another boiler question

[paulg]

if i was to buy a 30 -40 litre electric boiler (buffulo or burko type ) what extra conversion work is required to be done to allow me to biab or AG brew
some of the boilers have consealed elements so does this make cleaning easier (i guess it does)
thanks paul

[Beer O'Clock]

I have a 40litre Buffalo and it requires no immediate changes. Eventually you may want to change the tap to a ball-valve type for ease of cleaning.

But it's near perfect as is.

[Kev888]

Hi,
Yes, sometimes no alteration is necessary. However a common issue is that many boilers (and I believe all tea-urns) don't give you a strong rolling boil - they're usually designed to keep the liquid simmering at boiling temperatures rather than cause excess evaporation or waste energy by boiling properly/vigorously. So unless the model you buy happens to be suitable, you may have to bypass the temperature controller when boiling and possibly remove safety cut-outs.

Other than that its up to you really. Some people may replace the tap if they prefer a different type, and many will put a dip tube from the back of the tap towards the base of the boiler so that (if they have a longer tube on the outside of the tap) the syphon effect will suck up stuff below tap level and reduce dead space. But you can manage/help by instead tipping the boiler if you want to. You could also add a hop-stopper or filter to the dip tube, but you could instead put your hops in a net hop bag if you preferred.

It depends on brew-length but whilst 30L is possible for three-vessel AG brews, its a bit tight unless you're doing smallish batches so bigger would be more comfortable. If you wanted to do the BIAB thing though then definately go bigger unless you want to do fairly small brews; with the BIAB method you need room not just for the pre-boil wort but also for the grain and all/most of the liquor during the mashing stage.

Cheers
kev

[Goulders]

The 40l Buffalo I have gives a good rolling boil (turn to 110C) and you can do a full 23-25l BIAB without the need for sparging - as Kev says 30l would be too small unless you did a maxi-BIAB. Some have had problems with cut outs but I haven't. Checkout my Mysterio SNPA AG#1 - I think there is a picture of the boil there, although this time of year it helps to insulate the boiler so it doesn't lose heat.

[Brewtaster]

+1 to Kev888

I have an ACE boiler with concealed element and it works great and I do get a vigorous rolling boil. It is supposedly 30L but filled to th MAX line it's only about 27-28L Add in the grains and the displacement is too much. 20L brew is about right from this, slightly more if you sparge carefully. Reviewing it I'm very happy with it's performance but I'm surea 40L boiler would just make a 23L brew a lot easier. Oh and it's a doddle to clean if you use a hop bag for boiling, otherwise the sight tube and tap get clogged!

Cheers

Iain

[paulg]

thanks for the replies guys
just a couple more questions
brewtaster
you mention a sight tube is this an external tube so you can see the levels of fluid inside the boiler and can easily be marked for quantities
with biab as all the grains ,hops etc are inside a bag am I correct to assume you dont need to build a hop strainer on the back of the tap

[subfaction]

+1 for the 40litre buffalo, do a search on here for nisbets clearance and u can pick one up for around £60-70. No probs with a full on boil.

[Valley Commando]

+1 40L buffalo from me too. Very satisfied. At 110C setting it really boils like a Hawaiian volcano!