Recent content by jca

Is there any safety downside to having a breaker too small? The breaker should just not be larger than the wire attached to it can safety handle without getting too warm.

If anyone else is trying to do this, this is what I ended up doing. First get a 1 3/8" step drill and two 1 3/8" access hole plugs. This is what I used: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H3Q6KOY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 http://www.steelerubber.com/access-hole-plug-35-0517-45 Opening up...

I guess I'll revive this again since I'm trying to do exactly this. Here's a photo of how it comes stock. It looks like I should be able to drill another hole above the existing one. Isn't that metal cold plate the only working parts of the fridge in that area? Then I just need to find that...

VERY cool. I'd definitely be there opening day if it wasn't a 3,000 mile drive.

I would say they're way too small too. That's that kind of pump I've used in those little waterfall things and just put put a constant dribble of water. Think about how fast you would have to pour out a gallon of water to empty it in one minute and that would be the upper capacity of the...

Okay, see if I remember this right One step is sodium percarbonate and sodium silicate. The sodium percarbonate breaks down into hydrogen peroxcide (the sanitizer) and sodium carbonate. The hydrogen peroxcide then breaks down in to water and oxygen. The sodiium carbonate is used as a water...

Has anyone run across well designed portable and stackable bottle racks built out of wood. I'm drawing up some plans to build some in my wood shop with movable dividers that will handle my liter, 16oz, and 12oz bottles. Using a historic design would add some style. Anything modern is usually...

Ah, it's more power you need and not more current. You'd need a rack of car batteries to get that done. It would be a cheaper to go with two elements and run it off two 120 circuits. I think my next setup will be propane.

MacGuyver would pull a variable speed DC motor from a treadmill, DC power supply from an old computer, and rig it to the pump with some paper clips and a wad of bubble gum.

What's the goal with that setup? What's the power source? If it's AC, you can just use a transformer to lower the voltage and increase the current. If it's DC, you can buy a power inverter off the shelf which is using capacitors to get the job done.

That's why I switched to starsan. The one step works by creating hydrogen peroxide which breaks down. One week probably if you keep it in a dark, cool place and the container is clean. The starsan I can test if it's still good with litmus paper.

My last batch I used lactose for the same reasons. I just added it at the same time as the extract just because it was convenient. I think next time I'll boil it with the priming sugar because that will give me a chance to taste it before and after and learn how exactly it changes it.

Everything I've read is it's the sudden change in temperature that causes the problems. I happen to have a packet of dry Nottingham right here and it says to hydrate the yeast in water at 86 to 92 degree for 15 minutes and then add some wort to it every five minutes until the temperature is...

The pitching temperature was 74 degrees according to my hydrometer/thermometer combo. Room temperature was 71 so I don't think shocked it.