Recent content by NattyBrew

What I did to connect the two 2x6's together was to drill a pilot hole at an angle on the inside of the top frame and into the bottom frame and then drive a screw into the hole through one board into the other. I believe the technique is officially called a "pocket screw" if you want to look it...

JBS, The build looks great so far man! I can remember how exciting it was to have packages piling up on my door step every other day during the midst of my build. I really like the final color you went with for your stain. I totally wussed out when I was picking mine out and went with a lighter...

I've got a full Kal clone in my house down here in Cincinnati. Sounds like you already got one in Dayton to check out but you can check out the full build of my Electric Brewery via the link in my signature.

I struggled with it initially trying to use a circular saw and multiple cuts, but they never seemed to line up the right way. I came up with a pretty good system to get flush cuts and that was to put the PVC in between a set of two coffee can on the ground so that you can spin or rotate the...

Yeah, I used PVC versus metal ducting because it was just a little easier to work with for me. I was able to push the pieces together without glue, and make the connections air tight by caulking the joints. The stuff works great, is super smooth on the inside, so it barely slows the fan speed...

I think it might have been right around 75 bucks or so. It's made of 3 2x6s and one FRP panel and then some plywood sheathing, screws, and stain. There are plenty of ways to save money on a build, but I wouldn't advise skimping on the ventilation. If you are direct venting out the back you...

When I was completing my Kal clone I decided to build my own hood out of a couple of stacked 2x6s and lined the inside with an FRP panel. My setup works fantastic and saved me a bunch of bucks compared to Kal's shiny stainless steel one (though I still am envious of that damn thing!) Here's a...

Would you mind posting some pictures of the unit in use, or with a keg on it? I've been kind of interested in the unit to try and cut down on the water I waste filling carboys and kegs to let them soak with oxyclean and wondering if this thing is well designed or whether I should try and...

Yeah sorry guys, max and I already came to a deal. Appreciate the interest. Glad to get rid of this thing as its been sitting in the corner of my brew room collecting dust!

I have a copper immersion chiller along with a small fountain pump setup you could take off my hands. I used it to recirculate water from ice bath to cool my wort when I still brewed on a turkey fryer setup.

Tim, Reading, PA native huh? Go Lions! I am a PSU grad and had several good buddies from school that lived in and around Reading, PA. To answer your question I believe it will work just find in a plastic MLT and HLT though you would want to be careful on how you insert and thread the...

I actually gathered all the parts myself before Kal got his company underway and started offering his complete kits. Honestly I would have pulled the trigger in a second on his DIY kit because it would have saved me a ton of time bouncing from site to site and double checking to ensure that I...

Yes, you got it. One volume of CO2 means that their is one liter of air dissolved into 1 liter of liquid. The reason everyone uses the volumes system is because of the variables of temperature and pressure that go into the equation. Two kegs can both have beer stored at 2.5 volumes of CO2...

Leaking kegs are just part of the business as a home brewer. They definitely can be frustrating but are well worth taking the time to figure out. When tackling any of my kegs leaking issues I will first disassemble and clean the keg, and then be sure to use ample keg lube when putting the...

Obviously dry hopping does have diminishing returns at some point because as you get more and more of that hop aroma in your finished beer, the less and less noticeable the increase is going to be. I generally use 2 ounces or so in most of my dry hopped beers for 5 gallons, and it gives a nice...