[MJP]

Hey guys.  As many of these posts start I'm currently in the process of opening a nano.  Been hammering out some conical fermenter research and was hoping to find some answers on here.   For a quick rundown, I'm looking at purchasing a 4 BBL system with 4 BBL plastic conicals to start.  I am very aware that SS is the end all be all goal in this industry but as many of you know sometimes you just have to get things started with the money you have and build from there.  And many breweries have been very successful with this approach.  So the questions are as follows and thank you in advance for the help.

1.  Does anyone have 1st hand experience with non-full drain models ?  From what I'm seeing the 150 gallon (4 BBL) models are all non-full drain for some reason.

2.  If yes to #1, how much fluid gets left behind in the fermenter ? Percent wise ?

3.  Why does it get trapped exactly ? I imagine the bulkhead not being flush with the bottom of the cone.

4.  Any sanitary issues with this ?

5.  Is there a thread difference with the two ?  Non-full drain and full drain that is.

[Stevie]

Doesn't Leos use plastic conicals?

[majorvices]

I used plastic conicals for almost 18 months. It is a quick fix solution but in no way a long term solution as you probably have already surmised. Our 10 bbl plastic conicals had a spot on the bottom of the conical where it would not drain completely (talking less than a quart total) and we would hose it out until all the gunk was gone before we sanitized.

Are there any sanitary issues? Absolutely. I think you can effectively use plastic but depending how you keep them temp controlled and where you store them will be huge. Where I live fruit flies are a huge problem during the summer and eventually those little bastards are going to find a way in those plastic tanks. If fruit flies aren't a problem where you live it might not be as big of an issue.

Se used a stainless coil inside the conicals that we pumped glycol through to maintain temp. It worked, but it also was nearly impossible to clean.

Get started on your plastic and immediately start figuring out how to move up to stainless.

[Thirsty_Monk]

Hey guys.  As many of these posts start I'm currently in the process of opening a nano.  Been hammering out some conical fermenter research and was hoping to find some answers on here.   For a quick rundown, I'm looking at purchasing a 4 BBL system with 4 BBL plastic conicals to start.  I am very aware that SS is the end all be all goal in this industry but as many of you know sometimes you just have to get things started with the money you have and build from there.  And many breweries have been very successful with this approach.  So the questions are as follows and thank you in advance for the help.

1.  Does anyone have 1st hand experience with non-full drain models ?  From what I'm seeing the 150 gallon (4 BBL) models are all non-full drain for some reason.

2.  If yes to #1, how much fluid gets left behind in the fermenter ? Percent wise ?

3.  Why does it get trapped exactly ? I imagine the bulkhead not being flush with the bottom of the cone.

4.  Any sanitary issues with this ?

5.  Is there a thread difference with the two ?  Non-full drain and full drain that is.

I answered your questions on Probrewer forum.
Good luck.