Controlling Wort Flow

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capnr0n

capnr0n

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Here a pic of the manifold I've built to control flow of liquids with a single pump. There are three ball-valves (HLT out, MLT out, and BK out) on the input side of the pump with another three (RIMS Heater in, BK in, and CFC in) on the output side of the pump. Now I just need to finish plumbing it in.

Eventually I plan to replace the manual ball-valves with solenoid operated valves, but that will have to be another project.

Flow_Control_Manifold.jpg
 
Nice work!
I may have to do something like that, too.
You may be starting a trend.
Are those DuraChoice valves?
Reminds me of Hanukkah.
Can you post other pics of the rest of the rig, too?
 
Actually it's pretty easy. I run hot PBW through everything for 30 minutes or so when I'm done and then remove the plug on the back side and let it drain dry.
 
I did this a few years ago and could never get a good prime, or flow rate... so I stopped and went with a single inlet and outlet with quick disconnects. I had a cleaner build, fewer valves and less cost. I never could get a good prime/flow with the manifold. Hope yours works better than mine.

No need to sanitize the pump/plumbing

Why are some of the handles on the backside?
 
willynilly said:
No need to sanitize the pump/plumbing
Click to expand...

err? yes there is...if you're transferring wort from the kettle to the fermenter it needs to be sanitized. Most of the time the hot wort itself will do the trick, but that looks like a lot of metal mass to count on heating up enough to sanitize it all. I guess that was my point originally. :)
 
Just seems pointless to use the pump to pump to the fermentor, I get it. Yah, you will NEVER get all the lacto out of that thing before you pump to the fermentor, too many connections, you are better off draining via gravity to the fermentor.
 
Bjornbrewer said:
I do 10g batches. boil in a keggle, ferment in a 1/2 barrel keg. When it's just me, it's not easy lifting 130# of wort/keg onto a table and gravity feeding it. Pumps are necessary.
Click to expand...

Does the OP? Guess he is who we are really talking about, in 4 years I have never needed to pump to a fermentor, so they arent necessary. I bet a lot of people do a lot of things, but if you build a system with this in mind, youd never have to do anything but gravity feed the fermentor. Granted, if you build a system that sits 6" off the floor, pumping would be necessary.

Bottom line is this... either he gravity feeds from the kettle to the fermentor, OR he finds a way to correctly sanitize the manifold before the transfer, OR he ditches the manifold for 2 hoses and a couple quick disconnects for $3 each
 
willynilly said:
Does the OP? Guess he is who we are really talking about, in 4 years I have never needed to pump to a fermentor, so they arent necessary. I bet a lot of people do a lot of things, but if you build a system with this in mind, youd never have to do anything but gravity feed the fermentor. Granted, if you build a system that sits 6" off the floor, pumping would be necessary.

Bottom line is this... either he gravity feeds from the kettle to the fermentor, OR he finds a way to correctly sanitize the manifold before the transfer, OR he ditches the manifold for 2 hoses and a couple quick disconnects for $3 each
Click to expand...

Whats the difficult thing about sanitizing the thing? To help you be aware... there are a LOT of people using manifolds for automation in their breweries. Hot wort circulating the last 15 minutes of the boil does all the sanitizing you need....

Bottom line is... what he's doing is not uncommon, nor is it difficult!
 
I did have to make a slight mod and rotate the pump head 90 degrees so the input is now at the bottom/output at top to deal with some priming issues. I've hard plumbed in the entire system. To sanitize I simply recirculate the kettle for 15 minutes prior to pumping off to the fermentor. Afterwards I clean in place by recirulating hot PBW through the entire system for 30 minutes afterwards. I've run three batches through this now with no problems.
 

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