CF ChatterFix
Line Equipment

Fermentation Tank Maintenance

Stainless is only stainless while its passive layer is intact. Once chlorides or aggressive chemistry strip it, the surface pits, and pits are harbours no CIP cycle can reach — the tank becomes a permanent reinfection source that cleans on schedule and looks fine through the manway. It is also the asset that puts a person inside a confined space, which makes its inspection a safety procedure as much as a maintenance one.

Tracked Components 4
Scheduled PMs 5
Industries Breweries & Distilleries

Components To Track

ChatterFix builds these as child assets under fermentation tank, so failure history and PM completions attach to the component that actually failed — not just to the machine.

How Fermentation Tank Actually Fails

The failure modes worth designing a maintenance schedule around — in rough order of what they cost when they happen.

  • Rouging and pitting where the passive layer has been stripped
  • Glycol jacket leaks, which put coolant into product
  • Pressure relief valve sticking or drifting off set pressure
  • CIP spray ball orifices blocking, leaving unwashed shadow zones
  • Racking arm seal leaks and weld corrosion

What To Measure

Recording that a PM was "done" tells you nothing next quarter. These are the readings that let you see a failure coming — and the reason ChatterFix captures measurements against the asset rather than just completions.

  • Internal surface condition — pits are harbours no CIP cycle can reach
  • Micro results tracked per tank, so a reinfecting vessel is identifiable
  • PRV tested at set pressure and recorded, not assumed
  • Spray ball coverage proven with a riboflavin or equivalent test
  • Chloride exposure from sanitisers, which is what strips passivation

Spares Worth Stocking

The parts whose absence turns a short repair into a long outage.

Preventive Maintenance Schedule

The PMs ChatterFix schedules against this equipment, with intervals and time estimates.

Common Questions

What maintenance does fermentation tank need?
ChatterFix schedules 5 routines against this asset: fermentation tank inspection & passivation (annual), glycol system service (semi-annual), pallet racking damage survey (semi-annual), puller belt inspection & tracking (monthly), tyre rotation & pressure check (quarterly). The readings that matter most are internal surface condition — pits are harbours no cip cycle can reach.
How does fermentation tank usually fail?
The most common modes are: rouging and pitting where the passive layer has been stripped; glycol jacket leaks, which put coolant into product; pressure relief valve sticking or drifting off set pressure; cip spray ball orifices blocking, leaving unwashed shadow zones; racking arm seal leaks and weld corrosion. Most of these degrade gradually rather than failing outright, which is what makes interval-based inspection worthwhile.
What spare parts should we stock?
Manway and racking arm gaskets, Pressure relief valves, CIP spray balls, Sample valve seals, Passivation chemistry. The test is lead time, not cost: stock the part whose absence turns a two-hour repair into a two-week outage, even if it is cheap.
Can I track this in ChatterFix?
Yes. Pick your industry at signup and fermentation tank is created as an asset with its 4 tracked components, with its PM schedule already attached. Technicians then log readings and findings against it by voice rather than typing them in.

Where It Fits

Get Fermentation Tank Into A Real CMMS

ChatterFix builds this asset, its components, and its PM schedule automatically when you pick your industry — then your technicians update it by talking, not typing.