White brute trash can

[Jericurl]

White Rubbermaid type brute 20 gallon cans with lids are sold at our local Tractor Supply as food storage bins.
I've been eyeing them for awhile as a replacement for my trusty fermenting pail. I'm wanting to do larger batches and more batches of all fruit, so I definitely need something bigger than the 7 gallon pail I'm using now.
I would like to drill a hole in the side and attach a spigot for easier racking but I'm not quite sure how to go about it.

Couple of questions:

1. What kind of epoxy/glue/whatever should I use to attach the flip spigot? Obviously I need something food safe. Also, where do I find the flip spigots?

2. How high up should I attach the spigot? Lower down so it drains off the sludge, or higher up so that it gets wine only?

 

[bkisel]

I'll opine on question #2... Higher up! You could always tilt the bucket if for some reason you wanted to run the sediment through the spigot. [Which BTW I don't think would be a good idea.]

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm pretty sure @Rocky has added spigots to his Brutes. Hopefully, he can chime in.

How high up? Do you have any 5/6 gallon 'bottling buckets' that already have spigots in them? I'd measure that and match it. Think I read somewhere that they're typically 2 inches from the bottom, but I could be completely making that up too.

 

[TonyR]

I would not use glue. I would use a rubber washer

 

[whackfol]

Search for Brute 2624-L3 spigot. The can you are looking at has a greenskeeper version to soak greens for food service. It has a spigot to drain off water and will suit you needs if this is what you want to do. There are other bulkhead fittings both plastic and stainless that will work I have seen in Gino Pintos catalog (Italian fermenters) and Beer making suppliers (kettle fittings).
That said, other than the first year, I never used the spigot and regret to this day having the hole in it. A nice 1/2" racking cane gives me better control and I can better deal with the skins as I move to pressing.

 

[Rocky]

Jericurl, here is a picture of one of my larger fermenters. I just eyeballed the location when I did it, but it is 2.25" from the table top to the center of the hole. As was pointed out above by Tony, I do not glue the spigot in place. There are rubber gaskets on both sides of the retaining nut and that seals very well. I want it to be removable for cleaning and sanitizing. When I install it, I take care not to over tighten the nut. What I do is hand tighten it with the spigot pointing upward (i.e. to 12 o'clock) and then tighten it additionally by turning the spigot to the downward position (i.e. 6 o'clock). I used a spade bit to drill the hole. Another tip is to hold a block of scrap wood on the inside of the fermenter where the hole is to be drilled and drill into the wood through the side of the fermenter. This keeps the drill bit from "wandering" and gives a nice clean hole. When not in use, I plug the hole with a wadded up paper towel seen in the picture on the right. I also mark 6, 12 and 18 gallons levels on the outside of the fermenter to help in gauging my batches. (Incidentally, the white that you can see in the hole is a 7.9 gallon fermenter stored inside.) Good luck!

 

[stickman]

I too use a valve assembly at the bottom of a Brute. As others have stated a bulkhead fitting is a good way to attach without the use of adhesives. Bulkhead fittings in different sizes are typically available from your Tractor Supply or Farm & Fleet etc. Here is an inside and outside view; the cage was cut from the inside of a used filter cartridge, the rectangular holes allow draining (even with grape skins) without any plugging issues. The fittings and valve are PEX (cross-linked Polyethylene) available from a home supply store.

 

[Jericurl]

I knew you all would steer me in the right direction. Thanks for the advice and information. I'll mull it all over for a couple of weeks and then make a decision.

 

[dralarms]

I've used one from ts, put a bunch of batches through it. Never thought about a spout.

 

[Jericurl]

I went out last night and got the container from TS.

Now I've just got to narrow down the spigot. I really like the setup @Stickman has, but I'm having trouble finding one.
Also, What kind of filter is that again? That would be ideal for what I'm wanting to do with it.

I did find the Greenskeeper spigot kit, and it appears to have everything I need in one go without having to piecemeal something together. That certainly keeps everything nice and simple.

 

[stickman]

I agree that the Greenskeeper kit is the simple way to get a spigot attached. I used the above assembly as all of the parts were available from my local Lowes home store. The fittings are 3/4" John Guest Twist and Lock, sometimes called Speed Fittings, and are very easy to use. Here is a link to a good video that shows how simple these fittings work.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MecDXqR642E[/ame]

The cage on the inside is just cut from a 10" spent filter cartridge (I always have a few spent cartridges laying around). Most pleated sediment filter cartridges have the pleated filter media secured around a perforated plastic tube. Cutting about a 1/2" off of each end of the filter cartridge will release the filter media from the center perforated tube.

I can disassemble and take photos if more detail is needed, everything is easily disassembled by hand.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...n-polypropylene-bulkhead-fitting?cm_vc=-10005

http://www.homedepot.com/p/JG-Speed...to-Connect-Shut-Off-Valve-PSEISV28P/206495959

http://www.supplyhouse.com/John-Guest-PSEI012826-3-4-CTS-x-3-4-NPT-Speedfit-Secure-Male-Connector