Stainless fermenter group buy?

[progmac]

I'm wondering if anyone is interested in a group buy of some sealable stainless fermenters. Attached are some examples of a 25L can. I was quoted 80$ per unit if i order 50. that doesn't include approximately $300 in freight. All told, it would be around $90-$100 per unit plus shipping to you or free pickup in the Cincinnati area. I could maybe get them cheaper with higher quantity, lesser specs, or if I turned the screws a little bit.

We can order them to any specification that we want (ported, etc.) but they would all have to be the same. Basically everything is customizable. They could be the shape of a carboy if that is what we wanted.

My initial thinking is just go with the milk can design but have a 3/8" hole drilled in the top for an airlock. We could do a larger bung-sized hole if that is what we decided.

Any interest? If you are interested but $90-$100 per seems expensive, what price would be appealing? I could probably value engineer them somewhat.

Here are pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/hVtL4

 

[hotspurdotus]

I'm interested. I might be able to drum up some additional interest in my area once the cost and design are nailed down.

My initial thinking is just go with the milk can design but have a 3/8" hole drilled in the top for an airlock. We could do a larger bung-sized hole if that is what we decided.

I'm good with the milk can design. I'd suggest keeping them as simple as possible, to keep costs down and attract more folks to the group buy. Let folks customize on their own.

Two questions

1. Can it hold a seal? It looks like it has a gasket on the lid, is that the case?

2. Is it heatable? I want a fermenter I can bring to a boil. These look like they'll do the trick, but I want to make sure there isn't a rubber foot or something on the bottom that would prevent it.

 

[progmac]

yes, it can hold a seal...it has a rubber gasket and clamps. there are no feet in the spec, it should be heatable although i hadn't considered that use.

i hadn't really heard much so sort of forgot about this. If I could get 35 of the 50 pre-ordered, I could maybe take on the rest and sell them one by one.

I'm thinking a sealable 25L (6.5 gallon) milk can with a hole in the lid for a rubber grommet. That way it is plug and play for most people.

 

[BadWolfBrewing]

I'd be interested in 1 or 2, they look pretty nice and are easily cleaned.

I would prefer a port for racking though, if I had my druthers. I understand the appeal of keeping it simple to appeal to the most people though. I could always figure out how to install something.

If the design is flexible, I have two suggestions. Minimize the height, so it is easier to fit in a mini fridge. Also, is it possible to go a touch bigger than 25L? More room for krausen, easier to get a full 5g keg after racking once or twice.

 

[progmac]

i'd thought about the port but for those that don't want it, a little filler plug would be the perfect place for little nasties to hide. let me see about going up to 7 gallons (27L)...i do want to keep the footprint as close to the footprint of a carboy as possible, since so many of us are set up for that. i'm looking into my options for steel gauge. i want something perfectly rigid and strong.

 

[hotspurdotus]

i'd thought about the port but for those that don't want it, a little filler plug would be the perfect place for little nasties to hide. let me see about going up to 7 gallons (27L)...i do want to keep the footprint as close to the footprint of a carboy as possible, since so many of us are set up for that. i'm looking into my options for steel gauge. i want something perfectly rigid and strong.

7 Gallon with a pre-drilled airlock hole works for me.

Badwolf, it is pretty easy to add a weldless port to a stainless vessel. Brewhardware sells a lot of nice kits, and most of the big online brew supply sites now carry a version as well.

 

[progmac]

okay, i'll work to get a final design and price posted by friday.

generally i'm going for 12" diameter, heatable, 7 gallon capacity, air-tight lid with pre-drilled hole for grommet, magnetic 304 SS

 

[srice]

I would request a slightly larger diameter - 14-15" so that one of BrewHardwares silver solder triclover ports could easily be added.

 

[orangehero]

Unfortunately, it's againts the rules.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f174/stainless-equipment-406521/

 

[progmac]

okay, i will not pursue this topic further on HBT. sorry about that!