First brew, hot wort, and siphon

barracudamagoo · 06-08-2009, 02:48 PM

Did my first brew this weekend (IPA for the inquiring minds), and all went fairly well. The best thing about it is it was a great learning experience. A few of the things I learned:
• Make sure all tubing, no matter how snug, is connected with a hose clamp
• Don’t bother putting the mop and bucket away
• Have lots of towels
• Wort is hot
• Brewing should be done with a friend, not by yourself.
• Make arrangements for beer and food before you start brewing.

These were just a few things that I noted, some serious, most not so serious; however, had I known beforehand it would have made the day that much more enjoyable.
On a more serious note, I did have some trouble siphoning the wort and getting a decent flow through the CFC. I had conducted a trial run with soapy water, then iodophor through all the equipment to clean, sanitize, and make sure all the equipment would function correctly. During the trials, all went well. The flow was slower then I thought it would be; however, no cause for alarm. When the boil was finished, I turned off the burner, suspended the hop bag to drip drain, and stirred the wort. I turned the water on to the CFC, removed hoses from the iodophor, put them, double checked connections, and then put the auto siphon into the wort…..Doh! I think this was the root of my problem, as there was a little melting action going on and the siphon warped a little bit. Fast forward, I ended up getting all of the wort into the carboy, although I had to pour some of it, as I was having too much trouble siphoning. On the up-side, the CFC worked really well, I think partially due to the slow flow from the poor siphoning.

So….
How long do you wait before inserting the siphon into the wort? Or what other techniques are utilized to get the wort for the pot, through the CFC, and into the carboy? It seems by waiting for it to cool, I’m defeating the purpose of having CFC in the first place. As an aside, I foresee myself drilling a hole and inserting a valve in the bottom of the pot, in order to bypass the whole siphoning process.

Also, I want to use a different type of tubing from the pot to the chiller. That is some hot wort coming through that clear vinyl tube, and I don’t think it will hold up over the long haul. When I was at the store, I saw some thicker (braided PVC, I think) tubing, that seems it would handle the heat a little better. Has anyone else used this type of tubing, or does the clear vinyl tubing hold up better than I think it will?

It started fermenting sometime last night, and is bubbling pretty good this morning. This post if long enough, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any help/tips.

pen25 · 06-08-2009, 03:33 PM

yea those tubing dont like 220^ wort too much. drill and use a weldless setup for a ball valve. you wont regret it

**Hang Glider** · 06-08-2009, 03:45 PM

+1
Modify your brew pot, and leave the siphoning to post fermentation transfers.
You can find hi-temp tubing several places (got mine from Northern Brewer) and a short length may be all you need - brewpot to CFC. after that, it's cool enough for other tubing.
Congrats on your first brew, love the short list! too true. I have a large supply of "brewing towels" that get a fresh wash and dry the morning of brew day.
good luck on your next batch.

barracudamagoo · 06-08-2009, 04:17 PM

I have already started looking at the fittings from Bargain Fittings. Seems to have a good rep around here, and looks fairly easy to install. I am presuming that the fitting will work for a standard cooking pot. I’ll need to buy a new pot, because the wifey won’t be too happy if I drill a hole in hers. As an aside, for those who have installed this on your pot, does the step-bit or a bi-metal hole saw work better for installation?

chemman14 · 06-08-2009, 04:59 PM

if you install a spigot on your brew kettle do you need to sanitize it? or will the heat from the boil do the trick?

KatoBaggins · 06-08-2009, 05:20 PM

Use silicon tubing for the high temps from the brew pot to the CFC. It'll hold up for you and not melt.

flyfishnc · 06-08-2009, 05:34 PM

barracudamagoo, congrats on the brew session. i went through the exact same thing. i melted my siphon during a test run. for the batch, i used the braided line and it seemed to do ok. starting the siphon was not as easy as i hoped it would have been.

i would imagine the boil would sanitize the fitting.

good luck.

**Hang Glider** · 06-08-2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barracudamagoo

I have already started looking at the fittings from Bargain Fittings. Seems to have a good rep around here, and looks fairly easy to install. I am presuming that the fitting will work for a standard cooking pot. I’ll need to buy a new pot, because the wifey won’t be too happy if I drill a hole in hers. As an aside, for those who have installed this on your pot, does the step-bit or a bi-metal hole saw work better for installation?

to answer your question - the step bits are great! However, if you're getting a new pot why not splurge - get the best biggest brewpot you can afford ...you won't regret it. Many come with holes, fittings, ball valves, etc.

barracudamagoo · 06-23-2009, 12:45 AM

I plan on bottling the IPA this weekend (Sat or Sun). This will give it 3 weeks in the primary and today (Monday) it has a SG of 1.012 (OG was 1.052). It is darker than I thought (copperish), and didn't clear up as well as I thought it would. I'm not too concerned considering: A) it is my first brew B) it is entirely aesthetic quality, and I DGAS. If anyone is curious, I used the "Palilalia India Pale Ale" from Papazian's Joy of Homebrewing (pg. 172). I'll try to post later.

cl00bie · 06-23-2009, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barracudamagoo

Or what other techniques are utilized to get the wort for the pot, through the CFC, and into the carboy?

I'm a total n00b, but I used a funnel with a strainer and scooped it into the carboy with a ladle (I have put 2.5 gallons of cold water in first). When there was a little left, I picked up the pot and poured it in. Then "topped off" with cold water.