Rhyanmeade
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[QUOTE
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Spike Conical- observations and best practices
- Thread starter sheikyerbouti
- Start date
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philly224
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Mine has a stout in it currently. I can get a pic this weekend if no one posts one before then.
philly224
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Looks like the temp control system is coming out in March! Super pumped!
Boise, I completely found this out. I won't say the hard way, but I made one hell of a mess with my first batch.
Your post peaked my interest because you're saying that the dump is violent even with the adapter. I bought such an adapter because I want to experiment. I think that there is enough pressure that I could collect yeast with a sanitized hose. If I evacuate trub a couple of times early on, I think there would be enough pressure to collect yeast when the batch is done fermenting.
The 90 degree elbow would have a yeast collection vessel horizontal when collecting, which is a problem. I'm not really far enough off the ground to add a collection vessel to the conical without the elbow (I'm on wheels but no legs). So I'm brainstorming as I very much want to collect yeast.
So I guess I'd ask if anyone has thoughts on collection. I may be over or under thinking it. Thanks OP for starting this thread, I have a feeling it will be popular.
Rhyanmeade
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I have yet to actually try this, but would a sight glass, with a cap on one end, attached after the valve be enough to collect what you want? That way you close the valve and empty the sight glass without having to worry about spraying stuff half way across your brewery. Or would it be to small, depending on the batch, causing you to have to repeat the process a couple of times?
Shrimp
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Yeah, I guess they only sent it to certain folks. I've been waiting to order the conical to get the temp control at the same time.
Between crap-tastic QC demo'd here and these antics, I'm starting to see this as a sign.
*looks over at ad on side* Brewers Hardware has a jacketed conical for about the same price as Spike's coil version... hmm.
philly224
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I think they are sending it to people who own the conical first but it says it'll be available in March for everyone as well.
Shrimp
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Yeah, I just saw him post on the FB page. I guess waiting to buy everything together bit me. I was going to buy in early Jan, but heard rumor of the temp control being available in Feb. Now, I'm waiting again...
I was decided (Ss vs Spike), but am honestly a little pissed at this point. Plus, I'm worried that I'd just end up with a conical as shown above.
Sorry for the drivel.
philly224
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No worries! Was just letting you know in case it helps you make a decision!
If I use the 90 degree elbow, that has the sight glass attached horizontally. So when I take the clamp off, half would spill if I tried to flip it up right. And there really isn't much clearance between the bottom of the conical and the support stand, hardly enough room for one of Jaybird's mason jar set ups, say nothing a sight glass. I don't really want to use legs to lift it up, trying to problem solve with what I have.
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I feel like this thread is painting an image of spike based off of 1 conical that has a bit of an issue. I bought the cf15 in late December along with all the attachments and it is incredible. The carbonation stone was awesome, with an aquarium chiller got my beer down to 43 degrees and carbonated in 24 hours. Cleanup is all hands free with a bucket, sump pump and cleaning ball. I'm not saying the 1 scuffed one doesn't have an issue, I'm just saying I bet there are a lot more ecstatic customers out there. Remembering how much these threads help people make decisions I thought I'd post to show the good side of these conical. Maybe more happy customers could too.
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philly224
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What aquarium chiller do you have?
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Hydrofarm active aqua chiller 1/10 HP. It works great. I've had the beer down to 41 but found 43 to work just fine without the unit firing too much. Use my old 10 gallon cooler as a reservoir and some old leftover immersion pumps. Got the email last night about the jackets and heaters going on pre-sale to current owners next week so I'll for sure be adding that.
sheikyerbouti
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Just finished my first ferment. A couple of notes:
-As stated, when you open that dump valve, be ready with a bucket. Thankfully, I had a lot of hops, so mine was plugged and I had to put a screwdriver in to break it up.
- Mine is near my sink with a sprayer, making cleaning easy, however I bought the CIP ball and wanted to use it. It did a very good job with the chugger pumps. With the 4" lid off, I could see the spray hitting the top side of the conical(not the dome) but solution did not spout out like in the demo video.
-Remember to mix your cleaner prior to putting into the fermenter. I added 2 gallons of hot water then 2 scoops of brewery wash. When I took everything apart, there was a big undissolved chunk of it on the 90 degree tube at the bottom.
Overall, very pleased, works as advertised.
-As stated, when you open that dump valve, be ready with a bucket. Thankfully, I had a lot of hops, so mine was plugged and I had to put a screwdriver in to break it up.
- Mine is near my sink with a sprayer, making cleaning easy, however I bought the CIP ball and wanted to use it. It did a very good job with the chugger pumps. With the 4" lid off, I could see the spray hitting the top side of the conical(not the dome) but solution did not spout out like in the demo video.
-Remember to mix your cleaner prior to putting into the fermenter. I added 2 gallons of hot water then 2 scoops of brewery wash. When I took everything apart, there was a big undissolved chunk of it on the 90 degree tube at the bottom.
Overall, very pleased, works as advertised.
Rhyanmeade
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It seals, and will in the end probably be a good unit.
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Shrimp
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Agreed that it's a small sample size, but I'm honestly concerned now that when this thing shows up, I'll be another "1" conical. What guarantee or even warm fuzzy feeling do I have that I'll get one that doesnt look all beat up? The dude above has a legitimate gripe and they throw $50 at him to buy more of their stuff. Either that, or he can return it at significantly more cost. That's crap.
Others talk about how great the customer service is for damage or missing in shipping. Yeah, it's pretty easy to do that when you insure the item. I'm not seeing evidence to support how great of a company we're dealing with.
I don't know how many potential buyers will see this thread, but I would imagine it's probably worth it to Spike to really fix the problem. Up until this thread, I was all in, but I'm honestly waning. Am I the only one, or just the only one posting? I guess that's a gamble for Spike.
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sheikyerbouti
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Let's keep this thread on track with best practices for the conical if you own it. This way we can help others solve some common issues and streamline their efforts.
No offense to folks with QC issues, but that may warrant another thread.
No offense to folks with QC issues, but that may warrant another thread.
Shrimp
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Best practice: Order conical, click over to amazon for sandpaper/rubbing compound/polish, pray creases from shoddy leg installation doesn't result in infection. Sweet.
My CF10 showed up perfect. No issues like the one's we are seeing pictures of.
I can tell you that if I shelled out $600 for this and it showed up as it did in some of the pictures, I would be very unhappy.
I can tell you that if I shelled out $600 for this and it showed up as it did in some of the pictures, I would be very unhappy.
We welcome feedback positive and negative from this forum as it helps get a great voice of the customer. What we can say is that we do a 100% inspection of every conical and kettle that goes out the door; we doubt any other manufacturer can boast that. That means every single unit is being fully inspected by our QC team in Milwaukee before shipping out.
Sometimes customers find 'issues' that are not issues. An example would be the leg welds brought up in this thread. One way to weld stainless is by using a sanitary full penetration weld; this is what is used on the legs. The weld bead can be seen on the inside and outside. This is not a flaw or issue. This is something that is seen on our conicals and throughout industry on the 1000's of miles of process piping out there. We do our bet to educate customers and even try to go above and beyond when the explanation isn't satisfactory, like a gift card for example.
We stand behind all of our products and our industry leading QC standards. We have countless units in home-breweries and professional breweries with 0 reports of an infection; ever!
-Tim
Sometimes customers find 'issues' that are not issues. An example would be the leg welds brought up in this thread. One way to weld stainless is by using a sanitary full penetration weld; this is what is used on the legs. The weld bead can be seen on the inside and outside. This is not a flaw or issue. This is something that is seen on our conicals and throughout industry on the 1000's of miles of process piping out there. We do our bet to educate customers and even try to go above and beyond when the explanation isn't satisfactory, like a gift card for example.
We stand behind all of our products and our industry leading QC standards. We have countless units in home-breweries and professional breweries with 0 reports of an infection; ever!
-Tim
philly224
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Nice! I'm having a hard time deciding if i want to try an aquarium chiller or just bite the bullet and go glycol. Does crashing to 43 seem enough to you?
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Yeah, it clears up nicely without any fining and carbonates fine at that temp. Probably could work faster at colder temps but works fine for me. Can do lager with ease too.
Shrimp
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I'm sure Rhyanmeade made it clear to you in dealing with him that his conical did not hold a seal because of the scratches on the lip. So, Professor Tim, please educate us ignoramuses on how that is an "issue that isn't an issue."
As far as the rest of the craftsmanship, many here have stated that their conicals do not look that terrible. I think we can all agree that Rhyan's looks pretty bad. Your idea of "above and beyond" is to throw $50 at him to buy more of your stuff? Gee, what an amazing deal. Guy gets to spend $625 + accessories to get to stare at a scratched up piece of metal forever. Every time he looks at it, he gets to think about the work he had to put in to get it to function correctly and can still see all the places he had to do work. I bet if you threw him a t-shirt too, that might have really put you "beyond." /s
So, now let me educate you a bit Tim. You want to make this right? Send the guy a new conical, pay for the shipping back on his POS that he currently has. Before you educate me on how you'll lose money on the deal, remember that it's your QC failure, not the customer's.
Again sorry that someone else's order has caused you so much worry. All concerns have been resolved and Rhyan is looking forward to purchasing the TC100 with his $50 gift card that choose instead of returning the unit. We still stand behind the extremely high quality of our products as many others have stated in this thread, reviews on our site, YouTube, etc, etc. If those are not enough we are sorry we didn't earn your business.
That's all we'll say in regards to matter. If anyone else has questions about products, etc please let us know!
-Prof Tim
That's all we'll say in regards to matter. If anyone else has questions about products, etc please let us know!
-Prof Tim
While not a Spike Conical, this is what I do for a controlled yeast dump. Method would apply to any conical provided matching fittings.
Shrimp
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"Above and Beyond."
He didn't want to return the unit because you were going to charge him a restocking fee and shipping. His choices were to shell out ~$200 MORE or take a $50 gift card and live with crap. How disingenuous.
I do have a legit question that I asked before. If I order a conical from you, what are my guarantees that it won't be like the unit featured above?
philly224
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Oooh that's pretty sweet! Something like that could probably be setup with the Spike conical with the sight glass and an extra TC valve as well. You could just attach the sight glass to the first valve, then another valve on the other end of the sight glass. I am not 100% sure that would work but in theory it seems like it would.
Tempting....
Rhyanmeade
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I'm happy with the quick responses from Spike. I just want to start making great beer in this new conical.
My apologies to sheikyerbouti. Back to the original topic.
My apologies to sheikyerbouti. Back to the original topic.
Rhyanmeade
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That's even better than capping the end, that way you wouldn't have to remove the sight glass to empty it.
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Thats exactly what I illustrated in my post...
philly224
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Yeah I know, didn't mean to make it seem like it was my idea or anything! Just was wondering if it would work with the parts from Spike. Can't think of any reason why it wouldn't though.
For those of you that ferment under pressure/carb in the conical do you apply keg lube to the gaskets? I did it with my first batch and the conical held pressure perfectly but I am guessing it probably would have regardless and it would be nice to skip that step.
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No keg lube for me. Everything seals without any extra effort. Just tighten down clamps real tight.
philly224
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Edit: Nvm
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I didn't use any keg lube, it sealed right up without a problem.
To answer burdbrew's question, you will absolutely be able to collect yeast even with an adapter. I don't even dump thrub, just open it up with a 2" tc to 1/2" barb after the 90 elbow, I put a small piece of sanitized hose so I can easily direct the yeast into a mason jar. I just dump the first two cups or so because it is mostly trub, afterwards you have clean yeast. Never clogged, even when doing an IPA with lots of hops.
To answer burdbrew's question, you will absolutely be able to collect yeast even with an adapter. I don't even dump thrub, just open it up with a 2" tc to 1/2" barb after the 90 elbow, I put a small piece of sanitized hose so I can easily direct the yeast into a mason jar. I just dump the first two cups or so because it is mostly trub, afterwards you have clean yeast. Never clogged, even when doing an IPA with lots of hops.
I am replying here because [email protected] has not replied to 2 emails in over a week. I am having issues with my CF10's butterfly valve - it leaks. I didn't find out until I had filled the conical for the first time of course. Right now, I have another valve over my original butterfly valve to stop the leak. It's not a huge leak - just a drip every 10 secs - but it shouldn't leak.
How do I get someone to respond to my emails and replace this valve?
What is your name or email address? Emails sent M-F are answered within 24hrs. I am not showing any outstanding email. You might want to check your Spam folder for our response.
I definitely have been checking my spam. I will PM you my details. Wondering if my emails are not getting directed to your spam.
i have a spike conical but haven't used it yet. during initial fermentation, my thoughts are to use the included 90-degree tc barb fitting on the lid and run tubing to liquid for blowoff. once fermentation slows down and krausen subsides, swap out the 90-degree fitting for the gas manifold and use a quick disconnect on the gas post to run tubing to liquid. anyone else do this? pros/cons to the method? i'm thinking to not use the manifold right away since high krausen could make a mess.
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I've done that and it works fine. I've also done it with just the manifold on the entire time which works fine for me since I have the CF15 doing 10 gallons. There is plenty of head space. I was thinking of doing the blowoff tube from the gas QD on the manifold next time so I wouldn't have to switch them out and have some oxygen exposure. If have krausen reaching the lid I'd probably stick with the 90 degree barb so you don't run the risk of clogging the release valve. I would bet you'd have enough space for high krausen but I can't say for sure from experience.
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