Boiler

[Mew]

Totally new to homebrewing. Really appreciate help on this one. Need to get a boiler. Been told to put a kettle element in a plastic bin or buy a catering urn, such as a Burco.

Don't understand the first option. Kettles have built-in elements and I have no idea how I would adapt a kettle in this way. The other option of a catering urn is also confusing. The manufacturer's website says they are unsuitable for homebrewing because the tap cannot be thoroughly sterlised.

There is also the question of installing a hop strainer. We live in west Essex and the only homebrew shop we could find locally was Laxton's in Broxbourne, Herts. They didn't have a boiler, plus, during two visits now, they have no one there who can offer any advice on brewing. We ended up buying an immersion heater from them but it doesn't go up to 100C! They also supplied us with a product called King Keg, which leaked.

Very, very disappointed in that particular shop as its website gives the impression it is somewhere novices can get advice on the products they sell, but when we went there we were handed a leaflet and pointed to a Woodforde's starter kit. That was the total of their help. They were happy to take more than £200 from us though...

Any help/advice would be hugely welcomed.

Mew

[themadhippy]

Need to get a boiler. Been told to put a kettle element in a plastic bin or buy a catering urn, such as a Burco.

Don't understand the first option. Kettles have built-in elements and I have no idea how I would adapt a kettle in this way

.
remove the element from kettle and refit into your plastic bin,have a look at viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27961 for example

The other option of a catering urn is also confusing. The manufacturer's website says they are unsuitable for homebrewing because the tap cannot be thoroughly sterlised

.
Bowlocks,loads (including me,but mines been modified a tiny little bit) are using urns as boilers,biggest hassle is the taps are crap,better to fit a ball valve

We ended up buying an immersion heater from them but it doesn't go up to 100C

bet it does if you dont bother with the thermostat

[Jim]

As Mr Hippy says, there are ways and means of solving these issues. Plenty of stuff on the forum already if you use the Advanced Search, but here's a thread on immersion elements to start with: -

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=63345&hilit=immersion+heater


I take it you already have other items such as a fermenter, hydrometer and such like?

[Fil]

If your considering a plastic boiler look at hdpe or PP as materials, hdpe will soften slightly at boiling temps, and may change shape a lil after first boil as it settles so dont calibrate any sight glass tubes u add till its been heated up to full temp PP remains more rigid
33 and 67l PP buckets suitable can be got from the copper kettle online brewshop,
ebay were selling 50l hdpe ex mango barrels for £11 - a bargain for a grain store too i used a mango barrel boiler with 2 kettle elements for about 20 brews till i upgraded to a bigger kit.

with the right tools cutting holes for elements and taps in SS stock pots is an easy task, (QMax Punch cutters) the malt miller and homebrewbuilder both online sell SS stock pots elements and taps for the job and can i believe make one on spec for u. email/phone mark @ thehomebrewbuilder for prices, the web site is more a shop window....

burco and their ilk are grand almost out of the box solutions, some have thermal switches and fuses which limit the boil capacity but are easily bypassed or upgraded, (searech in here on the subject) and the taps can be upgraded to allow easy hose connection and hands free on

I have nothing to do with the businesses i mention other than being a satisfied customer of all and all are run by brewers who know how their stock is used and are happy to help and answer questions...

[Dave S]

For 20-25l brews I'd definitely go the urn route. I use a 40l Buffalo, but have used Burcos in the past. All are good solutions. I've recently upgraded the tap on my Buffalo to a ball valve, (haven't brewed with it yet), but did 25 brews with the original tap without much issue. You just need to to figure out a way to keep it open during run-off without having to stand there with your hand on the tap.

[lord groan]

Totally new to homebrewing. Really appreciate help on this one. Need to get a boiler. Been told to put a kettle element in a plastic bin or buy a catering urn, such as a Burco.

Don't understand the first option. Kettles have built-in elements and I have no idea how I would adapt a kettle in this way. The other option of a catering urn is also confusing. The manufacturer's website says they are unsuitable for homebrewing because the tap cannot be thoroughly sterlised.

There is also the question of installing a hop strainer. We live in west Essex and the only homebrew shop we could find locally was Laxton's in Broxbourne, Herts. They didn't have a boiler, plus, during two visits now, they have no one there who can offer any advice on brewing. We ended up buying an immersion heater from them but it doesn't go up to 100C! They also supplied us with a product called King Keg, which leaked.

Very, very disappointed in that particular shop as its website gives the impression it is somewhere novices can get advice on the products they sell, but when we went there we were handed a leaflet and pointed to a Woodforde's starter kit. That was the total of their help. They were happy to take more than £200 from us though...

Any help/advice would be hugely welcomed.

Mew

Kettles: Some have the quick boil invisible elements welded in under the stainless base - I've never found a way to use these, others usually tesco-value type kettles or much older ones have a coiled element inside the kettle body, these ones can be unscrewed and removed with a bit of fiddling. You can then get a PP (polypropylene) bucket or mango chutney barrel (HDPE) to use as the boiler, convert it by cutting a, usually 38mm, hole low down on the side and refit your element(s) there with the appropriate seals in place. Bob's yer uncle!
Catering urn: I'd definitely look at fitting a different tap but apart from that catering urns are great, difficult to sterilise? Well you'll be boiling a 30l-33l sugary brew for about 90 minutes, that'll be 100c+, I've yet to meet any germ that'll survive that, boilers basically self-sterilise during the boil. Just make sure you wash it properly after use, rinse it out and make sure it gets properly dry so mould doesn't get a start in any damp patches left.
Hop strainer - lots of different solutions tried and detailed in this section.
You've probably already done it but before you begin spending just read through this equipment section, loads of good advice, details of problems encountered and solutions found. Get a feel for what people have tried, the answers to all your questions are in here. I knew nowt before starting but I've managed to build my own brewery just by learning from the good people on Jim's. My builds are detailed in here somewhere too, I went for the cheapest I could get away with at the start, - a functional brewery for about £50-£60. That taught me a lot, now I know I like what beer I make I feel a bit more confident about spending more on better kit.
Good luck and enjoy!

[Mew]

Thank you everyone for all your comments and advice - very helpful.

We have decided to go the Burco route. If anyone has a 30 litre boiler in London/South East area for sale please let us know.

[Dave S]

Thank you everyone for all your comments and advice - very helpful.

We have decided to go the Burco route. If anyone has a 30 litre boiler in London/South East area for sale please let us know.

If you're doing 23l batches, I'd recommend at least 40l. By the time you add your boil off water your total is likely to be around 35, albeit 5l or so will be lost to the mashed grain.

[timbo41]

Hello mew. Welcome. When you say west Essex can you specify. There's an excellent hbs in colchester, Google colchester homebrew. Andy sadler there is very helpful. I believe there's also one in westcliff,southend. Many of us use the online stores...

[fisherman]

Either the copper kettle for plastic or the malt miller for s/s . I have a 67 litre plastic from the kettle and a 50 litre s/s from the malt miller both brilliant. If you are young s/s good value.

[fisherman]

Look at yonny's copper kettle video on his homepage. All holes drilled free.