pulley hoist system for carboys

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Zeppman

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So I've never been the strongest guy (I'd rather brew and drink homebrew then lift weights... priorities), and with my new fermentation chamber I've realized that I'll be needing to lift a full carboy up and over the chest freezer wall. Getting it in is not an issue but pulling it out (the leaning over and lifting) is kind of a pain. I'd like to make it easier on myself before I hurt something, so I thought getting a few "brewhaulers" and a pulley/hoist system (this is all in my basement with exposed wood supports I can attach this too), would be a back saver. The chest freezer I got was free and works fine, but seems to be abnormally tall for some reason.

Any thoughts or suggestions on how I can achieve this? I've seen pics of setups people have over the years, but can't seem to find them now.

Thanks!
 
Have you considered pushing your beer with Co2? I ferment in a chest freezer and have never lifted a full carboy/bucket in or out of it.
 
definitely a multiple pulley system.....

Pulley hook, or pulley with a claspable chain to grab your BUCKET or KEG. Do this with even a plastic carboy and you are asking for americas funniest home videos.

Pulley on the cieling (stud mounted carefully)

Ring mounted similarly in ceiling.


center the stationary ring and the stationary pulley 18 inches apart centered over the FRONT of the Keezer.

You have to push or pull the keg (or bucket) in or out while pulling the rope, but the effort is pretty minimal.

Pushing with Co2 is smarter, although you then have fermenters that never enter the keezer.
 
Cheezy, whats the ring for?

bad67, that would be nice, but probably not work in my situation, only because I don't know how I could fill the carboys while they are in the chest freezer, on brew day. It seems like more of a hassle.

abarker, exactly! Hernias are not fun....
 
the rope goes from the ring in the cieling, down to the pulley that hooks onto the bucket, back up to Pulley #2, and down to your hands pulling on it.

The second pulley halves the amount of force (friction notwithstanding) required to lift, but does it half as quickly. The Stationary ring holds half of the weight. Wish I had a diagram....



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pulley1a.svg

The the ring is where the "rope" just sort of ends in the cieling.

You can add pulleys to further displace weight but at some point you need 100 ft of rope to lift something 4 feet. As such:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pulley3a.svg

Did this in my basement (2 pullies). It pays to have something to tie off to nearby like a post in case you want to suspend something to syphon into the keezer.

Works GREAT!! I can lift a full keg with one hand and easilly direct it into the Keezer witgh the other.
 
even a single pulley would help -
good graphic, Cheesy. While you were hunting that down, I drew this....

I know, I know...better than I thought. Might have to think about some studio work....

pully ring.jpg
 
even a single pulley would help -
good graphic, Cheesy. While you were hunting that down, I drew this....

I know, I know...better than I thought. Might have to think about some studio work....

Lol, nice!

With the friction and the direction of pulling, I found 1 pulley to be of no real help.

2 makes it a breeze.
 
Am I the only person who gets a huge knot in their stomach when they picture a (full or empty but especially full) carboy pendulum?!? Hitting the side of the chest freezer would be bad enough but hitting another full carboy while lowering or pulling it out? This sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen.
 
Am I the only person who gets a huge knot in their stomach when they picture a (full or empty but especially full) carboy pendulum?!? Hitting the side of the chest freezer would be bad enough but hitting another full carboy while lowering or pulling it out? This sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen.

Yes, that is a concern. That is why I have already planned on installing some foam board on the outside of the chest freezer and centering the pulley more over the chest freezer than outside of it so I have more control in lowering it. The freezer is also large enough so that once a carboy is placed inside, I can move over far enough so when the second one goes in, they won't be near each other. The wife (or other brewing assistant) is usually around to lend a hand when needed anyway... in this case it would be carboy guidance :)

I just picked some pulleys, rope and hooks all rated 200lbs or better.
 
H-ost said:
Am I the only person who gets a huge knot in their stomach when they picture a (full or empty but especially full) carboy pendulum?!? Hitting the side of the chest freezer would be bad enough but hitting another full carboy while lowering or pulling it out? This sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen.

That is why I said "bucket or keg". Beyond that, I wash my hands of it.
 
Ok... I know its not the smartest idea... so how do others move carboys in and out of chest freezers (this one is a little over 4.5' tall)? I'm open to ideas... I need to control fermentation temp.
 
If you had the space such as in a garage a gantry crane would be perfect. You could combine that with say one of the smaller motorized hoists, like good for 300 lbs or so. Even a small engine hoist might work if it could lift high enough. Once in a while on craigslist I've seen these stand things for moving immobilized people in and out of bed, looks kind of like an engine hoist but more indoor friendly. It's always good to have a lift plan and be certified.
 
You have KEGS, right??

If you have to lager, do it in a keg.

Kegs have fantastic handles.

For that matter Buckets and Kegs are CHEAP.

Glass should NEVER go in the Keezer.
 
I have plenty of kegs... but I don't really want to ferment in kegs...

Ahhhhhhh! Are you still in the "I have to look at my beer" phase?

If so....I guess I understand.

Rest assured, you will grow out of it though.

Beer likes it better in a sealed keg or bucket with no light.
 
No.. that's not it at all. I don't like the buckets because I've gotten screwed on a batch that got infected once... and that was my only infection ever in hundreds of batches... not saying it was the bucket... but still. (It was an old bucket... my fault, but still.) You really ferment in kegs? I haven't heard or seen this. What do you do for blow off/air lock?
 
In last year's "Gadgets" issue of Zymurgy, someone constructed a carboy lift. Instead of attaching to the bucket or carboy carrier, the pulley was attached to a platform that the fermenter sat on. Seemed to be a much more stable application.
 
You could use a "Brew hauler" and strap each side to deer skinning gambles. Bass pro has them for cheep.
 
No.. that's not it at all. I don't like the buckets because I've gotten screwed on a batch that got infected once... and that was my only infection ever in hundreds of batches... not saying it was the bucket... but still. (It was an old bucket... my fault, but still.) You really ferment in kegs? I haven't heard or seen this. What do you do for blow off/air lock?

IT IS SO EASY!!!

Hundreds of threads, tons of brewers do this.

Remove the post and dip tube, shove a rubber stopper on that covers the threads and accepts the airlock. DONE! (Add wort and yeast)

It bubbles like normal. You can add the dip tuba and post to transfer with co2, it has tons of advantages.....including transferring beer into the keezer without lifting ANYTHING.

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PU_8bnT2pk[/ame]
 
Hang Glider said:
even a single pulley would help -
good graphic, Cheesy. While you were hunting that down, I drew this....

I know, I know...better than I thought. Might have to think about some studio work....

I seriously doubt he is that skinny...
 
What about setting the carboy in a milk crate or something first? You could put a short rope from each of the 4 corners to a pulley over the middle.
 
I want to see what you come up with. I have a small block and tackle. I really want to use it for something...

Pics are henceforth required.

I reject the above diagram as a stick figure cannot possibly represent a homebrewer.
 
I'll actually be honest, and don't take this in a disrespectful way: I've always felt for homebrewers who aren't 'strong'. I'm a rather strong guy, and I workout hard 3-4 times a week, and it takes a lot for me to 'gracefully' lift a full carboy or keg. I can lift a full 1/2bbl, but it is not graceful.

So I can understand the wanting for something to make it easier. We as homebrewers lift heavy crap rather frequently. With that said, this is a really bad idea if you are working with glass carboys. Get a brew hauler, or move to plastic fermenters. When carboys drop and go boom, it's not pretty
 
Here is my solution. Overkill I know but I had the winch at work and hadn't used it in a year so I decided this was a great way to use it. I ferment in 1/2 barrel sankes and usually have 11 gallons to get from my outside brewing area to my garage. I fill the sanke outside then move it to the garage on a dolly and use the winch to lift into the ferm chamber. The winch is mounted over the front edge of the chest freezer. Once fermentation is complete I use CO2 to push from the fermenter to the serving kegs.

cdd5183c.jpg


95e5f22b.jpg


ba781fb0.jpg
 
I'll actually be honest, and don't take this in a disrespectful way: I've always felt for homebrewers who aren't 'strong'. I'm a rather strong guy, and I workout hard 3-4 times a week, and it takes a lot for me to 'gracefully' lift a full carboy or keg. I can lift a full 1/2bbl, but it is not graceful.

So I can understand the wanting for something to make it easier. We as homebrewers lift heavy crap rather frequently. With that said, this is a really bad idea if you are working with glass carboys. Get a brew hauler, or move to plastic fermenters. When carboys drop and go boom, it's not pretty

It isn't just that, even someone STRONG will develop back trouble if they lift things this heavy regularly.
 
You guys have been great. What a good thread this has turned into. For now I've purchased the brew hauler, and some pulleys and such, but I may take the pulleys back. If the wife and I can lift the carboy together in the brewhauler, I'll just stick with that. I am intrigued by fermenting in a keg though. I can lift these things by myself (not a total weakling), but its not graceful, and I am worried that one day I will hurt myself. I've done some bodily harm (not brew related) trying to lift something some years back, and I just don't want that to happen again.
 
It isn't just that, even someone STRONG will develop back trouble if they lift things this heavy regularly.

You guys have been great. What a good thread this has turned into. For now I've purchased the brew hauler, and some pulleys and such, but I may take the pulleys back. If the wife and I can lift the carboy together in the brewhauler, I'll just stick with that. I am intrigued by fermenting in a keg though. I can lift these things by myself (not a total weakling), but its not graceful, and I am worried that one day I will hurt myself. I've done some bodily harm (not brew related) trying to lift something some years back, and I just don't want that to happen again.



See above. You and the wife lifting a piece of glass full of 5 gallons of liquid is a BAD idea on it's own, without the possibility of spinal injury.

respectfully, please come to your senses.
 
cheezy, ya you're right.... when you "add the dip tube in the keg and push the beer with CO2 after fermentation" how do you prevent the yeast from being sucked up through the dip tube? Do you wash your yeast? I could see it being difficult pouring out your washed yeast and being sanitary... meaning its hard to pour anything out of a keg without the liquid hitting handles, posts, etc.... basically I'd be worried about infection during yeast washing.
 
cheezy, ya you're right.... when you "add the dip tube in the keg and push the beer with CO2 after fermentation" how do you prevent the yeast from being sucked up through the dip tube? Do you wash your yeast? I could see it being difficult pouring out your washed yeast and being sanitary... meaning its hard to pour anything out of a keg without the liquid hitting handles, posts, etc.... basically I'd be worried about infection during yeast washing.

Ideally you let the fermenter/keg sit angled so that the yeast settle at an angle away from the tube. Cutting the tube is also effective.

For yeast washing, I would push the beer out. STOP

Open the top, por in however much sanitized water (or wash) and then shake it up and push that out with co2 into a mason jar or whatever.

You are going to be more efficient than you dreamed possible!

:mug:
 
Any recommendations on how short you'd cut the dip tube? This sounds great, I just want to make sure I can keep washing my yeast.
 
In general, my yeast cake takes the entire depression in the corny keg. I don't have a CO2 system yet, so I still siphon from my corny kegs. I can set the siphon against the side on the bottom of the keg and get nearly all the beer with very little yeast. You could also try bending the tube up if you don't want to cut it.

I like fermenting in corny's. I've not had good luck using the gas disconnect for the blowoff, though. I had one clog pretty bad. I just take the whole post off and put 1/2 vinyl tube over it and secure with a worm clamp. Works great. With fermcap, you can pretty much fill it all the way up with very little blowoff.

For harvesting yeast, I do what was listed above - just pour some water in and transfer out via siphon or CO2.

cheers!
 

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