FV temp control

[fisherman]

the 20 litre brewbucket with tap and tube is on top of the fridge and filled with a 1 gallon sterilised bucket from the boiler.

[fisherman]

My 20 litrebrew bucket sits on top of the fridge so gravity feeds to fill the 50 litre pot through tap and tube.The raised fridge feeds gravity to fill FV.

[Fil]

so your brewing on a fridge on some pallets.. sounds like a neat 'ghetto' brewtower

if gravity can work for you let it, sometimes however it cant..

im using a pump, between hot and cold, gravity feeds the hot side but the boiler is low down as a consequence.


the pump sits the hot side of the chiller feeding to the FV at a height suitable for draining with gravity into kegs..

not ideal but i havent got a 2 story brewshed..

[fisherman]

On the opposite side of the garage is a brewing HLT --- Mash tun--- boiler--- Tower made of bricks as a tower in steps. They are very secure. The HLT is extra secured with a snake rope so it cannot move unless I undo the rope. In my early days of brewing I may have had the odd spillage incident but none for years and never again. Everything must be secure on my brewery wall chart before a tap is opened. Rust free painted new pallets are brilliant. Happy Brewing

[Cheesey]

I'm going to use a pump . I've seen the solar project pumps get mixed reviews. Can anyone recommend a pump that's not expensive?

[Fil]

Genuine solar pumps or lil brown pumps are great, only problem ive had is on the odd occasion the impelar sticks, probably due to a less than perfect clean/rinse cycle, which needs a head removal and a nudge to get going again,, i carry a spare just for that reason as its easier to fix later than when needed.. mrlards true magneticly coupled 12 and 24v pumps seem to be next on the vfm list (some could/will probably rate em higher).. i personally like the easy electronic control of the lil brown pumps..

mrlard @ the homebrewbuilder.co.uk and also similar pumps can be got from angel brewing
for lil brown solar pumps i would go via solarprojects.co.uk you may pay a quid or 2 more but its a uk based firm which has a proven track record with excellant customer service.. and imho the sub £15 ebay china ones are bound to carry a much higher FAKE risk and are more likely to be knock offs that are not worth the 3 week wait for disappointment as u watch the magic smoke escape on first use.

[Kev888]

For brewers who brew in garages or sheds I am surprised nobody has mentioned about raising the fridge as i am going to do next week. I shall raise the fridge on pallets i have made 2ft square to raise the fridge. I will lift very little as i shall have a 20 litre brewbucket with a tap and tube to empty direct into a 50 litre empty stainless fermenter already in the fridge. When fermentation is finished i shall empty via a tube on a syphon into a sealed secondary. No lifting at all.When you cannot lift it is surprising how you can get around the most strange tasks.

Yes, raising the fridge is also useful in not having to disturb sediment before racking to kegs/bottles etc; as I mentioned, you can do a lot with gravity. Unless you have a really high room and build a gantry to access the MT though, you will often need to lift at some point; whether lifting an intermediate bucket is better than using/lifting two smaller FVs or using a pump may be a matter of personal preference though. In my own setup the boiler has to be so low and the FV so high and the volumes are large enough that a pump is the best solution.

Cheers
Kev

[Kev888]

I'm going to use a pump . I've seen the solar project pumps get mixed reviews. Can anyone recommend a pump that's not expensive?

I'm afraid I was one of those who had issues with the little solar pumps which was a real shame because they are great little pumps and worked really well to begin with; its possible that I was just unlucky. I upgraded to an expensive one so I can't say from experience if Mr Lard's or the angel homebrew ones are better budget alternatives or not, though outwardly they look promising.

Cheers
Kev

[Cheesey]

Thanks to all for the advice. I have been out to the garage tape measure in hand and will be raising FV so cask/bucket can be fitted below.im picking up the vessels on Sat. So can have a play then.
I guess the initial query on FV temp has rail roaded to gear so I'd best move my next round of questions there. Many thanks to all contributors it's been really helpful

C

[fisherman]

My concern about pumps has nothing to do with cost or convenience it's a simple case of infection and cleaning pumps and pipes. I am really hot on hygiene pre boil but not as much as post boil. I would hate to have to tip 50 litres of wort down the drain Happy Brewing

[Kev888]

Yeah, hygiene is no bad thing, and certainly post-boil every extra bit of equipment in the wort's path is another thing to have to clean and sanitise thoroughly; I wouldn't advise getting a pump if it wasn't going to be (or couldn't be) properly cleaned.

Though I wouldn't say that a hygienic design of pump with an effective cleaning regime was intrinsically flawed, it just takes yet more effort to ensure - so if its not needed in a smaller system then that could be avoided. For myself with a 100L system in a 6' 2" high garage I feel the benefits are worth the care and time spent cleaning/sanitising pumps effectively.

Cheers
Kev

[fisherman]

I fully agree 100 litres is a lot of lifting. Water at 10lbs per gallon thats heavy man.

[Jambo]

I am really hot on hygiene pre boil but not as much as post boil.

Hi Fisherman, is it just me or is that approach the opposite of what makes sense!?

[fisherman]

What I meant is as the volume becomes increased say 100 litres plus pumps become essential.

[Cheesey]

Yes Jambo, it is.

Well after all the "can't fit a fridge into the space" problems:
1. I have just been given a fridge
2. have read Jim's article on extending a fridge.

So I'm now looking at moving my water and fuse box to fit the small fridge in. Then I am thinking to rebuild the door to make it possible to fit in my 70L pot with it's 56cm diameter handle to handle. The tap will be fitted in line with the handle and the door rebuilt to have an internal diameter of 56cm (currently around 40cm), and insulated with kingspan.
I was worried about water freezing up with a water cooled system. What concerns me now is the operating temp of fridges in a garage. Usually 16'C to 32'C.

Has anyone found a problem in the winter at keeping the Fv at 20'C?.