Hello All-
We have a number of GW Kent CC tanks (20 and 40 bbl) with racking arms. I believe that there is a fundamental design flaw that is lowering our yields of finished beer to the brite tanks. I would like to run some ideas by the collective before I do anything rash.
The problem I see is that the DIN fitting that attaches the racking arm to the tank is parallel with the cone of the tank rather than being perpendicular to the ground.* When we transfer the beer out of the tanks, we rotate the racking arm down. Due to the angle of the attachment point of the racking arm, it swings out as well as down. When we get to the end of the transfer there is a significant amount of usable beer left above the yeast bed that is left in the tank. Note that we don't filter our beers, so switching over to the bottom outlet of the tank is not an option. On the 40 bbl tanks this waste can amount to (visual estimate) a barrel plus of beer.
I am contemplating having my welder come in and modify the racking arms to make up for this design flaw. I was thinking of having him cut the arm near the base, miter an angle that corresponds with the angle of the cone, and welding it back together so that the racking arm's "tip" is farther down in the tank when rotated down.
So, is this a stupid idea? Or rather, has anyone come up with a more elegant and effective solution to getting more beer out of these tanks?
* In previous breweries I've worked at, with much larger, American made (Mueller and JVNW) tanks, the racking arm attachment was perpendicular to the ground.
Thanks- Mike
We have a number of GW Kent CC tanks (20 and 40 bbl) with racking arms. I believe that there is a fundamental design flaw that is lowering our yields of finished beer to the brite tanks. I would like to run some ideas by the collective before I do anything rash.
The problem I see is that the DIN fitting that attaches the racking arm to the tank is parallel with the cone of the tank rather than being perpendicular to the ground.* When we transfer the beer out of the tanks, we rotate the racking arm down. Due to the angle of the attachment point of the racking arm, it swings out as well as down. When we get to the end of the transfer there is a significant amount of usable beer left above the yeast bed that is left in the tank. Note that we don't filter our beers, so switching over to the bottom outlet of the tank is not an option. On the 40 bbl tanks this waste can amount to (visual estimate) a barrel plus of beer.
I am contemplating having my welder come in and modify the racking arms to make up for this design flaw. I was thinking of having him cut the arm near the base, miter an angle that corresponds with the angle of the cone, and welding it back together so that the racking arm's "tip" is farther down in the tank when rotated down.
So, is this a stupid idea? Or rather, has anyone come up with a more elegant and effective solution to getting more beer out of these tanks?
* In previous breweries I've worked at, with much larger, American made (Mueller and JVNW) tanks, the racking arm attachment was perpendicular to the ground.
Thanks- Mike
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