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Bulkhead Fitting Placement on a 120 Gallon Plastic Fermenter

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  • Bulkhead Fitting Placement on a 120 Gallon Plastic Fermenter

    Hello All

    We are fermenting with 120 gallon plastic fermenters (see pictures). I did one batch already and used the bottom valve on the fermenter to keg. I didn't want to do it this way, but I needed to get a batch out. Now I want to attach a bulkhead fitting to keg from above the yeast and any sediment.
    Do any of you have any insight into where I need to place this fitting so that I don't waste beer, but get a good fill on my kegs without any sediment? We will be brewing 50 - 100 Gal batches. Thank you for your help.

    PS. On the last 120 Gal batch, I did a drain on the yeast until it ran clear, but there was still yeast sediment stuck to the side of the fermenter on the inside 8 inches above the valve. Also, I may use a racking arm on the attachment when I get the bulkhead installed. Let me know how far above the bottom valve I should put the fitting.
    Thank you brothers for the help!

    Bill Ranta
    Tecumseh, MI.

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  • #2
    This is one of the reasons why a plastic conical is not ideal for beer. The cone is not steep enough to aid in removing the yeast well. 60* cone is recommended. Either remove the yeast more often, or go with the racking arm design. I'd suggest placing the bulkhead 1/2 way up the cone, but the yeast cake height will depend on a number of factors (O2, strain, how well you can crash, ect). You will likely need to remove some yeast from the racking port either way prior to transferring. Order your racking arm, and then find out where you need to place the bulkhead in order to be able to turn it down for maximum collection.

    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for the input!

      Originally posted by UnFermentable View Post
      This is one of the reasons why a plastic conical is not ideal for beer. The cone is not steep enough to aid in removing the yeast well. 60* cone is recommended. Either remove the yeast more often, or go with the racking arm design. I'd suggest placing the bulkhead 1/2 way up the cone, but the yeast cake height will depend on a number of factors (O2, strain, how well you can crash, ect). You will likely need to remove some yeast from the racking port either way prior to transferring. Order your racking arm, and then find out where you need to place the bulkhead in order to be able to turn it down for maximum collection.
      I was not excited about going with plastic, but we needed to get started on a budget. Thank you for the response. It sounds like a good idea to keep some of the yeast removed as it finishes off. We have a racking arm to add as well. Thank you again! Good feedback!

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by billranta View Post
        Hello All

        We are fermenting with 120 gallon plastic fermenters (see pictures). I did one batch already and used the bottom valve on the fermenter to keg. I didn't want to do it this way, but I needed to get a batch out. Now I want to attach a bulkhead fitting to keg from above the yeast and any sediment.
        Do any of you have any insight into where I need to place this fitting so that I don't waste beer, but get a good fill on my kegs without any sediment? We will be brewing 50 - 100 Gal batches. Thank you for your help.

        PS. On the last 120 Gal batch, I did a drain on the yeast until it ran clear, but there was still yeast sediment stuck to the side of the fermenter on the inside 8 inches above the valve. Also, I may use a racking arm on the attachment when I get the bulkhead installed. Let me know how far above the bottom valve I should put the fitting.
        Thank you brothers for the help!

        Bill Ranta
        Tecumseh, MI.

        [ATTACH]54916[/ATTACH]

        [ATTACH]54917[/ATTACH]
        We used the same Fermenters had 4 of them. Added a bulkhead and another valve higher up the cone to keg. Kept one to use for small batches when we moved.


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

        Comment


        • #5
          Adding a bulkhead.

          Originally posted by 1940sbrewingco View Post
          We used the same Fermenters had 4 of them. Added a bulkhead and another valve higher up the cone to keg. Kept one to use for small batches when we moved.


          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
          How high up the cone was it? I was thinking abut 3 inches below the cone line. Would that be enough? When I did a 100 gal batch, the yeast settled about 10 inches from the bottom valve. Thank you for your input!

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          • #6
            Mine are the same size tanks and are about the 3 gallon line. I just dump yeast/dry hops a couple times before I rack over. I do still tend to pull a small amount of yeast into the brite but it just settles out there no problem after a day or two at the most. I have 1/2" bulkheads and if I did it again I would add a bigger port and have a small racking arm for sure.

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            • #7
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              We use the same, or very similar, tanks. We placed the bulkhead at about the 4 gal mark. Most average OG beers, the yeast will floc out below this level, generally in the 2-3 gal range. Occasionally, we'll have to dump some yeast off the side valve before we transfer to the brite. More often, we're dumping off the bottom valve because we used a large amount of dry hops or fruit.

              If you're running straight in to kegs, as opposed to a brite, make sure you're going an adequate length of time on your cold crash. Although, I'm guessing you're crashing in the keg since your fermentors look stationary. You may want to consider getting different frames that have a nice spot for adding casters. Then you can wheel the entire thing into the cooler to crash.

              We've been using theses things for about a year and a half with great results. PM me if you have any other questions.

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              • #8
                On second glance, our fermentors have some significant differences. I think your cone is a lot more shallow than ours, so that might significantly affect your valve placement. Also, I'm sure you've noticed that your cones aren't full drain and will probably hold a little bit of liquid around the inside part of the bulkhead. Keep an eye that those areas are drying properly and not growing any unwelcome funk.

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                • #9
                  Thank you very much!

                  Hello OG727....I just want to thank you for the input. I have recently went from home brewer to brewing 120 gal batches for a winery here in Southern Michigan. Lots of things come up that I'm clueless about. I appreciate the feedback! I noticed that you are in Florida if I'm correct. I am a Florida native born and raised in Bradenton (Manatee County). I have a question since you are doing some dry hopping and fruit additions in these fermenters. What is your procedure (bags, sanitizing, etc). What bag did you use for the hop pellets or did you just dump them in? How do you keep bugs from sneaking in when you dry hop or use fruit? Thanks again for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

                  Bill Ranta
                  Tecumseh, MI

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                  • #10
                    Components for Racking Port - to OG727

                    I am also going to add racking porst and sample ports to four plastic conical fermenters. I saw OG727 photo and wonder where the bulkhead and other port components were purchased. What diameter bulk head 1", 1 1/2"? Did you install an arm inside the fermenter? Any way to make the arm rotatable?

                    Thanks for your advice and help on this.

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