I just talked with a friend last night and we might have found an answer. He can fabricate a "car" for me that can have lockable rollers on the top and casters on the bottom. It could be made to be the exact height of our fermenting fridge so we can just put the demijohn on the "car" empty, roll it over to the wort to be siphoned, roll it over to the fridge and then unlock the rollers on the top and roll it into the fridge.
I don't know if I am describing it as well as we discussed it last night. . . .
Other than making damn sure that the rollers on the top had a foolproof locking system, anyone else see any faults in this operation?
Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
Moderator: Officers
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
~Rich Greenwood~
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
Your description is good. Id still stay the hell away from those things. I seriously think its a mistake to use these. You still have to carry it around and clean it. Id go with one or two of those HDPE barrels from the other thread. Cheaper, fulfills the same goals, and wont eff you up. I don't care how careful you are with those things, eventually they will bite you, hard. But do as you please, I just don't want a fellow brewer making the same mistakes a few of us here have made with those things.
Just call me Andy!
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glass carbo
+1Jensen wrote:
I have one of those beasts, that has 12 gallons of sour in it, and it is a scary proposition every time I have to deal with it.
having helped move that thing up 2 flights of stairs, I agree
"People who drink light 'beer' don't like the taste of beer; they just like to pee alot."
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
It sounds like carrying/lifting one for any length of time/space is hard/dangerous. That makes complete sense.
I wouldn't be moving it more than 10 feet, no stairs involved and probably on that "car" that we build. I don't even think we would have to take it out of the plastic case (again, not lifting by the case . . . . just wheeling it on the "car" and using rollers to get it into the fridge).
I think that the only reason why I am looking into the demijohn in the first place is because I am not sure if I can fit two 6.5 carboys into the fridge that we are going to use as a fermentor.
I wouldn't be moving it more than 10 feet, no stairs involved and probably on that "car" that we build. I don't even think we would have to take it out of the plastic case (again, not lifting by the case . . . . just wheeling it on the "car" and using rollers to get it into the fridge).
I think that the only reason why I am looking into the demijohn in the first place is because I am not sure if I can fit two 6.5 carboys into the fridge that we are going to use as a fermentor.
~Rich Greenwood~
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
How are you going to clean it w/o picking it up?
Depending on where it was made, the thickness of the glass varies. It may look thick at the neck, but the sides and bottom can be thin. Usually what happens with these things when they break is the sides blow out even with a small amount of cleaning/sanitizing solution. If you are anywhere near it, its nothing but jagged glass left in your hand if your lucky.
You may consider two 6g carboys and use foam control if space is an issue. Foam control will keep the krausen down to a minimum so using smaller carboys with foam control works really well together. Guess after this post and i cannot persuade you to figure out other means, i wish you good luck on your journey and just know it will happen sooner or later.
Happy Brewing,
Andy
Depending on where it was made, the thickness of the glass varies. It may look thick at the neck, but the sides and bottom can be thin. Usually what happens with these things when they break is the sides blow out even with a small amount of cleaning/sanitizing solution. If you are anywhere near it, its nothing but jagged glass left in your hand if your lucky.
You may consider two 6g carboys and use foam control if space is an issue. Foam control will keep the krausen down to a minimum so using smaller carboys with foam control works really well together. Guess after this post and i cannot persuade you to figure out other means, i wish you good luck on your journey and just know it will happen sooner or later.
Happy Brewing,
Andy
Just call me Andy!
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
I would rather have two carboys (than the demijohn) sine with two I can pitch different yeasts, dry hop one and not the other, add herbs/flowers to one and not the other. . . . and, I am all for not having glass in my hand. 
I am just not sure that I can fit them in the fridge that we have. Are 6 gallon carboys shorter than 6.5 gallon carboys or just not as wide? Part of the problem is that we only have one 6.5 carboy (and are borrowing it) and it is fermenting. . . . so I am having trouble estimating if two would/could fit in there anyway.
Did anyone else have space issues with having two carboys in a fridge and, if so, how did you solve them (shelves or other creative ideas)?
I am just not sure that I can fit them in the fridge that we have. Are 6 gallon carboys shorter than 6.5 gallon carboys or just not as wide? Part of the problem is that we only have one 6.5 carboy (and are borrowing it) and it is fermenting. . . . so I am having trouble estimating if two would/could fit in there anyway.
Did anyone else have space issues with having two carboys in a fridge and, if so, how did you solve them (shelves or other creative ideas)?
~Rich Greenwood~
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
Depends on the size of the fridge. Something else to consider is to build a shelf off the compressor hump and to remove the door shelving and replace that with some pink insulation board. This makes it deeper. I can get 4 5g carboys, 4 6g carboys, and 2 6.5g carboys sitting at an angle from each other in a 20cuft fridge modified with the above specs.
Just call me Andy!
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Lupulin Threshold Shift
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n
1. When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian.
2. The phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.
3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will occur.
4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
That sounds like the way to go. The fridge that I have is pretty small on the inside (as well as kind of short to begin off with).
If I measured the insides right I think that it is 34x24x17 which only makes it about 8 cubic feet I think. Sounds like I am doing the math wrong or I have a very, very tiny fridge compared to yours.
Sorry for all of the questions. I really appreciate everyone helping out and offering advice.
If I measured the insides right I think that it is 34x24x17 which only makes it about 8 cubic feet I think. Sounds like I am doing the math wrong or I have a very, very tiny fridge compared to yours.
Sorry for all of the questions. I really appreciate everyone helping out and offering advice.
~Rich Greenwood~
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
Tact is for people who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic.
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
Thanks for the tip. . . . . though I think that we are going to do a group buy for kegs. . . . I think they will cost between 24 and 29 bucks a piece.
~Rich Greenwood~
Re: Looking for 5 gal ball lock kegs & a 6.5 gal glasscarboy
I'd seriously reconsider if you plan to purchase the nonrefurb kegs from B3. I've heard horror stores on another board about how dirty the kegs arrive, sometimes requiring replacement poppets and in need of multiple stages of cleaning. YMMVPhoenix wrote:Cornelius Keg with ball locks
$29.95 with FREE shipping
https://morebeer.com/view_product/18200
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Primum Brewery
Primum Brewery