The MaxOut Brew Station

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Excellent job MaxOut on your rig and man-cave! Quick question, how do you like circulating Star San through your pumps to clean your system? Does it foam to much when going through the pumps or is it ok? I know the same company makes another product (IO Star I think) that supposedly foams a lot less when circulating through a pump. Just curious as I haven't used Star San yet with a pump as my stand is not finished yet.


John

Sorry, I actually use Saniclean by Five Star. Supposed to be the non foaming type and I have never had any issues with circulating it through the pumps. It was recommended over StarSan by my LHBS for that reason. I highly recommend it.
 
You must have the same problem I have getting fresh beer from the suppliers around here...:D Nice Bar! You really went all out.

Well, I am fortunate to work two blocks from a craft Brewery in Baltimore that brews great english ales and will fill kegs for me.

Good call on the resturant auction places. I've been camping them out for a while now for a good table and sink.
 
MaxOut,

Amazing Set-Up!! Since we use the same local home brew store we must live somewhat near each other. Will you let me rent your brewery to use on my brew days? LOL. Simply awesome!!
 
Well, I am fortunate to work two blocks from a craft Brewery in Baltimore that brews great english ales and will fill kegs for me.

Good call on the resturant auction places. I've been camping them out for a while now for a good table and sink.

You are lucky to have local craft beer you enjoy. The closest to me is a "Ruddy Duck" but I wasn't impressed with their beers. Lots of kitchen equipment related auctions in your area keep your eyes peeled and you should find some nice stuff. If I see some deals I’ll send you a PM.
 
Sorry, I actually use Saniclean by Five Star. Supposed to be the non foaming type and I have never had any issues with circulating it through the pumps. It was recommended over StarSan by my LHBS for that reason. I highly recommend it.


I thought saniclean was for a final rinse sanitizer only? I spoke with five star about that product and thats all they recommend it for, they said starsan should be used before you use saniclean.

Whats the big deal with recirculating with foam? besides that, the only way you get foam is if you don't have enough liquid circulating.
 
pola0502ds said:
I thought saniclean was for a final rinse sanitizer only? I spoke with five star about that product and thats all they recommend it for, they said starsan should be used before you use saniclean.

Whats the big deal with recirculating with foam? besides that, the only way you get foam is if you don't have enough liquid circulating.

I use PBW for cleaning and Saniclean for sanitizing only.
 
the rings around the hoses... what does each color mean... are ones strictly for water and etc... Very cool indeed!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Firebat138 said:
the rings around the hoses... what does each color mean... are ones strictly for water and etc... Very cool indeed!!!!!!!!!!!

The hoses are all different lengths. The colors correspond with a visual aid my son uses to swap hoses for me at different phases of the brewing process. I will post the visual aids I use so you can see my configuration. Allot of thought went into hose changing procedures used to simplify cleaning and maximize extraction of wort from the system.
 
Sorry, I actually use Saniclean by Five Star. Supposed to be the non foaming type and I have never had any issues with circulating it through the pumps. It was recommended over StarSan by my LHBS for that reason. I highly recommend it.

No problem MaxOut, when you posted that you use Star San I thought I'd ask how you like it and how it works with your pumps. I might give that Saniclean a try with my pumps, when I brew on my new system.

Happy Brewing :mug:

John
 
jcav said:
No problem MaxOut, when you posted that you use Star San I thought I'd ask how you like it and how it works with your pumps. I might give that Saniclean a try with my pumps, when I brew on my new system.

Happy Brewing :mug:

John

I went back and edited the original post. I am so used to reading "StarSan" and even my LHBS called it the "non foaming StarSan" when he sold it to me. For what it's worth I really like it and it has no flavor or colors to stain your hoses and equipment. Got a large bottle and mix into some sprayers on brew day and everything touching the wort post boil gets soaked. Seems like a good value to as an ounce when diluted will sanitize an entire brew day for me.

Happy Brewing To You!
 
FWIW: I pump starsan through my system to help rinse away the slickbess that oxiclean or PBW leave behind and don't have any problems.
 
FWIW: I pump starsan through my system to help rinse away the slickbess that oxiclean or PBW leave behind and don't have any problems.

That is good to know Walker. I was wondering how it worked and if the aggitation going through the pumps made it foam all over the place or not.

John
 
I went back and edited the original post. I am so used to reading "StarSan" and even my LHBS called it the "non foaming StarSan" when he sold it to me. For what it's worth I really like it and it has no flavor or colors to stain your hoses and equipment. Got a large bottle and mix into some sprayers on brew day and everything touching the wort post boil gets soaked. Seems like a good value to as an ounce when diluted will sanitize an entire brew day for me.

Happy Brewing To You!

No Worries, thanks for the update! :)
 
I pump StarSan all the time with no foam problems. I got some SaniClean by accident but haven't used it yet. I thought is was a low foam version of StarSan. Here's the data sheet.


SANICLEAN
REV. 07/03
A low foam, final acid anionic rinse for use in the meat, beverage and food industries.
________________________________________________________________________
 BENEFITS
 Leaves Tanks and Equipment Spotless.
 Not Affected by Organic Materials
 Accepted by USDA
 DESCRIPTION
SANICLEAN is a blend of phosphoric acid and Sulfonate Oleic Acid. This synergistic blend provides a unique synergistic system that is unaffected by excessive organic soils. SANICLEAN is low foaming. Unlike other acid anionic detergents, SANICLEAN will not produce excessive foam when recirculating through CIP systems. Cleaning with SANICLEAN on a daily basis will leave equipment in an acid condition that will eliminate water spotting, mineral build-up, and corrosion. SANICLEAN is also excellent for part soaking. If kept at a pH of 3 or below SANICLEAN will remain effective for a week at a time and not require sweetening to eliminate spotting and remove odors. It is not recommended to use SANICLEAN on soft metals because of the acid nature of this product.
 PROPERTIES
APPEARANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………... . . DARK BROWN
ODOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………... .. . SLIGHTLY ALCOHOLIC
PHOSPHATE CONTENT AS % Phosphorus . . . ... ………... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3%
SPECIFIC GRAVITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………. . . .1.170
 GENERAL USE DIRECTIONS
Brewing Tanks – Once the equipment has been properly cleaned make up a final acid anionic rinse using SANICLEAN as follows: In every barrel of water add 11 fluid ounces, circulate for a minimum of 3 minutes at ambient temperatures. Just prior to start-up rinse with potable water and follow state and local Health Department regulations covering start up sanitation.

Part Soaking- In a 5 gallon bucket add 4 gallons of water and 2 ounces of SANICLEAN. Once all parts have been removed from equipment and hand washed allow them to soak in the SANICLEAN solution for a minimum of 5 minutes. Remove parts from solution. Reassemble wet parts on equipment to reduce the possibility of water spotting or any other undesirable conditions to occur, rinse equipment with potable water. Follow State and Local Health Department Regulations covering start up sanitation.
 COMPLIANCE
SANICLEAN is authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use as a general cleaning agent in official, meat, poultry, rabbit, and egg processing establishments. If used at a rate of more than 200 ppm, a potable rinse is required. Always sanitize equipment just prior to start up with a suitable sanitizer as required by local public health regulations.
 SAFETY
DANGER: Corrosive to skin and eye, contains Phosphoric Acid. Harmful if swallowed. Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing. Wear protective goggles and clothing when using. Avoid contamination of food. DO NOT MIX SANICLEAN with chlorinated cleaners as chlorine gas will result. See Label for more precautionary information. Contains Phosphoric Acid. A known corrosive.
FIRST AID:
For Eyes: Hold eyes open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15-20 minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present, after the first five minutes. Then continue rinsing. Call Poison Control Center or doctor for treatment advice.
If Swallowed: Call Poison Control Center or doctor immediately for treatment advice. Have person sip on a glass of water if able to swallow. Do not induce vomiting unless told to do so by the Poison Control doctor. Do not give anything to an unconscious person.
If on Skin or Clothing: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes. Call Poison Control Center for treatment advice.
If Inhaled: Move person to fresh air. If person is not breathing call 911 or an ambulance, then give artificial respiration, preferably mouth-to-mouth if possible. Call a Poison Control Center or doctor for treatment.
NOTE TO PHYSICIAN: Probable mucosal damage may contraindicate the use of gastric lavage. Measure against circulatory shock, respiratory depression and convulsion may be needed.



Also, on your instant hot water system, are you using the potable white hose to take hot water to the system? I can't tell from the picture but I didn't think those hoses were rate at that temp.
 
I've just gotta chime in also and say you've done some amazing work, MaxOut. I stand in awe before it. Thanks for sharing it.:mug:
 
Also, on your instant hot water system, are you using the potable white hose to take hot water to the system? I can't tell from the picture but I didn't think those hoses were rate at that temp.

I used the RV hoses for the first few brews and did not restrict the flow on the outlet of the hose. Your right I’m pretty sure they are not rated or those temps especially under pressure. Did not put off any smells or off flavors but was a temporary solution for sure. See my recent post and you will see the RV hoses are no longer been used. Thanks for the input on the Saniclean, interesting data. Makes me want to relook at it and my intended uses. No infections to date and use as my primary sanitizer. I always minimize any residual sanitizer in kegs and fermentors as much as possible.
 
Sorry about this long winded update in advance. :)

Been busy brewing and been a while since I have updated this post. Right now I have nearly 50 gallons in the pipeline. I am still as excited as I was the first day and totally obsessed with this new hobby mostly due to this forum.

Thought I would share some improvements I have made in between brews.
I have a 1000 gallon underground propane tank I use for my house and decided to run a line to the detached garage. Was getting tired of kicking small tanks around for the grill and brew station. Piped in the brew station, instant hot water heater, grill and a couple quick disconnect points for portable heaters. Nearly two weeks during my spare time and allot of line, pipe and regulators….No more small tanks kicking around and I get a much better price when I fill the big tank. I planned on doing this a couple of years ago when I bought the big grill but the brew station motivated me to finally get it done.

Now that I have the gas piped in I ran a dedicated water line over and mounted a whole house filter to it. I took the Rinnia instant hot water heater off the cart and mounted it permanently on the wall and tied it into the brew station sink faucet and put a Cam Lock fitting where the faucet spout was so I can connect my existing silicone hoses to the water supply then to the kettles. I used stainless braided high temp lines to connect the Rinnia to the brew station faucet. Now I just dial in the temp on the Rinnia and open the hot water valve on the sink until I get the volume I need. One less thing kicking around the garage and makes life much easier.
The “chefs table” that is now the brew station originally had a long double shelf that went across the back and had a wall chase to run plumbing and wiring to the table on the far right side. I was planning on cutting it into two separate shelves’ and mounting one above the table and the other on the wall beside the brew station. Meanwhile it was sitting on the floor behind the brew station and after a couple of brews with it there I decided it was a good place for it as it came in handy while brewing. So I mounted it to the floor, wall and bought some cheap chairs to place at it. Now it’s kind of like a small bar. It’s the perfect height for the kettles to sit on when needed and makes a cool area for people to hang out during a brew session without getting in the way.

Next I covered the wall behind the brew station with black fire rated FRP board and took the stainless cover off the back of the wall chase and mounted it behind kettles as a backsplash. I was planning on using stainless to cover the whole wall but decided the black FRP was a better looking choice to keep clean and for ease of installation. There was a stainless divider inside the wall chase that I removed and I use for a drip tray in front of the kettles under the valves. Eventually I will weld caps on the ends and make it more functional.

IMG_5140.jpg


IMG_5145.jpg


IMG_5148.jpg


IMG_5149.jpg


IMG_5156.jpg
 
WOW!!! It just keeps getting better and better. Great inspiration for my build this winter! Keep up the spectacular work.....you should be very proud of your build, it's one of the best I've seen. Cheers! :mug:
 
Thank's again for the kind comments! Continues to be a work in progress. I've got 42 gallons in the pipeline and brewing 12 more this weekend! I Learn more every time.
 
Just found this thread today. I have three words for you! I....HATE....YOU! haha j/k Your build is absolutely amazing. I wish I had a garage that size so that I could do something similar. Such a beautiful and well thought out design. One day I dream to have something a quarter as nice as that. great work!
 
modobrew said:
Just found this thread today. I have three words for you! I....HATE....YOU! haha j/k Your build is absolutely amazing. I wish I had a garage that size so that I could do something similar. Such a beautiful and well thought out design. One day I dream to have something a quarter as nice as that. great work!

Thank you!
 
Great looking rig. How do you have your BCS system wired up for monitoring and brewing?

I only use the BCS locally directly connected to a PC and in semi automated modes. The BCS resides in the automation enclosure mounted up underneath the table. I have the BCS set up to sound a buzzer when user input is needed and or go into standby modes if there is trouble. The BCS & mechanical switches on control panel can control the pumps, burners, buzzer, lighting.There is also an orange push button that is used to put the system on pause if needed. The panel switches for pumps and burners have off, auto or on positions and have priority over automation. There is also a key switch on the panel that kills the power to everything including the BCS. The BCS also directly controls the temp in two fermenters activating heat or compressor as needed. I can give you any more specifics if you like? Here is a picture of my brewing session today with my custom BCS graphical interface representing my system.

IMG_1094.jpg
 
Ok, seriously, you're sick in the head. This is, bar none, the craziest(dare I say most expensive) brewden/mancave/shiny place I've possibly ever seen on the internet(and we all know the internet is a crazy place). I don't even care to know the pricetag, even with the good deals you got. I aspire to have the space/time/knowledge/coin to do something like it myself. Cheers to you, man. :mug: :ban: :mug: :ban:
 
HopsJunkie said:
Ok, seriously, you're sick in the head. This is, bar none, the craziest(dare I say most expensive) brewden/mancave/shiny place I've possibly ever seen on the internet(and we all know the internet is a crazy place). I don't even care to know the pricetag, even with the good deals you got. I aspire to have the space/time/knowledge/coin to do something like it myself. Cheers to you, man. :mug: :ban: :mug: :ban:
You are too kind sir and Yes I am sick in the head :) but its a sickness I enjoy.
 
Outstanding man! Can you explain how you have a water filter setup? Looks like it is split on the intake? I have one myself but always dismissed it as I'd need to go on the hot water output and that would be too hot to filter properly?
 
Great job, maxout. I love your setup.
I am currently building mine. I was considering an instahot (instant hot water tank) like yours to supply the HLT to save time in heating water. What temp do you get water out of yours? Do you think that it has saved time during brew day?
 
Ill just sit in my corner with my plastic stir paddle and 16qt boil pot....:(

Sweet setup!
 
How did I miss this thread? Beautiful work. I would say that I am pitching a tent but I may have already finished.

If you need a 25 year old slave, I am definitely your guy. I don't need a bedroom, the garage will suffice.
 
Beernip said:
Outstanding man! Can you explain how you have a water filter setup? Looks like it is split on the intake? I have one myself but always dismissed it as I'd need to go on the hot water output and that would be too hot to filter properly?

Just prior to the brew station there is a carbon filter on the main supply and is split on the output. One line goes into the hot water heater input and the other goes to the cold water at the brew station. I have well water and its actually really good but this is just extra insurance against heavy metals.There is another filter at the source so all water is filtered twice prior to reaching the brew station.
 
mikelikesit2000 said:
Great job, maxout. I love your setup.
I am currently building mine. I was considering an instahot (instant hot water tank) like yours to supply the HLT to save time in heating water. What temp do you get water out of yours? Do you think that it has saved time during brew day?

The hot water heater I use is a commercial model that will heat to 185 degrees. It absolutely saves time and money heating water. This thing is incredible!


I fill the HLT with water at or slightly below mash temp then I fill the BK with strike volume at or below temp. I start the BCS and it automatically controls burners to finish heating to exact desired temps. So for a typical brew day I would be heating 17 gallons between 154 and 172 degrees and takes less than ten min. Reduces my brew day by an easy 45 min. After the mash the BCS will ramp the temp in the HLT until the temp in the MT reaches 168 degrees to mash out. At this point I take the output from the HLT and use the all ready heated water and recirculate it through the coil to flush wort back into MT during sparge. Depending on your system design you could fly sparge directly from the instant hot water heater and eliminate one vessel.
 
mobilecabinworks said:
Great idea with the siphon sprayer! I will be trying something like that.

Works great but I would like to find a stainless one. The heat makes them brittle and eventually will break. Let me know if you find a stainless one. Thanks.
 
In a word, DAMN! Saying how impressed I am does not even come close to what you've accomplished / completed. Congrats!
 
Can you post pics of your entire garage to include the kitchen dining area? Your next build has to be a garage bar with all the bling.
 
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