My Mega Masher Fermenter

[MichiganCornhusker]

So here's my new masher/fermenter!
100 gallon stainless conical insulated beauty found at the scrap yard moments before destruction!

Front view

Top view

Cone bottom

There are 4 lines coming in from the back of the unit, up into the insulated sides of the cone. I'm guessing these might be heating or cooling lines?

Four lines

Also two fittings on each side of the unit, again maybe for some circulating temp control fluid?

Side fittings

Side close

Then there is a nub sticking out near the bottom. I can't seem to get it to go in or out or turn. No idea what it is.

Nub

Finally there are two porthole type openings with threads for some kind of sight glass flange I'm thinking. No idea yet where to find parts to seal up the holes yet.

Porthole

This beast is going to get me to completely rethink my mashing procedure.
I like the idea of using the drains for different takeoff levels that SCD has already suggested.
Also expecting I'll need to get setup for steam heating the mash.
Any info or suggestions is welcome!

[DSM Loki]

She's a beaut

[shadylane]

MCH, Quit teasing us and post the dadburn story

[HDNB]

the lines are prolly heat/cool and one for air, for pumping in O2 to propagate yeast.

[MichiganCornhusker]

MCH, Quit teasing us and post the dadburn story

I originally posted in the Good Deals thread:

I went back into my scrap metal place to see if they had come across any 4" copper pipe yet. They hadn't.
They did have some pieces of 3" DWV with a few fittings and as I was contemplating that possibility I looked across the shop and saw this thing in the corner.

I asked if he would sell it as-is and he said he would for $150. I said I would go get a truck.

Not sure what it was used for but it is spotless. I will need to find some caps for the two portholes, they are threaded?
I'll also need to run some water through the fittings to see how the thing might be plumbed. And then of course some kind of lid.

[MichiganCornhusker]

the lines are prolly heat/cool and one for air, for pumping in O2 to propagate yeast.

None of the lines open into the inside.
Except for the three sanitary drain fittings near the bottom and the 2 portholes, the inside surface is closed and polished.
When I get some time I'm going to pump some water into the fittings to see how much fluid the hold and how they might be connected.

[HDNB]

i toured a fuel ethanol plant a while back. they had a "yeast propagation vessel" (their words, not mine), they created their own yeast. It looked just like your unit, just 3x as big. it had an internal heat coil, and external cool coil and sight glasses, process plumbing in and out, and differnt valved take offs on the cone. The air line, the guy said they pumped air in for 4 hours to start the breeding frenzy.
I never saw the sticky-outy thing like your has tho.

[cob]

MCH start your testing with air so you don't trap water someplace you don't want it.

you have said nothing about a possible maker, so I assume it has no ID markings.

[MichiganCornhusker]

MCH start your testing with air so you don't trap water someplace you don't want it.
you have said nothing about a possible maker, so I assume it has no ID markings.

Great idea with the air, now I know what's plumbed to what. Thanks for the suggestion.

Each one of the 4 lines at the bottom of the unit is connected to one of the 4 fittings welded into the side of the tank wall above.
Apparently 4 circuits. Maybe next I will try running some hot water through them one my one to see if I can feel anything inside the tank.

No markings on the unit that give any indication who made it or what it was used for. No make or model numbers or anything like that. Seems fairly custom that way.

[Truckinbutch]

WOW ! Just WOW ! I'd figure out how to make something out of that .

[DFitz]

Nice score! Soon enough you'll have it figured out.

[MichiganCornhusker]

WOW ! Just WOW !

I feel the same way, TB, can't believe that I just walked right into this deal without even looking for it. I was only there to look in the copper bin to see if there was any 4" pipe.
The hour it took me to get a truck and get back to the salvage place was a very long hour! I kept worrying that someone else would see this beauty or that the boss would change his mind.
I guess to them it's just scrap SS so there was no rush, but I still can't believe my good fortune to run into this.

Interesting side note, I asked if they ever got in any kegs and he told me they are not allowed to accept them.
Folks not knowing what to do once they can't sell them will sometimes just leave them there in the parking lot and drive off.
He immediately cuts them in half, not for sale.

[Hank Reardon]

MCH, if there is a SN and manufacturer on that tank, you will be able to get the drawings to be sure what everything is.

[Truckinbutch]

WOW ! Just WOW !

I feel the same way, TB, can't believe that I just walked right into this deal without even looking for it. I was only there to look in the copper bin to see if there was any 4" pipe.
The hour it took me to get a truck and get back to the salvage place was a very long hour! I kept worrying that someone else would see this beauty or that the boss would change his mind.
I guess to them it's just scrap SS so there was no rush, but I still can't believe my good fortune to run into this.

Interesting side note, I asked if they ever got in any kegs and he told me they are not allowed to accept them.
Folks not knowing what to do once they can't sell them will sometimes just leave them there in the parking lot and drive off.
He immediately cuts them in half, not for sale.

Not to jack your thread , but a local scrapper got visited by Anheuser-Busch reps and a county sheriff's deputy . They sorted his keg pile and confiscated every keg with an A-B stamp . He is no longer taking kegs as salvage .

[bilgriss]

Awesome find!

As I've stated in the past, I need a bigger shed.....

[shadylane]

Is it insulated or is that a water jacket

[MichiganCornhusker]

Is it insulated or is that a water jacket

Good question. I have discovered that 4 separate lines lead into and out of the space between the walls but I don't know yet if the lead to cavities or if they are some kind of coils.

Knocking on it, it doesn't sound hollow. The scrap guy said he had cut one up like it before and he used the word insulation.

[Shine0n]

I'm sure that things going to be a blast.

I'm looking forward to your findings about the 4 lines, what's the size of them?

I'm headed to the scrap yard this afternoon, I have no hopes of finding something like that but ya never know what you'll find right!!!

Shine0n

[Pikey]

MAybe you could poke a length of fence wire into the holes ? that would give you a feeling of whether they were coils and how long they are. If just cavities, the wire won't come out of the other hole.

[Expat]

You could also fill them with water then drain and record the volume, that would give you some sense of the structure. A straight pipe line would be calculable and much smaller than a coil volume.

[Pikey]

Yes but on th eother hand, if some of those were pressure relief for the insulation, you'd end up with soggy blankets inside the build. - I'd be happier poking wires down the tubes - If you should for some strange reason want to calculate volume, give us a length and a sectional area - near enough

Edit:

[bitter]

darn thats sexy!

[MichiganCornhusker]

Thanks for the ideas, guys!
I tried the wire trick and it feels like coils of tubing.
Next I might try running water through it, measuring what I put in and what I get out.

[DSM Loki]

I'm just up the road if you ever need somebody to crack wise while you're doing important things haha. Going stir crazy not running all winter

[Hank Reardon]

As a person who has walked by a tank, it makes me a tank expert these days. Yes, that is sarcasm for all germans on the board.

I'll take a whack at the fittings as I see them:

1. sight glass of the fermenter (first pic)
2. The cone bottom nub is either a PRV or a vacuum break for when you hit a sealed tank with cold water
3. The 4 nipples from the back are inlet/outet lines for 2 independendent jackets. I'm thinking more for temp control than pressure.
4. The top bottom fittings are for either a "sight glass hose" type thing, or for air agitation.

My best whack. Did you ever figure the manufacturer? If so, and it is one of several, we can get the drawings.

[UrToopid]

That is almost certainly a Steam Jacket, that's used to heat the vessel. Two lines (inlet and outlet) would be for Steam, and the other two for cooling.


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[bilgriss]

That was my thought on the four ports too - 2 for cooling, two for heating. Should be easy to pair them by running some water through a couple.