First Impression: WOW
I am getting back into brewing after about a year hiatus and what drew me back was the idea that I could address the vapor management issues I had been having with my new setup. Before my hiatus, I had moved operations into a nice, remodeled basement location and everything clicked except for steam ventilation. After 3 batches, with the last one constantly dripping from the vent I was frustrated.
I decided to pull the trigger on the Steam Slayer after reading several posts about pros, cons, usage, boil-off rates etc. I had read about condensers before, but they required sourcing several parts and I was just too lazy/frustrated for that. Sometimes you have to put something down for a while and pick it up "new" later.
Installation was easy. I purchased the 1.5" carbide drill bit and made the hole (using a drill press) in my kettle about 3/4" down from the brim. (Ill try to update this with pictures when I get home). The 1.5" tri-clamp bulkhead installed easy. I am not sure its a full liquid tight seal, but for this application that matters less.
I installed the 9gpm nozzle (I bought the unit with both 9gpm and 6gpm nozzles) and connected the pieces together. I am fortunate that my eBIAB pot is right next to my sink and I can just use the faucet to run the condenser. I hooked up the source and drain lines and was off to the races. Initially I was concerned that the drain line was going to have to curve to make it over to the sink, but its a very gradual curve and there appears to be no chance of clogging or back up of the drain water.
Last night I did my first test. Filled the kettle with 5 gallons of water and set it to boil. Was a hard rolling boil with the lid on and steam shooting all around the edge of the lid. Turned on the source line and it was like magic. Not a hint of steam. I almost thought I had lost boil, but opened the lid and it was stronger than without the slayer running. I had read about his being the case but didnt quite appreciate the difference. I also was concerned about creating enough vacuum for the slayer to work properly. I have an open return port on my lid for recirculation. It it was a problem, I planned to cap it during the boil. It did not appear to harm the function at all and I am wondering if it doesnt help. Seems like the vacuum the slayer produces is best pulled against outside air, but I have to think more about that before I'm convinced it makes sense.
I ran it for an hour to measure the boil off and to see if it lost function after things heated up. To my happy surprise, it never lost function and the boil off was about 0.5 gallons which is about half what it is with the kettle open. I also found the same power reduction that others had talked about. Most times I have to run my induction burner (Avantco 3500W) wide open, for this boil it was at about 75%. I could have lowered it even more, but things were working so well I just left it. I will of course have to account for the reduced boil off in my BeerSmith equipment profile. But that should not be an issue.
I can't wait to try a full brew with it this weekend. The one other thing that I will have to check is if volumes will force me to remove the slayer and cap the port during mash. The installation cost me about 1.5 gallons of capacity (about 2" from the brim of the kettle). This could also be addressed with a lid installation which I think would be a good alternative. I am planning to go to smaller batches anyway as I want to start fermenting in corny kegs so I am thinking that will help, but really big beers might require either further lowering the batch size or capping the port during mash, or both.
Summary so far:
Pros:
Very effective vapor management
Easy installation
Cost effective (all in about the cost of a decent blower and ducting, much cheaper than a large/custom hood)
Reduced power consumption (sometimes by a LOT)
Neutrals:
Need to adjust boil-off rates
Cons:
Reduced kettle/batch volumes (YMMV)
Increased water usage
Need for constant and local source and drain (easy in my setup, but again YMMV)
Final Verdict:
If you have vapor management issues with your brewing or just want an easy and convenient way run without a hood, this is definitely a good way to go if your setup allows.
I am getting back into brewing after about a year hiatus and what drew me back was the idea that I could address the vapor management issues I had been having with my new setup. Before my hiatus, I had moved operations into a nice, remodeled basement location and everything clicked except for steam ventilation. After 3 batches, with the last one constantly dripping from the vent I was frustrated.
I decided to pull the trigger on the Steam Slayer after reading several posts about pros, cons, usage, boil-off rates etc. I had read about condensers before, but they required sourcing several parts and I was just too lazy/frustrated for that. Sometimes you have to put something down for a while and pick it up "new" later.
Installation was easy. I purchased the 1.5" carbide drill bit and made the hole (using a drill press) in my kettle about 3/4" down from the brim. (Ill try to update this with pictures when I get home). The 1.5" tri-clamp bulkhead installed easy. I am not sure its a full liquid tight seal, but for this application that matters less.
I installed the 9gpm nozzle (I bought the unit with both 9gpm and 6gpm nozzles) and connected the pieces together. I am fortunate that my eBIAB pot is right next to my sink and I can just use the faucet to run the condenser. I hooked up the source and drain lines and was off to the races. Initially I was concerned that the drain line was going to have to curve to make it over to the sink, but its a very gradual curve and there appears to be no chance of clogging or back up of the drain water.
Last night I did my first test. Filled the kettle with 5 gallons of water and set it to boil. Was a hard rolling boil with the lid on and steam shooting all around the edge of the lid. Turned on the source line and it was like magic. Not a hint of steam. I almost thought I had lost boil, but opened the lid and it was stronger than without the slayer running. I had read about his being the case but didnt quite appreciate the difference. I also was concerned about creating enough vacuum for the slayer to work properly. I have an open return port on my lid for recirculation. It it was a problem, I planned to cap it during the boil. It did not appear to harm the function at all and I am wondering if it doesnt help. Seems like the vacuum the slayer produces is best pulled against outside air, but I have to think more about that before I'm convinced it makes sense.
I ran it for an hour to measure the boil off and to see if it lost function after things heated up. To my happy surprise, it never lost function and the boil off was about 0.5 gallons which is about half what it is with the kettle open. I also found the same power reduction that others had talked about. Most times I have to run my induction burner (Avantco 3500W) wide open, for this boil it was at about 75%. I could have lowered it even more, but things were working so well I just left it. I will of course have to account for the reduced boil off in my BeerSmith equipment profile. But that should not be an issue.
I can't wait to try a full brew with it this weekend. The one other thing that I will have to check is if volumes will force me to remove the slayer and cap the port during mash. The installation cost me about 1.5 gallons of capacity (about 2" from the brim of the kettle). This could also be addressed with a lid installation which I think would be a good alternative. I am planning to go to smaller batches anyway as I want to start fermenting in corny kegs so I am thinking that will help, but really big beers might require either further lowering the batch size or capping the port during mash, or both.
Summary so far:
Pros:
Very effective vapor management
Easy installation
Cost effective (all in about the cost of a decent blower and ducting, much cheaper than a large/custom hood)
Reduced power consumption (sometimes by a LOT)
Neutrals:
Need to adjust boil-off rates
Cons:
Reduced kettle/batch volumes (YMMV)
Increased water usage
Need for constant and local source and drain (easy in my setup, but again YMMV)
Final Verdict:
If you have vapor management issues with your brewing or just want an easy and convenient way run without a hood, this is definitely a good way to go if your setup allows.
Last edited: