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FV Cone angle

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  • FV Cone angle

    Does anyone have any thoughts or comments on 50 degree vs. 60 degree cone angles on FV...

    in regards to Fermentation characteristics, yeast harvesting ability, ect.

    Thanks,

    Scott
    Cheers,

    Scott Vaccaro
    Captain Lawrence Brewing CO
    Elmsford, NY
    www.CaptainLawrenceBrewing.com

  • #2
    60 deg!! Just seems to do the job.

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    • #3
      60s better than 50, but 50 will work. just watch out for your yeast sticking to the sides of the cone, and then possibly rat hole action when harvesting.
      Larry Horwitz

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      • #4
        If you are bottom cropping, 50 degrees is almost inadequate. There are a few other factors to consider: also important are yeast compaction and cone surface finish. Perhaps on smaller fermenters, 50 degrees would be usable if you use a loose, powdery yeast, and you pull the yeast exceedingly slow. Even with 60 degree cones, some of my beers take more than an hour to discharge the first yeast from. And if you are not watching constantly, you waste beer when the yeast plug finishes and the beer just pours out. Especially under pressure. 70 degree cones are available and great if you have the headroom. Good luck!
        Phillip Kelm--Palau Brewing Company Manager--

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        • #5
          OK, I'm going to ask what I think is a stupid question.

          I've always thought that a 70* cone is steeper then a 60* cone, and all of the above discussion indicates that as well. For clarity, when I say steeper, I mean "closer to vertical."

          I had someone tell me it was the opposite, and I thought I'd ask.

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          • #6
            70° cone is steeper than a 60° cone

            Originally posted by evan
            OK, I'm going to ask what I think is a stupid question.

            I've always thought that a 70* cone is steeper then a 60* cone, and all of the above discussion indicates that as well. For clarity, when I say steeper, I mean "closer to vertical."

            I had someone tell me it was the opposite, and I thought I'd ask.
            70° cone is steeper than a 60° cone
            Doug A Moller
            Brewmaster
            The Moller Brew House
            (405)226-3111

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            • #7
              After some research and discussion with an expert in the field, I have come to understand that its not possible to discuss FV cone angles without specifying where the angle was measured from.

              Manufacturers use a term called "Included Angle" and most often, without saying so specifically, that is the angle used to describe the cones on their fermenting vessels.

              "Included Angle" means the inside angle of the cone itself, not the outside angle as measured from horizontal. It so happens that in a 60* cone (or "true 60* cone"), the angle from horizontal and the Included Angle are the same. But things get confusing when we start talking about anything other then a 60* cone.

              You see, with a cone measuring 60* from horizontal (outside angle), we know that its another 30* to come up to vertical (90*). BUT-- that 30* is only HALF of the cone. The other half, an equal angle of course, is 30*, for a total inside (Included) angle of 60*. Thus a "True 60* cone" is 60* inside, and 60* outside from horizontal.

              Now lets go back to our 70* cone discussion. Is the manufactuer quoting Included Angle, or the outside angle as measured from horizontal? If, and ONLY if, the manufacturer states that the cone is 70* measured from horizontal, is the statement "70° cone is steeper than a 60° cone" true. More likely, the manufacturer is quoting a 70* INCLUDED angle... and thats actually shallower then a 60* cone!

              Think-- 70* inside cone angle. Half of that is 35* (the half measured from vertical, that makes up part of a 90* angle.) So, from 90*, half the cone is 35*, leaving the outside angle from horizontal at only 55*. Shallower then 60*!

              Attached is a drawing I made to clarify things... long story short, if you're buying an FV other then 60*, you'd better know which way the seller is measuring his cone angle! (And having received 12 quotes for systems lately, I can tell you that there are very few manufacturers being clear on this. Make sure you ask!)
              Attached Files
              Last edited by evanevan; 10-02-2005, 04:09 AM.

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              • #8
                Great write-up, Evan. Pictures do indeed speak lowder than words!

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                • #9
                  I have always heard that the main reason for most tanks having a 60 degree cone is this:

                  Take a sheet of stainless, cut a circle out of it, cut that circle in half, and then take each half and form a cone out of it. They will have a 60 degree cone angle! So a 60 degree cone makes the most efficient use of the flat stainless stock, with the least amount of wasted material.
                  Linus Hall
                  Yazoo Brewing
                  Nashville, TN
                  www.yazoobrew.com

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