Motor for HLT stirrer.
 

I am about to get moving on a stirrer for my HLT. I want to mount a motor on permanently my lid but need help choosing the motor.

What is the ideal RPM for an HLT stirer?

I have looked at some ice cream motors as I have heard of people using them but I would like something that does not look like a cheap plastic ice cream motor which is all I have seen out there.

Also, I would like to have the shaft and prop for the stirrer be out of stainless too. I can get the shaft rather easily (I work in the steel tubing industry.) but I have no clue where to look for a small stainless prop (4-5" diameter?).

Help a brother out...

Check out posts 34 and 35 in this thread by The Pol:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-10-gallon-herms-pics-76773/index4.html

I built a HLT stirrer using the same parts and it works great.

Hope this helps.

Ken

Did you fabricate some sort of housing for the motor?

No................

Some people have used 12V wiper motors with great success too.

Although pricey, I like this prop from McMaster-Carr -

8004K421

I would like to cover the fan though with some sort of housing that will still provide adequate ventilation. The motor looks like a perfect fit mechanically but I will want to cover it partially. I don't want it looking like it was cannibalized from something else which is the way it looks in the pics. Nothing wrong with that in most instances but I figure if I am going to spend $100 on a motor and prop to bolt on a $500 HLT I would not want it to look this way.

I will probably have to fabricate this out of stainless sheet and maybe stainless mesh for the top.

Just get a cheap submersible pond pump...it's what i use, alot easier and cheaper than a motor

If this was my first setup I would, along with a aquarium pump for O2 infusion prior to fermentation and several other neat items I have seen others use in unorthodox ways for brewing over the years.

I don't mind paying a little extra to get exactly what I want. (I am not Mr. Moneybags, just patient when it comes to these things.) This AC gear motor seems like the perfect start for the stirrer. Also I love fabricating so ease of assembly is not really a selling point.

Thank you for the idea though Rockford!