Fermentap question
Moderator: slothrob
Fermentap question
Has had any experience with the Fermentap system? It holds a carboy upside down so that you can use it as a conical fermentor. It has a valve so you can dump trub out of the bottom so you don't need a secondary. I thought it sounded like an interesting idea, but before I bought it I was hoping to find someone who knew how well it really worked.
- Mesa Maltworks
- Strong Ale
- Posts: 477
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 11:16 pm
- Location: Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island
Fermentap...
Yup... when they first came out, I used them. The premise is wonderful... other than a carboy lacks the 60 degree slope of a conical, they work to the same advantage. Now... here is why I stopped using them. They are a pain in the a** to assemble and disassemble. Before sanitizing, you have to take them completely apart, racking cane and all. After sanitizing, you have to reinsert the racking cane back through the valve assembly which is like wrestling with an elephant ! I broke ALOT of racking canes trying to get them back through the compression fitting. Of course, during this wrestling match, you are de-sanitizing whatever you sanitized ! The shortest time I completed the whole process was in about 40 minutes.
Now, being the inventive sort, I thought I'd get a stainless steel racking cane and try that... no dice, wrong outside diameter ! I later tried such things as food grade silicone which worked, but it can kill head retention. Needless to say, they (I bought 4 at once.. duh !) now occupy a corner of my closet along with other out of use items.
I really think the idea is great, but in execution, I think their advantages are lost. My advice is stick with closely watching your primary and siphon off at the correct time. Other than the ease of yeast harvesting, you won't notice a difference.
Now, being the inventive sort, I thought I'd get a stainless steel racking cane and try that... no dice, wrong outside diameter ! I later tried such things as food grade silicone which worked, but it can kill head retention. Needless to say, they (I bought 4 at once.. duh !) now occupy a corner of my closet along with other out of use items.
I really think the idea is great, but in execution, I think their advantages are lost. My advice is stick with closely watching your primary and siphon off at the correct time. Other than the ease of yeast harvesting, you won't notice a difference.
-
- Strong Ale
- Posts: 339
- Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2001 11:33 pm
- Location: Hummelstown, PA, US
Man...am I happy
I sure am glad that I didnt get one of those things. It does sound like they are not worth the hassle. If I really wanted to do the trub dump thing, I would probably go ahead and get a conical fermentor.
- Mesa Maltworks
- Strong Ale
- Posts: 477
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 11:16 pm
- Location: Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island
Fermenstand...
Funny you mentioned that.... that is all of the system I currently use as well... and for the same purpose !
- Mesa Maltworks
- Strong Ale
- Posts: 477
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 11:16 pm
- Location: Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island
They do work.... but a pain !
Actually, they do work as well as they are stating, they are in practice a big pain to clean/sanitize/assemble. I'm glad to hear from one of the other posts that they now supply them with stainless canes. When I bought mine you had to supply your own cane and the valve assembly would only accomidate the brittle plastic racking canes like most homebrewers use.