Semi-automatic Bottling Line

Okay, so I make a decent amount of beer, but hardly drink any of it. I want it all in bottles so I can share it with friends easily. Right? But I still don't really like the bottling process.

So I'm putting together a plan to build a semi-automatic bottling line in my garage. I already have the counter space, buckets, and capper, all I need is a pump, a timed valve, and a way of filling several bottles at once.

Based on parts I know I can get for cheap, I'm thinking something like this:

Obviously the speed is off, but you get the idea. The raising and lowering of the fill tubes would be done by hand, but the actual filling would be done by pressing a button to start a timed fill from the pump. I'd time it so that the bottles wouldn't overflow while I was working on the capping.

What I'm pretty sure won't work in this setup is the six-tube manifold. I assume that the first bottle will fill a lot faster than the last one, right? Or will they fill evenly if I pump the beer in at a high enough pressure? Is there any way I could set this up to get all six bottles to fill evenly?

Also, I haven't used a pump yet, will using it with the bottling bucket disturb the beer too much? It'll be pumping against a closed valve for part of this, and I'm hoping it won't create turbulence or anything while that's happening.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

So I'm looking at self-priming diaphragm pumps to move the beer from the bucket to the manifolds. Obviously this one would work: http://morebeer.com/view_product/17305/102345/Self-Priming_Diaphragm_Pump_for_Beer_Transfers

But it's $140. What about this one for $90 on Amazon?

3.3 gallons per minute: http://reviews.northerntool.com/0394/52067/reviews.htm

Oh man, this setup begs for a 6 channel peristaltic pump. You will get precisely the amount of flow you are looking from each of six tubes. Here's an eight channel on sale from ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gilson-Minipuls...cmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Pumps?hash=item53dd64fd98

Holy cow! I've never seen a pump like that before. I wonder what size tubes it can take? I could redesign the whole system, and just stick 8 tubes in the bottling bucket... ooooh.

jajabee said:

Holy cow! I've never seen a pump like that before. I wonder what size tubes it can take? I could redesign the whole system, and just stick 8 tubes in the bottling bucket... ooooh.

Click to expand...

Each pump is different. I have a 3 channel that takes 3/8" ID silicone tubing. I plan on using it for mashing steps.

Edit: They crop up all the time on ebay. Just keep a watch and you will find something perfect. Some just have the drive heads and you have to supply you're own pump. The pump is usually the expensive part because they are designed to be SUPER precise.

What if you had the bottling manifold and tube array set up like a six pack and fed from the center of the manifold? Use gravity feed with six bottling wands?

I've thought about gravity-feeding it, and I might still do that, but there's a couple of problems... one is that the bucket would have to be something like 6 feet up in the air if I didn't want to sit at the floor, and those suckers are heavy. The other is that the flow rate changes as the bucket empties, so timing the fill time definitely wouldn't work. It might still not work with a pump, but there's a chance it might.

Arranging it like a 6-pack and filling from the center is a great idea. I'll see what I can come up with in the Home Depot plumbing aisle.

It would probably be a lot easier to shut of the flow with a mini float switch and a solenoid for each fill tube.

I've thought about several designs for semi-automated bottling systems, but IMO it wouldn't be worth the time, effort and cost to build one, mostly the time. I just think a heck of a lot of trouble shooting will be involved to get one working reliably.

If you have lots of free time and enjoy the design work, then I'm sure you could do it. I'd probably tackle it if I didn't have so much other stuff on my plate. I'm a glutton for punishment.

I was thinking that if the line to the 4 corners of the 6-pack were shorter and the lines to the 2 middle bottles were longer that might give an even fill rate to all bottles. Just throw'n out ideas since I'll probably end up building the same thing.

You could always push with co2 and could even put in a 3 way valve so you could purge the bottles first. Kind of like a big blichmann beer gun

I'm assuming your planning on bottle conditioning, but you could also force carb in a keg and do something like this

JKoravos said:

If you have lots of free time and enjoy the design work, then I'm sure you could do it.

Click to expand...

Yes and yes. I enjoy the hell out of this stuff.

So I looked more into the 8-channel system, and it looks like the max flow rate is about 1oz a minute. They make a "high flow" system that does about 7oz a minute, but it only goes up to 4 channels. Still kinda tempting, though, if I could get one for cheap.

For the original idea, I guess I just need to put together the manifold and see what happens. I can simulate the pump pressure by putting a bucket of water up on the roof or something (a little less than half a PSI for every foot in height), and then decide from there.

Screw it. Buy some kegs.

Hehe, that took about 11 posts longer than I expected.

Well I applaud your idea, but you can still only cap 1 bottle at a time. So really the only automation is the filling. How about your get yourself a brew buddy instead to help fill and you can both drink why you fill, sounds like a good way to watch a game or something.

Bokonon said:

You could always push with co2 and could even put in a 3 way valve so you could purge the bottles first. Kind of like a big blichmann beer gun

I'm assuming your planning on bottle conditioning, but you could also force carb in a keg and do something like this

Click to expand...

I was thinking more along the lines of bottling from a keg, myself. I thought about a beer gun with 6 nozzles at the end. Not sure if that would work or not.

JesseRC said:

Well I applaud your idea, but you can still only cap 1 bottle at a time. So really the only automation is the filling. How about your get yourself a brew buddy instead to help fill and you can both drink why you fill, sounds like a good way to watch a game or something.

Click to expand...

Downside to that is nothing will get capped for later consumption.

okay, maybe that's NOT a downside.

JesseRC said:

Well I applaud your idea, but you can still only cap 1 bottle at a time. So really the only automation is the filling. How about your get yourself a brew buddy instead to help fill and you can both drink why you fill, sounds like a good way to watch a game or something.

Click to expand...

You're definitely right about that. I don't think there's much point of just making an automated filler. IMO, you need to have automated capping as well.

The system design that I like the most is a conveyor style where you would have one bottle filling at a time and it would index one position and be capped while the next bottle is filling. It would take a lot of control work to implement that system, though.

Hmm, I guess I don't mind the capping, it's really just waiting for the bottles to fill that makes me daydream about speeding the process up. I also don't like having to do one thing at a time, I'd prefer to be working on the capping while the filling is happening.

Had some fun at Home Depot this evening, and the first manifold concept seems to be working, actually. Someone suggested putting cheap valves on each fill tube to regulate the flow of each one, and that seems to be getting around the problem of the first one filling before the last one. Still needs some tweaking though. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Damn, looks like a great idea I am anxious to see this unit in action!

jajabee said:

Had some fun at Home Depot this evening, and the first manifold concept seems to be working, actually. Someone suggested putting cheap valves on each fill tube to regulate the flow of each one, and that seems to be getting around the problem of the first one filling before the last one. Still needs some tweaking though. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Click to expand...

The problem with this is that the change in flow rate won't be linear with the head pressure. You may have the valves set right when your bucket is full, but by the time it's empty, you'll have all the bottles filling at different rates again. It may be worth a shot, but i think you'd be continuously tweaking the valves.

The brewery I worked at had that exact same setup. It had a CO2 line coming in the left hand side of the line and the beer coming down the middle, with a valve on the right hand side to release pressure and fill bottles.

purge the bottles with the CO2 and then close the right hand valve to fill bottles at the same pressure as your beer in line. Close CO2 valve and open beer in line. Slowly crack the right hand valve to allow beer to fill bottles. When bottles are about full, close beer in and let pressure equalize throughout all bottles and then open relief valve pull out fill tubes cap on foam and life is good!

It takes a couple of rounds to get it down to a science but it works really slick. We bottled about 150 cases of 22 oz flip tops in the couple of months I worked worked there.

John.

Nwcw2001 said:

The brewery I worked at had that exact same setup. It had a CO2 line coming in the left hand side of the line and the beer coming down the middle, with a valve on the right hand side to release pressure and fill bottles.

purge the bottles with the CO2 and then close the right hand valve to fill bottles at the same pressure as your beer in line. Close CO2 valve and open beer in line. Slowly crack the right hand valve to allow beer to fill bottles. When bottles are about full, close beer in and let pressure equalize throughout all bottles and then open relief valve pull out fill tubes cap on foam and life is good!

It takes a couple of rounds to get it down to a science but it works really slick. We bottled about 150 cases of 22 oz flip tops in the couple of months I worked worked there.

John.

Click to expand...

Sounds like your talking about a normal counter pressure filler. Was this one bottle at a time or multiple bottles at once?

6 at a time.

The system design that I like the most is a conveyor style where you would have one bottle filling at a time and it would index one position and be capped while the next bottle is filling. It would take a lot of control work to implement that system, though.

Click to expand...

I can fill two bottles, could be changed to more.

This is a 1995 design, it's a demo museum piece now.

My first design was a rotary filler and not easy to upgrade.
This inline version can be upgraded to more fill heads without a problem.
Capper not shown.

This is a counter pressure long tube filler with CO2 purge.

In and out-feed conveyors can be attached.


Fill heads


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

^^bastard.............toshort

Claudius, that is magnificent. Are you an engineer that specializes in brewery equipment and processes?

Do you have any plans or notes about the construction of this machine? I agree that kegging is easier, but then again, so is buying commercial brew. A bottling machine takes home-brewing to another level.

JesseRC said:

Well I applaud your idea, but you can still only cap 1 bottle at a time. So really the only automation is the filling. How about your get yourself a brew buddy instead to help fill and you can both drink why you fill, sounds like a good way to watch a game or something.

Click to expand...

But the filling step is the slow part of the process. I went over to a friend's house recently to help them bottle their first batch, and we did a three-person assembly line. First person sanitized with a vinator, second person filled with a standard bottling wand attached directly to the bucket, and third person capped. The first and third people spent most of their time waiting on the filler. If the filler could do 6 bottles at once, that would probably even things out.

I apologize if something similar was already mentioned, but Alesmith's original "bottling line" was just like this. Peter Zien picked up a used, cheap t-shirt press (minus the heating element) for the main frame with dropping mechanism, and then mounted the fill tubes like you have. I think it was made out of 80/20. Not sure what he did for a pump/filling though.

weirdboy said:

But the filling step is the slow part of the process. I went over to a friend's house recently to help them bottle their first batch, and we did a three-person assembly line. First person sanitized with a vinator, second person filled with a standard bottling wand attached directly to the bucket, and third person capped. The first and third people spent most of their time waiting on the filler. If the filler could do 6 bottles at once, that would probably even things out.

Click to expand...

For situations like that, my 4-port bottling bucket works great.

jajabee said:

For situations like that, my 4-port bottling bucket works great.

Click to expand...

Wow that is a very simple and elegant solution, I like it.

ok so stupid question....how are you elevating four bottles at a time?

Nickeldeposit said:

ok so stupid question....how are you elevating four bottles at a time?

Click to expand...

I'd guess its at least 2 people, maybe 3. 2 people each filling two bottles at a time and passing off to someone capping.

I can't see one person filling 4 at a time, unless they can use their feet or have 2 extra arms

This is a thread I have to keep up with! Even if it does not work out, there are some classic pics and vids here already!!!

ClaudiusB said:

I can fill two bottles, could be changed to more.

This is a 1995 design, it's a demo museum piece now.

My first design was a rotary filler and not easy to upgrade.
This inline version can be upgraded to more fill heads without a problem.
Capper not shown.

This is a counter pressure long tube filler with CO2 purge.

In and out-feed conveyors can be attached.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

Click to expand...

Dude. You and I would be dangerous together.

Okay, here's today's fill test:



Now, it's not 100% perfect, but I didn't expect it to be at this point. I don't have the pump yet, so I'm feeding the water in from my brew kettle about 10 feet up. That should be about 4 PSI, a little less than a march pump. I also don't have the 3/8" plastic barb adapters yet, so I'm using the 1/2" PVC as fill tubes, which I think is causing some bubbling.

Still, they more or less fill at around the same rate, and once the incoming pressure is consistent, I don't think it'll be hard at all to tweak the fill tub valves to get them all to fill evenly. I think this is going to work.

Pump and barb adapters will arrive next week, I'll update then!

I'm wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on how to best raise/lower the manifold. It's fairly heavy, so I'm planning on doing it by hand, but i don't want to have to futz with it. Ideally I want to be able to just push it up and down and have it stay where I put it, without having to lock it down. Anyone have any suggestions? I was actually thinking something like the pull-cord on window blinds, but that seems a little weird.

If you were to use a piece of pipe for a handle, each position (up and down) could be held by using a springloaded clamp into which the pipe would click. Think about the clamps used to hold the handles of rakes or shovels on your garage wall. They hold, release easily, and don't cost much.

jajabee said:

I'm wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on how to best raise/lower the manifold. It's fairly heavy, so I'm planning on doing it by hand, but i don't want to have to futz with it. Ideally I want to be able to just push it up and down and have it stay where I put it, without having to lock it down. Anyone have any suggestions? I was actually thinking something like the pull-cord on window blinds, but that seems a little weird.

Click to expand...

Perhaps you attack this from the other angle and find a way to lower the bottles instead? Maybe some short PVC tubes to act as bottle holders and then just drop them down on some type of sliding apparatus?

I'm wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on how to best raise/lower the manifold. It's fairly heavy,

Click to expand...

Without a counter weight I don't think manually raising/lowering the manifold will work very well.

Raise the bottles.


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

Hmm, how is raising/lowering the bottles easier than raise/lowering the manifold? Wouldn't the full bottles be a lot heavier to support?