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Primary Fermentor -- what size required?

Can anyone offer me a guideline on what volume of primary fermentor I would need to ferment 3 lugs of red grapes (and not worry about overflowing)? Last year I split into smaller batches than I plan to this year, and I don't really have a clear idea what kind of total volume I'll need to avoid overflow. But I do know that I ended up with about 30l of wine after racking and pressing.

This year I want to do several 3-lug batches. I don't know if I can err too much on the side of extra-large fermenters (it's a long story), so if someone can give me a reasonable rule-of-thumb for the size I'll need, I'll be very grateful.

Thanks, Richard

Reply to
Richard Kovach
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Never figured it that way but if the lugs are 36# each that will be 108#. Figure 13 to 15 lbs per gal after pressing which would be around 8 gal. I would figure 60 to 70% more for whole fruit and head space so a 15 gal primary should be fine. If your lugs are a different size, well you get the idea.

Ray

Reply to
Ray

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