Brewhemoth conical clean in place (CIP) systems

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nostalgia

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Since there are a lot of questions about CIP in the Brewhemoth Conicals thread, I thought I'd start one with my current solution, and invite others to share theirs.

First I had the cap on the chiller drilled to accept a 1/2" NPT long nipple.

brewhemoth_cap1.jpg


Then I soldered in the nipple with Harris Stay-Brite 8 solder and Stay-Clean flux. I added a rotating spray ball from McMaster-Carr, and an elbow and tri-clamp fitting on top.

brewhemoth_cap7.jpg


For the pump, I grabbed a Flowtech utility pump from Home Depot.

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I used a garden hose to 1/2" female NPT adapter and a close nipple to attach the hose to the tri-clamp fitting.

cleaningclamp.jpg


Then it's cleaning time! First, put an empty bucket under the Brewhemoth and run 5 gallons of hot tap water through to get all the loose solids. The pump is in a bucket in the sink.

cleaningfreshwater.jpg


Then I switched to a hot Oxiclean solution, but this time the bucket with the pump is under the Brewhemoth so it recirculates the cleaner. I think I recirc'd for about 10 minutes. I'll probably switch to PBW in the future, since it's supposed to be lower-foaming.

cleanerrecirc.jpg


Then another clean water rinse, and done! Everything came out shiny and crispy clean. And this was after having 12 gallons of a very dark red IPA in there for 3 weeks.

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I like having the sprayball in with the chiller because not only can I clean everything at once, in place, but I can also use it to sanitize everything at once on brewday.

-Joe
 
Looks good. I've got one of those spray heads but haven't used it yet. I borrowed a non-rotating spray ball from a local brewery and rigged something up on mine.

I had thermowells welded into each of my chiller caps so I don't really have enough room to add a CIP connection there.

What I do is insert a piece of 1/2" PVC through the 1" port on top, then reach in through the top and slip an o-ring on the pvc, then push the spray ball on it. The spray ball is meant to have a clip to hold it on and I tried that initially but it was a pain to try to get everything lined up. The o-ring is enough to hold it on.

I'm thinking about coming up with a solution that doesn't require me to remove the cap and pull out the chiller. A small diameter pipe that fits through the 1" hole (maybe CPVC, copper would work but I'd rather not use it), cap it and drill some holes to give good coverage.
 
Yeah, getting something to go through the 1" hole was my original idea, but I couldn't find a 270 or 360 degree ball that would fit through. I'm very happy with the way this setup worked out.

-Joe
 
I made a cleaner separate from my chiller. I did not think about using the chiller, but now after the fact I don't think that I would do anything different. This really works well with a 1.2 HP trash pump.

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St Pats sells a 4in TC cap with 2in TC reducer. I've been using their 2in TC spray ball and it works great. It's a little more expensive but saves the extra drill time.

The downside is not being able to wash the chiller coil at the same time. That would be nice but it gives me something to do during the BH rinse stage.
 
I made a cleaner separate from my chiller. I did not think about using the chiller, but now after the fact I don't think that I would do anything different. This really works well with a 1.2 HP trash pump.

So that spray ball works well with a 1.2HP trash pump? Got any more specs on the pump? I have the ball and so far haven't found a pump that will push hard enough to spin it. It might just be cheaper for me to buy the smaller plastic spray ball.
 
Thanks I'll give ebay a look.

Edited to add: I didn't see anything over 1/2hp, not sure that would push the ball. Harbor Freight has sump pumps but those have low PSI cutoffs.
 
I looked again and found what you were talking about. I ended up getting a 1.5hp model for just a few bucks more ($80), just so I could say mine is bigger than yours! Thanks for the info. I'm hoping this completes my CIP system.
 
I made a cleaner separate from my chiller. I did not think about using the chiller, but now after the fact I don't think that I would do anything different. This really works well with a 1.2 HP trash pump.
Mostly I did it for sanitation purposes. I can just pump sanitizer through the same port, empty it, close the valves, and it stays sanitary until I'm ready to fill. One less thing to worry/forget about during the brewday.

Your system was the inspiration for mine, btw. Nice work on that.

-Joe
 
Sort of off-topic, but does anyone know a place to source coils similar to the ones they use in the Brewhemoth for temperature control?

I'd like to set up a similar temperature control system, but the Brewhemoth fermenters are just way too big for my system.
 
@Bruwsomtin, what are the specs on your pump?

I'd love some more info on that pump too, I need something to replace my dead 1/4hp submersible that I used for cleaning my brewehemoth, carboys, kegs, etc.

I'd rather do it right this time rather than buying something that'll have to get replaced in 2 years
 
I got my 1.5HP trash pump off ebay (new, $79, free shipping, Chinese) and hooked up a PVC pipe system for my 2" cleaning ball. Ran it last night, it really works well. Takes maybe a minute to prime and get all the way up to the ball. The only negative in the system is that the pump runs faster than the fermentor drains even with both the dump and racking valves wide open. This means the flow slows for a few seconds every so often but it starts back up as more water drains to the reservoir.

The spray ball squirts a good amount of water upwards. I found this out on startup when I looked into the 4" opening and got soaked. I lengthened the downward leg of the pipe to put the ball about 8" into the fermentor. If it warms up I might try running the system outside and observe the spray pattern so I can be sure I'm getting good coverage of the upper reaches of the fermentor.
 
I'm saving up for a brewhemoth. I really like your setup.

What size thermowell did you use? I plan on getting the chilling coil as well and since the thermowell goes in at an angle I want to make sure I get one that:
A. does not hang out on top of the coil and gets false readings based off the coil temp.
B. The thermowell and coil does not intertwine making it more difficult to remove the coil.

The last worry I have is my fermentation fridge has crapped out on me, making the brewhemoth and the chill coil that much more appealing. I live in Mississippi and plan to keep the fermenter in my storage room in the garage (this room is dedicated to home brewing equipment). It get's pretty damn hot in my garage during the summer. I'm wondering if the chill coil, ice cold water, and insulating the fermenter will be enough to keep good ale temps for a 10 gallon batch. I would prefer to keep it in the 64 degree range. I don't know if I'll be asking too much though. Any advice or directions to good forum topics would be very much appreciated.

Thanks... Again, very awesome setup!
 
I use a 24" thermowell in the tee. It does interfere with the coil slightly, and I'm considering other options.

That said, I put stick-on thermometers on the outside of the conical, and the reading from the thermowell is within a degree or two of the stick-ons, even with the chiller running.

-Joe
 
Hey guys. I've got a brewhemoth on the way...anyone know if this trash pump would work with the brewers hardware CIP ball?

Look a lot like the one I'm using. I have a 1.5HP pump and it actually outruns the drains even when both the dump and racking valves are wide open. So I'd say a 1.25 or 1.0HP would be perfect. I'd probably go with the 1.25HP, its not much more.
 
I also have an abservation and wondered if other people are seeing this. My CIP system (2" brewershardware metal ball and 1.5HP pump) is vigorous but it still won't scour the trub ring off the fermentor. At least not in the 15-30min I run the CIP. The water appears to be shooting upwards well enough, I only have the ball in about 8" although could move this up I suppose. I'm using some PBW too, but so far only cold water. Fortunately my arm is skinny enough that I can reach in with a plastic scrubby and clean the ring off as long as I'm doing a 15+gal batch.

So my question is, if I use hot water and let the CIP run for an hour or something, will this ring eventually get blasted off? I'm cleaning right after racking the beer to kegs so its not dried on.
 
PBW with hot tap water will remove just about anything beer-related from stainless if used at 2oz/gal concentration for 30 minutes.

There are two tricks (that I have found) with PBW; run hot, and rinse immediately and with the same temp water. That's all you need to be sure of. Elbow grease not required. Don't get too carried away on the temp - five star recommends keeping PBW temp < 150F - just use hot tap water.

In fact, I often cut the concentration as far back as .75oz/gal, and still get good results in my brew kettle. And that's not even proper CIP, just lazy march pump speed. If it's not coming clean for you, it's almost certainly mixed at the wrong ratio, or the water is too cold.
 
PBW with hot tap water will remove just about anything beer-related from stainless if used at 2oz/gal concentration for 30 minutes.
I just switched from Oxy to PBW and have noticed a big improvement in removing the top-of-the-krausen scum ring. 30 minutes recirc with tap water-hot PBW and the inside was bright and shiny, without a trace of scum.

I ran at 1oz/gallon.

-Joe
 
I think PBW has something in it that Oxy doesn't. I'll have to try running with hot water. Thanks for the testimonial.
 
It does. Folks will rant and tell you it's the same, but it simply is not. It's up to you if you want to spend the money on PBW or not. For me, it's worth it. Cheers!

I think PBW has something in it that Oxy doesn't. I'll have to try running with hot water. Thanks for the testimonial.
 
To keep the foam down, have you tried Simethicone (Fermcap, Baby Gas-X, etc)?

I used it with Oxyclean, and it worked great. I won't use Simethicone in my beer, but since I rinse afterwards I think it's okay.
 
Nice--that's what I'm planning to do. What fittings did you use to get into the CIP ball?

I don't remember exactly. The CIP is 1" so I started with a 1" nipple. Then a 1" to 1 1/4" reducer. 1 1/4" 90. 1 1/4" hose fitting. And a length of 1 1/4" hose. The pump has both 1 1/4" hose or garden hose fittings. I went with the 1 1/4". I took the CIP ball to HD with me. Found the pump and took everything to the fitting aisle and figured it out. Took a while.:D
 
I don't remember exactly. The CIP is 1" so I started with a 1" nipple. Then a 1" to 1 1/4" reducer. 1 1/4" 90. 1 1/4" hose fitting. And a length of 1 1/4" hose. The pump has both 1 1/4" hose or garden hose fittings. I went with the 1 1/4". I took the CIP ball to HD with me. Found the pump and took everything to the fitting aisle and figured it out. Took a while.:D

Thanks. I hate Lowes and Home Depot like the plague. Nothing is ever where it should be. How many times have I grabbed a light switch out of the "3-way switch" box, only to come home and find out someone threw a normal single pole switch in the wrong box? Too many times.
 
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Here's my first attempt at a clean in place: 1.2 HP submersible pump, 5 gallons of hot PBW, and a Brewer's Hardware SS CIP ball. I let it go for an hour. It worked pretty well today, but I still had to reach in with a carboy brush and take care of the scum ring. Anyone have any advice?
 
I did something kind of similar although I wanted it to be a bit more flexible so that I can CIP other things. So here's what I came up with:


photo by brewerJP


photo by brewerJP


photo by brewerJP

I had a hole drilled in the 4" TC cap, and then just used a bulkhead fitting with NPT on both sides so I could adapt for the input / output as necessary. You can see that I can break it in half so I can use the nozzle elsewhere. When I get ready to CIP I just fill the Brewhemoth up with around 5 gallons of water/PBW solution, dump it out the bottom, send it through a pump and then back up to the top. I use this pump for cleaning: http://www.amazon.com/Shurflo-8005-733-155-Diaphragm-Pump/dp/B00571IFN6. It's relatively inexpensive, NSF rated and more than capable.

The lid CIP I made came in particularly good use when passivating the pots - I just circulated a diluted solution of nitric acid.

Everything about this is simple - except cutting the hole in the TC cap! That is quite a challenge.
 
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