Howhownow
Well-Known Member
Yesterday I finally got a chance to brew after a month of busy weekends. I had made a few upgrades to my mash tun and kettle, so was pretty excited.
Everything went very well through the mash, I hit 81% efficiency to the kettle- a great number for me. I was feeling good that the upgrades had paid off. Then I noticed a tendril of smoke coming from my RIMS tube... I had left the element on after the sparge. I grabbed my HLT and went running to the hose, which is around the house. I jogged back just in time to see a boilover starting (my first in over a year). I cut the burner off, and managed to get some cool water going across the element and avoided a catastrophic failure.
The rest of the boil and chill went well, and I was feeling good again. I was ready to bring the kettle into the kitchen and get the pilsner wort into the fermenter. Usually there is at least someone else at the house when I brew, today I happened to be alone. My front door was open, but I have a glass door that does not have a stop and slams right shut. I put my full kettle down on a little table on the porch, opened the glass door, held it open with my heel while I turned and went to lift the pot... You may be able to see what is coming here... I got about half way turned and boom, out went my back. I'm 27 and in good shape, and I've pulled plenty of muscles, but I've never had my back go totally out on me. Usually I take more care than to do something dumb like that, though. I managed to get the pot down without spilling it, and kind of crawled into my house and laid on the floor for about 10 minutes. Eventually I got a towel and managed to get the kettle onto it and drag it, inch by inch, through the house. I hope there were no children on the street. If so, they learned some new words.
At that point the realization hit me that even after I got the kettle into the kitchen, I would not be able to lift it onto the counter. I put the lid on it, and called my neighbor (she is about 5'5", 125). She came over with a baggie of tylenol and ice, and managed to wrestle the kettle onto the counter, like a champ. I got everything to the fermenter, and by then my roomate had arrived to get it to the ferm fridge. Cleaning was a slow and painful operation, and I probably should have left more for today. I did leave my sticky, hop covered kettle in the sink. I just didn't have the ability to deal with it last night.
Now, as I sit here on an ice pack and reflect, it all doesn't seem that bad. It is a really hopeless feeling at the time, though, to have a vulnerable batch of beer sitting on your floor that you worked all day on, and be totally unable to do anything with it. If it makes it through fermentation without infection, I think I'll call it even on the whole ordeal. The beer is already named Backbreaker Pilz.
Anyone have any advice for a busted back?
Everything went very well through the mash, I hit 81% efficiency to the kettle- a great number for me. I was feeling good that the upgrades had paid off. Then I noticed a tendril of smoke coming from my RIMS tube... I had left the element on after the sparge. I grabbed my HLT and went running to the hose, which is around the house. I jogged back just in time to see a boilover starting (my first in over a year). I cut the burner off, and managed to get some cool water going across the element and avoided a catastrophic failure.
The rest of the boil and chill went well, and I was feeling good again. I was ready to bring the kettle into the kitchen and get the pilsner wort into the fermenter. Usually there is at least someone else at the house when I brew, today I happened to be alone. My front door was open, but I have a glass door that does not have a stop and slams right shut. I put my full kettle down on a little table on the porch, opened the glass door, held it open with my heel while I turned and went to lift the pot... You may be able to see what is coming here... I got about half way turned and boom, out went my back. I'm 27 and in good shape, and I've pulled plenty of muscles, but I've never had my back go totally out on me. Usually I take more care than to do something dumb like that, though. I managed to get the pot down without spilling it, and kind of crawled into my house and laid on the floor for about 10 minutes. Eventually I got a towel and managed to get the kettle onto it and drag it, inch by inch, through the house. I hope there were no children on the street. If so, they learned some new words.
At that point the realization hit me that even after I got the kettle into the kitchen, I would not be able to lift it onto the counter. I put the lid on it, and called my neighbor (she is about 5'5", 125). She came over with a baggie of tylenol and ice, and managed to wrestle the kettle onto the counter, like a champ. I got everything to the fermenter, and by then my roomate had arrived to get it to the ferm fridge. Cleaning was a slow and painful operation, and I probably should have left more for today. I did leave my sticky, hop covered kettle in the sink. I just didn't have the ability to deal with it last night.
Now, as I sit here on an ice pack and reflect, it all doesn't seem that bad. It is a really hopeless feeling at the time, though, to have a vulnerable batch of beer sitting on your floor that you worked all day on, and be totally unable to do anything with it. If it makes it through fermentation without infection, I think I'll call it even on the whole ordeal. The beer is already named Backbreaker Pilz.
Anyone have any advice for a busted back?
