/min) with 65 degree PBW and it cleaned off most but not all of the mess. Upside is that the removable lid makes it genuinely trivial to get in and scrub it clean. At the moment I figure if I'm going to have to scrub the last bit off I may as well just scrub it all off until my ship comes in and I can justify building a true CIP cart (likely never)

Since you're in Brisbane, if you do decide to bring one back maybe we could work out a trade of some accessories if you're interested? I got the chilling coil for the CF10 but then found a fridge to put the unit in so will likely never use it, and also the blow-off cane. Also got a few other bits and pieces like another small-barb sample valve, TC clamps and gaskets, reducers etc. I would like to get the leg extensions which I forgot to include in my order, and a replacement pressure gauge (dropped mine and bent it), and perhaps the carb stone setup. Otherwise would be happy to just sling you some cash to bring those things back if you have room in your baggage allowance.

Cheers,

 

[lespaul]

Thanks for the quick reply! Sucks you had to tip the second batch! But still some positive news, especially with them willing to post a new lid at their own expense.
Sadly I've moved to Melbourne. But I might still be able to bring some stuff back. I'll have to sort it out once my trip is confirmed.
So in hindsight you think the leg extensions were worth it? Anything else you'd recommend getting as a necessity?
Just wish the USD wasn't so expensive!

 

[Hubert]

@Meddo @Hubert 6 months down the track how's the Spike units going?
Might be heading to the states in a bit for work so will look at getting a CF10 sent to my hotel and bring it back on the plane. Keen to hear if it still gets the thumbs up!

Loving it! After a slow start due to other commitments and not brewing a whole lot, I’ve put about 8 brews through it so far. I’ve also started doing double batches as a norm thanks to the size. And now that the dearly beloved has started drinking beer too, it’s kind of a necessity.

Welds are polished really well on the inside, so it’s a true sanitary unit. Cleaning is a breeze, I have the CIP ball, but lack the decent pump to use it effectively. As @Meddo mentions, taking the lid off is a breeze, and access to clean manually is no trouble at all. Tri-clover fittings all round make it easy to pull apart as required.

My last brew was fermented under pressure, just to see how it went, and I didn’t have any issues. A quick purge of CO2 at the start, and then I just let the yeast do it’s thing. The PRV released as advertised at 15PSI (although I did check on it a fair bit). Dumping out the bottom is easy with the 2in valve, just need to get a barbed restrictor or something similar to prevent too much wastage (it seriously dumps if you’re not careful).

If work are paying for your luggage too, why stop at one???

Cheers,

H.

 

[Hubert]

Anything else you'd recommend getting as a necessity?

Would go the carb stone. Can also be used to oxygenate the wort prior to pitching. Wishing they had released it before I had mine shipped as the current cost for that is a bit prohibitive.

Cheers,

H.

 

[lespaul]

Great! Thanks for the feedback!
I was thinking the gas manifold bundle and racking arm (not 100% sure if the racking arm is necessary). Then get the equivalent of the closed pressure transfer kit and other TC fittings and barb's off Ali/eBay.
I might just transfer to the keg to carb as I've been doing previously. I couldn't see the massive benefit that would make this bit of kit really valuable? Maybe I'm missing something? I have a seperate oxy kit.
Thanks again for the info. Keen to have a solid bit of kit in the Brewhouse that will hopefully outlast me!

 

[lespaul]

@Hubert I saw that you were doing double batches. I was just looking at the volumes of the CF10 and it seems a little tight for 2 cornies, trub and krausen. Had any problems?

 

[Meddo]

The CF10 is designed for double batches, I've just finished my first double in it and it certainly looked fine. The blow off barb is always there if you're expecting a krausen monster though.

 

[Hubert]

@Hubert I saw that you were doing double batches. I was just looking at the volumes of the CF10 and it seems a little tight for 2 cornies, trub and krausen. Had any problems?

I went for the CF15, so no size issues there. Even after dry hopping, the dump valve makes for a pretty clean transfer. I have been averaging 45-46lt per batch to allow for trub and I still get s couple of bottles out of each batch.

Cheers,

H.

 

[Meddo]

Re leg extensions, yeah they're necessary if you want the sight glass below the vessel. I thought I'd be able to get away with having the sight glass horizontal off the elbow rather than vertical but it just doesn't work right like that. I'll probably just wind up knocking up some legs myself but would prefer the first-party version if I had my time again.

And yeah I should have got the carb stone too - I had plans to use an alternative version via AliExpress but that whole horizontal sight glass failure buggered up that idea.

The chilling coil I would have skipped with hindsight, simpler and cheaper to get a fridge to put it in (although they need a pretty big one) rather than spending $1+k on a glycol system. I can't see any way that the coil would hold lagering or crash-chill temperatures in Brisbane ambient so basically not worth bothering with.

If you want to see some pics of my current arrangement do a g search for Dry hop airlock for pressurised FV.

 

[Meddo]

Oh yeah definitely get the racking arm, otherwise the deadspace will be too much. Having said that, there are alternatives out there that I suspect are slightly better than the Spike version. I got one of these as a whirlpool return on my brew rig but something like this (right angled to get lower in the cone would be better) with the dual o-ring would work well on the conical - plugging up the TC port means one less place for trub and yeast to settle and need cleaning later:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-5...720.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1f684c4dPyd1nu

The rotation on the Teflon gasket works well but I haven't actually needed to rotate mine at all during a fermentation - have just left it pointing down. Might need to rotate it up a bit if I do a massive dry hop, will see how it goes when I do an IPA next.

 

[Meddo]

Hey @Hubert, do you have any pics of your whole unit and fridge arrangement? I've got mine in a 600L commercial fridge but that thing's a bit past it's prime, might have to look into some alternatives and it looks like someone nearby is selling the same fridge that you're using. I've got a few other bits and pieces hanging off my vessel so would like to see how yours looks in that particular fridge.

Cheers,

 

[Hubert]

@Meddo, I’ll grab pics for you tomorrow. Still trialing different layouts, agree with your comment about the sight glass, would be great to have it vertical.