Built for cellars that need access to the cap

Most 5KL open top tanks we ship go to small and mid-size wineries where reds are fermented with manual punch-downs and ceiling height is tight. The offset base is the detail that makes them workable: the vessel sits off-center on the frame, so the bottom drain and racking valve stay clear of the wall, and a pallet jack still fits under the stand for repositioning between harvests. Anyone who has pulled a full tank out of a corner with 300 mm of clearance knows that matters more than a spec sheet figure.

Working volume is 5,000 L, roughly 5,300 L brimful. Typical geometry is a Ø1,800 mm shell with 2,400 mm straight side on a 1,600 × 1,600 mm square tube stand. We change height and diameter when your door opening or ceiling is the limiting factor.

Materials and fabrication

Shell and bottom are 3 mm, 304 stainless as standard. Wine at pH 3.2–3.8 with normal sulfite levels sits fine in 304; we move to 316L when the tank will see high-chloride cleaning chemistry or long storage of high-acid must. Product-contact welds are TIG, full penetration, ground flush, then pickled and passivated. Interior is 2B mill finish unless you want #4 or mirror — white juice producers usually ask for a brighter surface so the lees line reads clearly at racking. The top rim is rolled with no raw edge, so a hose or a forearm doesn\’t catch on it.

Lids are hinged or fully removable with a silicone gasket and adjustable clamp. Every lid gets a 1.5\” airlock port.

Fittings

• 2\” TC bottom drain, flush or with a standpipe for lees retention
• Racking port set above the lees level
• Sample valve, analog or digital thermometer
• Optional dimple jacket on the shell for fermentation heat removal

An open tank cannot be pressurized, so the jacket is cooling duty only — no relief valve or pressure rating applies. If you need pressure capability for carbonation or CO2 blanketing, a closed top with a conical or dished bottom is the correct choice.

Specifications

Common questions

Open or closed top for reds? Open if your protocol includes punch-downs or whole-cluster work. Closed with a CO2 blanket if you run submerged-cap or prefer inert gas protection.

How do I connect it? Bottom drain to pump or gravity line, racking port to a transfer hose, jacket inlet and outlet to your glycol loop. Tell us your thread standard — TC, DIN or SMS — and we match the rest of your cellar.

Lead time? Standard builds run 4–6 weeks. Custom diameters and jacket layouts add time.

Before quoting, we need the varietal and must chemistry, batch size, ceiling and door dimensions, glycol supply temperature, and how you plan to move wine out of the tank. Tell us your batch size, wine type, number of tanks and available space. We can recommend the tank volume, cooling area and configuration for your cellar.