Poor Man's Three Tier

Any good ideas on a three tier setup on a real tight budget. I'm purchasing everything I need to build to tuns today (2 10 gallon coolers, fittings) but I don't really know how I will run a gravity system right now.

This will take some figuring I guess. Any ideas??

Seen some pictures of people using stepladders of around 6ft high. Looks like it works, just make certain it is sturdy and I would be very careful.

If you are on a "real tight budget" you could use my method of the ghetto 2 tier system. I have my MLT sitting on a table outside.

I heat the strike water with my old brew pot from the extract days. Add water to MLT, add grains. Mash.

Then I do a couple runnings with a pitcher sitting on the ground. Put my big brew pot on the ground under the table and drain into brew pot.

While I'm draining heat sparge water in my old brew pot. Dump into MLT and repeat.

Are cinder blocks an option? Not exactly movable but cheap.

just two folding tables from HD one 4 ft the other 6ft




didnt want to cut a hole in the top so i used some styrofoam


Still use this setup fold away and easy to store

And I used that snowthrower that afternoon 7+ inches before I was done with the brew

Can't get much more low budget the this . . . .
:cross:

AnOldUR said:

Can't get much more low budget the this . . . .
:cross:

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Yeah, I guess I don't need to overthink this at first. I could just use my work bench in the garage, a chair, and the garage floor for now until I build a rig.

Sweet!!

Never forget: the shiniest spiffiest equipment doesn't make great beer; the brewer does.

My rig is a 5 gallon cooler on a table/chair/whatever is convenient, HLT on the turkey fryer (or occasionally the stove) and the pot on the floor.

AnOldUR said:

Can't get much more low budget the this . . . .
:cross:

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That's like my system.


I have seen some interesting and portable stepladder with added shelving and bungy cord setups that looked useable and storable.

What's the best tubing to use for transferring from one vessel to another?

mangine77 said:

What's the best tubing to use for transferring from one vessel to another?

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BEST = Silicone! (ESPECIALLY for HOT liquid)
but up until recently I've used clear Vinyl hose.

mangine77 said:

What's the best tubing to use for transferring from one vessel to another?

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I use vinyl tubing from Lowes'- 1/2" ID. Runs about $.10 a foot.

Here's my budget setup.



I use a calibrated bucket to move mash water from the HLT to the MLT, then gravity to the boil kettle, and finally gravity to the bucket fermenters.

EdWort said:

Here's my budget setup. I use a calibrated bucket to move mash water from the HLT to the MLT, then gravity to the boil kettle, and finally gravity to the bucket fermenters.

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May be for now, but what about when the Brew Hut is done

Hey EdWort, where did you find the propane splitter? I've asked at a couple of hardware stores and haven't found one yet.

flyangler18 said:

I use vinyl tubing from Lowes'- 1/2" ID. Runs about $.10 a foot.

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isn't vinyl terrible? PVC: The Poison Plastic

I bought silicone tubing from McMaster-Carr for about a buck a foot. Search for silicone tubing. The stuff is great.

These two links will give you more ideas for systems than you'll ever need:
Brewzilla, van alles over (zelf) bierbrouwen
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/show-us-your-sculpture-brew-rig-46578/

DharkMeadBrewer said:

isn't vinyl terrible? PVC: The Poison Plastic

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It depends on how hot you get it - I wouldn't transfer boiling wort from the kettle with it, but I use it for my MLT to kettle hose and on my wort chiller.

I'm pretty sure I saw a propane splitter in the camping section of my local Walmart

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Seen some pictures of people using stepladders of around 6ft high. Looks like it works, just make certain it is sturdy and I would be very careful.

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They're not exactly cheap (around $40 - $50 at Ace) before modification to add the 2 tiers, and you do have to modify them to make them work. But they are plenty sturdy. You don't have to be any more careful with the ladder than you would any other 3-tier.

i just built my own 2 stands out of wood at different heights needed and the brewpot sits on the floor atop the burner. woods pretty cheap, and its better than getting wort all over furniture.

All of the Linens-N-Things stores are going out of business and they are selling off their display shelves. I scored a heavy duty Metro brand shelve that measures 6' tall by 5' wide by 18" deep for $45. It included six shelves and the load rating for each shelf is 800 pounds! I'm planning to use this as the basis for my three tier.

The Container Store > Metro® Commercial Shelveshas each one of these shelves priced at $69. So to buy it new, it would have cost me $414 plus the four legs plus tax.

gxm said:

Hey EdWort, where did you find the propane splitter? I've asked at a couple of hardware stores and haven't found one yet.

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I just saw one of those splitters at Cabella's the other day. I though about getting one myself.