Making my own primary fermenters :)

[Personal91]

Afternoon all, as it stands i have 2 primary fermenters but have lost the second to the garage (RIP) and have got the feeling that im not going to be able to just wait 2 weeks while my next kit is on the go as i have been reading some scrumptious recipes on here and just cant wait!

so i have had a look online and it seems a little painful that as soon as the words or phrases home brew , beer , cider , fermenter etc are associated with a plastic bucket it is then 4 times the price, i say this as the food grade tagged buckets are alot cheaper then our things so its clear to me to the plunge and build my own primary fermenter

Its going to be easy enough to drill the hole for the rubber grommet and i can make my own markings on the outside for litres of liquid by simply using the kettle or a pyrex/measuring jug, and if you dont have a pyrex or measuring jug and your kettle just tells you how many cups it will do then use a water bottles, im sure youve got a 2 and 1 litre pop bottle around your place:)

i have sourced some rubber grommets and buckets but was wondering if anyone could confirm the size of the grommets, to my understanding its going to be about 12.5 mm

i will post links later on once i have finalised which i will buy so you lot can do this aswell

Btw have any of you guys done this before and if so any tips would be appreciated

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Looks like it is the standard size.

On the subject of using non HB gear for brewing i have used 5 litre water bottles as DJ's many times, i used to drill a 28mm hoe in the lid with a step drill then use a standard DJ bung and airlock.

Ideal for fermenting vessel lids

Simply drill a hole using a 12.5mm drill bit (1/2 inch)and insert Grommet

A standard airlock will then pass through centre of Grommet

Material - Rubber

Drill hole size - 12.5mm

Hole for airlock - 9.5mm

 

[MyQul]

If you've got a wilko near you, I dont think your going to find cheaper than 8 quid
http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-fermenting-bin-and-lid-25lt/invt/0022555

For those with ABP enabled- https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...022555&usg=AFQjCNFwUExYac2oC_gwUll4m4PhMOZ3BA

.

 

[Personal91]

Looks like it is the standard size.

On the subject of using non HB gear for brewing i have used 5 litre water bottles as DJ's many times, i used to drill a 28mm hoe in the lid with a step drill then use a standard DJ bung and airlock.

thats not a bad shout, especially as you could easily get yourself 5 plastic water bottle demijohns if you were to do a 40 pint brew using bottled/mineral water

are you saying that a 13mm grommet would do the job aswell btw ?

 

[Personal91]

If you've got a wilko near you, I dont think your going to find cheaper than 8 quid
http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-fermenting-bin-and-lid-25lt/invt/0022555

For those with ABP enabled- https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...022555&usg=AFQjCNFwUExYac2oC_gwUll4m4PhMOZ3BA

.

that is a very good price but it doesnt appear to have a grommet for an airlock and although iv read on a few american forums that alot are happy to leave the lid closed but not firmly sealed to let the CO2 escape that way id prefer to be able to watch the bubbles deminish :)

 

[gl0ckage]

that is a very good price but it doesnt appear to have a grommet for an airlock and although iv read on a few american forums that alot are happy to leave the lid closed but not firmly sealed to let the CO2 escape that way id prefer to be able to watch the bubbles deminish :)

None of my buckets have air locks I just leave lid on tight on 1 side and a gap on the other. However I drill holes in all of them for taps.

I use a 25mm wood hole bit from wilkos and taps with Teflon into them.

 

[Personal91]

these were the grommets i will be happy to get

20 grommets for £2.39 works out at just less than 12 pence per grommet - 11.95 pence to be exact

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121898425...49&var=420891328445&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT


not too bad compared to this 3 pack that costs £1.75 working out at 58.33 pence, lets call it 59 :)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Airlock-G...590643?hash=item51cb71e773:g:vk8AAMXQVT9SzVPE

both with free postage btw

 

[MyQul]

that is a very good price but it doesnt appear to have a grommet for an airlock and although iv read on a few american forums that alot are happy to leave the lid closed but not firmly sealed to let the CO2 escape that way id prefer to be able to watch the bubbles deminish :)

Personally I dont boether with an airlock I just cover the FV with clingfilm. However if you really want an airlock, you dont even need a drill. I made a blow-off tube/rig for my FV and just melted a hole in the FV lid with a hot knife

 

[Cwrw666]

that is a very good price but it doesnt appear to have a grommet for an airlock and although iv read on a few american forums that alot are happy to leave the lid closed but not firmly sealed to let the CO2 escape that way id prefer to be able to watch the bubbles deminish :)

I've never had an FV with an airlock and always have the lid snapped on tight - for some strange reason I prefer the krausen to stay inside the FV and not dribble down the side... If too much pressure builds up (rarely) the lid simply pops open a bit.
By the way, most people seem to find that enough gas escapes round the rim anyway that the airlock simply sits there doing nothing anyway. Without an airlock the lid bulges up a bit when fermentation is in progress, and when it stops the lid flattens out.

 

[Personal91]

None of my buckets have air locks I just leave lid on tight on 1 side and a gap on the other. However I drill holes in all of them for taps.

I use a 25mm wood hole bit from wilkos and taps with Teflon into them.

where do you get your taps + what pressure are they good to ?

 

[Personal91]

Personally I dont boether with an airlock I just cover the FV with clingfilm. However if you really want an airlock, you dont even need a drill. I made a blow-off tube/rig for my FV and just melted a hole in the FV lid with a hot knife

id rather leave some of the quesswork out of it + if there an airlock theres less chance of beasties :)

 

[Personal91]

I've never had an FV with an airlock and always have the lid snapped on tight - for some strange reason I prefer the krausen to stay inside the FV and not dribble down the side... If too much pressure builds up (rarely) the lid simply pops open a bit.
By the way, most people seem to find that enough gas escapes round the rim anyway that the airlock simply sits there doing nothing anyway. Without an airlock the lid bulges up a bit when fermentation is in progress, and when it stops the lid flattens out.

my first FV was a burper barrel so i do know about these but they seem to need too much tending and risk of oxidisation

 

[MyQul]

+ if there an airlock theres less chance of beasties :)

Well that bit's not actually true. As long as the FV is covered it's fine. In fact some HBers (in particular Americans) are fans of open fermentation, an old English fermentation method. Whereby as it sounds you ferment without a top on.

Anyhoo, I'm not trying to convert you to not having an airlock, just making you aware there are other options if it might be easier for you

 

[Personal91]

Well that bit's not actually true. As long as the FV is covered it's fine. In fact some HBers (in particular Americans) are fans of open fermentation, an old English fermentation method. Whereby as it sounds you ferment without a top on.

Anyhoo, I'm not trying to convert you to not having an airlock, just making you aware there are other options if it might be easier for you

i did see thats how hard cider is made, and once a wild yeast or the yeast from the apples takes off it is then covered with a wet towel or something equivalent

 

[Dutto]

Just a word of warning when looking at alternatives to a rated "fermenting vessel".

Two years ago, I too sought out a cheaper option and discovered that I could buy a nice big dustbin made out of food grade HDPE at half the price of a fermenting vessel.

It worked fine right up until I went to lift it and discovered that it wasn't designed to hold the +/-24 kilograms generated by 23 litres of wort.

Result? One of the handles snapped off, the bin and the wort hit the deck with a thud that cracked the bottom of the bin and £22 of money and a lot of effort disappeared between the cracks in the shed floor.

"Buy Cheap = Buy Dear" is very true in a lot of cases and this was one of them!

 

[gl0ckage]

Unsure of the pressure as it's a fermenting ting bucket but the lid bulges and excess co2 escapes out of the unsealed side. Never had one blow up or the whole bucket bulge.

The taps I get from online if I need a few or my local HBS.

I try to get the taps that look like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231957457283

The washer goes on the outside of the fermenter and I use ptfe tape around the threads for good measure. No leaks, no grommets.

I use airlock for demijohns only.