120 l drum v 25 l vessels

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sampvt
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120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by sampvt »

Ive got both of these and when I set a ferment going I use exactly the same ingredients in both, but the 25l containers finish fermenting down from 1070 to .995 a lot quicker than the 120l drum. Why is this?

Ive tried loose towel top coverings and also fully sealed with airlocks and there is no discernable difference between either method. The time difference comes with the small v large ferments. I've also noticed that the 120l doesn't drop below .999 and sometimes no more than 1010/
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Damn Sam.....welcome back ...thought we had lost you.
Good to see your still " scuze the pun" at it and involved in the hobby.
Might help if you tell folk what wash your using.
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by Sporacle »

Small roast leg of lamb vs large roast leg of lamb, same oven same temp same protien, Both take different times to finish to roughly the same product...maybe
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Demy
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by Demy »

I imagine that the amount of yeast is proportional?
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by Yummyrum »

I’m confused .
Are you putting 25 litres of ferment into both the 25 and 160 Litre barrels , or are you scaling the wash so there is proportionally more in the 160 litre barrel ?
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Deplorable
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by Deplorable »

I agree with Sporacle. If everything is proportionally equal, its still going to take longer to "cook".
My 95L ferments usually finish dry in about 6 days if I do my part and keep them happy at the "goldilocks" temperature for the yeast strain.
Truth be told, Its been so long since I've done a 20L ferment I couldn't tell you how long it takes one to finish dry.
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by sampvt »

I sit my 120 on a heating plate and the recipe proportions are exactly the same in retrospect to volume. The temps are always the same and the yeasts are the same. The only difference I can see is the distances between the botom and top of the vessels which might aid a suppression scenario.
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by greggn »

sampvt wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 3:35 am
Ive got both of these and when I set a ferment going I use exactly the same ingredients in both, but the 25l containers finish fermenting down from 1070 to .995 a lot quicker than the 120l drum. Why is this?

I'd guess that you're not aerating the 120L sufficiently to allow the yeast to bud to their maximum population ... so you have too few workers for the task.
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sampvt
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by sampvt »

Ive got a pretty good aeration pump should I submerge it to the bottom of the barrel and leave it there, or should I stir the mix every day to wake the sleeping cells up. Would either of these ways work?
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NZChris
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by NZChris »

If I'm in a hurry, I put a pump in the headspace so that it is pumping the ferment's own CO2 to the bottom of the fermenter to provide agitation.
sampvt
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by sampvt »

Chris I don't understand that. do you mean the top of the barrel being headspace? surely air bubbles created at the top will simply vent out directly. how can this aid aeration, please explain.
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by bluc »

I often have 200l rum ferments finish in 3 days. What was temp in big drum and ambient temp perhaps cooled down slowing it down?
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NZChris
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Re: 120 l drum v 25 l vessels

Post by NZChris »

sampvt wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:51 am Chris I don't understand that. do you mean the top of the barrel being headspace? surely air bubbles created at the top will simply vent out directly. how can this aid aeration, please explain.
It only aerates until the O2 is used up and the ferment has filled the headspace of the fermenter, where the pump is, with CO2. After that, the pump is pushing CO2 from the headspace to the bottom to agitate the wash. The excess CO2 vents normally.
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