Post a photo of your fermenters

[jon1163]

I've been looking around for pictures of fermenters with no luck. So I started this thread for everyone to post a picture of your fermenters and maybe an explanation if you have any great ideas... Especially for large poly buckets.

I'm looking to move up to around 15 gallons. I've got a large 15 gallon poly bucket that used to contain molasses. It has a closed-top and 2 screw-top fittings on the top. I'd like an easy way to rack the mash off if possible...
somehow

[raketemensch]

Many, if not most, of us just use Brute garbage cans. I have a couple of 32 gallon cans as my primary fermenters.

I mention this mainly because I’m not sure how beautiful a thread full of picture of garbage cans would be...

[The Baker]

jon said, 'I'd like an easy way to rack the mash off if possible...'

Siphon it through a hose. Or fit a tap well down in the fermenter (with a hose connexion ?). Simple.
Setting the fermenter on a block will help, gives a greater height differential for tap or hose.

Geoff

[Mr Sippy]

I second jon1163 request. My still, thumper, and condenser rig are kick-ass. My packed column will soon be on line. They're all composites or direct copies of gear I see here. A higher capacity (currently using 5 gal buckets) fermenting station is next. I have notes on the good work documented by others but to have a single source viewing is ideal, IMO.

I see his request as more than about the container. Portability, pump or siphon, temp maintenance...

Thanks jon for posting that request.

[jb-texshine]

1 blue open top 55gallon, 2 brute trash cans 25 orso gallons plastic,lots of Ozarks jugs for wine and mead. A bunch of 5 gallon buckets too. Depends on what I'm fermenting as to how to get out of the fermenter. For some things I use a pump Identical to my water pump for my liebig to pump it,just in a woman's nylon stocking ,but when the pump needs to get on close enough to the grain bed I just dip. A syphon hose,a racking cane, a piece of tubing the size of a I.v. hose at a hospital , for 1 gallon wine ferments. A plastic hand operated bilge pump for a boat that operates like a bicycle pump and resembles one too. It's great for barrels. A cup and a gallon tea pitcher also. The process is like this,
Select a recipe, then fermenter of volume I am making, then depending on ferments final product select a tool to get it out,normally a combination of methods.
Jbt

[jedneck]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 91&t=61975 one of my many is in beginning of this thread

[raketemensch]

You don’t need a whole lot of pump for the wash. I used a tiny little submersible aquarium/fountain pump. When I need to charge the keg (and when I’m done doing so) I drop it into a bucket with the hose curled around the inside like a worm with hot water and oxyclean and fire it up for a few minutes.

[TDick]

Warning: I'm a Noob so I'd appreciate input from some of the old hands.
I'm running a small 5 gallon still and went in Target looking for a smaller version of the 30 gallon Brutes. And I don't have as much space.
I found 2 things there I happened to catch on a good day.
I got an igloo 48 quart cooler with spout discounted to $15.00
plus a 48 quart Sterilite tote to use as well, on sale for $6.00. I liked the size of it and it's easy to handle.
I just did a quick look and they have 20 gallon as well:
https://www.target.com/p/sterilite-174- ... nk=sametab
Here's a photo.

See if it's an option.

[TDick]

...... symphony hose,a racking cane, a piece of tubing the size of a I.v. hose at a hospital , for 1 gallon wine ferments.
Jbt

JB, we got a Symphony over there in Birmingham, but I'm pretty sure all those women are GOOD girls!
Exactly what are Symphony hose and how do I get one?

Symphony Hose.jpg (15.76 KiB) Viewed 5377 times

[jb-texshine]

...... symphony hose,a racking cane, a piece of tubing the size of a I.v. hose at a hospital , for 1 gallon wine ferments.
Jbt

JB, we got a Symphony over there in Birmingham, but I'm pretty sure all those women are GOOD girls!
Exactly what are Symphony hose and how do I get one?

Symphony Hose.jpg

Well,see,this one time at band camp this chick stuck a flute up her.....
Fixed it for you

[Bushman]

If the OP doesn't mind I would like to extend this thread to include where you ferment. I built an insulated cart that will hold 3 eight gallon fermenters. Also I will add a link to how I control temps within my fermenting cart.
Below is a picture of the insulated cart. The front is closed with a sheet of insulation that is held by setting on L brackets on the bottom front of the cart and ratchet straps around the cart.

Here is a link to my aquarium heat controller. It sits on top of the cart with the cords going through at the top of the front cover. Because my cart is a smaller area than the bathroom I used to use I have changed the heater with a drop light.

aquarium temperature controller

[Blarney Stoned]

These work very well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30-Gallon-Blue ... 2857221294" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[jon1163]

If the OP doesn't mind I would like to extend this thread to include where you ferment. I built an insulated cart that will hold 3 eight gallon fermenters. Also I will add a link to how I control temps within my fermenting cart.
Below is a picture of the insulated cart. The front is closed with a sheet of insulation that is held by setting on L brackets on the bottom front of the cart and ratchet straps around the cart.

image.jpeg

Here is a link to my aquarium heat controller. It sits on top of the cart with the cords going through at the top of the front cover. Because my cart is a smaller area than the bathroom I used to use I have changed the heater with a drop light.

aquarium temperature controller

I don't mind at all... Man that's nice. Could you post a photo of the controller hooked up?

[raketemensch]

Warning: I'm a Noob so I'd appreciate input from some of the old hands.
I'm running a small 5 gallon still and went in Target looking for a smaller version of the 30 gallon Brutes. And I don't have as much space.
I found 2 things there I happened to catch on a good day.
I got an igloo 48 quart cooler with spout discounted to $15.00
plus a 48 quart Sterilite tote to use as well, on sale for $6.00. I liked the size of it and it's easy to handle.
I just did a quick look and they have 20 gallon as well:
https://www.target.com/p/sterilite-174- ... nk=sametab
See if it's an option.

Th only problem with those (I have 2) is that they’re not very strong. So if they’re filled with something heavy (like, say, 15 gallons of wash), the sides like to bend, which makes it so the top wants to pop off.

And once they bend, they don’t like to go back into shape.

[Twisted Brick]

Check Craigslist. I got a 30 gal blue food grade plastic barrel/lid for $25. Also got the same barrel in 55 gallons and the barrel dolly to go with it for $30.

[RedwoodHillBilly]

My mash tun / fermenter/ thumper in fermenter mode. Needs a good cleaning after mashing, Oh well next time.

MFT in fermenter mode

[Pikey]

Here's a photo of my new fermenttion cabinet - First use today !

Only has 4 x 25 litre Bacardi(ish) ferments going in it at the moment as I need some fermenters which fit better.

The heater is the top half of an egg incubator which you can see sitting on top of the fermenters. Temperature in there holds just below 100 F with ease !

It sits in my unheated garage - and here is the weather outside :-

Now I can ferment in teh winter without them sitting all over the lounge - SWMBO is not nagging and I am chuffed to bits !

[jon1163]

Nice!

[pounsfos]

My 200l fermenter, I call her "big bessi" They are very easy to get I got mine from invercargill (Small farming town at the bottom of new zealand) cost me $35ish

I leave the cap loose, that's a molasses was fermenting at the time.

I hang a 100w fish tank heater inside and i've never had issues, now that i'm not houses anymore, I can work on putting the element through a hole in the lid for peace of mind.

Also might get another one in the new year.....

[firewater69]

IMG_20150131_200257.jpg

I do 13 gallon batches in these, one of the best investments I've made.

[sltm1]

Firewater69, I've got the same as you,but never fill them over 9 gallons to allow for expansion as the mash ferments. Got mine off ebay years ago.

[Oldvine Zin]

I have a few brutes that I used to use as fermenters, now they are for grain storage. I use this now

75 gal and for a sugar wash I can just pump out of the bottom

OVZ

[firewater69]

Firewater69, I've got the same as you,but never fill them over 9 gallons to allow for expansion as the mash ferments. Got mine off ebay years ago.

I ferment off the grain and never had a problem with head space.

[firewater69]

I have a few brutes that I used to use as fermenters, now they are for grain storage. I use this now

fermentor.JPG

75 gal and for a sugar wash I can just pump out of the bottom

OVZ

Very nice! Now that's a fermenter.

[Yummyrum]

Rums in the 60 liter fella's , Tomatoe Paste Wash ( Bird Watchers ) in the two middle ones and a Peated Scotch to the right .

Tried an old 68 liter wash tub as a fermenter , it worked really well .bit of draft stop foam around the top ( to let the gas out and keep out the flies ) and a sheet of glass on top for my viewing pleasure . The drain and plug were removed and a plate lead free soft soldered over the hole .

Here's an all molasses wash all aerated and waiting for the yeast .
There's bugger all bead room but you don't need it for all molasses washes .... its those bloody yeast bombs in sugar / molases Rums that do the rediculous foam up .

Was getting cold

Got myself a dedicated new fermenter for my Scotch . Heres filling it up from the Mash tun using the liebig as a wort chiller
The was tub fermenter was repurpoed as an HLT

[Saltbush Bill]

180L of molasses wash working very nicely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V2n7C-uIBA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
4x 28L molasses washes going hard , total. 112 L
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUAszHOSr9Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[ampHoteric]

Just a basic sugar wash with EC 1118 going right now with a little addition to see if I can increase yeast ethanol tolerance. More to come on that hopefully.
Carboy was $5 at the neighbors yard sale.

[Tony1964]

Two fermentation chambers, running at the same time, the fermenters are converted Igloo Ice cubes, cooling is done buy pumping water via copper coil in the wash, heating is via vivarium 20W heaters, cut out the bottom of the Igloo's without cutting the inner skin, lay in the flat Vivarium heater and route the power cable out the back, glue the botton and its insulating foam back in place and away you go, gentle heating of the wash should it be required. The centre bucket is 25 litres of water that is used via the 12V pumps to go to one or both fermenters.

Individual STC1000 are controlling the temps to 0.3 degrees of what ever temperature you need.

Thermal probes are via stainless steel thermowells in to the centre of the wash, you can run 2 washes independently, sometimes 2 washes sometimes I will run a wine wash in one and standard wash in the other, different temperatures are set by the controllers, no need for air locks.

As a rule, once the heaters kick in towards the end of the wash I'm 2 days from finish as it indicates the yeast are running out of sugars to consume and energy is ending.

[jon1163]

Two fermentation chambers, running at the same time, the fermenters are converted Igloo Ice cubes, cooling is done buy pumping water via copper coil in the wash, heating is via vivarium 20W heaters, cut out the bottom of the Igloo's without cutting the inner skin, lay in the flat Vivarium heater and route the power cable out the back, glue the botton and its insulating foam back in place and away you go, gentle heating of the wash should it be required. The centre bucket is 25 litres of water that is used via the 12V pumps to go to one or both fermenters.

Individual STC1000 are controlling the temps to 0.3 degrees of what ever temperature you need.

Thermal probes are via stainless steel thermowells in to the centre of the wash, you can run 2 washes independently, sometimes 2 washes sometimes I will run a wine wash in one and standard wash in the other, different temperatures are set by the controllers, no need for air locks.

As a rule, once the heaters kick in towards the end of the wash I'm 2 days from finish as it indicates the yeast are running out of sugars to consume and energy is ending.

Whoa.... Nice

[Yonder]

Damn, Tony, is that Egyptian porn on the wall back ah yer fermenters? Really great lookin' rigs, btw.