Want to brew in garage but no water supply. Suggestions?

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shildebr

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Mar 12, 2008
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Location
Keller, TX
I bought a 1/2 bbl keg, I'm all ready to convert it to a keggle, I've got my eye on a propane burner at cabella's. And so I'm ready to give my electric stovetop a rest and move the brewery to the garage. The only problem..... no water supply.

I live in an apartment where the living area is above the garage, so hosing from the sink is out. Also, the lawn is on an automatic sprinkler so there are no outside faucets, so thats out too. I have no problem lugging my old 30 qt kettle down from the kitchen for strike/sparge water, but how am I going to cool the wort?

Do you think I could siphon ice water through an immersion chiller?

Has anybody dealt with this problem, or does anyone have any suggestions?
 
I measure my water in a bottling bucket and lug it up the stairs from the basement to the garage. I have to do this for each infusion which is kind of annoying, but it works.
 
Well my first thought is throwing a hose out a window near the sink to fill with then use for cooling later. Otherwise you may be able to get icewater in your bottling bucket, hang that up on a ladder and run it through your cooling loop, but I have not tried that myself.
 
well if plumbing a new connection is out of the question then using a bucket/garbage can with cold/ice water with a circulator pump hooked to your wort chiller is a possibility.
 
Lugging water is a PITA, IMO.

I am actually really surprised that there isn't a hose bib. Sometimes in apartment buildings they are behind a access door that can be opened with a pair of needlenose pliers and may need a hydtant key (available at lowes) to open the valve. Look for rectangular, galvanized little doors (about 4x6).

Beyond that, you might talk to the maintenance man about having a valve installed on the water in line to you water tank. Check the apartment policy restrictions regarding grills before you approach maintenance tho'. They might not appreciate an open flame in the garage and may not be willing to facilitate the practice.
 
well if plumbing a new connection is out of the question then using a bucket/garbage can with cold/ice water with a circulator pump hooked to your wort chiller is a possibility.

Do you think I would get enough flow just siphoning? I'm just guessing I get the water moving at 5 ft/second. With a 3/8" immersion chiller, thats about 1.72 gallons/minute. So with a 7 gallon tank, that gives me 4 minutes, plenty of time to send jack and jill up the hill to fetch an ale pail of ice water.
 
Beyond that, you might talk to the maintenance man about having a valve installed on the water in line to you water tank.

Water tank is in laundry room, upstairs. Oh, and not sure what policy is on grills in garage, but I do it all the time so shouldn't be a problem.
 
Im sure you could siphon the the water through the the chiller but you should be able to get a small fountain pump cheap that will do what you need and save water and effort. the pump doesnt need to be food grade and doesnt need to handle high temps or put out a lot of pressure.
 
Im sure you could siphon the the water through the the chiller but you should be able to get a small fountain pump cheap that will do what you need and save water and effort. the pump doesnt need to be food grade and doesnt need to handle high temps or put out a lot of pressure.

That's true, usually when I think of pumps related to brewing I think expensive. But I bet I could get one pretty cheap.
 
I have a spigot in my garage, but I'm not going to run water from a garden hose for brewing beer. Fortunatley my kitchen is right inside of the door goingt form the garage to the house. I run water back and forth from the kitchen sink, but it's only 35 feet or so, so it's tolerable.
 
I bought a 1/2 bbl keg, I'm all ready to convert it to a keggle, I've got my eye on a propane burner at cabella's. And so I'm ready to give my electric stovetop a rest and move the brewery to the garage. The only problem..... no water supply.

I live in an apartment where the living area is above the garage, so hosing from the sink is out. Also, the lawn is on an automatic sprinkler so there are no outside faucets, so thats out too. I have no problem lugging my old 30 qt kettle down from the kitchen for strike/sparge water, but how am I going to cool the wort?

Do you think I could siphon ice water through an immersion chiller?

Has anybody dealt with this problem, or does anyone have any suggestions?

Why is a hose from the kitchen out? I use this
camper_hose.jpg

12.95 at Lowes I buy a new every few years for my camper but just bought one so I dont have to lug water to the garage. They sell adapters to use a garden hose on your faucet and just toss the hose out a window . I also use the RV carbon inline filter thats used with my camper .
 
Why is a hose from the kitchen out? I use this
camper_hose.jpg

12.95 at Lowes I buy a new every few years for my camper but just bought one so I dont have to lug water to the garage. They sell adapters to use a garden hose on your faucet and just toss the hose out a window . I also use the RV carbon inline filter thats used with my camper .

Sure, I'll just have to buy 6 or 7 of them.
 
sorry, shildebr, but when you say you live right over the garage, it doesn't sound like that far of a drop. But 150 feet is a lot for hose and it's frickin heavy! I say try EdWort's recirculating pump idea. He made his for about $45. http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=38235
The march pumps are expensive because they're food grade and meant to handle hot liquid. A pond pump doesn't need to if it's just pumping water through the IC.

Instead of dumping the hot water back into the big plastic bucket, I'd run it off to another one at first and use that hot water for clean up, then
 
You could get a spigot splitter and attach it to the connection for your washing machine. You stated you have a laundry room. That could work with the potable hose.
 
I certainly hope your garage is well ventilated while you use the propane burner in there.
As far as lack of running water near the brewing area, I have a similar issue... I just lug the hot water from my stove to the mash tun outside, each time I need it. Then when the wort is done boiling, I lift the entire pot and carry it to my kitchen to use the wort chiller attached to my kitchen faucet. Yeah, it's risky, but you gotta do what you gotta do to brew.
 
Question (Idiot alert)

What is the difference internally between a potable water hose and a regular garden hose?

Potable water hose will be made with food safe plastics. Garden hoses can have lead in them because they are not intended for drinking water.
 
I don't want to get into a whole discussion about the layout of my apartment, but seriously, water from the sink, or the washing machine, or the dishwasher, or the shower, or the toilet will not work. I appreciate the posts pointing out to me other sources of water within my apartment, but, as stated in the OP, it won't work.

However, to those of you with useful information. Thank you!!
 
didnt realise it was that far. I would use bottled water for the brew and a recirculation for The chiller

Thanks springer, I like the recirculation idea. I wish I could hose it from the kitchen, its just a lot of hose if I really don't need it.
 
OK, actually springer, the hose might work. I think maybe I only have to get 3 of them. A little bit of cost, but would really save me the hassle. Here's my floorplan.

Large_A2.jpg
 
I don't want to get into a whole discussion about the layout of my apartment, but seriously, water from the sink, or the washing machine, or the dishwasher, or the shower, or the toilet will not work. I appreciate the posts pointing out to me other sources of water within my apartment, but, as stated in the OP, it won't work.

Not to criticize, but they're just trying to find suggestions, just as you asked. If you don't want to ask your landlord, and you don't want to use a faucet inside the house, then you're pretty much stuck either carrying down the stairs, or buying bottled water. Likewise, to chill, you're pretty much "stuck" with recirculating ice water with a pump - which ISN'T such a bad thing to be stuck with, since I see you're in Texas. You may have found, with a hose, that you would've had to revert to recirculating ice water anyways. Just a thought.

Have you looked at your area's water report? Maybe bottled water would help your brews anyways? (Just trying to rationalize it.)

I get what you're after. I have to carry mine ~40 feet indoors to the porch. I have to stretch my hoses ~55 feet outdoors for the chiller. I want water hookups real, real bad. But I don't know plumbing worth poo, so until then, I keep making do.
 
Not to criticize, but they're just trying to find suggestions, just as you asked. If you don't want to ask your landlord, and you don't want to use a faucet inside the house, then you're pretty much stuck either carrying down the stairs, or buying bottled water. Likewise, to chill, you're pretty much "stuck" with recirculating ice water with a pump - which ISN'T such a bad thing to be stuck with, since I see you're in Texas. You may have found, with a hose, that you would've had to revert to recirculating ice water anyways. Just a thought.

Have you looked at your area's water report? Maybe bottled water would help your brews anyways? (Just trying to rationalize it.)

I get what you're after. I have to carry mine ~40 feet indoors to the porch. I have to stretch my hoses ~55 feet outdoors for the chiller. I want water hookups real, real bad. But I don't know plumbing worth poo, so until then, I keep making do.

I guess I shouldn't post while I'm at work. I was having a $hitty day. I know they were trying to give suggestions, I just get annoyed when the suggestions that are given are the ones that I specifically mentioned would not be an option.
 
Take an old cooler and fill it with water. Make some big ice blocks a day ot two before brewing and add them to the cooler water the night before so it gets good and cold.

Use a fish tank or other cheap pump to circulate the water through your chiller and then dump the whole thing out in the driveway when you are through.

The idea of looking for a valve around the yard sure makes sense. You just know there are clean out, connections, controls and other parts of hte sprinkler section that would allow you to easily connect up a hose.
 
Take an old cooler and fill it with water. Make some big ice blocks a day ot two before brewing and add them to the cooler water the night before so it gets good and cold.

Use a fish tank or other cheap pump to circulate the water through your chiller and then dump the whole thing out in the driveway when you are through.

The idea of looking for a valve around the yard sure makes sense. You just know there are clean out, connections, controls and other parts of hte sprinkler section that would allow you to easily connect up a hose.

I did find a hose spigot, but its got some kind of locked cover on it. Its made of plastic though, it'd be a shame if some "kids" broke the cover off some night.:D
 
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