Closed Transfer - will this work ?

[Michael Burnley]

If I put 1 - 2 PSI of CO2 in my corny keg, then connect the tap on my plastic FV to the beer in via a disconnect, then connect the gas post to my FV blow off pipe, so the CO2 flows into the fermenter and then I open the beer tap to allow beer to flow into the corny keg, because of the CO2 pressure build up in the FV, it pushes the beer out of the FV.

Don't know if this is a good idea or not?

I'm hoping this would create a closed oxygen free transfer, the obvious concern for me is will the plastic FV take the pressure.

Any thoughts on this ?

Many thanks

 

[foxbat]

Can't you just lift the FV onto a worktop and let gravity do your transfer?

 

[Michael Burnley]

That's what I have been doing, but how do I exclude oxygen doing it that way ?

 

[foxbat]

That's what I have been doing, but how do I exclude oxygen doing it that way ?

Purge the keg first. Like a few others I've taken to hooking up the keg to the fermenter during fermentation to purge it with CO2 generated by the yeast.

 

[terrym]

Why not try it on water?

 

[Braufather]

Purge the keg first. Like a few others I've taken to hooking up the keg to the fermenter during fermentation to purge it with CO2 generated by the yeast.

how does that work?

 

[foxbat]

how does that work?

Conceptually you're inserting a corny into the middle of your blowoff tube. See my post for the details.

 

[Michael Burnley]

Resurrecting my old thread, after buying the bit n bobs for this I tried my first pressure/closed transfer.

Just to refresh, I purged the keg to ensure it was only full of CO2, the FV tap line goes to the beer post on the corny and the CO2 goes from a disconnect bulkhead high on the FV (this also acts as the blow off pipe) and then to the gas in post, the final procedure before it 'goes live' is to vent a lot of the CO2 out so I've got more of a gentle hiss.

Also the FV is on the counter top and the corny sits on the floor, so gravity is involved as well.

The problems !

1. There was a bubbling of the beer in the fermentor when I made the connection
2. Flow stopped after approx. 3-5 litres of beer, I don't know but I am thinking that when the liquid covered the long beer dip tube that is what's causing the flow to stop.

The fermenting vessel is from wilko's

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-wide-neck-fermentation-vessel-25l/p/0075885
So, any ideas on improving this ?

Thanks

 

[foxy]

Are you using a gas bottle to help with the transfer? If not it could be the equalising of pressures causing the flow to stop.

 

[Michael Burnley]

Are you using a gas bottle to help with the transfer? If not it could be the equalising of pressures causing the flow to stop.

Oops ! No I'm not, I've assumed that the pressure in the keg when all connected up will push down on the beer in the FV and fill the keg, so thinking about what you have said there will come a point when all pressures are equal and flow will stop, is that correct ?

 

[foxy]

Oops ! No I'm not, I've assumed that the pressure in the keg when all connected up will push down on the beer in the FV and fill the keg, so thinking about what you have said there will come a point when all pressures are equal and flow will stop, is that correct ?

Yes no matter how much gravity pull you have, once the pressure equals in the two sealed vessels nothing is going anywhere. The vessel you are filling will have to be cracked open, you won't get a sudden intake of oxygen the CO2 is still vacating.

 

[Bossup]

Ceobrame have you got a good system for closed transfer from the wilko fermenter to keg yet? I've been looking into the same thing but the weak point for me is the co2 line from the keg going into the top of the fermenter through a bung as I'm not sure the bung will stay in the lid with the pressure; does anyone have a workaround please?

 

[Michael Burnley]

I have drilled a hole at the top of the fermenter and fitted a disconnect bulkhead, I too have a bung in the lid, not worried it will pop out, you don't need that much pressure. I will find a link for the bulkhead I've mentioned

 

[Bossup]

Thank you sir, much appreciated!

 

[Michael Burnley]

https://www.geterbrewed.ie/1-4-male-bulkhead-to-gas-disconnect/

 

[Michael Burnley]

I still have to yet realise this idea yet, it all fell down when the flow stopped (as mentioned above). It's pretty obvious that would happen now I think about it. So my thoughts so far are a small co2 bottle set to a very low psi (summat like 2 psi) to push the beer out into the corny

 

[Buffers brewery]

Totally coincidental to this thread resurfacing I was planning my first Closed Transfer with my latest brew. I don’t use corny kegs but King Keg pressure barrels.
Apart from forgetting about making it possible to add the priming sugar without introducing air (that’s MKII) the flushing and transfer process seemed to work OK. I made a video of the day, if you can stay awake long enough .