I just got in some new fermenters and up until this point, the only other tanks I've seen have had a mirror finish on all of the interior welds and have been perfectly smooth. Then I got these tanks and before I go sending out an email to the supplier, I wanted to see if these welds are acceptable. They aren't polished down so I wasn't sure if they were still ok. Let me know what you all think of them. Hopefully the pics give enough detail. I wil try to attach more pics later. Safe to say I'm not thrilled with them though
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Can somebody check these welds?
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They look like they would probably work, BUT that is some of THE sloppiest work I have ever seen. Looks like they chewed out the circle with their teeth, and whats the deal with the dents that look like hail damage. I would not be please if that was a Brand new tank. Many of our tanks are not mirror polished but all have the internal welds ground down to the point that there is no raised bumps.Joel Halbleib
Partner / Zymurgist
Hive and Barrel Meadery
6302 Old La Grange Rd
Crestwood, KY
www.hiveandbarrel.com
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Originally posted by BrewinLouThey look like they would probably work, BUT that is some of THE sloppiest work I have ever seen. Looks like they chewed out the circle with their teeth, and whats the deal with the dents that look like hail damage. I would not be please if that was a Brand new tank. Many of our tanks are not mirror polished but all have the internal welds ground down to the point that there is no raised bumps.
^^^ this...
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Thanks
I already emailed the company and told them I'm not real happy with the workmanship of these tanks. I have no idea what they were doing but it looks like they were a bit clueless. At a minimum, I'm going to have somebody local try and grind the welds down as flush as possible because although it may work as-is, I'm not about to take that risk week after week. To me, it looks like they forgot to include the racking port when they first built the tank and then tried to patch it back in. Even the top where the dome attaches to the fermenter doesn't look overly smooth so the entire tank might require rework. Regardless, if they don't fix the issue I won't be a returning customer. Thanks for the feedback guys.
CheersKaskaskia Brewing Company
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I would be worried if this is a pressure vessel.... Sometimes you can see work like this is the company normally does tanks for other industries and not brewing... but regardless - generally speaking a good tradesman will want his work to look top notch, not like that.
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Hey Alex,
This tank is supposed to be pressure worthy but I'm a bit nervous about attempting to put any pressure on it. Once I do pressurize it for the first time, it's going to be a slow and steady rise to the full operating pressure and I'll be standing a safe distance away. The sad part is that this is a company who supposedly specializes in tanks for the craft brew industry. I am really hoping that I just got the crap tank and that the rest of their work doesn't look like this. I have emailed the company so hopefully I can get some help with fixing this disaster in the next few days.
Cheers,Kaskaskia Brewing Company
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IMPORTANT!!! about pressure testing
Make sure you hydro test it first, don't used gas. Fill up the tank to at or near the top and then use gas (unless you have a water line with a good pressure regulator) to bring it up to working pressure. A tank full of gas will decompress (read explode) on failure. Water in the tank is not compressed like gas is and thus will not decompress on failure, making for a much safer trial. I believe that when manufacturers hydro test tank they generally hydro test to 1.5x the working pressure.Steve Bradt
Regional Sales Manager
Micro-Matic Packaging Division
Eastern United States and Canada
sbradt@micro-matic.com
785-766-1921
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Hey Steve,
Thanks for the advice. I was actually planning on doing that because lord knows I don't want to be standing near a pressurized pipe bomb. Thanks for keeping me safe though . The other tank they sent me wasn't near as bad but it's still nothing to brag about. Once I hear how the company is going to help me resolve the issue, I'll post back here. It's a bit disheartening though when you order tanks and 5 months later they show up like this. From the outside the tanks look nice and shiny but it's a shame they spent the time and energy on making the outside look good when the inside looks so poor. If they don't fix the issue, I'll post back with my experience to help other buyers beware of what you're getting with them.Kaskaskia Brewing Company
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I got these through Neil H. Knapp. They were easy to work with but I wish the quality of the tanks had been more positive. I've read other threads where people said the quality was good which is why I felt comfortable ordering from them. That being said, I am going to give them a chance to make it right assuming they are quick to take action. I think the main issue for a company like this is that I can guarantee the tanks are made in China by their supplier and then crated up and shipped over without them ever seeing the final product. Since they don't inspect the equipment, I think crap like this gets through just for me to discover it. The prices were very good but I guess "you get what you pay for" is coming back to bite me right now. Luckily I only ordered 2 fermenters and 2 brite tanks from them. Had I ordered the whole brewhouse, I'd be a whole other level of pissed off right now. I will give them a week to correct the issue but in the mean time, I might have to start thinking about a backup plan.Kaskaskia Brewing Company
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Just spoke with them
Hey everybody,
I just spoke with them and apparently they aren't too happy with the quality either or with the dings and dents that showed up on the tanks. They were going back to the shipping company to fight the dents but they were taking responsibility for the overall quality. They told me both my set and another set they shipped to my area came out bad so they are going to let me know in the next day or 2 how we can fix this. They said they are going to figure out how to get the tanks repaired while new ones are made or they will take the tanks back completely.
I guess it's at least good to know that they are making an attempt to stand by the product so I guess at the moment, I will wait and see how they respond. I will keep everybody updated with what happens though.
I haven't had any St. Pats kind of issues with this company yet so I'd say that's a positive.
CheersKaskaskia Brewing Company
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If they are from China and the quality is that bad on the welds. I would be sure to check the tank with a magnet. Most of the plants in China that are doing good work are working directly with N. American tank manufacturers who help a great deal when it comes to quality.Joel Halbleib
Partner / Zymurgist
Hive and Barrel Meadery
6302 Old La Grange Rd
Crestwood, KY
www.hiveandbarrel.com
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Originally posted by KaskaskiaBrewHey everybody,
I just spoke with them and apparently they aren't too happy with the quality either or with the dings and dents that showed up on the tanks. They were going back to the shipping company to fight the dents but they were taking responsibility for the overall quality. They told me both my set and another set they shipped to my area came out bad so they are going to let me know in the next day or 2 how we can fix this. They said they are going to figure out how to get the tanks repaired while new ones are made or they will take the tanks back completely.
I guess it's at least good to know that they are making an attempt to stand by the product so I guess at the moment, I will wait and see how they respond. I will keep everybody updated with what happens though.
I haven't had any St. Pats kind of issues with this company yet so I'd say that's a positive.
Cheers
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