Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Letina FV converted to HLT? Plastic tank as CLT?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Letina FV converted to HLT? Plastic tank as CLT?

    I run a small 7bbl brewhouse and have never had a HLT. We are expanding are space and would like to add one to the brewhouse. Does anyone have experience using different types of tanks to make a HLT? I am thinking of putting a heat element into one of the bottom ports of our old Letina flat bottom fermentor and insulating the tank. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Also thinking of putting a 300 +/- gal plastic tank in our cold room as a CLT. Any experiences with that? Thanks!

  • #2
    I have a 400 gal plastic tank in my walk in as a CLT, works fantastic. I posted pictures on here not too long ago if you dig through my post history. Takes 2-3 days to drop to temp depending on ground water temp. I run a 3 bbl brewhouse and usually double batch and this size I can knock out two batches at lager temp before I run out of water. I found the tallest tank I could find that fit in my walk in to minimize space lost in the walk in.

    Comment


    • #3
      You need to find out what the insulation is on your FV. It's very likely Styrofoam, which cannot handle the heat. FVs are meant to stay cool, not hot. Our new HLT uses rock wool for insulation, which is good for >1,000F--overkill, but it does the job. Fiberglass is a more common insulation for hot things.

      If you use a Styrofoam insulated tank for an HLT, expect bad things to happen. When the Styrofoam starts to break down, it releases some nasty gasses, which, aside from being nasty, might produce enough pressure to rupture the cladding on the tank if the little vent gets clogged.

      Technically, the melting point of Styrofoam is 242C, but I know from experience it begins to degrade at HLT temps.
      Timm Turrentine

      Brewerywright,
      Terminal Gravity Brewing,
      Enterprise. Oregon.

      Comment


      • #4
        Sounds like the tank is uninsulated right now and he is planning on adding insulation. Interesting about the hot temps breaking down insulation as it is common practice to run hot cleaning cycles. Can this cause degradation?

        Comment


        • #5
          A hot cleaning cycle vs letting the tank soak constantly at 180+F? There's a difference. As I said, the insulation won't melt, it'll just begin to break down, and this is time-sensitive.
          Timm Turrentine

          Brewerywright,
          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
          Enterprise. Oregon.

          Comment


          • #6
            For the OP--We spec'ed out a fully insulated plastic CL tank from National Tank Outlet. I shopped around a lot, and this company could make what we needed for a price we could afford. Fully insulated, 20 bbl, w/custom fittings for <$4k.

            Talk to David Brocato.

            We ended up going a different route and didn't buy the tank, but David was a very good guy to work with.
            Timm Turrentine

            Brewerywright,
            Terminal Gravity Brewing,
            Enterprise. Oregon.

            Comment


            • #7
              It is an uninsulated white wine fermenter. I'll probably be upgrading fermenters, so was considering options to repurpose the old ones.

              Comment

              Working...
              X