what i need to do to brew in my new apartment

i am looking to put together a new little wort chilling system for my apartment.

because there are no hose hook-ups, and my sink faucets don't unscrew for a faucet-to-hose adapter, i am going to have to go off of my shower. Here is my plan:

install this T-pipe between my shower head and the shower pipe. then, have this quick-disconnect socket running off of the T-pipe. I can then freely swap out tubing connected to these quick-disconnect plugs for getting water into my water filter, counter flow chiller, etc. That should all work (though if you think a different part would be better, let me know).


Here is my chiller idea. I want to get a square plastic pail and install inside of it my Counterflow Chiller as well as a march pump. This way the cooling system is self contained. My problem is that this idea requires me to have through-wall quick-disconnects for both the water/hose fittings and the wort/tubing. I can't find any through-wall quick-disconnects that are both the right size and temperature rating.

Anyone have any ideas?

That sounds WAAAY too complicated, plus it's in you bathroom and not your kitchen.

What I would do first is get one of the sink sprayers for washing hair.



You can even find them often at the dollar store. See if you can fit the nozzel of your sink into the rubber thingy. You can even use a metal hose clamp or something that can hold it in place (even zip ties)

Then cut the other end of the hose off at the sprayer and connect that end to your IC.

I used to use those alot in my old darkroom. I made made a couple film reel washers out of lengths of pvc pipe, a coulple plastic doo dads and those faucet hose things...worked great and I never needed to zip tie or hose clamp the thing to my faucet. It could even handle the pressure of a full turn on.

That way you could still do your chiller in the kitchen.

If this doesn't work, then you could play plumber. But this way the landlords can't get pissed by you modifying the plumbing.

I know you said you don't have hose hookups, but just to make sure, you don't have a washer/dryer do you? If you do, then you have hose hookups!

How will you block flow from running out of the shower head at the same time its going out the T port?

donshizzles said:

How will you block flow from running out of the shower head at the same time its going out the T port?

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and that is what makes me an idiot.

I have to echo Coastarine's question: Do you have a washer and dryer in your apartment?

I got a Y splitter and currently use the cold side of my washer hook up and I use the washer drain for, well, drainage. I designed my brewery to have 2 hose connections- an inlet for water from the cold side of the washer hook up to the water filter and an outlet side to drain the water from my chiller system. It has worked out very very well. (sorry about the size of the photo, no time to fix it right at the moment)



On a similar but semi-different note, I am moving out of my current apartment and moving into a town home. One of the stipulations for finding this place was a functional place to set up my brewery WITH water hookups. Needless to say, I found a place with space with the washer and dryer hookups in the garage. Pics an a new thread once I get moved in.

I have a simple solution for you. Spend $20 on a submersible pump, and fill a large container with water from your faucet or a hose.

Or.... get a dishwasher splitter, 3/8" compression line, 3/8" 1" nipple, 1/2" to 3/8" bushing, 1/2" ball valve, 1/2" quick disconnect.... split your kitchen sink cold inlet line and you're golden. This is how I do it in my kitchen, works like a charm.
Here you can see what I've done:

Berserker_Brew said:

and that is what makes me an idiot.

Click to expand...

No way man! I like the way you think

Out of curiosity, if you don't yet own the counterflow, why not just make an immersion chiller?

Instead of futzing with your shower, why not stay in the kitchen? Use one of these:
Amazon.com: Faucet To Hose Adapter: Home Improvement

or better, one of these:
Bubble-Stream Adapter Dual Thread x Male 3/4 In. Hose and Male 55/64 In. - 37.0099.98 at The Home Depot

The home depot thing, (or lowes, or whatever is near you...they all have these), just screws into your kitchen sink faucet and provides a hose hookup...