THE archive GRUNDY TANK PAGE
 

APRIL 2, 2006:
WE HAVE DECIDED TO, FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES,  EXIT THE GRUNDY BUSINESS. 

These utilitarian, cheaply made and mass produced tanks have helped many a brewpub and microbrewery get off the ground at a low cost in the last two decades.
They were literally the Tin Lizzie, the Model T of tanks to the North American craft brewing industry since the late 1980s.
They have been: imported, modified, bought, sold, re-sold, modified some more, repaired (often many times), had faces painted on them, been both feared and cursed by legions of labor-weary brewers. 
They have served many, perhaps never well, but often adequately. 
Probably no brewer who used them ever missed them for a minute after they were replaced with new, modern tanks with real manway doors that actually seal.
For better or worse, now it is time to put them out to pasture.
Due to the diminishing demand, lack of parts availability, safety issues, obsolete design and the labor intensive nature of using these tanks, we strongly encourage better quality and more user-friendly alternatives.

Effective immediately:
WE ARE NO LONGER ACTIVELY BUYING, SELLING, MODIFYING "GRUNDY STYLE" TANKS, OR SUPPLYING PARTS FOR THESE TANKS (INCLUDING PORTER-LANCASTRIAN).
WE NO LONGER SUPPLY OR ACCEPT ORDERS FOR GRUNDY-SPECIFIC PARTS INCLUDING DOOR GASKETS, CLAMPS, SIGHT GLASSES, DOOR NUTS, GRUNDY OEM  PRVS, OR ANY OTHER PARTS SPECIFIC TO GRUNDIES.
We DO NOT have any inventory of replacement parts or gaskets.
If you bought Grundy tanks from us in the past we will try to steer you to parts sources  when we are aware of them.
If you haven't bought Grundy tanks from us, we will be unable to assist you in maintaining them any longer.
We may still occasionally offer used Grundies for sale "AS IS", either as part of a used brewing system or individually.

What follows is our Archive, Historical Grundy Tank Page:

SOUND BREWING SYSTEMS, INC. CONSIDERS THAT GRUNDY AND RELATED STYLE TANKS ARE, AS OF MID-2006,  APPROACHING OBSOLESCENCE.  PARTS ARE BECOMING DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN.  OWNERS MAY BE FACED WITH MAKING POTENTIALLY COSTLY MODIFICATIONS TO THESE TANKS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE USING THEM, AS GASKETS AND REPAIR PARTS BECOME MORE DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN.  WE RECOMMEND THAT CUSTOMERS UNDERTAKE A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS BEFORE PURCHASING GRUNDY TANKS, WHICH ARE 50 YEAR OLD TECHNOLOGY, AND  NOT TOO USER FRIENDLY IN COMPARISON WITH MODERN TANK DESIGN.  GREATER SAFETY, IMPROVED SANITATION AND REDUCED LABOR COSTS ARE BENEFITS OF MORE MODERN TANK DESIGN WHICH MAY OUTWEIGH THE CHEAPER COST OF GRUNDYS.

 Instead of fixing your leaky Grundy valves, wasting CO² and contributing to global warming, we recommend the following modifications: 
    1. Cut the 1.5" RJT fitting off the top of the tank, enlarge the hole and weld on  a 2.0" Tri-Clamp ferrule.
    2. Buy a 2.0" S/S sanitary pressure vacuum relief valve to go on the 2" port.
    3. Buy or fabricate a moveable CIP adapter with a special spray ball  that will fit into the 2" TC port.
The CO² savings alone should pay for these modifications over time.   If you convert one tank, you should do them all.

At the present time, we are not importing Grundy-style tanks any longer.  We buy them on the open North American market as we need them.   Demand for these tanks has been steadily declining in recent years.  Parts such as door gaskets, sight glass gaskets and clamps for the top manway style tanks are difficult to obtain. 

"Grundy" is a term (borrowed from the name of a major UK manufacturer) that has been adpoted more or less by default in the North American craft brewing industry to describe UK-built pub cellar tanks which have been imported and adapted to a variety of uses, such as dispensing, bright beer, conditioning, and even fermentation.  The tanks were mass-produced (literally, thousands were made) as inexpensive tanks for direct-dispensing carbonated beer from pub cellars.  They were filled from brewery tanker trucks.   

So-called "Grundy" tanks may have been manufactured by Grundy, Porter-Lancastrian, and other minor players in the UK.  Most were made in the mid-20th Century.  "Grundy-like" tanks (sometimes called "Tote" tanks and being fork-liftable) have also been made more recently in France, Germany, the US and other countries, usually at 10HL capacity.

WE NO LONGER RECOMMEND DOING MAJOR MODIFICATIONS TO NEWLY PURCHASED GRUNDYS SUCH AS COOLING JACKETS, NEW MANWAY DOORS OR ADDING CONICAL BOTTOMS. THE COST OF THESE MODIFICATIONS ADDED TO THE PURCHASE PRICE WILL BE CLOSE TO THE COST OF A BETTER QUALITY USED OR NEW TANK, AND THEN AT THE END YOU STILL HAVE.....A MODIFIED 40-50YEAR OLD TANK THAT WAS NEVER A GREAT DESIGN TO BEGIN WITH.

Some of the information below is of historical interest and is no longer current!
 
 

1. Side round bolt on door

2. Top round bolt on door

3. Top clamp on door with band clamp

4. Side oval lift-out door with cross bridge and hand wheel (now scarce)

Our Grundy style tanks are supplied free of exterior paint. Some are glass bead blasted. Manufacturers’ or brewery decals and name plates may be present. Exterior finish of non-bead blasted tanks is typically "2-B mill finish," which is a very smooth but low reflective stainless finish. Some may have heat coloration on welds which can be removed by polishing or chemical treatment. We can "spin polish" the exterior of top manway tanks for a highly reflective finish similar to #4 mill sheet.