The 'no Messin Method' Fermenter To Keg

[Screwtop]

This is the same fitting in plastic http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=722

, I got the SS ones from the Blackwoods catalogue

all my fermenters are fitted with the bushes and a tap . In the pic it show the Bush and a tap with the grey fitting converts this tap from 3/8 OD to 5/16mm OD(beer line)

The pipe between the tap is 3/8 OD

Thanks Pump, do you have all your fermenters fitted out like this or do you only have one and rack to it? Sorry, more questions than Tony Barber, I know!

 

[Pumpy]

Thanks Pump, do you have all your fermenters fitted out like this or do you only have one and rack to it? Sorry, more questions than Tony Barber, I know!

Screwy ,

No racking is a thing of the past for me and long CC , All my fermenters I have converted this way .

It really works well I have had no problems at all .

"Some day all serious home brewers will handle thier beer this way "

Pumpy

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Screwy,

I have mine set-up just like cliffo (without the stem elbow) works a treat. Its just like a normal fermentor with a tap, but my tap can have 8mm OD line connected straight into it. It sticks out just a few mm more than a standard fermentor tap would.


Ross,

You're of course right about the lack of vacuum in a syphon system, except where the inflow of air into the fermentor might be restricted. Remember I was originally talking about a situation where a sterile filter might be being used on the air inlet to guard against infection... if the restriction through the filter were too high, as the head pressure of the liquid lowered, then the lower pressure inside the fermentor could well get close to balancing out the head pressure. That would leave a situation where a leaky connection could allow air bubbles to be pulled in by the syphon action.

It is however far more likely that your scenario is the one thats happening and its just a build up of C02 coming out of solution. I like your remedy too. Turn the housing upside down to keep the gas away from the line. With the clear housing, you can even see if the gas builds up too much, turn it over again and purge it. Nice.

Still... wouldn't hurt to make sure the ends of your line are nice and square and that the JG fittings are in good nick. I have broken one or two of the fittings "teeth" in the past and then they still mostly seal, but if you pull the line at certain angles... leaky leak. Its worth a look down the business end of the fitting just to make sure that there are still the full complement of 5 little grey plastic leaves with the little metal blades.

Thirsty

 

[Screwtop]

Screwy,

I have mine set-up just like cliffo (without the stem elbow) works a treat. Its just like a normal fermentor with a tap, but my tap can have 8mm OD line connected straight into it. It sticks out just a few mm more than a standard fermentor tap would.
Ross,

You're of course right about the lack of vacuum in a syphon system, except where the inflow of air into the fermentor might be restricted. Remember I was originally talking about a situation where a sterile filter might be being used on the air inlet to guard against infection... if the restriction through the filter were too high, as the head pressure of the liquid lowered, then the lower pressure inside the fermentor could well get close to balancing out the head pressure. That would leave a situation where a leaky connection could allow air bubbles to be pulled in by the syphon action.

It is however far more likely that your scenario is the one thats happening and its just a build up of C02 coming out of solution. I like your remedy too. Turn the housing upside down to keep the gas away from the line. With the clear housing, you can even see if the gas builds up too much, turn it over again and purge it. Nice.

Still... wouldn't hurt to make sure the ends of your line are nice and square and that the JG fittings are in good nick. I have broken one or two of the fittings "teeth" in the past and then they still mostly seal, but if you pull the line at certain angles... leaky leak. Its worth a look down the business end of the fitting just to make sure that there are still the full complement of 5 little grey plastic leaves with the little metal blades.

Thirsty

Thanks Thirsty, the adapter with a short length of 3/8 hose and tap appeals to me. The fermenter taps have always been a pita for me. My ferm fridge fits two fermenters but they have to be positioned with the taps on an angle, can be difficult taking refrac samples, think the hose would protrude from the fermenter less than the fermenter tap giving a little more room and being able to maneuver the tap on a short length of hose could make sampling easier.

Thanks for the heads up on the JG "teeth" also.

Screwy

 

[HKS]

Pumpy I notice you don't run a line from the gas in from the keg back to the fermenter airlock grommet. That would make it a fully sealed system. I know people don't think the short exposure period to oxygen would affect it. I was thinking of purging the keg with CO2, then have a tap on the gas line that you could shutoff so that when you disconnect it the gas stays in the line, disconnecting the CO2 from the gas bottle, then put that end into the fermenter airlock. Turn the tap back on so it creates a fully sealed system.

I've gone away from the idea of using the larger lines or fermenter taps because of turbulence it may create. I'm not going to use any 90deg connections either for the same reason. I'm just going to use regular beer line and JG fittines.

What's your opinion on doing this?

 

[Pumpy]

Pumpy I notice you don't run a line from the gas in from the keg back to the fermenter airlock grommet. That would make it a fully sealed system. I know people don't think the short exposure period to oxygen would affect it. I was thinking of purging the keg with CO2, then have a tap on the gas line that you could shutoff so that when you disconnect it the gas stays in the line, disconnecting the CO2 from the gas bottle, then put that end into the fermenter airlock. Turn the tap back on so it creates a fully sealed system.

I've gone away from the idea of using the larger lines or fermenter taps because of turbulence it may create. I'm not going to use any 90deg connections either for the same reason. I'm just going to use regular beer line and JG fittines.

What's your opinion on doing this?

Sounds a plausible idea HSK ,would the gas not blow thought the beer in the fermenter ?

Pumpy

 

[HKS]

Sounds a plausible idea HSK ,would the gas not blow thought the beer in the fermenter ?

Pumpy

:lol: I'm having a little trouble understanding your Engrish!

Would the gas blow through the beer in the fermenter I think is what you were trying to say? The idea would be to not have a lot of gas pressure. Just a few psi to purge the keg. I'm assuming that pressure would then equalize once the beer started to flow and the flow pressure would then just be the pressure the gravity filtering creates?

So if the beer absorbs the gas pressure that would actually be a plus I think, reducing the pressure to only gravity filtering pressure. If you get what I mean.

 

[HKS]

Another bonus of using the "Closed loop gravity filtering" would be that you would know when the keg was full (albeit over-full) when the beer starts coming out the gas line.

 

[Pumpy]

:lol: I'm having a little trouble understanding your Engrish!

Would the gas blow through the beer in the fermenter I think is what you were trying to say? The idea would be to not have a lot of gas pressure. Just a few psi to purge the keg. I'm assuming that pressure would then equalize once the beer started to flow and the flow pressure would then just be the pressure the gravity filtering creates?

So if the beer absorbs the gas pressure that would actually be a plus I think, reducing the pressure to only gravity filtering pressure. If you get what I mean.

I may give that a try

Pumpy

 

[HKS]

I may give that a try

Pumpy

Be good if you could mate to test the Closed Loop Gravity filtering theory. I haven't got a filter yet, in the middle of moving house and won't get one until I've moved (maybe). Although I have a batch ready to go, but Ross is out of filters I believe. I really wanted to filter this batch. I might have to if I get desperate to get it elsewhere (Clarence Water Filters). Any ETA Ross on the new filter kit?

This also might fix some peoples problems who are having trouble with air bubbles and the filtering stopping and them having to purge the filter again to get it to continue filtering.

 

[Kingy]

I really wanted to filter this batch. Any ETA Ross on the new filter kit?.

Ditto

 

[Ross]

Be good if you could mate to test the Closed Loop Gravity filtering theory. I haven't got a filter yet, in the middle of moving house and won't get one until I've moved (maybe). Although I have a batch ready to go, but Ross is out of filters I believe. I really wanted to filter this batch. I might have to if I get desperate to get it elsewhere (Clarence Water Filters). Any ETA Ross on the new filter kit?

This also might fix some peoples problems who are having trouble with air bubbles and the filtering stopping and them having to purge the filter again to get it to continue filtering.

Friday this week they'll be on the site.

cheers Ross

 

[Pumpy]

Friday this week they'll be on the site.

cheers Ross

I would like a clear filter housing for my birthday

Pumpy

 

[PistolPatch]

Be good if you could mate to test the Closed Loop Gravity filtering theory.

The closed loop works fine mate. I thought I wrote a post on that here but can't find it - could have been a late night one and been deleted :icon_cheers:

I use a bulkhead connector in the lid of the fermenter but a lot of airlock grommets are close to 8mm and should do just as well, certainly well enough to prevent any oxidisation. The only advantage of the correct connector would be in a case of accidental over-fill - at least you won't have beer everywhere.

As a matter of interest, my most recent filterings have also been done with the fermenter still in the fridge which is only about 1200mm off the ground. Works well and saves lifting although once the fermenter is about two thirds empty, I'll sometimes lift it on to the top of the fridge to speed things up.

Spot ya,
Pat

 

[Kingy]

Cliffo,

To me, it sounds like either trapped air or CO2 coming out of solution, which is then rising to the top, traveling up your inline & restricting the flow.
Once you have purged your canister via the relief valve, simply turn your filter canister upside down, so any gas will rise to the bottom of the filter unit, away from the connectors - this should solve your problem.
We are currently designing a new set up with a sturdy base, thet will run in this configuration, making the unit more stable (lines at base of unit) while reducing the risk of oxidisation.

Cheers Ross

Exactly what i was looking for. Is this the procedure to follow for gravity filtering.

1. Submerse everything in iodopher including filter. Then drain off.
2. hook everything up.
3. Turn the flow on and let cannister fill up with the relief valve (at the top) depressed untill beer is just about to come out.
4. Turn cannister around so lines are at the bottum (with relief valve).
5. Have a beer and come back later.

surely ive missed something :huh: That sounds like its way to easy.

Looking to filter my 1st batch today.

P.S I thought that you couldnt bottle cold beer. I was under the impresion that it had to warm up before bottling.

 

[Ross]

Exactly what i was looking for. Is this the procedure to follow for gravity filtering.

1. Submerse everything in iodopher including filter. Then drain off.
2. hook everything up.
3. Turn the flow on and let cannister fill up with the relief valve (at the top) depressed untill beer is just about to come out.
4. Turn cannister around so lines are at the bottum (with relief valve).
5. Have a beer and come back later.

surely ive missed something :huh: That sounds like its way to easy.

Just make sure your recieving keg is below your fermenter & you're there :super:

Cheers Ross

 

[Kingy]

cheers thx guys
also a question for PP

do i leave the plastic on the filter :lol:

 

[altstart]

PP is the man to ask.

Cheers Altstart

 

[PistolPatch]

Yes, plastic is best left on to maximise cartridge life. Full details from this post on.

:icon_cheers:
Pat

 

[cliffo]

Hey guys,

Just an update on my gravity filtering exploits.

I replaced the filter with a new one and the whole process went through without any issues.

Didn't have to invert the housing either so I'm thinking that maybe the old filter was at the end of its life.

Anyway, I'm happy now I've got this gravity filtering thing working well.

cliffo