Questions - eBIAB with single keggle

So, recently I've started thinking about switching directions from a 3 Keggle HERMs to a single Keggle BIAB. I've got some questions:

1. Has anyone found a basket that works well in keggles?

2. Will a whirlpool/recirc valve at the top of the Keggle, similar to Kal's, get in the way of the basket? Do I need to go through the lid, instead?

3. Does anyone have a simple (cheap?) ratchet/pulley setup that I can take a look at? I need to be able to lift the basket full of grain with minimal effort (medical condition).

4. How big of a 10 gallon batch can I do in a Keggle? I'll probably be doing mostly 5 gallon batches, but curious how big I can go with this setup.

That's it for now. Thanks in advance!

Micah

Check out this thread about 11 gall batches in a 13 gallon keggle. Also I did a write up on my eBIAB single vessel rig which I should be able to do 10 gallon batches with, though I haven't tried it yet. I use a pulley attached to the ceiling and an anchor for securing the rope while the bag is dripping.

seatbelt123 said:

Check out this thread about 11 gall batches in a 13 gallon keggle.

Click to expand...

What thread? I don't see a link.

Broham1 said:

What thread? I don't see a link.

Click to expand...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/11-gallon-biab-13-5-gallon-keggle-360893/

Oops! Forgot to include the link.

check this one out - my home brewery has changed a whole lot since this picture, but I still use this exact bench and pulley for my 10 gallon eBIAB batches.. it's 2 old pulleys I already had, a 20$ boat winch, and 2 hinges I had kicking around for that arm that swings...

seatbelt123 said:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/11-gallon-biab-13-5-gallon-keggle-360893/

Oops! Forgot to include the link.

Click to expand...

Thanks, seatbelt! That was a great read.

G_Brew said:

check this one out - my home brewery has changed a whole lot since this picture, but I still use this exact bench and pulley for my 10 gallon eBIAB batches.. it's 2 old pulleys I already had, a 20$ boat winch, and 2 hinges I had kicking around for that arm that swings...

Click to expand...

Awesome! Just what I'm looking for! I'm really curious about that ring you've got the bag clipped to. Mind giving me a little more details on that? And the swinging arm looks brilliant! Looks like a great way to add the grain, too. Do you find the boat winch helps lessen the amount of force needed to lift the wet grain?

lol the ring is actually the top of a plastic brewing pail, I bought 2 very large gear/hose clamps and put them together around the ring, that's what holds the bag to the ring.. this way the pulley can remain attached to the bag while I sparge as the bag is always wide open at the top (this is what I'm doing in that picture) sometimes i'll batch sparge twice, until I collect enough wort to fill my kettle to the right amount. I usually get between 75 and 85% efficiency which is great for BIAB

the boat winch lessens it BIG TIME - you could use it to pull a boat out of the water, so 50 lbs or so is a breeze! you don't even force at all, it's slower though, it only goes up a few inches for every rotation of the handle... what I was scared when I built this is that the whole brew bench would become rather "tippy" when you swing the arm out away from the bench with 50lbs weight of 25lbs of wet grain.. but it's not tippy at all..

nice thing about a system like this, when your ready you just clip onto the bag, hoist it up and leave it drip as long as you want.. then move the bag, and hoist it down into another vessel IF you want to sparge...