Beertk

Recipes 

Ok, I have gotten setup to brew in the garage and that seems like it should work out well. I have one issue of concern... I don't have a faucet in the garage and I don't dare turn on the house (outside) water in these freezing temps. What do you garage brewers use for water in the cold? I am thinking about running hoses into to kitchen when neccessary. I may end up doing a little soldering just to make it work out.
Your thoughts?

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"I don't drink to find happiness. Coincidentally. I do enjoy listening to you much more after a beer or three."

Krazy Bazturd

Recipes 

If you have any snow outside you can put the kettle in a snowbank, pack snow around it as needed and stir the wort occasionally to help it cool. Its definitely allot slower than an IC, but it works. I made a batch last week and used the above method and it took about an hour and forty-five minutes to bring the temp down to 70°.

srm775

Recipes 

As long as the pipes in your house aren't frozen and you have a hose that isn't full of frozen water, you should be perfectly fine to use your outside spigot. Running water won't freeze in the time it takes to cool your wort.

I brew in the garage and use my outside spigot. I just hook up my garden hose to it, then to the wort chiller. Once you're done cooling your wort, unhook the hose right away and drain the water out of it (either blow the water out or use gravity). You should be just fine.

uglygoat

Recipes 

the way our house is designed, you have to go into the garage, to get to the basement. we just haul the boiling wort into the washroom, and hook the chiller up to the slop sink.

i haven't used the outside hose bibs in the winter, but do to some shoddy shut off valves, that leak, the water is still on to the bibs, and i've had no trouble in three years in ne ohio during the winter.

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A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick
The kind of lubrication to make your engine tick

never argue with an idiot, they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

CBBaron

Recipes 

Hook up your hose and turn on the water just before you need it for cooling. It takes some seriously cold temps to freeze running water that starts at 50F+ in the house. This is what I do since I have a detached garage with no water source. I tried the snow bank technique once but it takes much too long.
Craig

ohiobrewtus

Recipes 

I had a spigot put in the garage when I built my house. It works out great for chilling wort.

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SuperiorBrew

Recipes 

Just get a frost free hose bib and replace one of your outside ones. just dont leave a hose hooked up to it or it wont be able to drain itself

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Rich

FSR402

Recipes 

I agree, just hook the hose up when you need it and unhook when you don't.

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boo boo

Recipes 

I do this and take my hose inside to my basement. I know you already bring your IC inside because you still have it.

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How do you BBQ an elephant....first you get your elephant....

Bromley

Recipes 

Add me to the list of people who drag 5.5 gallons of near boiling wort through my entire house to get it to the basement. I sit it on my washer, hook it up to the faucet in the utility sink and let 'er rip.

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Next Up: American IPA, Bock, Belgian Blond Ale
Primary: Saison
Secondary: Bohemian Pilsener
Bottle Conditioning: Dragon's Milk (100% Maris Otter and Kent Goldings, 1.084) and subsequent small beer, Berliner Weisse
Drinking: Spiced Pumpkin Ale, Maibock, Bourbon Barrel Porter, Hefeweizen, Weizenbock, Kolsch, The Bitter Truth, Altbier, Special Bitter, EF Clone