First All Grain System Project

Hey guys,

I have been doing a lot of reading and learned a lot on this website and i think I'm ready to begin my first all grain project.

Heres what Ill be doing:

Here I got this unit and it fixs 2 keggles very nicely with a outlet and it gives me room to expand it

http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/18762/749212.jpg


I also have a Bayou SQ14 burner and i will be getting another and i will then be attaching the burners to the bottom of the unit.
Also, I will be ordering a pump this weekend. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12410

Now for the keggle conversion here is what i got to work with.

Cover- http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/18762/749207.jpg

Fittings- http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/18762/749208.jpg http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/18762/749209.jpg http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/18762/749211.jpg

I also have picce of copper i will be making into a filter for the bottom of the keggle. http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/18762/749210.jpg
I will be cutting little holes into a flex piece of cooper.

Also be getting a1/2 Inch x 50 Foot Coil Wort Chiller with Garden Hose Fittings- $79.99
http://nybrewsupply.com/products/wort-chiller-copper-immersion.php

What do you guys think about this?
Do you think those fittings or good or should i use stainless steal. I found those in the pluming section for not a bad price. I believe they are brass, what do you think?

Thank you all.
Cheers!

Bob, that's a monster picture fail.

I thought only laughing gnome brewed on ugly junk, sorry man, had to say it. good luck to you though, the only important thing is the end result which is wonderful beer. you might want to do some searching for a brutus 20 type setup since that is electric and uses 2 keggles/kettles.

Sorry about the picture failure. I edited so it should be good now

Retarded_Penguin_Brewing said:

I thought only laughing gnome brewed on ugly junk, sorry man, had to say it. good luck to you though, the only important thing is the end result which is wonderful beer. you might want to do some searching for a brutus 20 type setup since that is electric and uses 2 keggles/kettles.

Click to expand...

The beer is what matters my man. I will be giving the stand a nice coat of paint on it but thats the least of my problem.

what do you guys think?

Here's what I think based on the very limited information given on your plan:

1. The stand is too tall. It is better to have the kettles lower for more convenient access.
2. The electrical outlet is of little importance one way or the other at this poing.
3. The March pump is OK
4. I don't have any experience with the Shark Bite fittings, but I think there are better ways to go. Brass and copper are OK to use. Stainless is nice, but more costly and not an absolute necessity.
5. Don't worry about the appearance of the stand at this point. You can easily paint it and it's not a big deal.
6. The Bayou Classic SQ-14 is an excellent burner and an excellent choice IMO.
7. The chiller looks good and the larger 1/2" OD tubing was a good choice. It's well worth the extra cost.

So, that's my take on it so far. IMO, stands or "rigs" are not at all necessary, although, for some reason they have sort of become the default configuration. Modular systems are my preference. Plan out your system on paper before you go much further. This will save you time and money in the long run. Often, when putting a system together, you will buy or build something only to upgrade it not long after. I think most of us have been there and probably more than once. Plan the project well, then build to the plan for best results.

I would be concerned about using the SharkBite on a boil pot. I use SharkBites a lot. My main concern would be the little plastic collar that sticks out of the fitting not standing up to the heat. Also, the fitting uses an O-ring inside. I have no idea what temps it is rated for.

The sharkbite is not rated for boil temps. I would not use it in this application.

Look inside that brass valve at the top of the ball. The ones I've seen have a bad design on the way the ball attaches. The inside of the ball is not smooth. There is a crevice where the handle attaches to the ball.

The rest of the fittings look fine and will work.

i got some more questions before i start my first all grain brewing.

I have a braid instead of a false bottom in my keggles. Is that alright?

Do i need any fittings on my pump? or can i just out my hose straight on it?

Can anyone help me with this??

Thank you guys

The braid will be fine for batch sparging. A false bottom is only necessary/ideal if you are doing fly sparging as it reduces channeling through the grain bed, allowing for even extraction of sugars.

Where did you purchase that Calphalon lid?

Thank you very much.

I bought it at a local Bed Bath and Beyond for $20.

I found a few online for around the same price.