Ss brewtech Brew Bucket 2.0 User Guide
- June 9, 2024
- Ss Brewtech
Table of Contents
Ss brewtech Brew Bucket 2.0
Product Information
The Brew Bucket 2.0 is a stainless steel brewing vessel designed to help you brew better beer. It comes with an LCD thermometer, a Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve + Silicone Racking Arm, a Brew Bucket Lid, a #2 Silicone Stopper, and a 300mm Thermowell. The vessel is easy to clean and sanitize, and it is built to last.
In the Box
- 1 Brew Bucket 2.0
- 1 Brew Bucket Lid
- 1 Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve + Silicone Racking Arm
- 1 LCD Thermometer
- 1 #2 Silicone Stopper
- 1 300mm Thermowell
Product Stainless Steel Care
To keep your Brew Bucket 2.0 in good condition, it is important to clean and sanitize it regularly. Before first-time use, clean all surfaces of the vessel, including all valves and fittings, with Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP) in hot water, mixed with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Scrub with a soft cloth (don’t use anything abrasive) and after the initial TSP wash, rinse thoroughly and dry all surfaces. As part of a regular cleaning regimen, both pre and post-fermentation, wash the interior surfaces of your vessel with hot water and an alkaline cleaner such as PBW. Then sanitize with hot water and an acid-based sanitizer like Star San.
Please review dosage and disposal requirements for all chemicals before use. Be cautious when using stainless steel scrubbing pads or abrasive scouring pads as they can damage the surface and/or finish of the stainless. Non- scratch scouring pads are recommended. Oxalic Acid cleaners should not be used on the etched volume markings or etched logo as they may cause the markings to fade. Chlorine bleach or chlorine-based products and OxiClean or other peroxide cleaners in combination with hard water should never be used as they can cause damage to the surface of the vessel.
Product Usage Instructions
Assembly:
- Remove the Brew Bucket 2.0 and all hardware from the box. Locate the Brew Bucket Lid, 300mm Thermowell, and LCD Thermometer. Install the Thermowell into one of the pre-drilled 17mm ports on the Brew Bucket Lid. The Thermowell only uses a single o-ring to seal. This o-ring should sit between the thermowell base and the underside of the lid. Hand-tighten the nut and take care to avoid over-tightening to prevent damage to the o-ring and lid. Once the Thermowell is in place, install the included CR2032 battery into the LCD Thermometer. Then install the LCD Thermometer into the included Silicone Boot. Lastly, feed the temperature sensor into the Thermowell, and seat the Silicone Boot as close to the Thermowell’s nut as possible.
- Locate the Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve + Silicone Racking Arm assembly from the packaging. To install the Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve + Silicone Racking Arm assembly, begin by inserting the Racking Arm through the port in the cone of the Brew Bucket. Then thread the valve onto the port’s threads.
Now that your Brew Bucket 2.0 is assembled, you’re ready to start brewing better beer!
STAINLESS STEEL CARE
INITIAL CLEANING AND PASSIVATION
Pre-Clean:
Prior to first-time use, thoroughly wash all surfaces of the vessel, including
all valves and fittings, with Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP) in hot water, mixed
with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Scrub with a soft cloth (don’t use
anything abrasive) and after the initial TSP wash, rinse thoroughly and dry
all surfaces. Check out our TSP Cleaning FAQ knowledge base article for more
info!
Passivation:
It’s good practice to periodically passivate all stainless-steel equipment
with an acid-based solution to establish a uniform passive oxide layer that
will maximize corrosion resistance. Following the pre-clean step, fill the
vessel with hot water (at 140-180°F) mixed with Citric Acid (at a
concentration of 4% by weight) for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours.) Drain,
rinse with purified water, then dry the vessel. Most tap water contains
various salts and chlorides (either naturally or for taste) which can
undermine the passive oxide layer you just worked to create. Check out our
Passivation FAQ knowledge base article for more info!
BREW DAY
Cleaning and Sanitizing: As part of a regular cleaning regimen, both pre and
post-fermentation, wash the interior surfaces of your vessel with hot water
and an alkaline cleaner such as PBW. Then sanitize with hot water and an acid-
based sanitizer like Star San. Check out our Cleaning FAQ and Sanitization FAQ
knowledge base articles for more info! Please review dosage and disposal
requirements for all chemicals before use.
https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202239329-Before-Using-Your-
Equipment-Cleaning-Guide.
USE THE FOLLOWING WITH CAUTION:
- Stainless steel scrubbing pads or abrasive scouring pads. If used too aggressively, abrasive pads (like Scotch-Brite Green Heavy Duty scour pads) can damage the surface and/or finish of the stainless. Non-scratch scouring pads are recommended (like Scotch-Brite Blue non-scratch scour pads.)
- Oxalic Acid cleaners such as Bar Keeper’s Friend, Kleen King, or Revere Ware Copper and Stainless Steel Cleaner on the etched volume markings or etched logo. They may cause the markings to fade.
NEVER USE THE FOLLOWING:
- Chlorine bleach or chlorine-based products. Chlorine can cause pitting of stainless steel, or pinholes through the surface which cannot be repaired.
- OxiClean or other peroxide cleaners in combination with hard water. These can cause calcium carbonate to precipitate onto the surface. If this happens, re-passivate your Chronical.
INSTRUCTIONS
ASSEMBLY
-
Remove the Brew Bucket 2.0 and all hardware from the box. Locate the Brew Bucket Lid, 300mm Thermowell, and LCD Thermometer.
Install the Thermowell into one of the pre-drilled 17mm ports on the Brew Bucket Lid. The Thermowell only uses a single o-ring to seal. This o-ring should sit between the thermowell base and the underside of the lid. Hand- tighten the nut and take care to avoid over-tightening to prevent damage to the o-ring and lid.
Once the Thermowell is in place, install the included CR2032 battery into the LCD Thermometer. Then install the LCD Thermometer into the included Silicone Boot. Lastly, feed the temperature sensor into the Thermowell, and seat the Silicone Boot as close to the Thermowell’s nut as possible. -
Locate the Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve + Silicone Racking Arm assembly from the packaging.
To install the Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve + Silicone Racking Arm assembly, begin by inserting the Racking Arm through the port in the cone of the Brew Bucket. (Fig. A) Then thread the valve onto the port’s threads. (Fig. B)
-
Locate the #2 Silicone Stopper.
The Brew Bucket includes a pre-drilled #2 Silicone Stopper that allows brewers to use a standard s-shaped airlock or 3-piece airlock for fermentation. Simply press your airlock into the stopper and then lightly push the stopper into the open 17mm port on the Brew Bucket Lid.
OPERATION
RACKING ARM VALVE
The Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve is designed to rotate during wort transfer,
which allows the racking arm to extend into the conical bottom, thus enabling
you to transfer the maximum amount of beer possible. Due to the construction
of the valve and racking arm, the racking arm can be rotated 360 degrees in
both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
Before using the Brew Bucket 2.0 for your first fermentation, it is recommended that brewers should perform a water test to get a feel for the following procedure.
To rotate the valve, begin by slightly loosening the Valve’s swivel nut by
hand. The swivel nut should only be loosened by a maximum of 1/8th of a turn
to prevent any leaking. Then rotate the valve until the racking arm is in the
desired position. Note, the racking arm tube points in the opposite direction
of the knurled knob. Re-tighten the swivel nut by hand to secure the valve
.
NOTE:
The Valve Assembly should only be tightened by hand and tools should never be
used to tighten or loosen the valve.
Once the fermenter is cleaned, sanitized, and prepped for fermentation, we recommend orienting the assembly so that the racking arm is pointed down during active fermentation. If it is pointed upwards, a clog could ensue if trub and yeast settle into the racking arm’s opening. When you are ready to transfer your beer to the bottle or keg, you can rotate the valve so that the racking arm is pointed up at the beginning of the transfer process and then slowly rotate it back downwards as the liquid level inside the Brew Bucket 2.0 decreases.
CLEANING
CLEANING THE BREW BUCKET PURE FLOW VALVE
The Silicone Racking Arm of the Brew Bucket Pure Flow Valve allows for the
valve to be completely sanitary and easy to clean. To completely disassemble
the valve and racking arm, begin by making sure that the knob on the valve is
opened all the way. Then, using a wrench, remove the barb on the front of the
valve. With the valve removed, you can then pull the racking arm through the
valve body. Once cleaned, reassemble by carefully inserting the racking arm
back into the front of the opened valve and then threading the barb back into
place.
INSTALLING A BLOW OFF
Some brewers may wish to use a Blow Off Tube instead of an airlock. We offer
an Optional Brew Bucket Blow Off Fitting that can be used for this. For more
details, check out the Brew Bucket section of our online Knowledge Base linked
below.
https://ssbrewtech.zendesk.com/.
PRESSURIZED TRANSFERS
Ss Brewtech does not recommend lifting full or partially full tanks. Tank
handles should only be used to move tanks between batches. Instead of moving
the Brew Bucket for gravity transfers, Ss Brewtech recommends performing
pressurized transfers. Full details on how to perform a pressurized transfer
can be found in our Pressure Transfer/Kegging Guide in the link below.
https://www.ssbrewtech.com/pages/guides.
Typically, only 1-1.5 psi is needed to transfer beer over to your keg(s). Using pressures higher than 1-1.5 psi to transfer fluid from your Brew Bucket may result in damage to your unit or personal injury. Also, keep in mind that transferring to a keg/vessel that is located much higher than the fermenter and/ or the use of an in-line filter greatly increases the pressure required to transfer the beer, both of those situations should be avoided.
If you have any further questions about your Brew Bucket 2.0, be sure to check out our website and take a look at our extensive knowledge base in the Support section. If after searching our FAQs, you still can’t find an answer to your specific question, please submit a ticket to our support team.