Fermentors.

[foxy]

Oh the joys of living in Australia! I live in Scotland, half the time my 'fridge' is heating rather than cooling

In winter it gets bloody cold over here too. Its not all sunshine. The unit heats and cools so in the winter months it would have to be heating.
My hardest time for fermentation is autumn and spring, I can set my fermenting room temperature to heat during spring then a 24 or 25 C day comes along and if I am not around then the fermenting room temperature is out the window. Same problem in autumn but opposite.

 

[Davegase]

In winter it gets bloody cold over here too. Its not all sunshine. The unit heats and cools so in the winter months it would have to be heating.
My hardest time for fermentation is autumn and spring, I can set my fermenting room temperature to heat during spring then a 24 or 25 C day comes along and if I am not around then the fermenting room temperature is out the window. Same problem in autumn but opposite.

At least you've got easy access to the fancy equipment

 

[foxy]

Biggest flaw in the Bucket Buddy is where the temperature probe is. As the yeast drops out it would cover the probe. Anyone getting one would be better wiring in a temperature probe which will access the centre of the wort where the action is. The other problem is if the ambient temperature goes above the set temperature it won't bring the temperature down.

At least you've got easy access to the fancy equipment

You never know you may get access to Keg King gear too.

 

[Davegase]

Biggest flaw in the Bucket Buddy is where the temperature probe is. As the yeast drops out it would cover the probe. Anyone getting one would be better wiring in a temperature probe which will access the centre of the wort where the action is. The other problem is if the ambient temperature goes above the set temperature it won't bring the temperature down.

You never know you may get access to Keg King gear too.

It's not looking good for brew2bottle at the moment !
I hope Keg king have got a backup plan

 

[Davegase]

Biggest flaw in the Bucket Buddy is where the temperature probe is. As the yeast drops out it would cover the probe. Anyone getting one would be better wiring in a temperature probe which will access the centre of the wort where the action is. The other problem is if the ambient temperature goes above the set temperature it won't bring the temperature down.

You never know you may get access to Keg King gear too.

It's not looking good for brew2bottle at the moment, I hope Keg king have got a backup plan

 

[An Ankoù]

Most of my kit was bought following advice from this forum!

I started with round HDPE 30L Speidels, they have been in constant use since 2015. Brilliant kit, but, have treated them with kid gloves to prevent scratching inside. Put taps on the top for blow offs and salvage CO2 during fermentation. I then re-introduce this when kegging to back flush the cornies. I repair the seals with superglue.

Also got Brewbuilder conicals with castors and use with CIP. They are perfect for me. Got Acask piped jackets that I used for chilling beer pins in our restaurant pre-pandemic. I also use my modded brandel sub-zero glycol chiller with them. currently got 110 liters of Hell's() Lager conditioning at 2*C at the moment.

I think the bottom line is that HDPE FV's are cost effective, but more susceptible to scratching and harbouring nasties. SS is expensive for good kit, can be easily CIP'd However, you get used to dangerous chems and pumps. Had a beer shower or two and gave my eyes a caustic wash,,, I'm very careful now and still learning! Cheers stay safe:hat:

I've never been convinced by this business about scratches. My plastic buckets are decades old, scratched to buggery and area are coated with a fine film of beer stone, which Five Star B S Remover (aptly named) has failed to touch. I don't get infected beer. I clean with dilute bleach, which removes any biofilm as well, and then store with MBS solution. Not that they're empty for very long. Are we supposed to believe that SS doesn't scratch? That the interior surface, which isn't polished, can't harbour microbes, too? I don't buy it. Moreover, I understand that we shouldn't use bleach on SS anyway. Nope, on a commercial scale, where the fermenters are steam cleaned, maybe, but in the meantime I'll stick to plastic or maybe go back to slate squares.

 

[Druncan]

@An Ankoù, Hmmm, yeah, OK so, maybe i'm just paranoid ,,,,, but, I submit beer samples to brewlab. Found non pathogenic short rod bacteria in worrying numbers in some summer results a while ago. I was advised to check for beerstone as it may provide a nice safe harbour for bacteria colonies. I Used a nitric acid clean as I think I had been relying too much on starsan initially. Also advised to check for anywhere bugs to hide. (scratches/dead spaces) The bacteria was much reduced after this. I now use a cycle of cleaner/sanitiser (Caustic, PAA +Cask clean, Enzibrew10) and UV treatment of my potable water. Can't do the wild yeast yet either- mainly as I sell my brews and don't want to be the servant of death on Tiree!

 

[An Ankoù]

@An Ankoù, Hmmm, yeah, OK so, maybe i'm just paranoid ,,,,, but, I submit beer samples to brewlab. Found non pathogenic short rod bacteria in worrying numbers in some summer results a while ago. I was advised to check for beerstone as it may provide a nice safe harbour for bacteria colonies. I Used a nitric acid clean as I think I had been relying too much on starsan initially. Also advised to check for anywhere bugs to hide. (scratches/dead spaces) The bacteria was much reduced after this. I now use a cycle of cleaner/sanitiser (Caustic, PAA +Cask clean, Enzibrew10) and UV treatment of my potable water. Can't do the wild yeast yet either- mainly as I sell my brews and don't want to be the servant of death on Tiree!

Well if you're selling, that makes all the difference. As for this beerstone, I used B S remover undiluted and it didn't touch it. I had some, but not complete, success with hydrochloric acid, but this stuff is, I understand, a complex organic phosphate that is pretty impervious to most cleaning agents. It's time I renewed my buckets anyway- I think a quarter of a century or more is sufficient service. Most marriages don't last that long, but I've grown attached to my fermenters!

 

[Davegase]

Well if you're selling, that makes all the difference. As for this beerstone, I used B S remover undiluted and it didn't touch it. I had some, but not complete, success with hydrochloric acid, but this stuff is, I understand, a complex organic phosphate that is pretty impervious to most cleaning agents. It's time I renewed my buckets anyway- I think a quarter of a century or more is sufficient service. Most marriages don't last that long, but I've grown attached to my fermenters!

And if you're fed up with looking at your wife you can always save a bucket and stick it on her head.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

And if you're fed up with looking at your wife you can always save a bucket and stick it on her head.

And vice versa!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Well if you're selling, that makes all the difference. As for this beerstone, I used B S remover undiluted and it didn't touch it. I had some, but not complete, success with hydrochloric acid, but this stuff is, I understand, a complex organic phosphate that is pretty impervious to most cleaning agents. It's time I renewed my buckets anyway- I think a quarter of a century or more is sufficient service. Most marriages don't last that long, but I've grown attached to my fermenters!

Drill them and plant Pomme de Terre

 

[Davegase]

And vice versa!

touché

 

[An Ankoù]

And if you're fed up with looking at your wife you can always save a bucket and stick it on her head.

Must uncalled for. Shame on you. Have you any idea what hair lacquer residue does for the flavour of your beer.
On the other hand: a bit of Tony's Hidden Body is always welcome.

 

[An Ankoù]

And vice versa!

... and as for you, young lady. Well. Words fail me!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

... and as for you, young lady. Well. Words fail me!

young lady? Ooh thank you!

 

[An Ankoù]

young lady? Ooh thank you!

 

[obscure]

I've never been convinced by this business about scratches. My plastic buckets are decades old, scratched to buggery and area are coated with a fine film of beer stone, which Five Star B S Remover (aptly named) has failed to touch. I don't get infected beer. I clean with dilute bleach, which removes any biofilm as well, and then store with MBS solution. Not that they're empty for very long. Are we supposed to believe that SS doesn't scratch? That the interior surface, which isn't polished, can't harbour microbes, too? I don't buy it. Moreover, I understand that we shouldn't use bleach on SS anyway. Nope, on a commercial scale, where the fermenters are steam cleaned, maybe, but in the meantime I'll stick to plastic or maybe go back to slate squares.

What you have to understand is I spent just over £100 on my stainless steel fermentor and now need to justify in my head that it was worth it compared to my £5 plastic bucket I was previously using. I do like it but in reality it is a unnecessary extravagance although it is very shiny.

 

[An Ankoù]

What you have to understand is I spent just over £100 on my stainless steel fermentor and now need to justify in my head that it was worth it compared to my £5 plastic bucket I was previously using. I do like it but in reality it is a unnecessary extravagance although it is very shiny.

You'll be overjoyed to learn that all my beer has turned green with a massive slime on top and smells of Brussels sprouts and tripe sandwiches. Wish I'd gone for the SS fermenters. Too late now, shi'ite.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

You'll be overjoyed to learn that all my beer has turned green with a massive slime on top and smells of Brussels sprouts and tripe sandwiches. Wish I'd gone for the SS fermenters. Too late now, shi'ite.

personally i‘m not averse to a bit of tripe - never tried it in a sarnie though… and certainly not in the beer

 

[Rodcx500z]

Cow heel and pie beef should fix it