Plastic conical fermenters - any good?

[jaybie]

Hi all,

Some while ago a Polish company (domowybrowarek.pl) kindly alerted this forum to their product:

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=66648

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... wXlhVzevrA

They sell them on ebay too.

s-l225.jpg (3.71 KiB) Viewed 2215 times

I'd like to know if anyone has bought one and if they are any good?

Cheers,

JB

[Aleman]

I haven't bought one of theirs, but I do have a 110L conical (85L useable) from somewhere else that I think is great . . .Just downsized so the thing is sat there

I think there is a post on here about how I fitted a rotating side take off drain to it as well

[jaybie]

Thanks for the kind offer Aleman! However I have some tanks similar to yours already. I have trouble getting and keeping them clean (I don't use them for brewing beer and so I don't have the antibacterial advantage that hops give), and cleanliness is very important to me. I'm hoping these have less nooks & crannies as they are purpose made. I like the look of the lid closure, and I'm particularly interested in how the side & bottom taps are fixed, the way the airlock goes through the hollow lid, as well as just the general quality of manufacture. I'm hoping to get an unbiased opinion before I ask the manufacturer all my questions again.

Cheers anyway,

JB

[Rhodesy]

I have one of the Speidel 30L ones which I use in my brew fridge sitting my STC sensor in the thermowell and insulated from the outside using some pipe insulation. It was quite expensive to be fair but still £180 less than the SS brewing one I would have well taken if `I hadn't splashed out on other things. For me its great and not had a negative brew as a result. It doesn't have markings for volume but I do usually collect in one with concise markings, aerate and then transfer across which I know is an extra step but I don't mind if I want to be precise since moving to a BM.

Collecting yeast is fine and I am harvesting when I feel the need to with most brews. The taps I could and should upgrade but it cleans easy and I have no real complaints. It is also handy seeing the yeast dump at the bottom tap and how much is sitting there. All in all whilst shiny is great plastic can serve a great purpose also.

[jaybie]

I have one of the Speidel 30L ones

Interesting, I had a look at one of those. Haven't written it off yet... Basically I'm choosing between the Speidel, the Polish one, and Brewbuilder's stainless one. I'm going to need several so of course I'd prefer not to pay stainless prices if I don't need to.

How do you get on with the lid-rim / airlock arrangement? And how are the taps fitted? (I presume poly threads going into a stainless ferrule set into the plastic) From the picture they look like the twist-lever taps you get on brewbuckets, is that right?

Cheers,

JB

[Rhodesy]

The lid is fine and as I tend to only brew up to 23L I have no issues with exploding fermentations.

The taps are as you describe and are 3/4". They are similar to brew bucket taps, I really should upgrade to ball valves but they serve me fine and are easy enough to clean out.

Don't get me wrong, I would love and likely will have stainless at some point but it works perfect for my set up currently.

[Scott-ayling]

I have one of these Plastic conicals from Poland and im very happy with it. Highly recommend them

[jaybie]

Scott-ayling,

Thanks. Can you tell me 2 things: How are the taps fitted (ie stainless ferrule etc) and how does the airlock go through the (I presume hollow) lid?

TIA,

JB

[darkonnis]

If you can afford stainless then thats the best option.
Plastic is fit for purpose. But the point to remember is that stainless holds it value rather well, it doesn't easily gouge or scratch and can be steamed and cleaned with almost any household cleaner (moderation and care is required of course) . All in all this means if you want to sell it on at a later date when you upscale or downscale you can. Plastic doesn't hold its value at all. It's worth considering as the price difference between plastic and stainless isn't that much on the whole.

[orlando]

If you can afford stainless then thats the best option.
Plastic is fit for purpose. But the point to remember is that stainless holds it value rather well, it doesn't easily gouge or scratch and can be steamed and cleaned with almost any household cleaner (moderation and care is required of course) . All in all this means if you want to sell it on at a later date when you upscale or downscale you can. Plastic doesn't hold its value at all. It's worth considering as the price difference between plastic and stainless isn't that much on the whole.

I think Cooky makes some great points here, the longer you use stainless the more cost effective it is. Keeping plastic clean and sanitised over time is a game you ultimately lose. The number of people who chose plastic on cost and then move to stainless regret the plastic as they have actually increased their stainless price. Plastic therefore is OK ish as long as you never upgrade.

[IPA]

For what it's worth I need 4 60 ltre FVs because at any time I can have three full and one empty for transfers. The cost of these in stainless would be enormous. In fact I don't use conicals I use bog standard 60 litre plastic ones from Brouwland which cost less than 50 euros including tap and airlock. I have used these for four years with no problems.
Edit here they are.
https://www.brouwland.com/en/our-produc ... rMQk3rTVJ8