Fermenting with corny kegs - purging oxygen

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Thanks lads that's today's mission sorted,  I could only find them in the states.

[Dr Jacoby]

Here's a dodgy pic of the setup I'm using to try out the purging technique. Ignore fermentation vessel 1. It's not part of the purging procedure (but it could easily be incorporated if needed). I'll attach the spunding valve when I get it to the gas out post on the receiving keg and set it to 5psi. This will allow Co2 to build up in the receiving keg so that I can be sure it is oxygen free when fermentation ends and I transfer the beer over. (To transfer the beer I'll need to push the beer out by connecting my gas bottle to the fermentation vessels at slightly over 5psi).



Happy with the pic CH? 

[Ciderhead]

Cheers
I've come to the conclusion that I'm just uckin thick and probably need to watch someone doing it!

Cut the red wire no the green wire !!

Actually SAs link to that cider guy was great , and has me looking for a SS racking cane, did I miss how he started to siphon?

[imark]

did I miss how he started to siphon?

He left water in it and ran it off into a spare keg til the cider displaced it.

[Ciderhead]

Ha Haaa!

[Dr Jacoby]

Funny how he went to all that trouble to purge the corny of oxygen but then just lifted the airlock off the carboy! I'd guess that he isn't oxidising the cider too badly but it's still a strange way to go about things.

[Dr Jacoby]

Here's a really badly shot video I took of the purging process underway. The blow off tube started bubbling within 10 hours of being hooked up. I was in work all day so it probably started a lot quicker than that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtB94nhySNw&list=HL1394540084&feature=mh_lolz

[biertourist]

Fantastic, fantastic idea; LOVE IT!

I generally keep my next corney 1/2 filled with Starsan solution so I use the "fill it with liquid first" method, but I REALLY like this idea; my fridge has a hole in the back that would accommodate a beer line, too so I could do temp controlled fermentation in the fridge and purge a keg sitting outside of the fridge, too.

Some really good thinking here, guys.


Adam

[Ciderhead]

Adam you don't store SS in your corny do you?, it will rot the arse out of it

[Dr Jacoby]

Fantastic, fantastic idea; LOVE IT!

I generally keep my next corney 1/2 filled with Starsan solution so I use the "fill it with liquid first" method, but I REALLY like this idea; my fridge has a hole in the back that would accommodate a beer line, too so I could do temp controlled fermentation in the fridge and purge a keg sitting outside of the fridge, too.

Some really good thinking here, guys.


Adam

Cheers Adam, I have high hopes for this technique. Fermenting in kegs opens up all kinds of possibilities.

[biertourist]

Adam you don't store SS in your corny do you?, it will rot the arse out of it

Are you joking?  Starsan doesn't react with brewing grades of stainless (304, 316); it's pretty impervious to alkaline substances AND acids; that's why it's used in breweries.  -Chlorine-based sanitizers on the other hand would be a bad thing to leave in permanent contact with stainless.


Starsan in a corney keg is a great thing -I pressurize the corney before I put it into storage so i can identify which of my kegs have developed small leaks, too.  -It is also FANTASTIC for cleaning out a beer line -just run 1/2 - 1 pint through the line directly from the pre-pressurized corney keg. (I'd love to find a tiny 10L beat up, ugly looking corney keg for cheap to use as a permanent star san storage + beer line cleaning keg.


Adam

[Ciderhead]

Adam my bad you are correct on a practical level, there is no issue with Star San and long term contact with stainless even though Five Star recommend draining is not an issue.
I had forgotten that it only eats soft metals, like copper and aluminium.