Sorting out some kit

[gibbiem]

After a break from brewing I've decided to get some bits and put a brew on. Before I stopped I had a 50ltr 3 vessel setup. 3 mango chutney barrels, 1 as HLT, 1 as MT and 1 as kettle. I had a HERMS coil in the HLT driven by one of the little 12v pumps. All worked a treat.

This time round I just wanna keep it as simple/cheap as possible. My father in law has a boiler I can have so hoping to use that as HLT/kettle. My plan so far is:

The HLT/Kettle has a HERMS coil.
Mango chutney barrel again as MT using the same pump.
Do a HERMS mash.
Boil.

The things I just want to check are:

Will 2 vessels work? anyone else manage with 2?
Will boiling be ok with the HERMS coil in? I've used copper in the kettle before with no issues. I think cleaning will be the biggest issue.
Do I still need to sparge when recirculating or can I just drain the mash when finished?

All feedback/ideas welcome

gibbiem

[Jim]

Have you considered a one-pot solution? If you're starting more or less from scratch again, they make a lot of sense, and some of them don't break the bank.

[vacant]

90 AG brews so far without a 3-vessel system. For 35 ltr brew length I use a thermopot mash tun and boiler.

For 25 ltr brew length I'm currently using a single pot system in my 50 ltr boiler (and I'm toying with the idea of RIMS). I can set up, brew, and clean up in 3 1/2 hours as I also use a no-chill cube.

See http://vacantgrainbasket.zohosites.com/

[gibbiem]

The only 1 pot systems I've looked at are things like the Grainfather etc. Do people make their own versions of these sort of things?

Vacant - You build looks good but slightly confused. So the grain goes in to that bucket and sits on the mesh filter? the holes you've cut are below the filter? you then mash in the bucket? how do you keep temp in the bucket? Is it very similar to BIAB?

I think the first thing I need to do is get the boiler and see what the size is and losses etc are. This is defo looking like a viable option though.

What about brew fridges? is a green house heater/STC1000 still the way to go?

[vacant]

Vacant - You build looks good but slightly confused. So the grain goes in to that bucket and sits on the mesh filter? the holes you've cut are below the filter? you then mash in the bucket? how do you keep temp in the bucket? Is it very similar to BIAB?

...

What about brew fridges? is a green house heater/STC1000 still the way to go?

Absolutely similar to BIAB - I started off my first five AGs with a net curtain secured around the top of the boiler and still used that piece of "voile" for BIAB every so often. Yes, the holes are below the filter screen. They allow a supporting web of wire that stops the filter falling out the bottom due to weight of grain/heat expansion. If the mash temp needs raising I turn on the boiler elements for a few minutes then jug the hotter water from the boiler tap over the grain. I do a 60 minute mash and adjust the temp at 0 and 30 minutes as required. Sometimes I do a mash out to 70C if I can be bothered .

I bought a 60W tube heater from Toolstation after seeing it recommended but I haven't needed it yet as the fridge is in a spare bedroom. Maybe when the heating is off during winter nights? STC1000 in my brew fridge (and another for the kegerator).

[sbond10]

I've been pondering an mj barrel as a mash tun my main concern is heat loss and weather a 30 litre will be big big enough

[Fil]

there is also the inkbird 'plug n play' brewfridge controller option these days, circa £30 and you just plug in the fridge and heater and set the temp..
not as versitile as the stc1000 which can be reprogramed with a specific brewfridge firmware providing scheduled temperature periods and ramping options but its working 5 minutes after opening

When you say yu have a boiler with a coil fitted?? do u mean an immersion cylinder ?? or is it already built into a brew kettle??

Have fun..

[gibbiem]

I've been pondering an mj barrel as a mash tun my main concern is heat loss and weather a 30 litre will be big big enough

If you recirculate through a HLT you'll be fine. Setup an STC1000 to monitor the temp of the mash and trigger the HLT to heat up if the temp drops which keeps the wort at temp

[sbond10]

I was gonna go it without a re circ and just thermowrap and blankets

[gibbiem]

there is also the inkbird 'plug n play' brewfridge controller option these days, circa £30 and you just plug in the fridge and heater and set the temp..
not as versitile as the stc1000 which can be reprogramed with a specific brewfridge firmware providing scheduled temperature periods and ramping options but its working 5 minutes after opening

When you say yu have a boiler with a coil fitted?? do u mean an immersion cylinder ?? or is it already built into a brew kettle??

Have fun..

The boiler doesnt currently have a coil but the plan would be to add one. I need to get it first really. Ideally I'd get a coil where the in/out pipe can pop out the top of the boiler instead of the in at the bottom of the coil and the out at the top so you have to drill through the side of the vessel

[gibbiem]

I was gonna go it without a re circ and just thermowrap and blankets

Wouldn't hurt to try I suppose. If you try this within the next month let me know how it goes.

[Fil]

While herms can be a fun and interesting build project, unless you have a specific need for step mashing with some obscure grains you just have to use, do you really need it?

a well insulated tun, and insulation is both cheap and easy to apply is more than capable of maintaining an optimum mash temp for upto 90 minutes.
cutting back on the complexity of you build plan and brewday perhaps.

[sbond10]

My thoughts are if a 100 litre ss pan can hold it's heat within 3 degrees surelly a smaller plastic barrel can do the same