10 gallons, 3 tiers, coolers, $15 ball valves

Here is my latest project! I am so happy with it, so proud of it! Pride is horrible, I know, sorry. The thru the wall therms are waiting, the stoppers that I need are due in here in about a weeks time. ENJOY! COMMENTS! QUESTIONS WELCOME!!

http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/PolTavern/

The Pol

By the way, SWMBO, though excited to see such a contraption, will not allow it to stay in the house....

That looks killer. I need one of those. I just bought my Ag stuff today and now I have more equipment than skill



Dan

After seeing those pics..only one thing comes to mind....well 2 things actually.

1. I need to build a 3 tier setup...and
2. Does your wife have any sisters?

Jester4176 said:

After seeing those pics..only one thing comes to mind....well 2 things actually.

1. I need to build a 3 tier setup...and
2. Does your wife have any sisters?

Click to expand...

That's so wrong...but so right!


Dan

Hey guys... thanks, it really will be a dream of a system. I prefer the coolers for a few reasons... Less gas used to keep the water and mash heated (nearly zero temp loss) and along with that, more time to do what I need to do since I dont have to ALWAYS be watching the temps. Set them and forget them.
All together I have about $290 in the system, including the rack and the wheels, thermometers, all of it... This will be a fly sparge system, so that also includes false bottom and sparge arm.

As for my wife having sisters... well, no such luck, but I will take that as a compliment! How I ended up with her, I will never really know...

Thanks and ask any questions you may have!

Pol

Nice setup there Pol. Simple and functional. I like it.

I think the only thing I would change is moving the top shelf down a bit. It would make access to the HLT a little easier. Carrying any container of scalding water up a ladder or lifting it over your head sucks. That's one reason why I built my 3-tier w/ 3 burners.

Nice setup! I would recommend buying a pump to pump the hot water from the BK to your top tier. A $120 pump is much cheaper than spending several weeks in a burn unit with scald injuries to your head and torso.

Pride is horrible, I know, sorry.

Click to expand...

says who. dude - you built something that makes killer beer. be obnoxiously proud man. you've earned it

Nice job....

You did pickle those brass fittings, right?

I would move the top shelf down a little, but I need room to access the mash for infusions and mixing. Anyhow, yah... I WILL have them all pickled, it wont be operational for about 4 weeks at this rate. Having a cpl friends over when it is finally operational! OKAY, so I am proud!

Pol

Did someone say pickles??

Dude said:

You did pickle those brass fittings, right?

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Refresh my memory Dude...this is simply soaking the brass fittings in a solution of equal parts water and vinegar? When the solution turns a blue tint the brass is clean and good for the brewery when you can't get stainless steel.


P.S. Nice set up Pol!

Hydrogen Peroxide and vinegar

evanmars said:

Hydrogen Peroxide and vinegar

Click to expand...

Yep, that's it. I did it two years ago when I set up my AG system and couldn't remember what I used. Thanks.

That's an awesome setup. I just bought my ingredients today to break in your old 5 Gal setup with a nice IPA.

How well does that false bottom made from the collander work?

I'll let you know when I brew my first batch with it. Pol says it got 77%-80% efficiency.

Am I missing something? Don't most brew stands allow for the boil too? Is the plan to collect the wort in the bottom stage and then muscle the pot onto a burner?

Yes, muscle it to the burner... like I always have. The shelving system is to allow me to store all of my brewing crap as well as make a gravity fed stand that is tall enough to facilitate brewing. I will only have to muscle it 12" or so, I am not really very concerned about it. The wheels on the system are there to allow me to move the system freely from my garage to the driveway in the summer for brewing as well as reposition it in the garage in the winter when I am brewing.
It is just a simple, sturdy and low maintenance system.

Pol

Aduncan75, you will love the false bottom in there... it worked like a dream for me! ENJOY!!!

Certainly wasn't knocking your concept, I'm just trying to gather info for my brewstand. I suppose there really is no easy way to have the entire process on fixed levels without either making it technically a 4-tier (if you include the fermenter on the bottom) or using a March pump for some of the wort movement. Even if you had your burner at the bottom, you'd have to lift the pot or pump up into you fermenter anyway. Nice work.

Bobby_M said:

I suppose there really is no easy way to have the entire process on fixed levels without either making it technically a 4-tier (if you include the fermenter on the bottom) or using a March pump for some of the wort movement. Even if you had your burner at the bottom, you'd have to lift the pot or pump up into you fermenter anyway. Nice work.

Click to expand...

Bobby, my kettle sits 8" off the ground. I don't have a march pump, but I use a wort wizard to create the suction to transfer to my carboy. I actually got mine at Petsmart. It's called a python and looks like this. Someone said they only sold them in a big set w/ other stuff, but mine here still sells them seperately for ~ $8.



I haven't taken a pic of mine all set up, but here's one of Dude's setup in action. Note you need a carboy cap to make it work, and better bottles will collapse under the pressure. Ask me how I know.

Neato... will be April before my 10 gallon system is pumping... waiting for parts, still....

Rob

Pol,

How often you get to sample the brew at work ???

Nice ERJ!

Sample brew at work? Do you mean on layovers? We require 12 hours bottle to thrust lever, so... not very often. I almost drink exclusively at home really. Been off work for almost 2 weeks now, hope I remember what side to keep up!

Pol

Just giving you a hard time. I work for OO. I haven't found a way to bring a homebrew on a layover without mixing up the dregs.

Pardon my ignorance, or drunkeness, what is OO? Yah, I simply go thirsty all week at work, what a drag!! Then I binge, lol


Pol

OO is the computer code. Your is probably RW or S5.

Yes, we are S5.... but still, who is OO?

evanmars said:

Hydrogen Peroxide and vinegar

Click to expand...

i built a mlt but haven't got to use it yet...i hadn't heard of this step...do you mix the two then boil and put in the fittings??? sorry if this is a dumb question.

damn you experienced brewers...pointing out all those 'necessary steps' For those too lazy to disassemble their MLT's, can you simply let the pickling solution sit in the assembly? Or is there some bizarre peroxide + vinegar + sst reaction that'll blow up the house and/or eat away the plastic of the MLT?

I hate chemistry.

"Bobby, my kettle sits 8" off the ground. I don't have a march pump, but I use a wort wizard to create the suction to transfer to my carboy. I actually got mine at Petsmart. It's called a python and looks like this. Someone said they only sold them in a big set w/ other stuff, but mine here still sells them seperately for ~ $8."

pardon my noobiness, but the "wort wizard" as it has been called looks to be the same thing you use to fill up a waterbed??? am i crazy???

I am going to be getting march pump soon... I have (2) turkey fryers, (2) kettles... so I can dedicate one to simply heating strike and sparge water, pumping it to the cooler that needs it.... and one kettle for boiling my wort.