So I'm looking to set back up again, after moving house some 5 yrs ago. The good news is I now have a brew shed with electrics.
I currently have 3x lager kegs that I've converted to HLT, MT & Boiler,(the heating is done by propane rings and gas bottle which I already have but gas bottle may need refilling) (side fittings) brass tank connectors and short pieces of copper tubing to make compression fittings between tank connector and ball valves. I'm led to beleive the BV are ss but have my doubts (paid £5 each from local plumbers merchant.) One home made sight tube on side of HLT made from copper tube elbows soldered and siclione tubing) 2 copper manifolds, borrowed from the old plastic boiler and picnic mash tun and a plate chiller.I also have one working pump (a cheap one from china after dog destroyed the head off the solor project one) I want a herms system so I have a 10mm copper tube coiled inside of a kettle.
I also have a few ploastic buckets, KK Top tap and a few cornies with gas board and co2 bottle, and hand pumps to ferment and serve.
I would really love a 100l ss HERMS setup but outside of my current budget (wife is currently on mertainity leave as we have a 5 month old and a 6 yr old) I have come into a bit of money that I wasn't expecting, maximum £200.
The extra bits I think I need are;
- Second pump -mainly as a replacement for the cheap China one that not had much luck with maybe solved with a new power supply but also so I can fly sparge rather than batch. I'm looking at the meg drive type from Angle brew at £45 inc
- Quick Disconnects - I've always tried using compression fittings but they're a pita esp on the pump ends as 15mm pipe don't quite fit on the pump ends. Having looked at various options I'm tempted to cut my losses and go with Cam locks the ss work out £15 more than pp at £68.81 inc
Sparge Arm - to fly sparge @ £25 for a ss premade one
- Aprox additional 15 metres of silicone tubing £15
- False bottom - I don't think the copper manifold esp in the boiler is big enough had issues with blockages before but wasn't sure if because the hop stopper had become unattached. As 40cm/15" diameter I could either go for a ready made one aprox £60 or use a splatter guard or I have some perspects laying around but no idea if food grade and this is pita to cut. I would then use the larger grain copper manifold in the boiler for the hop stopper.
Pid - to control the herms say £30-£40
Project box to fit the STC1000 FV temp controller in £10
So to buy everything listed comes in at £265.
Rather than buying a false bottom and used cheaper method, did away with the camlocks and stayed with compressions I might be able to get at least one 100l stock pot. If I went for decent kit and connections when I upgrade the pots I could just move everything across so just not sure which way to go and where to spend the money any help would be appreciated.
Thanks Andy
reserection rebuild/upgrade - where to spend the money?
-
Cazamodo
Re: reserection rebuild/upgrade - where to spend the money?
Pumps- I think as the Mag drive pumps have come down in price to not much more than the solar pumps, they are deffo the way to go. As far as I'm aware, they must be controlled by throttling the flow (eg with a ballvalve on the outlet), not a variable power supply like the solar pumps could. Angel brewing have cheaper ones that the £45 model but I believe that has stainless fittings on the end?
I would deffo suggest camlocks. If you can, go for stainless unless you're really not bothered. Theres a recent thread on someone using pp ones, or thinking of using them and I don;t think theres a problem with them. mrlard also sells them at a similar price to angel brewing BUT he has the part C with the larger bore. http://www.homebrewbuilder.co.uk/disconnects.html
I still plan to change mine to these as now I have a larger set-up I notice the flow restriction of the normal type C
I'm looking for a sparge arm myself, still trying to decide whether to make one to exactly fit my spec or just buy a pre-made one, but in the meantime I will just batch sparge.
Where did you find silicone tubing? I recently ordered some from ebay that was the platinum cured stuff that I originally bought, and think it worked out reasonably priced. Since then I have realised, you can never have too much. Very useful if you find you need a bit of piping to go somewhere.
As for the copper hop filter. I have used what was an old copper manifold for the mash with good success. It has slits cut with a hacksaw all around it, and then just to be sure I wrapped it in a muslin bag anyway. My new set up I made a cheap version of the pre-made ones. I bought two sheets of #40 ss mesh off ebay, and bent/bolted the sides together. Worked amazingly but such a bastard to clean. Next brew I have some SS braid to experiment with. Heard many mixed reviews but I only use leaf hops so I'm hoping will be ok. We will see. As for a splatter guard, that what I used on my last system and worked great, I put a few small ss bolts in, so it stood off the bottom of my pot and didn't collapse, and a bit of beer line around the edge to seal it against the side of the pot.
As for the pid and herms, thats still on my to-do list too.
For trying to get everything on a budget, I would say dont buy twice. If you're going to upgrade to camlocks and such when you finally do go for the 100L set-up, then maybe stick with what you have now.
You say you can afford 1 100l pot, if you cut out the cam locks and no false bottom, but would you use that 1 pot until you got the rest of the system up and running?
I would deffo suggest camlocks. If you can, go for stainless unless you're really not bothered. Theres a recent thread on someone using pp ones, or thinking of using them and I don;t think theres a problem with them. mrlard also sells them at a similar price to angel brewing BUT he has the part C with the larger bore. http://www.homebrewbuilder.co.uk/disconnects.html
I still plan to change mine to these as now I have a larger set-up I notice the flow restriction of the normal type C
I'm looking for a sparge arm myself, still trying to decide whether to make one to exactly fit my spec or just buy a pre-made one, but in the meantime I will just batch sparge.
Where did you find silicone tubing? I recently ordered some from ebay that was the platinum cured stuff that I originally bought, and think it worked out reasonably priced. Since then I have realised, you can never have too much. Very useful if you find you need a bit of piping to go somewhere.
As for the copper hop filter. I have used what was an old copper manifold for the mash with good success. It has slits cut with a hacksaw all around it, and then just to be sure I wrapped it in a muslin bag anyway. My new set up I made a cheap version of the pre-made ones. I bought two sheets of #40 ss mesh off ebay, and bent/bolted the sides together. Worked amazingly but such a bastard to clean. Next brew I have some SS braid to experiment with. Heard many mixed reviews but I only use leaf hops so I'm hoping will be ok. We will see. As for a splatter guard, that what I used on my last system and worked great, I put a few small ss bolts in, so it stood off the bottom of my pot and didn't collapse, and a bit of beer line around the edge to seal it against the side of the pot.
As for the pid and herms, thats still on my to-do list too.
For trying to get everything on a budget, I would say dont buy twice. If you're going to upgrade to camlocks and such when you finally do go for the 100L set-up, then maybe stick with what you have now.
You say you can afford 1 100l pot, if you cut out the cam locks and no false bottom, but would you use that 1 pot until you got the rest of the system up and running?
-
newtonsshed
Re: reserection rebuild/upgrade - where to spend the money?
Thanks Cazamodo
Re pump - As this is the heart of the set up, I think it is worth going for meg drive and use the little solor for fly sparge. I was looking at the higher flow from AHB at 18 l/p max 8m head but also a 40w motor. The ss just has ss threads and less power/flowrate/head.
Re camlocks - It is a massive investiment for me when cheaper alternatives may be available, but I'm just not sure in ease of operation on both alternitives and camlocks. I've been quoted around £57 for the pp or £65 for ss so about £15 difference between the 2. The full bore are even more outside of my budget, wouldn't the flow still be restricted by Part A bore anyway, also the copper tube for the h/e is 10mm so again reduce flow? But it be an expensive mistake to make if flow rate is too restrictive with the camlocks and likewise to then have upgrade these again if/when get a full ss setup, which is probably a long way off (although maybe Santa be nice and bring me a shiney 80l thermo pot.) The main issues I hope to resolve by going camlocks are;
- quick disconnect - currently use spanner to tighten to stop leakes but not always leak free
-reduce amount of copper pipe - currenttly use bits of copper pipe to make compression joints at either end, this copper now has verdigris, camlocks screw on end of ball valves so no need to use copper. But will still have copper in heat exchange and copper manifolds.
-better connection to pump(s) currently use compression but not the best fit as the 15mm copperpipe is same size as pump threads.
Silicone tube I got some years ago from Vossey off Home Brew Forum at about £4 something per meter but home brew shop also sell it for £6 http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... ubing.html
I would say dont buy twice - Thats what I'm trying to avoid I'm hoping to get everything together and then if/when get new shinny pots I can just swap the pots over and use all remaining bits.
I think if I go for;
New meg drive pump £38
SS Camlocks (not full bore £70
sparge arm - simply as want ss tube cheaper to buy ready made then trying to source raw materials £25
Teh I'll make two false bottoms from either the perspect I have laying around (is all perspect food grade?) or splatter guard and use in both mt and boiler as hop stopper.
For the time being I'll use the STC100 as pid and fv controller. I might try and get a ss coil to use as h/e rather than the copper tube currently which then gets all the copper out my brew system . Just the tank connectors being brass....
Re pump - As this is the heart of the set up, I think it is worth going for meg drive and use the little solor for fly sparge. I was looking at the higher flow from AHB at 18 l/p max 8m head but also a 40w motor. The ss just has ss threads and less power/flowrate/head.
Re camlocks - It is a massive investiment for me when cheaper alternatives may be available, but I'm just not sure in ease of operation on both alternitives and camlocks. I've been quoted around £57 for the pp or £65 for ss so about £15 difference between the 2. The full bore are even more outside of my budget, wouldn't the flow still be restricted by Part A bore anyway, also the copper tube for the h/e is 10mm so again reduce flow? But it be an expensive mistake to make if flow rate is too restrictive with the camlocks and likewise to then have upgrade these again if/when get a full ss setup, which is probably a long way off (although maybe Santa be nice and bring me a shiney 80l thermo pot.) The main issues I hope to resolve by going camlocks are;
- quick disconnect - currently use spanner to tighten to stop leakes but not always leak free
-reduce amount of copper pipe - currenttly use bits of copper pipe to make compression joints at either end, this copper now has verdigris, camlocks screw on end of ball valves so no need to use copper. But will still have copper in heat exchange and copper manifolds.
-better connection to pump(s) currently use compression but not the best fit as the 15mm copperpipe is same size as pump threads.
Silicone tube I got some years ago from Vossey off Home Brew Forum at about £4 something per meter but home brew shop also sell it for £6 http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... ubing.html
I would say dont buy twice - Thats what I'm trying to avoid I'm hoping to get everything together and then if/when get new shinny pots I can just swap the pots over and use all remaining bits.
I think if I go for;
New meg drive pump £38
SS Camlocks (not full bore £70
sparge arm - simply as want ss tube cheaper to buy ready made then trying to source raw materials £25
Teh I'll make two false bottoms from either the perspect I have laying around (is all perspect food grade?) or splatter guard and use in both mt and boiler as hop stopper.
For the time being I'll use the STC100 as pid and fv controller. I might try and get a ss coil to use as h/e rather than the copper tube currently which then gets all the copper out my brew system . Just the tank connectors being brass....