What is the minimum gap between wall and fermentation tanks?

Hello everyone. We are in process of setting up our new Kombucha brewery. What is the minimum distance ( as per SQF standards) between:- 1.  Factory wall and a Fermentation tanks, 2.  Between 2 Fermentation tanks. This will help us building and designing our new factory outlet. Many thanks, Terry S

We also produce fermented products (dairy) and we're GFSI certified (FSSC22000) I've never heard of any standards regarding distance between tanks or tank & wall - that, I think, should be at your discretion to install your fermentation tanks the way to allow safe food production.

Thanks Olenazh .

is there any standard that we must keep certain amount of area clear from the wall for sanitation purposes ?

To allow proper sanitation of the area (e.g. floor, walls, pipes, etc.) and equipment around the tanks

No such standard exists.

However, you should consider how much space you need to PROPERLY clean all the way around the tanks............and that's how far out you put them :)

HI TerrySaini, The standard does not specify measurable guidelines for distance between wall and fermentation tank. But as best practices, it is recommended to provide enough space to facilitate cleaning and sanitation. Gap must be sufficient enough for housekeeping person to walk through.

Any views from other contributors are also welcome.

Also consider any maintenance activities that may be required.

You should also take into account the heat produced from the machinery (though that's the area of expertise of your provider), as the produced heat -if it is high- can possibly cause future malfunctions or difficulty in the heat regulation of your process, if the fermentors are too close to the wall or to each other or even serious discomfort to the personnel working in the area.

So to give you an actual numerical answer, I believe most perimeters I've seen kept at at least 18" especially for pallet storage, however we use that as the rule for all items. Its a bit of a squeeze sometimes for a person if you have broad shoulders, but is enough for cleaning and inspection. 

If a large amount of maintenance, sampling, will be needed, Increase to a main walkway type of width. Pumps will fail at the darndest times and it will always be THAT pump that is between tanks in a tight area.