Boiler to get into AG?

[kearnage]

I've tried that. They are just a little too much off to fit.

*Update: bumped into a local plumber. I'm now in possession of two spanking new 1/2" tank connectors.

Let the building begin!!

[kearnage]

Well, after many days being distracted with such trivialities as Christmas and the New Year I finally got around to starting the build that should have been complete about a month ago.

Here is the progress so far: (Sorry that some images are on their side. If you click on them they load in the correct way up)

HLT


I got a couple of these online with pre drilled holes for the elements and the tank connector



I got 4 of these 1.5KW elements from eBay. They came well recommended by other members.



I fitted the elements and tank connector to the bucket.



I got two of these foil backed camping mats from eBay.



And cut them to fit around the bucket.



Then fitted a tap and my HLT is complete for now.



I also have a temp controller which I will wire in soon.

[kearnage]

Next was the Mash Tun:

I got one of these cheap cool boxes from Tesco:



Opened it up to reveal the shocking amount of insulation inside. This is the thickness of the polystyrene on the 4 sides and bottom.



I added an extra layer of high density foam to more than double the thickness.



Then I wrapped the polystyrene in foil.



I repeated for the 4 sides and bottom and fitted back into the box



Now the lid. No insulation at all!!!



I used 1 inch thick polystyrene.



Wrapped in foil.



Added an extra layer if foam again.



Wrapped it all in bubble wrap and sealed to make it moisture proof.



And it pushed back into the lid.



Fitted the tap.



And the braided hose on the inside



And that's the Mash Tun done for now.

I'll test the temp drop over 90mins with the box pre heated soon.

[kearnage]

Then onto sparging setup

5 x 15mm equal elbows, 3 x 15mm equal T's and one length of 15mm pipe.



Small holes drilled along the bottom side of the three longer lengths and then tested the fit on the top of the mash tun.

[kearnage]

And then the boiler:

The same size bucket as the HLT (60L)



Then I fitted two elements as per the HLT and a 12" Bazooka filter



I've just got to cut the camping mat to fit around the bucket (with two straps to hold it in place during the boil, and remove it all while cooling)

I'm almost ready to go now I think. I can provide links to any of the parts that I purchased online if anybody wants them.

[Fil]

Grand build!! well done, only thing i would query is your tun drain, it looks like your sealing against the inner skin and outer skin, which could leave u with an inner leak resulting in flooding the insulation gap with liquid? which would screw up both your volumes and your mashing temp retention.

the off the shelf cold box tun i used had a larger hole cut in the outer skin providing access for the compression seal on the inner skin to be made without the above concerns.. it does make for a slightly less stable valve only being supported by the single skin. Perhaps the camping gaz coldbox had a more sturdy inner skin??

the problem with making a compression seal against the outer skin to seal against the inner skin is the compressive nature of the insulation packed between the skins,tighten to seal and the insulation may just give the same amount failing to seal.... you could substitute a block of timber with a hole drilled through at the drain point which would offer support for a compression seal unlike the insulation ?

Also as i used a 67l pp bucket fitted with 2 similar elements, you may find the elements if fitted with the sealing gaskets supplied dont work when plugged in, if you look at the gaskets they may appear to be designed for a significantly thinner skin than the bucket wall, to resolve i used a razor blade to slice the gasket into 2 and just used the thicker? iirc side on the inside to create the seal and allow the electrics to make positive contact..

[kearnage]

Good tip on the cool box. I was wondering if the seal would be good enough. I was thinking I would cut a length of slightly wider pipe (not sure or exact size but I found it in the garage) the same length as the thickness between the inner and outer walls, place this in between the two walls and pass the threaded connector through it. That way as I tighten the nuts on the inside and outside the walls will not flex and will have a fixed space between them creating a tight seal.

The elements fitted quite well and seemed to tighten well to the point that it felt like a connection was made but thanks for the the advice, I'll test them in the next day or two.

[Pinto]

I used the larger of the tesco's coolboxes for my mashtun - despite the thin insulation, it does a remarkably good job of holding the heat (<1 degree temp drop in a 75 min mash) so yours should perform well. Also need to sort out a larger boiler and im torn between getting a PP 67l bucket and an ex-beer keg on gas. Guess finances will dictate which

[alexlark]

Cracking build mate! I love going DIY

[kearnage]

Thanks.

I like the satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself. Plus you get a better understanding of the kit and why it's needed. Also if anything goes wrong you know how to fix it yourself.

That's the plan anyway.

[Dave S]

Great build, well done. I used a drum tap on my coolbox MT and just secured to the inner skin. It's worked brilliantly for 3 years and drops less than 1C in 90 mins. I'm planning to go shiny during the next couple of months. For value for money though, your setup looks like a great choice.

[BluePanda]

Thanks.

I like the satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself. Plus you get a better understanding of the kit and why it's needed. Also if anything goes wrong you know how to fix it yourself.

That's the plan anyway.

That is such good advice. I might add that I am very jealous of the boiler you have made. I've been umming and arring about a boiler to go BIAB with, fleeting between stainless steel/gas, buffalo boiler and one like this, changing my mind almost daily !

I would be very interested to know where you got the bucket, tap and hop filter from and what size holes you had drilled.

Thanks

[kearnage]

I got the buckets from here

http://www.copperkettlehomebrewing.co.u ... itemId=180

They will pre drill the holes for you for free. I got 2 x 40mm holes for the elements and 1 x 22mm hole for the tank connector. They also supply the tank connectors.

I got the 4 x 1.5KW elements from here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290913584715

I got the bazooka from here http://www.brewbuilder.co.uk/index.php? ... duct_id=91

The taps were from here http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1521100807

The camping mats were from here http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1494007828

The width of them matched the bucket pretty well and each mat has enough to do all around the side and the top.

Hope that helps.

[BluePanda]

Very helpful thanks. That's the bucket and elements I've been looking at so that's reassuring. What about the tap - which one is it?

[kearnage]

Sorry. I just realised I missed the taps. I edited my lasts post and added them.