How do you man handle large fermenters/washes?

[Horn_Bee]

Hi everyone,

I am quickly finding that using a single 30L fermenter is not going to yield me a large enough wash per batch, and have accordingly upgraded to a 60L fermenter (pic below) and will soon be upgrading to a 50L boiler. It all seemed simple enough at the time, but then I considered something – how does everyone go about man handling such a big, heavy vessel (especially once it is full of liquid)?

My standard practice with the 30L fermenter thus far has been as follows:

1. Mix the wash
2. Add the fermenter to an esky of water with an aquarium heater (to regulate temperature) – I know this step can be skipped by inserting the heater directly into the fermenter, but this is just how I have been doing it so far.
3. Leave the wash until it ferments and clears
4. Raise the fermenter on top of the esky so I can siphon the wash into the boiler (which I sit on the ground)
5. Move the (now full) boiler to wherever I am running the still (currently in my kitchen)

This has been working fine until now, but I have the following concerns moving forward:

1. It isn’t very practical to lift a fermenter with ~50KG of wash in it off the ground in order to siphon it into another vessel.
2. I can’t siphon the wash out of the large fermenter directly into the boiler on the ground, because once the water levels equalise the siphon will stop (as I understand it?).
3. Even if I could siphon the whole wash into the boiler it would make the boiler equally as impractical to move to wherever I am going to run the still.

At the moment the only way I can see around this is to siphon the first half of the wash into a 30L bucket/fermenter, tip the first bucket into the boiler, then lift the half empty 60L fermenter up so I can siphon out the second half into the bucket and fill the boiler. Does this sound reasonable, or am I completely over complicating things? I know that I could just run multiple 30L fermenters, but for temperature regulation purposes I would rather keep them to a single vessel per batch (at least for now).

I see that lots of guys on here are using 60, 120 and even 200+ litre fermenters, so how does everyone go about handling the large volumes of wash that come with such huge fermenting vessels?

Mick

[WTDist]

ferment up high and use gravity to pump it out or use a pump

[warramungas]

Yep. Plan to not manhandle it once its full.
For me a couple of 25 liter buckets and a syphon.

[macs]

I use 60l fermenters and keep them say 2 foot off ground level. Syphon directly into a keg in one hit. The keg is sitting on a dolly so I can wheel it around the garage or wherever.

[coffe addict]

I use a small pump.

[Nino]

I have 3 60lt fermenters and I sit them on the bench and fill them by stepping on to a small step. My boiler is on a dolly which I move to the fermenter and siphon off the wash then move it to the centre of the garage and assemble the still. :)

[Doubleuj]

I've got cheap Bunnings click together shelves, fermenters sit higher than the boiler and gravity feed
In with a clear hose.
The 200L gets pumped in

[TasSpirits]

I sit 1 60L on 2 milk crates, the others on a bench, 200l on a dolly so I can move it around and pump it into my boiler.

[Undertaker]

If your stuck with fermenting on the ground you could siphon most of the contents into buckets and tip that into the boiler, then when your fermenter is down to its last 10-20 lts it will be light enough to pick up and empty out

Cheers Phil

[Aussiedownunder01]

Just go to a home brew shop and buy a magnetic drive pump about $50.00

[vqstatesman]

+1 on the dolly.

I use 50 and 200L fermenters which are located on a desk with the tap hanging over the edge.

My boiler lives on a dolly just like this one: https://www.bunnings.com.au/move-it-590 ... y_p3961555

I simply wheel my boiler under the fermenter and empty using gravity. I can then wheel my boiler off to the distilling room.

When I'm done with distilling I wheel my boiler into the bathroom and empty it out down the floor drain pipe.

I LOVE my dolly, best idea ever!

[EziTasting]

PUMP IT, pump it real good!

No lifting required...

[sp0rk]

I always do 50-60L ferments
Up until I stopped distilling before we moved in July last year, I had been just manhandling them, the bonus of being a power lifter.
However I injured my back in October as a combination of landing awkwardly while trailbike riding and then power lifting while it was still too tender.
It seems I herniated 2 discs right at the base of my spine and it's still a bit sore but on the mend now.
I've manhandled fermentors a few times since I've gotten back into the shed in the last month, which has made the back a little sore, but nothing that won't go away after 24 hours
But I'm now siphoning into buckets until there's only 20L or so left, lifting that onto a bench and then gravity pouring the last into the boiler, much easier
Once I'm fully mended I'll probably just go back to manhandling it :))

[warramungas]

I always do 50-60L ferments
However I injured my back in October as a combination of landing awkwardly while trailbike riding and then power lifting while it was still too tender.
Once I'm fully mended I'll probably just go back to manhandling it :))

Herniated discs? A 'bonus' of being a powerlifter?

I wouldn't recommend 'anyone', and I don't care how big they are, lift anything over 15 to 20 kgs (and yes I know we've all done it from time to time) outside of a controlled environment like a gym or a workplace specifically set up for it. Most workplaces wont let you lift over 15 kg or so now anyway (officially).
The opportunities to hurt yourself are enough without using your body like small crane in an environment like a shed. One slip or a load shift (believe me I know) while holding a half tipped fermenter is enough to throw your back out if you're not ready for it.
The safest lift is not to do it at all. Plan around it somehow. Id hate to hear of a member trying to manhandle a 60 liter drum and tripping a*% up wrecking their back.
My 2 cents.

[sp0rk]

I always do 50-60L ferments
However I injured my back in October as a combination of landing awkwardly while trailbike riding and then power lifting while it was still too tender.
Once I'm fully mended I'll probably just go back to manhandling it :))

Herniated discs? A 'bonus' of being a powerlifter?

I wouldn't recommend 'anyone', and I don't care how big they are, lift anything over 15 to 20 kgs (and yes I know we've all done it from time to time) outside of a controlled environment like a gym or a workplace specifically set up for it. Most workplaces wont let you lift over 15 kg or so now anyway (officially).
The opportunities to hurt yourself are enough without using your body like small crane in an environment like a shed. One slip or a load shift (believe me I know) while holding a half tipped fermenter is enough to throw your back out if you're not ready for it.
The safest lift is not to do it at all. Plan around it somehow. Id hate to hear of a member trying to manhandle a 60 liter drum and tripping a*% up wrecking their back.
My 2 cents.

The lifting definitely didn't help, but the bulk of the damage was jumping trail bikes and my foot slipping off a footpeg, landing pretty badly on an angle on my tailbone
But yeah, using lifting aids is best practice

[WTDist]

I always do 50-60L ferments
However I injured my back in October as a combination of landing awkwardly while trailbike riding and then power lifting while it was still too tender.
Once I'm fully mended I'll probably just go back to manhandling it :))

Herniated discs? A 'bonus' of being a powerlifter?

I wouldn't recommend 'anyone', and I don't care how big they are, lift anything over 15 to 20 kgs (and yes I know we've all done it from time to time) outside of a controlled environment like a gym or a workplace specifically set up for it. Most workplaces wont let you lift over 15 kg or so now anyway (officially).
The opportunities to hurt yourself are enough without using your body like small crane in an environment like a shed. One slip or a load shift (believe me I know) while holding a half tipped fermenter is enough to throw your back out if you're not ready for it.
The safest lift is not to do it at all. Plan around it somehow. Id hate to hear of a member trying to manhandle a 60 liter drum and tripping a*% up wrecking their back.
My 2 cents.

The lifting definitely didn't help, but the bulk of the damage was jumping trail bikes and my foot slipping off a footpeg, landing pretty badly on an angle on my tailbone
But yeah, using lifting aids is best practice

Should see what goes on on building sites. Being a tradie gave me a prolapsed disk. Everyone lifts over 20kg. OHS can look the other way there until someone gets hurt

[hillzabilly]

I use milk crates with a bit of plywood on top ta get the extra height ,and syphon into a 15lt bucket ,but also use 12vt brown pump (20-25bucks at the brew shop)fitted with camlock fittings and 3/8 silicone tube, wired to a small 240-12vt transformer,not fast but is cheap reliable and easy ta use.cheers hillzabilly ;-)

[scythe]

I always do 50-60L ferments
Up until I stopped distilling before we moved in July last year, I had been just manhandling them, the bonus of being a power lifter.
However I injured my back in October as a combination of landing awkwardly while trailbike riding and then power lifting while it was still too tender.
It seems I herniated 2 discs right at the base of my spine and it's still a bit sore but on the mend now.
I've manhandled fermentors a few times since I've gotten back into the shed in the last month, which has made the back a little sore, but nothing that won't go away after 24 hours

Ive always said exercising or going outside is a great way to hurt your self.
Thats why i refrain from both as much as i can.
:teasing-neener:

[Nino]

I always do 50-60L ferments
Up until I stopped distilling before we moved in July last year, I had been just manhandling them, the bonus of being a power lifter.
However I injured my back in October as a combination of landing awkwardly while trailbike riding and then power lifting while it was still too tender.
It seems I herniated 2 discs right at the base of my spine and it's still a bit sore but on the mend now.
I've manhandled fermentors a few times since I've gotten back into the shed in the last month, which has made the back a little sore, but nothing that won't go away after 24 hours

Ive always said exercising or going outside is a great way to hurt your self.
Thats why i refrain from both as much as i can.
:teasing-neener:

:text-+1: :text-lol: