My EB Build thread - it's going to take some work!

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Thanks for the comments guys!

I'm back from traveling, and back to work on the brewery! Last night I completed the panel, and mounted it in the brewery. Everything is tested and working properly, PIDs and Timer are programmed, and it's time to start working on the kettles!

Completed interior wiring, both SSDs firing.
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:D
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Man, that is wicked cool.

I wish we could have basements here in Texas, so I wouldn't have to sacrifice my garage for a workspace like this.
 
Today I completed the part of the build I have be dreading most; the 6" hole in the block wall. All things considered, it wasn't horrible, but I'm certainly glad to be done! 3.5 hours, start to finish. Came out great!

My hood design is a little different than most. In my layout, the fan will mount directly to the hood, and exhaust directly through the wall. No turns, and a total length of 8" of 6" duct. Should be pretty effective. I'm building a prototype hood out of 2" foam board next week, and will post photos when I get it installed.

The tools required for making the hole in the block - not shown is the hammer drill the bit goes in.
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Unfortunately, my block is textured on the outside, so step 1 was creating a flat area with my brick hammer.
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As far as I went from the outside.
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Pilot holes on the inside.
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Daylight!
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Installed view - outside.
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Installed view - inside. (the electrical probe is just propped in there to keep the duct round as the foam cures)
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OK, back on the wagon! I had surgery last weekend, and that slowed me down for a while. However yesterday I got a chance to get back to it, gently.

Blower mounted in place.
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Ghetto hood 5000 EXTREME under construction! It's extreme because I painted it ;)
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Mounted in place (pressure fit).
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Overall, I'm pleased with this. The idea was to build a foam prototype, and then sometime later get the "real thing" made, when my bank account has recovered somewhat and I'm sure the plan works.
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My somewhat tweaked pump configuration; Allowing me a little more maneuvering room for big gloved hands.
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Drip shield.
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I made up two of these for interfacing with the hose connectors on the Blichmann plate chiller. They are also very handy for connecting to the sink!
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My happy happy work area. I love all the toys!
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I'm impressed! Excellent job on converting a rape dungeon into a home brewery!
 
Gentlemen, I am DONE. The system will see it's maiden voyage this weekend, on a kit summer ale for my wife. I'll be following that up the next weekend with an 11 gallon batch of California Common.

I just wanted to say THANKS to everyone for following along, it's been a ton of fun! Here's a whole bunch of images to give you an in depth tour of Seeker Brewing Co.

PROSIT! :mug:

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Oh I see. Its just a way more clean and thorough setup than mine...ok. With Blichman pron
 
Love it !

Jealous !

Hope to copy it soon !

how bad is the humidity in your dungeon ?
how much does the De-humidifier run ?

Cheers ! Nice Build !
 
Well, I've had the dehumidifier about a year now. It does the whole basement, which is 728 sq. ft.

In the early spring when it rains every day, it pulls about 2 gallons/week out of the air. The rest of the year, it's less than 1 gallon/month. The dehumidifier is set at 65% humidity on auto, and it realistically keeps it there all the time. It runs ~4 times an hour, but only for a few minutes.

Answer: not bad at all :)

Love it !
how bad is the humidity in your dungeon ?
how much does the De-humidifier run ?
 
Sweet! I am so jealous! Where do you store your grain (my brewery is all full of grain and isn't nearly as nice looking)?
 
Awesome and nice job. So glad I subscribed to this thread. If you don't mind I'll stop by for a tour on my way back from the Reds-Tigers game this weekend. Are you still charging $10 for guided tours? :D
 
I don't really keep that much on hand. I have a lot of vacuum sealed frozen hops, but the only grain I keep in bulk is briess pale ale. It lives in the plastic airtight container under the work-table. Everything else I buy in per-batch quantities because I'm a sticker for freshness!

Sweet! I am so jealous! Where do you store your grain (my brewery is all full of grain and isn't nearly as nice looking)?
 
I worked on my conditioning keezer and serving fridge over the weekend. The fridge got a 2nd tap, the keezer got temp contol, and both got external regulators for each keg. I can condition/lager/carbonate 4 kegs in the keezer, and then serve up to two kegs all on their own gas.

4 holes drilled at a downward angle in from the back of the lid, one for each line
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Lines in and sealed
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Keezer done, on to the fridge! As with all great DIY projects, step 1 is; remove whatever says do not remove
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Two holes from the inside into the compressor compartment
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View from compressor compartment - holes at top
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Lines run
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Lines finished and sealed
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2nd tap added to the door
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And the regulator wall! One secondary regulator for each keg, fed on a 20lb tank providing 30 psi.
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It all turned out great, and neither appliance has to hold a tank now, nor has visible holes for the gas lines to enter.
 
Cscade

1st - Nice work ! looks great
2nd - jealous !

A few questions for ya
How big is your brewery ? FT x FT
Is it big enough for you - or would you have made it bigger ?
Do you have any problems working in your space ?
Anything you would change ?

I am just starting to design a basement brewery myself, and I want to get it right the first time
I have limited space in the basement, and once you build a wall, you are unlikely to move it !

Thanks, any input is useful.
Steve
 
Thanks!

The overall room is 13'x9'. My "work area", the part of the floor that drains and I actually stand in, is 9'x9'. The non-draining, raised part of the floor is to the left when walking in the door, and is 4'x9'. That's included in the 13'x9' overall. That area holds my conical, swamp reservoir, grain mill, and keg etc. storage.

I thought it was going to be a little cramped, but it's turned out to be just right. Everything is very organized, and the size of the space means everything is only a few steps away when I need it, which is great. I commonly have an extra person or two in the room on brew days as well, and it's not a problem. It's not as tight as one would think. When I bottle, I move the leftmost kettle off the bench, and use the bench as my bottling area.

For me, the size is perfect. There are a few things that make that true for me though, which you should consider.

  • I only keep ingredients (other than hops) on hand for at most 2 beers in advance, so I don't need a lot of grain sotrage space
  • I have another room for my conditioning keezer and serving fridge
  • I don't store finished beer in the brewery, that's all elsewhere
  • My conical is temp controlled with an immersion coil, so it's a lot smaller footprint than a conical in a refrigerator

My brewery is literally just that, my brewery. It contains all of the stuff I need to brew and ferment beer, without leaving the room. When the beer leaves the conical, it also leaves the room. So if you have similar options for storage and conditioning (elsewhere), you'd be in good shape. But if you have to cram your entire process including conditioning and serving into the same room, you'll definitely need more space. At least 2x long term. If you do go for one big room, keep it narrow and long. Square rooms waste space, and prevent you from organizing things into linear steps.

My only regret is I wish I had the space for a 2-basin sink + the drain board. What I have is great, but I wish for a second basin often. Also, get the sprayer!! Best choice I made in the build. I use it constantly.

Edit: I should take updated pictures. It has evolved and settled in a lot.
 
Cscade

Thanks for your info, very helpful ! Pictures can be deceiving.
I have about that same size space available to me, and I do "serve" the beer somewhere else.
The brewery is separate from the bar ( the bar will come later ) Kegorator the wife approves of !

My goal is to plan it right - take my time before hitting a single nail - and get it right the first time !
I will store beer/wine in this room - think rolling wine racks
I am designing a 2 vessel Electric brew system - 12 gal batches, so i save a little space there....

I am just tired of watching builds that take up an entire 20x20 garage - I love them, but
I don't have that kind of money for all that stainless & diamond plate !!! I park cars in my garage !

I see you point on the sink, and that was why i was going with single & drain board = yes Sprayer is a MUST !
I was also going to tile the floor so I could squeegee toward drain - floor as big sink !
I may rethink that now.
Gotta love the pencil, it's so much easier to change your mind, than move a wall !

thanks again
Steve
 
I took some updated photos this evening, showing how the space has evolved. I'm down in the brewery every two days doing something, at minimum, so it's really starting to feel comfortable.

Conditioning/Serving area. (outside brewery)
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Bottle storage. (outside brewery)
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Fermentation, storage, and milling.
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Fermentation and storage. Also seen here is my giant (too big really) swamp cooler for the conical temp control when needed.
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Overall
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Overall
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Work table, flask/tool storage, salts, and most of the organization bins. Also been here is my "general purpose" CO2 tank. I go through a lot of CO2.
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Brew stand & panel. You can see the storage containers for my next two brews, and my somewhat unorthodox pump configuration.
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Sink, cleaning, measuring, etc.
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