Plastic conical fermenter Q&A

[mpizzurro]

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.

[brewfun]

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.

Let's discuss a few things. Are you asking about pulling finished beer from the bottom of the cone? Are these fermenters 60 degree cones, or less steep? Dish bottom fermenters are a real pain to use.

I am quite sure you'll need fermenters with a racking port about midway to 2/3rd up the cone.

Will you be filtering and then carbonating in a bright tank?

Aside from those questions, I'd recommend that you find a job in a brewery doing cellar and packaging work. Even volunteer while you're planning and building your brewery because it'll most likely take a year to get it started. Everyone knows how to make wort, but it's fermentation and packaging where you make or lose money.