Big Tanks

[skydvrboy]

The following items are coming up for auction as a local winery is going out of business and I have a good feeling they will go for close to scrap value. I think any could be used for fermentation tanks, but do you think the jacketed tanks could be converted into mash tuns and/or stills with the addition of a distillation column on the top and running steam through the jacket? Also, any other uses in a distillery that I may have overlooked or any idea on what these stainless tanks are worth? I have an idea, but I want to see what others, more knowledgable than myself, think.

1,000 & 2,000 gal SS tanks, insulated w/painted metal cover & cooling/heating jacket

1500 Gal. MidState Tank

Cone Bottom

2" Bottom and 1" Racking Outlet

Side and Top Manway

No Cooling Jacket

Made in 1996

3000 Gal. Mueller Stainless Tank

Durable, Type 304 stainless steel construction.

Sanitary, attractive No. 2B finish inside and out, with the heat transfer surface polished to a No. 4 finish inside and out.

Mueller Temp-Plate heat transfer surface provides efficient cooling using either pumped ammonia or glycol refrigerant.

Mueller manway assemblies installed with a smooth radius on both sides of the manway collar to ensure superior cleanability as well as improved structural integrity.

Large radius corners for thorough, easy cleaning.

Strong, 12-gauge truncated top heads and 12- and 14-gauge sidewalls.

Flat-pitched bottom head with easy access side drain. No stands.

4-inch top vent assembly and 2-inch racking clamp connections.

Two projectile wells for temperature monitoring.

Lifting and anchoring lugs.

Bottom opening manway flush with tank bottom and a 4-inch outlet clamp connection.

2-inch outlet clamp connection.

Made in 2005

Many thanks!!!

[skydvrboy]

bump... Any help on this? I think they will be useful as I start up my distillery, but I really don't want to overpay for them.

[Denver Distiller]

That mueller tank pictured won't be cheap. They're top notch fabricators. I can't tell you if that's a good deal because you didn't list a price. There's no way that a usable SS tank will go for scrap value. There's too much demand from small brewers and winemakers.

[Lenny]

Something to consider if you haven't already -

Those are some big tanks. If you're not fermenting quantities close to the size of the tank (with 25% or so headspace to spare), maybe you'd be better off with smaller fermenters closer in size to the volume of wash/mash that you'll be running. You could certianly run lesser gallons of wash in larger tanks, but the footprint might ocupy close to twice the floor space that a more appropriatly sized fermenter(s) would use. Then again, myabe you are planning on going huge or have space to spare...

Just some stuff to think about.

You could snoop around the pricing for new wine fermenters at stpats.com to get a sence of what new stuff goes for - then you'd know what not to pay for used equipment.

[skydvrboy]

The seller had the Mueller tanks listed for $9000 each and the Mid-State tanks listed for $4000 each. At those prices, he was unable to sell them which is why they are being auctioned off.

Thanks for the link to stpats with the new pricing. I do have space to spare, and plan on going huge, eventually. What I don't have is lots of money to spare, which is why I am looking into used equipment at a local auction to repurpose instead of buying the "right" equipment new.

I will keep you posted. Last time I talked to the seller he did offer me his remaining wine stock to produce brandy from for $1 a gallon. I think I have to be licensed before he can sell that kind of bulk to me though. Someone please correct me if they know I am wrong.

[skydvrboy]

I said I would keep you posted. I ended up with the 1500 gal. MidState tank and one of the 3000 gal. Mueller tanks.