Problem with long tube filler?

[J&B]

Hi!
We are considering buying an old but functional long tube 16/4 filler/capper. As I understand there is no preevac but simply a cou8nterpressure with CO2. The sniff goes up the bowl.
Is this a big potential problem regarding beer stability caused by build up of oxygen in the filler bowl and by not evacuating before filling?
Best regards,
J&B

[timbro81]

We run an old Holderfliesse (sp?) 16/4 long tube filler. There is no pre-evac but there is a long CO2 purge as the tube is lowered and sealed to the bottle. From my limited knowledge a pre-evac is usually for short tube fillers. There shouldn't be any risk of oxygenating the bowl that I'm aware of since the excess pressure (CO2/O2) from the bottle is vented out during snifting. Good luck.
Tim

Edit: I reread and saw that you wrote that it snifts back into the bowl. That could cause an issue. Are you sure that it snifts back into the bowl?

[J&B]

It's actually a Holderfleiss that we are thinking of buying. As I understand the snifting goes to the bowl but I might be wrong. The model i s Bavaria 16/4. Is that the one you have aswell? Any tips or trix or guideance to a FAQ on this filler? We have no experience what so ever regarding these kind of fillers but the deal is good and we can´t manually CP fill any more even if we manage 1000bottles/h.
Best regards,
J&B

We run an old Holderfliesse (sp?) 16/4 long tube filler. There is no pre-evac but there is a long CO2 purge as the tube is lowered and sealed to the bottle. From my limited knowledge a pre-evac is usually for short tube fillers. There shouldn't be any risk of oxygenating the bowl that I'm aware of since the excess pressure (CO2/O2) from the bottle is vented out during snifting. Good luck.
Tim

Edit: I reread and saw that you wrote that it snifts back into the bowl. That could cause an issue. Are you sure that it snifts back into the bowl?

[timbro81]

It purges to the atmosphere. When we bought ours it ran but was not in great condition. Lots of headaches and observing to try and figure it out. There was about a 2 year learning curve for us but we routinely run ours at 55BPM with few issues. I would recommend buying a replacement valve repair kit from Markl if the seals in the filler valves haven't been replaced in a while. Stay on top of maintenance and it will be a work horse for you. The hardest part about learning, as with many cases, you have to cut your teeth and learn while you're trying to put product into a bottle to pay bills. If you ever have any problems or questions please feel free to contact me. Good luck.

Tim Brophy
tim@marshallbrewing.com