General Use
SANITISE — Always sanitise your Conical before filling it with wort. This includes opening your sample valve and dump ports to ensure sanitizer makes contact with every nook 'n cranny. We recommend Star San or a similar sanitizer. Never use a bleach solution as bleach will cause pitting and corrosion on the surface of the stainless steel.
FILLING — Your conical can be filled by dumping wort through the top, or pumped in via the sample valve.
WARNING: Do not overfill your conical past the maximum volumes listed below. Excess volume during fermentation can cause fermentation material called Krausen to clog the blowoff and airlock causing over-pressurization of the conical.
MAXIMUM FILL LEVELS:
7 Gallon X3 - 5.5 gallons liquid
14 Gallon X3 - 11 gallons liquid
25 Gallon X3 - 21.5 gallons liquid
38 Gallon X3 - 33 gallons liquid
FERMENTATION
With the blow-off barb and silicone blow-off hose connected, place the end of the silicone blow-off tubing into a bucket filled with water.
We prefer silicone tubing to a rigid stainless blow-off as silicone tubing is easier to remove and clean between batches and offers flexibility for blow-off location.
WARNING: During fermentation, never close off/cap your X3 except when using the BrewBuilt Kit for Fermenting Under Pressure. This includes capping towards the end of fermentation!
If you wish to add pellet hops, whole hops, oak, or any other loose material to the fermentation, we recommend using a mesh bag. Boil the mesh bag before use to ensure it's sanitised.
WARNING: Do not place pellet hops, whole hops, oak chips, or other items directly into the fermenter. Loose material can clog the blowoff and airlock causing over-pressurization of the conical to occur. Use a mesh bag to contain these types of materials
TEMP CONTROL
Controlling fermentation temperatures is one of the most important things you can do to make a better beer. The Jacketed X3 Unitank is constructed with a stainless steel external welded ‘jacket’ for chilled liquid from a glycol chiller to flow through and cool your brew. This not only allows for easy temperature control without any additional hardware to clean, but performs double duty in helping insulate your conical further as well. Use is extremely simple, we sell & recommend our Insulated Tubing Kit which includes insulated tubing sets, auto-shutoff Quick Disconnects, as well as the TC fittings needed to connect to your Jacketed X3. This is a great option as it keeps your glycol from heating up on the way to your fermenter, & also provides an easy connection point that seals on both sides, so neither your lines nor your conical will leak fluid when disconnected. While you can always put your fermenter inside of a fridge or other temperature controlled environment, the external jacket will provide a clean and easy means of maintaining your desired temperature
PLEASE NOTE: This unit comes with the jacketed exchanger, but still relies on a chilled liquid source for cooling. You will need a Glycol Chiller such as our JoinTech Fermentation Glycol Chiller with Digital Control | 2 Pump Model | G20 in order to cool the liquid which will then cool your fermentation.
DUMPING YEAST AND TRUB
One of the other most significant benefits of a Conical Fermenter is the ability to dump yeast & trub from the bottom port. This couldn’t be easier with the 2" TC Butterfly Valve on the bottom of your conical. Another added advantage is being able to harvest your yeast for use in future batches. Whether you’re dumping trub, hops, or yeast, you will want to guide that slurry into a drain or receiving vessel like a bucket or jar. Be sure to spray the Butterfly Valve down with sanitizer before dumping. Also, remember that you will need to open one of the ports on the top of the conical to allow air to replace the liquid flowing out the bottom. Another option is the BrewBuilt Flex Chamber which connects to the bottom of the conical and allows you to collect and dump yeast and trub. Learn more about using the Flex Chamber in the X3 accessories section of this manual.
TRANSFERRING FINISHED BEER
Racking your beer with the sample port is as easy as hooking up some sanitized tubing and opening the valve. Remember that you will need to either open one of the ports on the top of the conical to allow air to replace the liquid that is flowing out. To transfer out of your X3 using CO2 pressure, see the section under Pressure Package below.
USING YOUR X3 ACCESSORIES
Your X3 Jacketed Uni comes with additional accessories including the BrewBuilt Flex Chamber and Pressure Pack. You will find instructions for these products below.
THE FLEX CHAMBER
WARNING When the optional BrewBuilt Flex Chamber is installed, always keep the bottom butterfly valve open, allowing CO2 to be released. Failure to keep the valve open could cause the Flex Chamber to become over-pressurized and explode. When ready to remove the Flex Chamber, depressurize the system with the butterfly valve open. After relieving all pressure in the system, you can close the butterfly valve and safely remove the Flex Chamber.
The Flex Chamber attaches directly to the 2" butterfly dump valve and can be used for removing trub, harvesting yeast, and many other tasks.
Preparing your Flex Chamber for use each time
Soak or spray the Flex Chamber Collection Jar and all parts (caps, gaskets, clamps, etc.) with sanitizer before assembling and attaching it to your conical dump port.
Assemble the Flex Chamber by threading the caps onto the threaded ports.
Spray sanitiser into the closed butterfly valve on your conical dump port as well as the top of the Flex Chamber and its TC gasket. Fasten the Flex Chamber to the butterfly valve with a 3" TC clamp.
TIP: When connecting the Flex Chamber to a full X3 Conical, understand displacement concepts: the empty Flex Chamber contains gas that may be sent up through your beer. If used post-fermentation, flush with CO2 to avoid oxygen exposure (see Flushing the Flex Chamber with CO2).
COLLECTING & DUMPING TRUB WITH THE FLEX CHAMBER
The ability to remove trub and hop sediment is one of the key advantages of a conical fermenter. With the butterfly valve open and the Flex Chamber attached, trub separates directly into the Flex Chamber, which can then be easily removed. Follow the process outlined next.
If you are using the conical with the Pressure Pack lid, make sure the entire conical system has been depressurized and that the bottom butterfly valve is in the open position. For instructions on releasing pressure see the section below titled “Releasing Pressure”.
When you are sure the system has been depressurized, close the butterfly valve at the bottom of the conical.
Place a bowl or small bucket below the Flex Chamber to collect drips and un-clamp the Flex Chamber from the butterfly valve.
FLUSHING THE FLEX CHAMBER WITH CO2
Soak or spray the Flex Chamber and all parts (caps, gaskets, clamps, etc.) with sanitizer before assembling and attaching it to your conical dump port.
Attach the Flex Chamber Collection Jar to the bottom of the butterfly valve, keeping the butterfly valve closed. Remove the lower black side cap and install the KG500 ball lock adapter. Slightly loosen the top black cap on the Flex Chamber so CO2 can escape while flushing.
Set the regulator on your CO2 tank to its lowest possible setting (e.g., 1–2 psi) and connect your Ball Lock Gas QD to the KG500 ball lock adapter.
Allow gas to flow out of the Flex Chamber for a few seconds to ensure all the oxygen has been flushed. Tighten the black cap. You can replace the KG500 with the black cap or leave it in place for fermentation.
PRESSURE PACKAGE
WARNING If sealed, the fermenter can be pressurized due to CO2 production in fermentation or the introduction of compressed gas. Incorrect use can lead to fittings being launched with great force causing serious injury or death. Follow these precautions:
Before removing any TC fittings or accessories, release all pressure by opening the PRV.
Do not overfill past maximum volumes.
Do not place loose additions directly into the fermenter; use a mesh bag.
Do not alter/change the Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) built into the Lid Cap.
Pressurize with compressed gas only with the BrewBuilt Kit for Fermenting Under Pressure.
Always use an approved CO2 regulator with a functional low-pressure gauge. Never exceed 15 PSI.
During fermentation, never close off/cap your X3 except when using the BrewBuilt Kit for Fermenting Under Pressure.
When the optional Flex Chamber is installed, always keep the bottom butterfly valve open.
The Pressure Pack, specifically designed to work with BrewBuilt X3 Conical Unitanks, unlocks many possibilities. Apply low pressure before cooling to eliminate sucking oxygen back in. Use it to grab a sample or transfer finished beer to a keg in a true oxygen-free environment. The Clear Float allows sampling or transferring of the clearest possible beer from the top down! In this guide. Please read and follow the additional instructions that come with your Pressure Pack Kit.
INSTALLATION
Assemble the Pressure Pack lid per the diagram included with the kit.
DO NOT USE TEFLON TAPE on threaded body connects; they seal with the included O-rings.
When attaching the Pressure Pack lid to your X3 conical, ensure the TC gasket is seated correctly, then tighten the TC clamp. TIP: A welded U-Hook on the bottom of the Pressure Pack Lid can be used to hang drawstring bags for flavoring additions.
Applying Pressure (first test & practice)
First, take a moment and read the warnings above. For safety, we always recommend the first pressure test be made while the conical is filled with water. After the conical is filled with water, replace the u-shaped blowoff with an included TC end cap. Before connecting CO2 pressure be sure you have a working, accurate regulator with a low-pressure gauge.
We recommend setting your regulator to 1–2 psi to start with and always less than 15 psi. Connect your gas-in ball lock QD on your CO2 draft system to the gas-in body connect located on the Pressure Pack. The gasin body connect has a notch on the side, while the beverage-out body connect does not. With 1-2 psi applied to the conical, practice releasing the pressure by unthreading the PRV cap.
Read the section on releasing pressure slowly as instructed in the section ‘Releasing Pressure’ below
TRANSFERRING AND SAMPLING
The bev-out fitting is equipped with a unique floating dip tube that will pull beer from the top rather than the middle or bottom of the conical. We recommend using a ball lock jumper, a section of beer line with a beverage-out QD at both sides, to transfer beer from your X3 to the bottom of your keg. When applying pressure for sampling or transferring, start with a low pressure and increase only as needed. Keep in mind that your X3 Uni and Pressure Pack lid are rated at 15 psi, and the PRV will start releasing pressure around this point.
WARNING: Never apply more than 15 PSI to your X3.
TIP: Filling your keg from the bottom up will keep splashing to a minimum as beer will flow down the beverage dip tube and gently fill the keg from the bottom up. Lastly, pull up the PRV ring on the keg and set it in the open position to allow air (or CO2 if you prepurged the keg) to escape as your fresh beer flows in.
RELEASING PRESSURE
WARNING Before removing any TC fitting or accessory, you must first release all pressure from your BrewBuilt Fermenter.
Pull the ring on the Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) built into the Lid Cap. Slowly pull until you hear CO2 hissing from the PRV.
When the hissing stops, slowly unthread the PRV assembly. If you hear additional CO2 while unthreading, stop and wait until hissing stops.
When no CO2 is released, slowly remove the PRV completely to ensure all pressure is relieved.
Only then is it safe to begin removing fittings or accessories.
TRANSFER CLEAR BEER TO KEG UNDER PRESSURE
Push finished beer into a keg using CO2 so it never becomes exposed to oxygen; use the Clear Float to transfer clearest beer.
NOTE: you will need a Corny Keg Ball Lock Jumper Line (beverage tubing with bev-out ball lock connectors at both ends).
Procedure:
Fill your keg with sanitiser solution. Push the sanitizer out using CO2. Open the keg pressure relief valve to let CO2 exit the keg during filling.
Attach your CO2 tank to the gas-in post on your Pressure Pack lid and set it to around 10–12 psi.
Attach the Corny Keg Ball Lock Jumper Line to the bev-out post on your Pressure Pack lid. Once hooked up, beer will begin flowing from the pressurized X3 Unitank into the unpressurized keg.
Once transfer finishes, unhook the bev-out and gas-in connectors. Pressurize your keg.
Be sure to release any pressure from inside your X3 before opening it for cleaning.
FERMENTING UNDER PRESSURE
WARNING Follow all special warnings and instructions that come with the optional BrewBuilt Kit for Fermenting Under Pressure. Do not pressure ferment without using the optional Kit for Fermenting Under Pressure.
To ferment under pressure or capture CO2 at the end of fermentation, you must use the optional BrewBuilt Kit for Fermenting Under Pressure.
The optional kit includes a commercial-grade pressure relief that connects to the 1.5" TC port on the lid and an adjustable spunding valve to set a safe fermentation pressure.
With the kit installed, three safety relief valves exist: the standard PRV welded into the PRV Lid Cap, the commercial 1.5" TC relief valve, and the PRV on the Spunding Valve.
The fermentation kit includes a no-foam krausen reducer (CellarScience® Foam-Axe Part# AD105A) to reduce the chance krausen could enter any PRVs.
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Your new X3 Jacketed is constructed with an integral cooling layer. Using the secondary section of stainless steel layered on the cylinder of the unit, you can flow glycol or a cooled water source around your fermentation, cooling it as needed. We recommend an IceMaster series Glycol Chiller, combined with a Insulated Tubing Kit for the ultimate in temperature control. For highest efficiency performance we recommend hooking up your cold glycol “in” feed to the lower port of the jacket, as shown in the image below. When using an Icemaster Glycol Chiller, plug the thermal probe from the IceMaster directly into the thermowell installed on the Conical body. You can then adjust the Set Point on the IceMaster to your desired beer temperature. This will turn the IceMaster’s recirculation pump on or off depending on whether your beer needs to lower temperature.
HAVE QUESTIONS? If you have any questions, please contact our customer service team:
Email: [email protected]
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