# I Want Larger Capacity Fermenters



## bettheline (Jun 11, 2010)

I am a six gallon at a time type of guy but recently acquired permission from the wife to get some bigger tanks. I would like to ask for recommendations on what the next logical step is. Something around 20 gallons or a little bigger. I will probably only get 1 or maybe 2. I have only looked at the Tuff Tanks from EC Kraus so far (item number TT220), but was wondering if there are better options.
Any and all help is very much appreciated.
Thanks


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## grapeman (Jun 11, 2010)

You can also use 20 gallon Rubbermaid Brutes. They are food safe and shaped right. I use 32 gallon Brutes for small batches as they will hold 150 to 200 pounds of fruit. The 32's are easier to find (Lowes and HD) and are priced similar to the 20's.


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## bettheline (Jun 11, 2010)

OK, thanks for the reply. Just to verify do you mean cans like this one for instance:

Item Number 12349500 on Overstock.com, it won't let me post a link directly to it, sorry, guess I have not posted enough, I must not get credit for reading posts all day every day. 

What do you do for lids? I see that they make lids also and I could put an airlock in them pretty easy I bet. Have you used these just for primary fermentation or secondary also? If secondary, how do you keep them topped up so there is not a lot of headspace?

Thanks again.


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## arcticsid (Jun 12, 2010)

Grape said the same as I was going to.

We can argue all day about using an airlock or no on the primary. 

As far as a secondary, let somone else chime in.

Remember your primary will be done fermeting in 7-10 days or so.

So making alot of wine may seem like a good way to go, but you will need to transfer it. So before you start making large batches, you had better be thinking about what you are going to do with it when it is done fermenting.

And then,as kind of the same consideration, when it comes time to bottle do you have enough bottles?
Remeber, 5 gallons of wine is at least 20 bottles.

This sheet never ends!!!! LOL

Welcome to the obsession.


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## arcticsid (Jun 12, 2010)

I also have a 26 gallon brute that I want to use, but I only have a couple 3 gallon better bottles to transfer it into.

Remember though, fruit, berries, etc. freeze well, and in fact it is recommend you freeze it first anyway, this helps break down he cellular structure and makes it easier for the fruit to ferment.

So if you have alot of fruit don't sweat making wine out of it right away. Think about what you are going to do with it when it is time to age it.

Or you could be like me and just drink it. Who needs bottles when you have an I.V?


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## Dirtydog420 (Jun 12, 2010)

From my limited understanding, you would still need to use a carboy for secondairy... You can use the trash cans for your primary, and they are food safe, however they are air permiable.. So ou would need either a bunch of small glass or plastic carboys, or figure something else out..

But what do I know...


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## grapeman (Jun 12, 2010)

Here is another option. The blue barrels are 20 gallon size and have a sealable lock down lid. I use them for primaries and limited time for secondary. Drill a hole for a bung and attach an airlock. Top up to the lid and seal after secondary and it works alright for about 3 months. In this picture, you can see I use brutes and the blue barrels and then rack into glass at some point.


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## bettheline (Jun 12, 2010)

Great information thank you all so much. Yea primarys would not worry me I was just wondering what people do for secondary on bigger batches. Sounds like most people still do glass.

Also yea I had been thinking about the "what the heck to transfer it to" question. There do seem to be many things to think about on larger batches than just "multiply the recipie by 3" sort of deal.

So maybe my question more specificaly would now be regarding larger secondary fermenters. Has anyone made the jump to stainless steel tanks or something else?


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## Wade E (Jun 12, 2010)

My riend has a few of these and they are pricey. they have a gasket that blows up making them variable capacity which is nice and if you want to take some out there is a spout to do so and then you just drop the lid down some more removing the head space. There are also the oak barrels and then also flex tanks, it all depends on how much you intend on making and what you are willing to $!


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## mtgjudge (Jun 12, 2010)

Grapeman, where did you get those sexy sealable blue barrels?


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## grapeman (Jun 12, 2010)

I got them from a recycling place out of western NY. They are food grade and were clean when I got them. I got them off Ebay- about $20 plus shipping. I got some last year that weren't nearly as nice. They had molded into plastic handles and had a bit of olive oil rsidue in them. It took a bit of cleaning.


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## mtgjudge (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks! If one were to search for them....what are they called?


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## grapeman (Jun 12, 2010)

here is a smaller version - search plastic barrel and look for food grade.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Plastic-Barrel-...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b234240c


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