Why aerate your wort? Yeast needs oxygen to reproduce and produce strong cell walls. If the cell walls are weak, the yeast will have a low tolerance for alcohol, and can die before fully fermenting out the wort. Particularly in worts with starting gravities in excess of 1.050, this can contribute to long lag times, slow ferments, and higher than normal finishing gravities. Like an air stone in a fish tank provides oxygen for fish to breathe, wort aeration provides needed oxygen for yeast respiration and growth.
This Big Oxygen System is the largest Oxygen Aeration System we have, and features a 0 - 4 cfm oxygen regulator, 4' of tubing, and our rigid 22" oxygen aeration wand with a .5 micron sintered stainless steel stone.
The pictured 20 cubic foot oxygen tank is not included - get a full tank of welding grade oxygen at a welding supply with a CGA-540 valve outlet (the welding industry standard).
To use, first assemble the tubing and wand and install the regulator on the full tank of welding grade oxygen you have sourced at a welding supply. Turn on with the regulator set to O and put the wand into your 5 gallons of beer. Turn on the regulator to to 1/2 LPM (liters of oxygen per minute) and let run for 20-30 seconds for worts with starting gravities up to 1.079, and for 60 seconds for worts with starting gravities over 1.080. One fully charged tank will treat at least 250 batches of beer based on this one the 30 seconds at 1/2 LPM setting.
Note: Before ordering, we recommend you call around and locate a welding gas supplier who will provide you with a deposit/exchange tank of welding oxygen, or who will fill a tank that you own. The tank must have an industry standard CGA 540 oxygen valve. Around here, it costs about $30.00 to exchange a 20 cubic foot tank of oxygen at a welding supply. This 20 cubic foot tank is good for adding oxygen to at least 250 five gallon batches of beer.
Jan 26, 2023 by Vernon
Q: The adapter that threads into the regulator and then attaches to the hose has broken on my regulator. Do you sell a replacement or point me to a place that does?
A: We do sell a replacement barb for our P21 regulator (item P20), but it only fits the regulators we sold after April 1st 2017. I'm not sure if there is a replacement available anywhere for the regulators we sold prior to April 1st 2017.
Nov 05, 2022 by Jay
Q: What is the inner diameter of the tubing? And what type of tubing is it? Thanks
A: It is flexible clear vinyl food grade tubing with a .170" interior diameter.
Jan 03, 2021 by Fernando Verli
Q: For a 25 gal batches, d<1,075, 1LPM and 2sec is a good choice ? Thanks
A: Yes, these are good initial settings.
Jan 10, 2019 by Nick Hill
Q: How long do you run the oxygen for 15 gallon and 35 gallon batch?
A: Try 1 minute for the 15 gallon and 2 minutes for the 35 gallon batch.
Jun 05, 2018 by Kathi
Q: When using this set up, is an inline filter needed?
A: We do not think it is needed.
Awesome!
This oxygenator kit has done wonders for my fermentations. Get a cylinder from a welding shop and you're good to go. Definitely worth the spend!
Works well
Works well. Not sure about The instructions as it seems most people are putting a lot more oxygen into their beers than what is reccended but the lot is good.
Good product and a game changer
So prior to buying the Big Oxygen system I had been either shaking my fermenters or using another oxygenation kit ... you know the one that requires you to buy small red bottles of oxygen at 8 bucks a pop at your local hardware store. No more of that one pop oxygen... this kit comes with a regulator, decent length of hose, and a wand with a stone attached. The oxygen bottle I purchased separately at a gas supply store for 85 bucks. It is a game changer for me because I don't have to buy that 8$ red tank that you maybe get a minute of oxygen out of.. thrust me going this route will almost pay for its self. The dial regulator has twist knob with markings to let you have an idea how much oxygen your adding to your wort. I do recommend this kit it works well. My only complaint is that the hose diameter that attaches to the wand is smaller then what I can find at my local homebrew shop. Cheers to you making good beer !
Good product
Works well. Hose clamps hard to find should be included with purchase
Great buy
This oxygenation kit is the one to purchase over all others. The wand is the correct length and the regulator is spot on for the proper amount of oxygen into wort. I highly recommend one buys this type instead of the disposable tank type.