Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
So the valve on the SS uni is 3/8 FM NPT?
Doubling Down: SS Brewtech Conical + FTSS + Glycol Power Pack
- Thread starter mfabe
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
So the valve on the SS uni is 3/8 FM NPT?
Correct, even confirmed with SSBrewtech before I ordered mine
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
Thanks for the great info, I just ordered the setup from BrewHardware. Hopefully SS will ship the Unitanks in the first week of December. I am about to unpack the Penguin Chiller!
Awesome! Just use a decent ratio of propylene glycol to water. I did 35% glycol to water. I had freezing problems with less glycol than that. I have found I need to be about 14 degrees F in the glycol reservoir to reach 33 degrees for a 6 gallon batch in the 14 gallon.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
When you get a chance, can you link me with the product numbers you ordered from BrewHardware to change over from the barb on the carb stone to the ball lock gas in post?
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/npt14tokegpost.htm
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/ballpostgas1932.htm
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/npthexbush.htm
Get the last one in 1/4 fnpt x 3/8 mnpt
These are what I used. Works great.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edit: Just placed order...all in stock and good to go. When I remove the barb from the carb TC fitting, will it back out easily with channel lock pliers?
Perfect....looking it up now. Thank you!
Edit: Just placed order...all in stock and good to go. When I remove the barb from the carb TC fitting, will it back out easily with channel lock pliers?
Last edited:
Very easily
Morrey
Well-Known Member
I brewed today and used my uni tank outfitted with the parts for the carb stone to ball lock gas post you helped me with. Is working perfectly....THANKS!!
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
Are you guys filling your unitank with wort from the racking valve?
Yes, worked fine. I did fear knocking the racking tube out though since it's just a push fit. I think next time I might use the dump valve instead.
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
I thought it was a tri clover clamp? My intention is to attach the oxygen generator to it while filling. My unitank will be delivered on Thursday.
It is, outside. The inside of the valve is press fit with o rings for the racking cane itself.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
I transferred thru the racking arm yesterday. As martianpc says, the racking arm is held in place by two o-rings and is pushed into the butterfly valve body....this valve is a TC fitment as mentioned. If the racking arm became disoriented during the force of the transfer, it would be impossible to know this....or to do anything about it. I use a short sight glass to monitor clarity of beer when racking off into keg, so I know to keep the racking arm off the yeast cake as I rotate the arm.
I can't see how transferring into the bottom dump valve would be a bad thing so I think I'll try that next brew day using my uni tank.
BTW....has your tank come in yet?
EDIT...saw you mentioned Thursday arrival.
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
UPS tracking says it will be here on Thursday!!!!!
Agreed. I was seriously considering either the @SpikeBrewing CF5 or the @Ss_Michael 7g Unitank for 5g batch brewing. I have had a Ss 7g Chronical for years now and was looking to upgrade and ditch the weldless fittings. Overall the two unitank conical share many features but both clearly have unique attributes as well. The different approaches to the lid or lack there of, different style/ size of tri clamp ports or accessories, and most notably the à la carte purchase versus everything (almost) included. I honestly liked features of both (2” bottom TC, internal volume marks, zwickle style sample valve, well designed blow off and accessory cane). But in the end I went with the CF5, because I could order the unitank with only the accessories I intend to utilize, and for a couple hundred dollars less. Which in my mind is where Spike has more or less made a niche for itself, great quality gear the way you want it (love my custom 10g eBIAB Kettle).
That being said the Ss 7g Unitank looks awesome and really does come with some great kit. It frankly looks like it belongs in a professional brewery, and I’m sure is awesome to use. I just think my decision would have been much more difficult if it was at a slightly lower price point.
Last edited:
Morrey
Well-Known Member
The two butterfly (dump and racking) valves look similar with the exception the racking butterfly valves has an opening into which you'll push the racking arm as we are discussing. The dump valve won't have this opening and is more open on the inside. Maybe this will save a moment as you identify the parts.
Don't hesitate to give any of us a shout out if you have questions. I cant remember if you bought 10" leg extensions, but that upgrade is worth it's weight in gold as it gives critical clearance to the valves at the bottom. I did one batch w/o the legs extensions and bought them asap once I saw the complications.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Now that I'm invested in the 14G Ss Uni, it would make perfect sense to go with a 7G Ss Uni so most of the accessories will be useful in either tank. This single most important issue holding me back is the thought this 7G tank is $100 overpriced and too close in price to the 14G version. Guess I'll keep pumping out beers with my two FTSs heat and cooled 7G Brewbuckets for now.
Same here, I'd happily buy a 7g ss tank to complement my 14, but not at 899. It's definitely overpriced there. I'd pay 799 tops.
While I’m sure there may be a couple components more compatible with one brands unitank than the other, almost all components are 1.5” TC. So I’d imagine most things worth swapping out would work with either unitank.
But there’s always something to be said for matched sets.
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
I appreciate all of the good information. I am sure I will have some additional questions. My plan is to brew assemble, clean, and purge the tank on the 8th and leave it with about 2 lbs of pressure with brew day on the 9th.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Good plan. I did a "wet" run by transferring water into tank with my pump, pushing water out of tank into keg with CO2...etc. That gave me a feel for the process before actual wort was used.
Dcpcooks
Well-Known Member
I’ve been using a non uni tank ss conical for a few years and I’ve never had a problem with the racking arm moving let alone popping out of its seat. You should be fine to rack through the racking arm.
Dcpcooks
Well-Known Member
Go half bbl Morrey! [emoji481]
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Thursday is getting closer!!
Quick question about your inline O2 generator. Are you going to have your wort at yeast pitching temps when you move from boil kettle to uni tank? I ask this since my source water in the warm months wont get my wort down below 80F...so I move it to tank and let the glycol chiller take it from 80F (example) down to the temp to pitch the yeast. I fear oxygenating warm wort at 80F would not be particularly effective so I oxygenate at pitch temps by using my O2 wand into the top port before sealing off. O2 could also be added to the wort with the carb stone as an alternative with the proper fitting.Just wanted to learn of your approach since I had originally wanted to inline oxygenate as I moved wort into the tank, but have not done so as described above.
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
My original plan was to reduce the temp in the kettle to 75 degrees while whirlpooling then transfer it through the O2 gen to the unitank. I will have to run a test to see what the output temp of the chiller is. I am glad you brought up that point. I may be returning it if it cannot be done that way and just use the carb stone. Utilizing the carb stone, you would only need a couple of minutes of run time. Do you think the stone not being located on the bottom of the uni tank would be an issue?
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Should not be an issue at all. The carb stone will diffuse O2 throughout I believe. Since I converted my carb stone's input to a gas post for CO2 ball lock QD fitment, seems I will continue to dangle my wand in the top.
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
Testing chiller right now. Do you run the pump during the boil?
Dockside_Brewing
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 192
- Reaction score
- 86
Ok.....thats not gonna work. Taking the wort straight out of the plate chiller at a slow rate I can hit 71 degrees. Whirlpooling it gets down to 95 degrees and then kinda stalls. So I guess I will be using the carb stone for O2. Ground water is currently 68 degrees.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
You may be ok if you oxygenate at 71F. I don't do this process so I cant say one way or another to be upfront. It may be worth your while to create another thread (or do a search) to see what wort temps are acceptable to oxygenate.
I do know it is fairly common practice to pitch yeast while the wort is a bit warmer than fermentation target temps. 71F is probably right in the acceptable range since it wont hurt your yeast, then the glycol chiller will drop temps down to fermentation range within a short few minutes.
EDIT: I happened to be reading a chapter in a Yeast book last night addressing the temperatures that are considered safe to oxygenate your wort. Says any temp under 80F should be ok to oxygenate w/o causing issues down the road. If oxygenated too warm, a molecular binding reaction takes place with oxygen which in turn can cause potential oxidation issues later in the process. Under 80F is your magic number....so "they" say.
This book entitled "Yeast" is a book in a series with other titles being Malts, Hops, Water..etc.
Last edited:
How is everyone cleaning their unitank? I have the spray ball (not micro) and powerful submersible utility pump. Works pretty well except doesn't do anything for getting hops and yeast out of the various tri clamp ferrules. And it missed a little bit of the ring on the sidewall, presumably because the coil gets in the way of the spray pattern.
Are you guys removing the accessories and recirculating with open tri clamp holes?
Are you guys removing the accessories and recirculating with open tri clamp holes?
Morrey
Well-Known Member
I note the same thing as you in that the face of the ferrule has some gunk in places that the spray has little way to get to. My opinion is these areas need some special attention (ie my bottle brush) and valves need to have a brush and sanitizer separately.
I am using the micro CIP spray ball with 7 gpm Chugger so I knew my spray pattern would be compromised by the coils. I bought the 6" to 3" TC Reducer so I could get the coils out of the way....works beautifully.
In summary, I find the main body of the tank is cleaned well by a CIP and hot PBW. Not as effective is cleaning the faces of the TC ferrules and the faces of the accessories. The silicone gaskets remain gunked up...all needing special attention the CIP doesn't reach.
You asked about removing accessories, but I have cleaned mine so far with all accessories in place, bottom dump open for PBW recirculation and BO cane valve open to vent.
I have the Chronical BME model and I do a deep 3 and often 4 stage CIP cleaning (PBW, Water, Acid wash, Dry, Sani Clean). I have found what you are finding in the Unitank, in that it won't perfectly clean all the ferrules and accessories, no matter how long you recirculate. The biggest culprit is the racking arm. Even if you see a high flow out of the racking arm, you will still be missing crud as it tends to get stuck around it and in it.
IMO, the racking arm on these things is subpar. The o-ring design is bad and racking ferrule should have been widened to accommodate a standard racking arm (like the Spike uses). After 20 uses, the o-rings stretch and won't enter the body again without deforming completely and you have to replace them. I have come to really dislike this design.
Anyhow, now I end up having to break down all fittings to make sure it gets clean. Most things are pretty clean after the CIP except the racking arm. However, what surprised me is that I found stuck gunk in the 90 degree elbow on the bottom that had kinda stuck on there and wouldn't be removed without scrubbing (after 20+ batches and CIPs).
These days my process is to remove the racking arm and just attach a barb and return hose there. Put the removed racking arm (broken down) and butterfly valve into the PBW bucket where the sump pump is working. I clean the sight glass and 90 degree elbow still attached at the bottom during CIP. After first CIP, remove the sight glass and racking arm and directly attach the return barb. Break apart the elbow, sight glass, and valve and check and soak if necessary. Those go into bucket now for any acid or sani-clean CIP stage. The conical has all fittings removed after the PBW CIP stage.
Trust me when I say that you MUST remove the racking arm and clean it separately. I have only ever had one infection in my brewing career and it was the one and only time I did I did a CIP cycle with the racking arm on (when I was an early owner) and never checked it thinking it would be fine.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Good advice on the racking arm. I pump a low foaming Saniclean solution, but you are darn right in that no matter the situation, this racking arm is a potential bacterial hot bed if not given extra special attention.
I use Ss equipment other than just this uni tank, and all of their racking arms are a weak link with those "blasted" o rings. The ones on the brew bucket are almost hair thin and will break in a skinny minute. Its best to have a few spares onhand, plus I dab a bit of keg lube on the o rings each use.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
One thing I am learning is how versatile our new uni tanks can be. I just put a yeast harvester TC lid
in place to harvest a special reserve Kolsch yeast that won't be available next time I brew. I have my uni tank on extension legs which allows more room to move the valves, plus it allows for accessories like this TC clamped harvester.
I did a couple of short dumps two days apart to get rid of the first trub, then I attached the jar and opened the valve. I'll leave it open a few days so the yeast will compact into the jar. Maybe freeze some of it with glycerin and use the rest for another batch soon.
I did a couple of short dumps two days apart to get rid of the first trub, then I attached the jar and opened the valve. I'll leave it open a few days so the yeast will compact into the jar. Maybe freeze some of it with glycerin and use the rest for another batch soon.
Is that from Norcal brewing? I just ordered 3 spare sight glasses to do the same thing.
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Yes, NorCal. Pretty simple and straightforward. I just dropped straight down by taking the 90 elbow off. Once I get the yeast compacted and jar removed, I'll put the elbow back on so I can finish dumping before carbing.
Jar feel secure? I read a person or two that the jar didn't hold and it dumped the whole conical when the jar fell
Morrey
Well-Known Member
Very secure. The TC is rock solid and the jar is held on by its own ring band. I found a place called EcoJar and bought heavy duty stainless steel jar rings. I also use NorCal CO2 anti suck back lids so I was familiar with the fitment.
But whoa is me if that sucker did fall out and 11G of beer spills out....damnnn.
