HOW TO: CIP Conical Fermenter (Step By Step)

The CIP (Clean In Place) method shown in this video is the exact method I would use on a professional level as well as homebrewing, though I used different chemicals professionally, it's the same process.
EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO:
Camera (UPDATED & BETTER): amzn.to/3M4YpHF
Gimbal: amzn.to/3nFPH96
Lens: amzn.to/42x0LEl
Lens 2: amzn.to/418dcoZ
Light: amzn.to/42dcKY4
Light Stand: amzn.to/44FpNDo
Microphone 1 (UPDATED VERSION: amzn.to/3B35Ybu
Microphone 2: amzn.to/3pgxzmS
Microphone 3: amzn.to/3HMg3gD
Tripod (SIMILAR & BETTER): amzn.to/3B4JOFy
What You Need:
-Sump Pump OR brewing pump that can clean effectively
-Connection fittings and hoses for your fermenter (In this case, TC Fittings. The hose used duos as my transfer hose from my chilled wort out of my counterflow chiller to my fermenter, so this hose gets fully cleaned in between each batch and is the dedicated transfer/CIP hose)
-Spray Ball assembly that fits your fermenter. MAKE SURE TO ADD A VALVE, I explain why in the video.
-Brewery Cleaner (PBW, Link down below)
-Sanitizer (I use StarSan, Link down below)
-Bucket (I use food grade buckets)
THE MAIN 4 STEPS:
-Tap water rinse
-PBW CIP
-Tap water rinsed FOLLOWED BY hot water rinse. (I use RO due to my insanely hard water)
-Sanitizer CIP
BIGGEST TIPS:
-Remove as much gunk before PBW CIP.
-Use the higher temperature end of the brewery cleaner you use to ensure maximum cleaning.
-Rinse, Rinse & Rinse. Do not leave any residual cleaner on any part.
-Soak all fittings and gaskets in the cleaner bucket, scrub as needed and double check all ports that they are completely gunk free before re-assembling.
-Remove any pressure gauge if possible, the spike in pressure will ruin the gauge over time if not right away.
-Use CO2 to create pressure inside of the FV after sanitizer cycle is complete, then open all valves to ensure any remaining sanitizer is gone.
-Set vessel under pressure (If yours is built to hold pressure) over night to ensure your vessel is leak free, this doubles as peace of mind that no outside contaminates made their way in until your brew.
IF YOU'RE UNSURE, OPEN IT UP AND CONFIRM. Not worth a batch of beer getting contaminated if you second guessed yourself and didn't double check something.
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Disclaimer: Please consider supporting the channel by using these affiliated links below, it cost you nothing extra but I receive a small commission, thus allowing me to bring more quality to the channel in return.
Equipment/Items I Use:
-BREWING EQUIPMENT:
RIMS Tube PID Controller: amzn.to/3k5Rv3z
Blichmann Hellfire Burner: amzn.to/3l8Sq4n
Temp Controller For Fermenters: amzn.to/3p4E6wa
Exchilerator Counter Flow Chiller: amzn.to/3lbGjDO
-YEAST STARTER EQUIPMENT:
Magnetic Stir Plates(For Yeast Starters): amzn.to/3k7Wj8D
Magnetic Stir Bars: amzn.to/3laE7MP
2000mL Erlenmeyer Flask: amzn.to/3k71sh1
-CLEANING & SANITIZING
PBW Powdered Brewery Cleaner: amzn.to/32nMXPV
StarSan Sanitizer: amzn.to/2U1KiH1
Sump Pump(CIP): amzn.to/2Iduf6L
Music:
Summertime - Erik Lund
Pop 07 -Grigoriy Nuzhny
House Vibes - Alejandro Mangaña
Tech House Vibes - Alejandro Mangaña

[@59apachestepside]

Great overview. All that work is a reminder of why I didn’t pull the trigger on a unitank, haha. I’ve settled for fermenting in 1/2 bbl sankeys. A friend of mine owns a brewery so I just swap out for a sanitized “fermenter” fresh off the keg washer every time I stop by.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Sounds like a killer deal! Honestly? I think Sanke kegs are one of the most underrated fermenters. With the addition of a sample port and a way to purge CO2 while dry hopping, they are the next best thing to a uni in my eyes, considering the price of course. To bad I don’t have some food grade welding skills!

[@59apachestepside]

I came up with a tri clamp set up with a floating dip tube and butterfly valve for sampling/racking and dry hopping. I couldn’t figure out a simple glycol solution for maintaining temperatures, but I just tape the probe to the sidewall and use a vertical freezer as a fermentation chamber. www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/another-sanke-fermenter-gadget-floating-dip-tube-and-hop-dropper.684974/

[@barti7769]

Thanks for the video..It seems like a lot of effort for such a small fermenter. I cleaning mine by hand in a lot less time - rinse out initially, hot wash with pbw solution (including brush...), rinse with water, cleaning with acid based solution, rinse, than remove all part and clean/brush in a bucket......at lease it feels that way 😀. Anyway nice video.

[@christopherbaas1774]

Seems spot on to me. I picked up a big Chugger pump so I can CIP my 1/2bbl without the bucket and avoid some of that mess but it’s essentially what we did at the microbrewery where I worked too. I use hot water as a final sanitizer as well but I wait until brew day since the burners are going and there’s plenty available.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

The Chugger MAX? That’s what I would like instead of the sump pump so it can be a closed loop but for 6x the price, I’ll have to stick it out with the sump pump. Being able to use 185F water to sanitize would be awesome VS starsan or a non-foaming sanitizer.

[@christopherbaas1774]

Yes, it’s a tri clamp Chugger Max. Just got it. Before that it was a March and then a Riptide. Neither had enough pressure to go a really good job, I’m counting on nearly double the PSI to do it. It was pricey and the 1” hose and fittings added even more $ but besides it doing a better job it should also be a time saver. Just another piece in the endless gadget money pit that is home brewing!

[@HopKillerBrewery]

@@christopherbaas1774 ain’t that the truth. Cheers 🍻

[@troytodd2047]

@@HopKillerBrewery Why dont you use the same pump you use for brewing and then you could do a closed loop? No additional pumps required

[@scottcarr9985]

The more you know the longer it takes. Ignorance is bliss. I do envy your unitank.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I no longer own them for the time reason alone, features are really nice to have though!

[@JoostSlijkoort]

Yeah agreed. It's so much work in comparison to a simple fermenter. I bought a Brewtools MiniUni, which only has a top and bottom port. So i can pressure ferment, carbonise, drop hops oxygen free, dump trub and do CIP cleaning without having to dismantle and clean too much.

[@CasperMeenink]

I'd definitely grab a non-foaming sanitizer for any CIP operation.. :-) (guessing that you used Starsan, which foames a lot. Saniclean is a great non-foaming alternative)

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Is saniclean a non-rinse sanitizer?

[@SammaxMunich]

@@HopKillerBrewery yes - it is. I also use it for my Unitank - gives a small amount of foam.

[@Homebrew58]

With the contact time being 2 minutes as suggested by Starsan do you really need to go for 5 minutes?

[@ItsReck1]

what attachment was used for the sump pump? The female to TC 1.5 in particular, most sump pumps are .75 inches or 1.25, so which attachment you use?

[@matthewjr1982]

When you say you need to vent it to prevent a vacuum, what do you mean? You have a pump pumping solution into the conical and a drain letting the solution come out. By vent, are you just talking about the drain or something else? I'm also not sure how a vacuum would be created in something that is being pumped into rather than out of.. but I'm new to conicals and just trying to understand.

[@mrmathman]

I believe that would only be a concern if he was using an inline pump. With the bottom port open there is no danger of a vacuum

[@ateurtrk79]

Nice setup! Do you use hot water with that pump when cleaning, and if so how does it handle the heat? I've been trying to figure out how I want to build my cip, and I've considered just using my chugger pump, but I've heard they can't produce enough pressure to make the ball spin. Cheers!

[@HopKillerBrewery]

They are rated for 120F I think? Check the manufacture info in the link for the pump to make sure. I’ve used 140-150F with it multiple without problem, so far. At some point I imagine the gasket will give BUT it’s lasted two years so far. I even bought a second for cleaning my FV and kegs at once plus as back up incase my main one breaks.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I’ve also heard the same thing about the chiggers not being enough too. I sure wouldn’t do good enough in comparison to the sump pump but I couldn’t be wrong.

[@ateurtrk79]

@@HopKillerBrewery For a $50 pump, if it lasts 2 years like that, it might be worth it. Cheers!

[@yamaha317z]

So two questions: how long is the process good for between batches? Say I need to wait a week until brewing, would it still be sanitized and good to go by then? And also, how does the spray go through the blow-off? Mine doesn't as it's as the top and the water will only drain through the Dump Valve/Racking arm.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Good questions! 1) Personally I’ve gone 5 days between sanitizing & sending a new batch into that FV commercially. Granted, I do keep the fermenter under pressure so if I went to check it a week later and the pressure was gone, I would re-sanitize it. If you can’t store your fermenter under pressure, I would always sanitize the day of brewing. Anyone else reading this that has input, comment and let us know how long your pre-sanitize a vessel for! 2) When you have yeast(kraussen) that comes out of the blow off arm from fermentation, you want to ensure that the blow off is clean so running it through the blow off arm ensures it’s as clean as the rest of your fermenter. The spray ball itself doesn’t reach the inside of the blow off arm, that’s why I always attach the hose to the blow off itself, thus running the cleaner/sanitizer through it. Hope that clarified things for you!

[@Progfan2010]

This video is gold

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Thank you!

[@photogill8010]

This is a great video, but so many chemicals and water, not particularly environmentally friendly. Could steam sterilisation be an option after a deep clean of each item once resembled?

[@HopKillerBrewery]

You could totally use 185F water recirculating to sanitize as well and use that for your brewing water. Other than the initial cleaning with tap water to knock the majority of the gunk out before the CIP, it’s only a few gallons of PBW, which I try to re-use if I have more cleaning to do and a few gallons of sanitizer I also re-use. Brewing is a utility heavy task but doing tweaks to make it better for environment is always a goal!

[@Bohern1]

What size tank do you have? I ask cause i noticed the revised racking arm and that is something I'd like to switch out if I buy one. Very informative video, Thanks!

[@HopKillerBrewery]

The one in the video is a 1/2BBL. I don’t like their racking arm design at all, they use it for the BME kettles and brew buckets as well. I just added a Spike Brewing racking arm in place of theirs. It does stick out more so with a smaller unitank, it might block the racking arm below it. Just something to think about! Cheers

[@Bohern1]

@@HopKillerBrewery Thanks for the quick reply. I am wondering if the racking arm opening is the same on the 1/2BBL as it is for their 14GAL version? I was going to do the same as you and replace the SS one with the Spike one.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I would imagine it’s similar? I’m sure you could return the racking arm if it doesn’t fit how you would want. 👍🏼

[@Bohern1]

@@HopKillerBrewery Thanks again for the quick replies and great video. I am leaning towards getting one in a 14G size and seeing you were able to swap out give me hope. I am going to contact SS and see what they say, but from all of my research I like what I see. Cheers!

[@Bohern1]

@@HopKillerBrewery I ordered the 14 Gal one, thanks again for the well done video on how to CIP, I took cues from your setup.

[@avalonsaas2505]

hi, i'm about to use this method but what do you mean by make a vent? how do you do that? I have the exact same brewtech unitank but next size up, thanks

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Make sure while using the hot cleaning liquid you have one port open

[@kylepietro396]

I’m trying to get into cip for my apartment brewery. It’s just too much to lift and scrub my keggle and becoming too expensive to fill with ~10 gallons ofpbw solution. Found a cheap cip ball on Amazon and I plan on drilling it into my lid for the keggle. Found out today that my northern brewer pump does not put out enough pressure for the pump to reach the sidewalls. Any solutions or help? Thanks! @Hop Killer Brewery

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I use a sump pump to for my CIP. I’ve got a link in my description for that pump, works like a charm!

[@kylepietro396]

@@HopKillerBrewery I looked that none up. No issues with high temperatures?

[@HopKillerBrewery]

@@kylepietro396 I always keep it around 130-140F. No issues! If you go higher temperature I would look into a Blichmann Riptide pump or A Chugger. The blichmann pumps are more powerful from what I’ve seen in other KZbin videos.

[@kylepietro396]

@@HopKillerBrewery thanks for the info! I was doing my best to avoid investing in another pump. I’ve got the one from northern brewer that is similar to an mkII. It only puts out about 5gpm which isn’t really enough pressure to spin the ball and reach the sides of the kettle

[@mrjohnthepom1]

very helpful, thanks

[@mustang3695]

Nice

[@BrandonReinhart]

Really good guide. I have a Spike conical, but the process would be the same.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Thank you! I’m glad you like it, it would be the same. Does the spike clean as well since the spray ball is off to the side VS centralized. Let me know!

[@BrandonReinhart]

@@HopKillerBrewery Mine is new, but I'll let you know. What brand of pump are you using?

[@HopKillerBrewery]

It’s a Superior Pump 1/3HP. Got it on Amazon!

[@ewgraver]

That's a lot of moving and lifting for "cleaning in place"

[@HopKillerBrewery]

It was right? Kind of defeating the purpose. I’ve seen bought keg extensions so I can fit a bucket under the bottom drain. It’s now a true “CIP”

[@kylepietro396]

@@HopKillerBrewery going to follow your advice and get one of these pumps to cip my keggle. Do you think there will be any issue with return to the bucket underneath? I have 1/2” ball valve out on the kettle

[@HopKillerBrewery]

@@kylepietro396 to be honest, I’m not sure if it will or not. I also DONT know if you can add a valve on the output to throttle back those style of pumps due to the back pressure it would create. For sure look into that before buying it! You could always cycle it on and off to let it drain if it did get too full.

[@kylepietro396]

@@HopKillerBrewery I was working it out in my head and I was thinking of using my current homebrew pump to suck liquid from the kettle through the plate chiller to the bucket and then have the sump pump run as you do. At least this would maximize liquid out as opposed to relying on gravity. But the 5 gpm pails in comparison to the sump pump

[@paskrell]

When I’m thinking how much I want a fermenter like yours but then realise how easy it is to clean the FermZilla all rounder and how many I can ruin and buy before affording your setup…

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I recently got the all-rounder and installed a cooling coil & thermowell. Everything plus a temp controller was around $200 to mimic a stainless, pressure capable fermenter. Pretty sweet setup!

[@cosmic_diver]

Seems like an interesting situation with Fermzilla vs stainless. I'm teetering on the edge. I love the look and long term benefits of using SS conicals. But given the costs are more than 10x fermzilla excluding cooling, it's not an easy decision to make. I currently have a 60l Fermzilla and fermentation chamber and my end beer is very reliable quality wise. So multiple Fermentation chambers and just replace the Fermzillas every 2 years. Seems like this could be more affordable and I can really see how clean the Fermzilla is after a clean. My brain says expand using my current setup and my heart says you need stainless ha ha. Thanks for the video.

[@OldNorsebrewery]

Cleaning is about 80% of brewing. Cheers

[@HopKillerBrewery]

It totally is! Can’t make good beer with dirty equipment.

[@mrmathman]

I would say using co2 at the isn't necessary. When putting in beer you want oxygen to be present, hence oxygenation stones etc.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Keeping the unitank under pressure if you aren’t going to fill it in a few hours is to prevent any chance of bacteria/wild yeast from entering since it’s under positive pressure.

[@Milk_Processing_Line]

Digital thermometer.

[@TheAlehio]

too much mess for cip. Consider using a magnetic pump and put the pbw with water inside the fermenter! cheers!

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I’d like to use a Chugger Max that has welded TC fittings but not looking to spend the $300!

[@PetraKann]

Step by step? Even if you use this exact fermentor set up, this video was a little hard to follow.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

I can make an updated version in the future that’s more detailed.

[@Nick.Keane77]

did you just spend 6 hours cleaning your fermenter? LOL

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Takes about 1-1.5 hours from start to finish.

[@graywolfpatriot8589]

Good grief

[@jakklump]

The narrator is an example of the quality of American education.

[@HopKillerBrewery]

Is this suppose to be an insult?