I couldn't help you with the plastic question without knowing the
manufacturer's spec's. As for draining the trub, you'll need to open the top
of the fermenter before draining it to prevent the negative pressure. The
main concern at this point (as long as you're in a fairly clean environment)
isn't contamination but oxidation. If you open the valve (which should be
the ball-**** type) without venting the fermenter air will be sucked in
through the valve and cause bubbles (like what happens when you get a drink
from a bottled water dispenser). This will oxidize the brew and screw up
your beer, unless you're big on malted vinegar.

While I have never attempted to individually prime each bottle, I've been
told by most experienced brewers that this is a big no-no. It could lead to
off flavors and possibly popped bottles. Have fun -
BUBBA

default <none@defaulter.net> wrote in message
news:s57360deosh3por1pblp3ete40dtokqeql@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> I've been toying with the idea of building one for next season's beer
> making.
>
> All the commercial hype points to the ease of use without any mention
> of the drawbacks.
>
> An "agrisupply" wholesaler has tons of plastic vessels on his lot,
> among them, some conical plastic ones that look good for ~10 - 15
> gallons. They appear to be yellow polyethylene - haven't been in that
> area during business hours so I never spoke to anyone.
>
> My questions:
> Seems that removing the yeast would cause a negative pressure in the
> vessel so you'd suck some air in - bad for the wort or risking
> contamination. Is that so? Is there a work-around?
>
> Easy enough to clean?
>
> Can I just add a measured amount of undissolved corn sugar to my
> bottles for carbonation? (and avoid the transfer to a bottling
> bucket)
>
> Anyone try making a conical? Most of the agrisupply tanks are in the
> <$1/gallon range (sans fittings) and designed to withstand chemicals
> sprayed on crops.
>
>
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