Bucket Blaster and Big Mouth Bubbler

mscroggi

I got a Bucket Blaster for Christmas and have found it to work really well with kegs. Unfortunately, the stand does not work well with my Big Mouth Bubbler fermenters. The ring on the stand would be perfect for a carboy with a narrow neck but it is the exact same size as the Bubbler's wider neck. I got it to work by balancing the carboy on the ring and securing it with bungee cords but it's not as stable as I would like. I'm thinking about getting another lid for the bucket and cutting a hole big enough for the Bubbler's neck to fit inside. I think that will work well but I really like how everything with the Bucket Blaster can be stored inside the bucket--an extra lid would be an extra thing to manage.
Before I move ahead with my plan, does anyone have a better idea?

mscroggi

Hmm I ran my bucket blaster today on my big bubbler. Its true it doesnt want to sit in the center due to the size of the mouth of the bubbler and the ring in the stand.. but.. I just positioned the bubbler a little off-center so it would rest and not fall over. I did have a wind gust push it over once so its not a perfect workaround. One thing.. I dont use the original bucket that came with the blaster. I have several other normal buckets that are essentially the same size at the bottom, but are a few inches taller. It gives a little more vertical structure for things to rest on or against.. I have an All-Rounder fermenter and it is perfect for the taller bucket because they sit on the lip of the bucket and stand in a stable fashion.. The bubbler is narrower and just needs a little more support to stand upright..
Since the vertical pipe in the bubbler is really just a pvc pipe with threaded ends, I was wondering if it would be worth it to build a second, taller pipe that could be used.. one that is tall enough that the bubbler actually rests on the top of it a bit when it's in place. It would be really easy and cheap. The top cap could be changed to be a cap with angled holes from side instead of one hole in the center facing straight up. Bubblers are light and wouldn't put much strain on the pipe support (the pump)
Another option is to use a 7 gallon bucket since they are tall enough to offer even more vertical support to hold the bubbler vertical as it sits on the blaster.
Also.. a couple of support rods could be strapped to the top of the stand to give it more surface area for the bubbler to sit. I even thought I might have some small galvanized fence cloth laying around that I could just cut out a donut shape plate to set on top of the stand.
I might even track down a cheapo round stainless cooking rack and cut out the center to fit over the blaster pipe. Something like one of these -
304 stainless cooking rack round Or better yet.. Look at this thing Canner Rack
I think there are several easy tweaks to make it work with the different fermenters.. Today was my first use of the blaster.. and I really think it is a great investment. Two of my fermenters have smaller openings and fit on the stand very well.. The only one that is odd is the bubbler.