Spike Conical- observations and best practices

[Nate R]

Have had a CF5 for about 9 months now and think it’s great; about 15 batches done. Would like to step things up with temp control for lagering, cold crashing etc. (so far “temp control” has just been keeping it inside where A/C is set to 68. Heat not really an issue here most of the year plus it stays inside. Planning to get TC from Spike without the heater part and the smallest Penguin chiller 1/3 HP.
Any comments/suggestions on that plan? I have looked at the great DIY chiller threads but am not going to try that. Also a basic question - good place to order the glycol? And the ratio of water to glycol? Penguin site says 50/50.

Fwiw....
I have a cf5. Got the temp control package afterward. Did not get heater.
Wish i did get heater with it as mentioned above.

I have the penguin 1/3hp. It is a small size, but does have small footprint. It is a challange to get to 36. 39 to 40 is easy.
I do keep about a 5 degree diff on my penguin. i could set at 28 and probably do better.

Being so close to "black friday" sales you might want to wait for that. Also, look at the ss model. I kinda wish i went that route BUT the penguin is very compact and that fit my area best.

Ratio- for beer use you can probably get by with 25%.glycol. the 50/50 is like insurance to ensure nothing freezes. Best to go to 33% glycol, 67 distilled/ro water. You can top up with watet as you go.

 

[logdrum]

Fwiw....
I have a cf5. Got the temp control package afterward. Did not get heater.
Wish i did get heater with it as mentioned above.

I have the penguin 1/3hp. It is a small size, but does have small footprint. It is a challange to get to 36. 39 to 40 is easy.
I do keep about a 5 degree diff on my penguin. i could set at 28 and probably do better.

Being so close to "black friday" sales you might want to wait for that. Also, look at the ss model. I kinda wish i went that route BUT the penguin is very compact and that fit my area best.

Ratio- for beer use you can probably get by with 25%.glycol. the 50/50 is like insurance to ensure nothing freezes. Best to go to 33% glycol, 67 distilled/ro water. You can top up with watet as you go.

I put 1/2 gallon in so that I would have 2 full fills. I think there's a lot of wiggle room wrt to the ratio.

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

Fwiw....
I have a cf5. Got the temp control package afterward. Did not get heater.
Wish i did get heater with it as mentioned above.

Being so close to "black friday" sales you might want to wait for that. Also, look at the ss model. I kinda wish i went that route BUT the penguin is very compact and that fit my area best.
Ratio- for beer use you can probably get by with 25%.glycol. the 50/50 is like insurance to ensure nothing freezes. Best to go to 33% glycol, 67 distilled/ro water. You can top up with watet as you go.

Wait for Black Friday? Wait? What is this madness? I've already decided the next batch will be with the TC setup and I'm running a little low on Porter.

Thanks for all the great responses - I will probably get heater now from what you've said

 

[Gozie Boy]

Wait for Black Friday? Wait? What is this madness? I've already decided the next batch will be with the TC setup and I'm running a little low on Porter.

Thanks for all the great responses - I will probably get heater now from what you've said

+1 on the heater, especially as winter is upon us.

Also, I've had great performance with the Icemaster 100, and I think the larger reservoir helps to maintain a more consistent glycol temp. Achieved about 36-38F ferm temp this summer with a lager (ambient range was 75-85F). Icemaster recommends 20% PG, but this is too low, as I got a little ice formation when trying to get my temps down. The PG freeze point v temp curve shows that 30 - 33% should be plenty for our applications, and I will top off my reservoir with PG to get there. I was also using the tiny Spike pump that comes with the TC package (which is perfectly fine for ales), but will probably be replacing this with a larger capacity pump for my next application requiring maximum chilling, esp. when it gets warm again. [Glycol temp is not the issue, but translating that to the fermenter is less efficient than I'd like to see.] I'll also be looking to beef up my insulation beyond the neoprene jacket. I'd love to be able to achieve 30F.

 

[Jag75]

Right now my cf5 has about 11 psi and holding. My temp is 70f. If I drop the temp to say 55 and add co2 when the pressure drops back to about 11 will I get about 1.8 volumes? I figured I might have to add co2 a bit but it's been holding for about 4 days now .

 

[mongoose33]

Right now my cf5 has about 11 psi and holding. My temp is 70f. If I drop the temp to say 55 and add co2 when the pressure drops back to about 11 will I get about 1.8 volumes? I figured I might have to add co2 a bit but it's been holding for about 4 days now .

That's what the chart says:

 

[Jag75]

What I'm wanting is to carb my stout to about 1.8 while in my cf5 then keg and hook up right away to gas blend. I just wasnt sure if a fermenter had to have a constant co2 push or if I could use what the fermenter is building up to aid it.

I dont have a spunding valve

 

[Vale71]

What I'm wanting is to carb my stout to about 1.8 while in my cf5 then keg and hook up right away to gas blend. I just wasnt sure if a fermenter had to have a constant co2 push or if I could use what the fermenter is putting building up to aid it.

??? Maybe I'm particularly dense today but I didn't really understand the question?

 

[Jag75]

??? Maybe I'm particularly dense today but I didn't really understand the question?

Sorry I'm confusing with my excellent grammar lol. I dont have a spunding valve. I attached my gas manifold and have built up 11 psi . I was just curious if that build up would carb up the beer enough to get to 1.8 volumes . I see you guys talking about spunding valves and carb stones . I dont have those . I just didnt know if I could carb to the amount desired without them.

 

[eric19312]

At 70F and 11 PSI you have about 1.3 volumes CO2 dissolved. If you reduce temp to 50F and let things settle down you should have about the same dissolved CO2 but now you will be closer to 7 PSI, If you pump the head space back up to 11 PSI on gas and hold it here long enough you will end up with your 1.8 volumes in the beer. This would not take as long as set and forget force carbing a keg from typical un pressurized 70 ferment (that would start out with only about 0.7 volumes so you are already ahead by 0.5 volumes, but it will take some time. And there is no reason without the carb stone that it would happen any faster in the CF than it would in a keg. Well maybe surface area geometry might be different but really you might as well transfer to the keg and hook it up to 11 PSI and 50F there.

 

[Vale71]

Sorry I'm confusing with my excellent grammar lol. I dont have a spunding valve. I attached my gas manifold and have built up 11 psi . I was just curious if that build up would carb up the beer enough to get to 1.8 volumes . I see you guys talking about spunding valves and carb stones . I dont have those . I just didnt know if I could carb to the amount desired without them.

Force carbing in a pressurized fermenter works just like in a keg. So yes, if you set the target pressure and leave the CO2 connected for long enough your beer will be carbed to the desired level.

 

[Jag75]

Ok thanks guys

 

[Gozie Boy]

+1 on the heater, especially as winter is upon us.

Also, I've had great performance with the Icemaster 100, and I think the larger reservoir helps to maintain a more consistent glycol temp. Achieved about 36-38F ferm temp this summer with a lager (ambient range was 75-85F). Icemaster recommends 20% PG, but this is too low, as I got a little ice formation when trying to get my temps down. The PG freeze point v temp curve shows that 30 - 33% should be plenty for our applications, and I will top off my reservoir with PG to get there. I was also using the tiny Spike pump that comes with the TC package (which is perfectly fine for ales), but will probably be replacing this with a larger capacity pump for my next application requiring maximum chilling, esp. when it gets warm again. [Glycol temp is not the issue, but translating that to the fermenter is less efficient than I'd like to see.] I'll also be looking to beef up my insulation beyond the neoprene jacket. I'd love to be able to achieve 30F.

=====
I have now taken a considerable amount of time to go through most of the comments in this discussion (not all, it's a long read!). I see that the issue of minimizing cold crash temp has been addressed a few times, and I have seen the good efforts by some to wrap up every in^2 of exposed fermenter surface with better insulation, and yet the comments still suggested that going much below about 36F (using glycol chillers) was a challenge. Has anyone had subsequent experience/results with this? Has anyone tried a larger glycol pump than what Spike provides? Thought I would ask before spending money on an experiment that others may have tried.

 

[eric19312]

I cold crashed my first batch at 28.5F. In a freezer.

 

[CodeSection]

=====
I have now taken a considerable amount of time to go through most of the comments in this discussion (not all, it's a long read!). I see that the issue of minimizing cold crash temp has been addressed a few times, and I have seen the good efforts by some to wrap up every in^2 of exposed fermenter surface with better insulation, and yet the comments still suggested that going much below about 36F (using glycol chillers) was a challenge. Has anyone had subsequent experience/results with this? Has anyone tried a larger glycol pump than what Spike provides? Thought I would ask before spending money on an experiment that others may have tried.

As you are aware, I've had success in easily getting to 36F with just Spike's jacket. Obviously, there are several factors that come into play. I believe we both agree the larger reservoir on the IceMaster 100 certainly helps getting lower than other manufactures.

How low are you trying to get? 32F? How high is your ABV? You would hate to have a "popcycle" form around the temp control coil....

 

[Gozie Boy]

About 4.5 - 5% ABV minimum, which has about a freeze point of about 28.5F (as you know Tfr is lower for higher gravity/higher alcohol beers, but lagers/pils are the main concern for this issue). I had thought about your point during my efforts, which is a good one, but sadly cannot see into the fermenter to see if this has occurred. With the Icemaster, the design limitation to achieve 32-34F ferm temps is less a function of the chiller unit itself (which has no problem getting the glycol supply down to whatever temp is needed), but more likely at the fermenter side. Possibilities include: environmental heat gain into the unit (mitigated by insulation), higher glycol rate to increase heat removal (larger pump), and the heat transfer (coil) design inside the fermenter (don't know how to improve this in an existing unit).

One way to check the pump issue would be to check the return temperature of the glycol. If it is relatively "warm" then perhaps a higher rate pump could be useful to extract more heat and lower the temp. If it is near the reservoir temp, then not so much. I will do this easy test with my next lager (better first step than buying a pump).

If the coil is getting out maximum heat with a given pump, then as you point out, trying to cool it further (e.g. with a lower glycol temp) will reach a point where beer could begin to freeze locally around the coil. One way around this might be to circulate the beer inside the fermenter, similar to adding a fan to a keezer to mitigate the laminated temperature profile inside the box. That could easily defeat the purpose of the cold crash if it in any way disturbed the solids we are trying to drop out, but maybe a slow rotation would not. This would require an ability to get a power line into the fermenter and some kind of very small pump or propeller (this is well down the list of things to attempt).

If higher pump capacity and/or glycol temp combined with better insulation cannot achieve lower temps, then perhaps a more efficient heat transfer mechanism (a different coil design -- maybe fins on the coil?) would help get us there, but I'm not going to tackle that project.

I don't mean to make a meal out of a snack on this issue, because c. 38F is certainly not the end of the world, but it would be nice to be able to get a little more bang 4 buck when desired out of all of this nice equipment and (not so small) expense.

 

[mongoose33]

=====
I have now taken a considerable amount of time to go through most of the comments in this discussion (not all, it's a long read!). I see that the issue of minimizing cold crash temp has been addressed a few times, and I have seen the good efforts by some to wrap up every in^2 of exposed fermenter surface with better insulation, and yet the comments still suggested that going much below about 36F (using glycol chillers) was a challenge. Has anyone had subsequent experience/results with this? Has anyone tried a larger glycol pump than what Spike provides? Thought I would ask before spending money on an experiment that others may have tried.

No on the larger pump, though I did some experimenting with throughput to see if it would make a difference. It didn't make a discernable difference.

My belief is that the beer around the cooling coil is pretty cold; near the outsides of the fermenter, warmer. Only if there's a significant difference in temps between cooling coil and surrounding beer are you going to get much. That's why temps drop fast in initial crashing, but slow as they reach 40 degrees. There's likely a little convection at that point, but only a little.

So--higher flow isn't going to get you much here, IMO.

 

[FswBG]

I have yet to build/buy a glycol chiller and have a porter that's finished fermenting in my CF5. Since I can't crash in the conical is there any issue with doing a closed transfer at room temp (70F)? Any tips on keeping foam down or anything I should be aware of beforehand?

 

[Jag75]

I have yet to build/buy a glycol chiller and have a porter that's finished fermenting in my CF5. Since I can't crash in the conical is there any issue with doing a closed transfer at room temp (70F)? Any tips on keeping foam down or anything I should be aware of beforehand?

I do closed transfers all the time from my cf5 @70F. Never an issue.

 

[Jag75]

I have a DIY chiller and haven't even cold crashed yet. I have a stout sitting at 55F carbing to about 1.8volumes then I'll transfer and hook to gas blend.

 

[mongoose33]

I have yet to build/buy a glycol chiller and have a porter that's finished fermenting in my CF5. Since I can't crash in the conical is there any issue with doing a closed transfer at room temp (70F)? Any tips on keeping foam down or anything I should be aware of beforehand?

The best thing I know to keep foam down is use a spunding valve and transfer under pressure. You probably won't have a lot of foam, but you will have some. Something that can help is to have a chilled keg if you can manage that, and chill the transfer line as well.

 

[Nate R]

The best thing I know to keep foam down is use a spunding valve and transfer under pressure. You probably won't have a lot of foam, but you will have some. Something that can help is to have a chilled keg if you can manage that, and chill the transfer line as well.

What is the best method to set the psi of the spunding valve at?
Say i am moving a beer i cold crashed, used the carb stone to get to 12 psi.
What should i have the pressure set to on the spunding valve that is on the cooled keg?
Thanks!!

 

[Blazinlow86]

What is the best method to set the psi of the spunding valve at?
Say i am moving a beer i cold crashed, used the carb stone to get to 12 psi.
What should i have the pressure set to on the spunding valve that is on the cooled keg?
Thanks!!

The spunding valve should be set slightly lower than the pressure in your fermentor. So in your case probably 11psi. The lower you set the spunding valve the faster your transfer will be however you'll increase the amount of foaming. Cheers

 

[Blazinlow86]

I have yet to build/buy a glycol chiller and have a porter that's finished fermenting in my CF5. Since I can't crash in the conical is there any issue with doing a closed transfer at room temp (70F)? Any tips on keeping foam down or anything I should be aware of beforehand?

You should not have any foaming issues. It once your beer is carbonated that becomes a issue. Cheers

 

[Nate R]

I have yet to build/buy a glycol chiller and have a porter that's finished fermenting in my CF5. Since I can't crash in the conical is there any issue with doing a closed transfer at room temp (70F)? Any tips on keeping foam down or anything I should be aware of beforehand?

I did a few of these if my cf5 before i got cooling (then again before i got a carb stone.).
It is actually very easy. I would just out a gas post tube into starsan and if you have the pressure kit you can push with like 1 or 2 psi.
Since it is not a hop forward beer (ipa, neipa, etc) i would think it will be fine.

I got a tc liquid ball lock cap to help make an easy closed transfer. Norcal brewing supply.

 

[mongoose33]

What I do is set the spunding valve at a value just slightly higher than the presumed PSI of the beer. So if the beer is 11psi, I'll set the spunding valve at 12psi (so the pressure keeps the CO2 from coming out of solution), and I'll apply maybe 14 psi to the fermenter to push it out.

There probably isn't a lot of CO2 in the beer, but there will be some. Agitating that beer, as in transferring it, can cause some of that CO2 to come out of solution. You can test this by pouring some into a glass and seeing if you can create foaming.

I just have to add this: someone here on HBT--who I'd credit if I could remember who it was --once described the self-carbonation method of sealing a fermenter before complete attenuation as analogous to having billions of tiny carb stones all working to carbonate the beer. I found that an interesting description.

 

[Nate R]

What I do is set the spunding valve at a value just slightly higher than the presumed PSI of the beer. So if the beer is 11psi, I'll set the spunding valve at 12psi (so the pressure keeps the CO2 from coming out of solution), and I'll apply maybe 14 psi to the fermenter to push it out.

There probably isn't a lot of CO2 in the beer, but there will be some. Agitating that beer, as in transferring it, can cause some of that CO2 to come out of solution. You can test this by pouring some into a glass and seeing if you can create foaming.

I just have to add this: someone here on HBT--who I'd credit if I could remember who it was --once described the self-carbonation method of sealing a fermenter before complete attenuation as analogous to having billions of tiny carb stones all working to carbonate the beer. I found that an interesting description.

Yeah... isn't natural carbing supposed to be a little more natural? I am not sure if my pallatte could detect a difference.... but as i am making more and more German styles i would like to get as close to as possible. I think natural carb is patt of the (german beer purity law. Not even gonna try to spell it).

 

[specialkayme]

How much in volume losses do you typically get when using a cf?

- yeast dump
- hop dump (if at all)
- whatever's left in the bottom of the cone after you pull with a racking arm

I know it varies from batch to batch, and person to person, but just wondering what everyone's starting volume is to get 5 or 10 gallons of finished beer.

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

I have yet to build/buy a glycol chiller and have a porter that's finished fermenting in my CF5. Since I can't crash in the conical is there any issue with doing a closed transfer at room temp (70F)? Any tips on keeping foam down or anything I should be aware of beforehand?

As others have said - should not be a problem with foam if not carbonated yet. This is exactly how I've been doing it - ambient temp indoors of 68-70F CPT. BUT I DID JUST ORDER A PENGUIN CHILLER AND THE SPIKE TC KIT

 

[Blazinlow86]

How much in volume losses do you typically get when using a cf?

- yeast dump
- hop dump (if at all)
- whatever's left in the bottom of the cone after you pull with a racking arm

I know it varies from batch to batch, and person to person, but just wondering what everyone's starting volume is to get 5 or 10 gallons of finished beer.

I typically dump about 2 litres after cold crashing and if I remember correctly there's about .5 a litre of dead space under the racking arm in the normal configuration. Myself personally I always have a fair amount of beer left over after racking as I end up with 12-18 gallons in the fermentor to start. I also drink alot out of the sample port. I've been considering adding a tap to freezer for that reason. Cheers

 

[Blazinlow86]

I typically dump about 2 litres after cold crashing and if I remember correctly there's about .5 a litre of dead space under the racking arm in the normal configuration. Myself personally I always have a fair amount of beer left over after racking as I end up with 12-18 gallons in the fermentor to start. I also drink alot out of the sample port. I've been considering adding a tap to freezer for that reason. Cheers

Also I don't harvest yeast and I'm using the cf15. Cheers

 

[specialkayme]

I imagine the losses between the cf5, cf10 and cf15 would be fairly similar. Just assuming, but most of the loss comes from dumps, which should be the same volume regardless of the conical size, no?

So roughly 2.5 liters lost, or a little over a half a gallon. So if 5.5 gal went into a cf5, roughly 5 gal would come out. Sound reasonable?

 

[CodeSection]

I imagine the losses between the cf5, cf10 and cf15 would be fairly similar. Just assuming, but most of the loss comes from dumps, which should be the same volume regardless of the conical size, no?

So roughly 2.5 liters lost, or a little over a half a gallon. So if 5.5 gal went into a cf5, roughly 5 gal would come out. Sound reasonable?

This link may help....https://spikebrewing.freshdesk.com/...idths-depths-and-volumes-of-our-conical-lines

For the most part, my recipes are dialed in for approximately 10.9 gallons going into my CF10. After cold crashing, I attach the 2" sight glass to the 2" dump valve and open up the valve. Once the yeast/trub fills the sight glass, I start racking. I have found starting with 10.93 gallons produces 10 gallons to bottle with +- a few ounces....

 

[specialkayme]

It looks like the only difference between the cf5 and cf10 that would impact that would be the "Racking Arm Low Vol (gal)" variable, which cf5 shows 0.1 gal and cf10 shows 0.3 gal. I'm assuming that isn't counting any 90 degree elbow, which makes sense.

The other variables are dump volumes, which should be fairly close between 5 and 10 gallon batches.

So if 10.9 gal goes into a cf10 to produce 10 gallons of beer, 5.7 (ish) gal should go into a cf5 to produce 5 gallons of beer. Give or take 0.1 gal.

I'm strongly considering a cf5 over a cf10, because I have absolutely zero desire to do 10 gallon batches. Even if the cf10 only costs $100 more, if I'm never going to use more than 5 gal capacity, why spend the cash? But I was concerned about how much you'd need to fill the cf5 up with wort, because if I had to fill it to 6.5 gal mark to get 5 gal of beer, the krausen would make cleaning above the top gasket a nightmare long term and the cf10 would make more sense. But it seems like that's a dumb concern now. Even if I have to put 6 gal in the fermenter, I should be fine for 95% of batches with a 7 gal capacity (except for that occasional explosive yeast batch).

So what is everyone using for yeast dumps? A bucket seems messy and unnecessary. A sightglass seems like it would introduce too much oxygen. Nor Cal's yeast brink (https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Quart-Canning-Jar-Yeast-Brink-Kit.html) seems interesting, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be putting a mason jar under some sort of pressure. Thoughts?

 

[CodeSection]

....So what is everyone using for yeast dumps? A bucket seems messy and unnecessary. A sightglass seems like it would introduce too much oxygen. Nor Cal's yeast brink (https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Quart-Canning-Jar-Yeast-Brink-Kit.html) seems interesting, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be putting a mason jar under some sort of pressure. Thoughts?

You might be surprised with this.....https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Yeast-Brink-2-Inch-TC-2-Inch-Sight-Glass.html

 

[eric19312]

It looks like the only difference between the cf5 and cf10 that would impact that would be the "Racking Arm Low Vol (gal)" variable, which cf5 shows 0.1 gal and cf10 shows 0.3 gal. I'm assuming that isn't counting any 90 degree elbow, which makes sense.

The other variables are dump volumes, which should be fairly close between 5 and 10 gallon batches.

So if 10.9 gal goes into a cf10 to produce 10 gallons of beer, 5.7 (ish) gal should go into a cf5 to produce 5 gallons of beer. Give or take 0.1 gal.

I'm strongly considering a cf5 over a cf10, because I have absolutely zero desire to do 10 gallon batches. Even if the cf10 only costs $100 more, if I'm never going to use more than 5 gal capacity, why spend the cash? But I was concerned about how much you'd need to fill the cf5 up with wort, because if I had to fill it to 6.5 gal mark to get 5 gal of beer, the krausen would make cleaning above the top gasket a nightmare long term and the cf10 would make more sense. But it seems like that's a dumb concern now. Even if I have to put 6 gal in the fermenter, I should be fine for 95% of batches with a 7 gal capacity (except for that occasional explosive yeast batch).

So what is everyone using for yeast dumps? A bucket seems messy and unnecessary. A sightglass seems like it would introduce too much oxygen. Nor Cal's yeast brink (https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Quart-Canning-Jar-Yeast-Brink-Kit.html) seems interesting, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be putting a mason jar under some sort of pressure. Thoughts?

I’m using a TC to barb, 2’ silicon hose, into sanitized mason jar.

 

[Beardless]

So what is everyone using for yeast dumps? A bucket seems messy and unnecessary. A sightglass seems like it would introduce too much oxygen. Nor Cal's yeast brink (https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Quart-Canning-Jar-Yeast-Brink-Kit.html) seems interesting, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be putting a mason jar under some sort of pressure. Thoughts?

My setup- CF10 with (in order from the CF10 off the bottom port) 2” sightglass, 90deg elbow, butterfly valve, 2” TC to 1/2” QD.

When it is time to dump, I sanitize the TC to QD fitting and a 1/2” hose with a QD on one end and open on the other end in a bucket. I attach the fitting to the valve, connect the hose then put the open end of the hose in the bucket, with the hose kind of “coiled” in the bottom so it doesn’t splash a lot. Open and close the valve to do my dump. Then I disconnect the hose and throw the QD end in the bucket. Then I wash everything together in the bucket, including the TC to QD fitting, and use my sanitizer lawn sprayer to clean and sanitize the open end of the butterfly valve.

Worth noting obviously is that I don’t harvest yeast yet, I’m sure the process will change when I do.

 

[SEndorf]

I'm absolutely THRILLED with the CF-10 and have the first batch nearing the end of fermentation (holiday ale).
It fits nicely inside my fermentation fridge, but there is no top headroom to utilize the 4" port.
Not a problem though. I will fill from the chiller into the racking port with a QD. (Thanks Mongoose)
I'll aerate from the carb stone, and I'll pitch yeast up through the bottom port with the Norcal Yeast Brink (another handy tool I'm thrilled with, which doubles as a no oxygen dry hopper).
I'm adding some sweet orange peel and crushed cinnamon stick at the end of this fermentation using the yeast brink which will be an oxygen free addition.

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

... I'm strongly considering a cf5 over a cf10, because I have absolutely zero desire to do 10 gallon batches...Even if I have to put 6 gal in the fermenter, I should be fine for 95% of batches with a 7 gal capacity (except for that occasional explosive yeast batch).

So what is everyone using for yeast dumps? A bucket seems messy and unnecessary. A sightglass seems like it would introduce too much oxygen. Nor Cal's yeast brink (https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Quart-Canning-Jar-Yeast-Brink-Kit.html) seems interesting, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be putting a mason jar under some sort of pressure. Thoughts?

I have CF5 and agree with what you said above about 6g.

For yeast harvest, I just pour it into the mason jar from the tubing. Works well with like 5 PSI on there. Plus you can crack the butterfly valve slowly and I’ve found it fine. Have propagated 4 or five times now with different yeasts doing this. Keep a 16 major jar in fridge til next time. I don’t do starters but we don’t have to go down that rabbit hole.

 

[specialkayme]

You might be surprised with this.....https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Yeast-Brink-2-Inch-TC-2-Inch-Sight-Glass.html

Lol, sure was surprised. That seems to completely solve my concerns. I should have figured the folks at Nor Cal would have already solved that.

I have CF5 and agree with what you said above about 6g.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts.