DIY Conical < $50.00

[WichitaBrewer]

Good luck, Thirsty. Let us know how it turns out.

WichitaBrewer

[mexican]

Dude,

That is just too cool for words !!

One question though. How are you going to stop leaks between the top of the funnel and the bucket you have sitting on top ?

Check it with water first to make sure you don't waste any good beer !

Again, that is one of the coolest beer gadgets I've ever seen !

mexican

[Thirsty Boy]

What is the blue bit made out of?

The Blue bit is an insulating jacket made from the homebrewers old and faithful friend. The foam camping mat; plus some elastic strips and 100mph tape.

How are you going to stop leaks between the top of the funnel and the bucket you have sitting on top ?

Check it with water first to make sure you don't waste any good beer !

In the picture where its all pulled apart, you will notice a black ring around the bottom of the body of the fermentor. That is an O ring that would normally seal a lid onto a standard plastic barrel fermentor. The bucket used for the body has been "trimmed" to a point where its diameter is just a little bit smaller than that of the vertical bit of the funnel and sits inside, not on top. The O ring gets jammed down into the gap and both seals the thing nice and tight and also gives it a bit of lateral stability.

I did try it with water and it held up without any leaks over several hours, but I'm going to buy another O ring to stick in there just to be sure.

Little diagram illustration follows.


The whole kit just sits on top of the second bucket with the cutout to allow access to the valves. As luck would have it, the funnel has a turned over lip which fits exactly over the mouth of the bottom bucket and holds it firmly in place. 4 bungy cords to make sure everything is held together with nice even positive pressure.

[mexican]

Little diagram illustration follows.


The whole kit just sits on top of the second bucket with the cutout to allow access to the valves. As luck would have it, the funnel has a turned over lip which fits exactly over the mouth of the bottom bucket and holds it firmly in place. 4 bungy cords to make sure everything is held together with nice even positive pressure.

Ahh, now I understand. I didn't realise that the funnel has a vertical lip that the top bucket would slide into. Couldn't see it from the pics. I could see the giant o-rings but couldn't figure out how they would seal with the funnel.

The groovy diagram clears it all up.

Excellent !

mexican

[Ozbrewer]

where did you get the funnel?

[Thirsty Boy]

where did you get the funnel?

Grain and Grape in Melbourne. $15.00, but I've seen them in a couple of wine making supply shops as well.

[beer_bear]

Man, that kicks ass. Now I don't have a reason not to have a conical. I can't wait to put one together and see how much it improves my beer. Thanks for the great diagrams and ideas.
Thank god you fine people don't patten these awsome ideas. This is the shit. Beats buying an expensive one only to find that I don't like using it.
Prost!

[WichitaBrewer]

From what I'm seeing here, Thirsty, I need to be looking for a funnel with a top diameter the same as a typical 5 gal bucket? I think I have one that's damn close if not right on the money.

WichitaBrewer