Ideas for building HLT "elevator" in 3 tier rig...

[stratslinger]

I attended a big group brew this weekend and saw some really cool ideas for brew rigs, and I'm currently trying to wrap my head around some of them...

I think every rig I saw there was some flavor or a 3-tier setup. One of the was built for indoor or outdoor use and was, as such, a little shorter than the others. This placed the bottom tier too low to drain, by gravity, into a fermenter. So the guy came up with a fairly ingenius setup where he could turn a crank to raise up the brew kettle high enough to drain.

This got me thinking... One of the few things I don't like about most 3 tier systems is the need to climb up a ladder to fill the HLT. Call me crazy, but on a brew day there's enough stuff going on - and usually at least a couple beers being consumed - that I'd rather avoid any need for people to be on ladders. So it occurred to me that placing the HLT on a tier that started off at the height of the middle tier and then lifted up - either via a crank and pulley system or something else entirely - could eliminate that need.

Has anyone here tried anything like that, or does anyone have any cool idea for how to make such a thing work?

 

[blksabbath]

That is kind of a cool idea. What about a cheap bottle jack? You would also want a way to mechanically secure it when you reach the elevation you want.
dan g

 

[cornhole]

I bought a nice, cheap ($20) system for lifting and hanging a deer carcass. System includes a set of pulleys, rope, metal bar for lifting/hanging deer (or a large kettle) and a rope locking mechanism. Of course you need some way to attach it to your ceiling joists (open joists in my garage). Makes lifting and suspending heavy things a lot easier. my $0.02.

 

[Bobby_M]

Why do you need to climb a ladder to fill the HLT? I suppose if you want to fly sparge AND use a cooler based HLT AND you don't have a pump, I can see this. It seems you can get around this by making your HLT a direct fire vessel or employing a single pump into the system. While a pump is essentially a $150 investment, it can be used for so many functions in the brewery.

 

[shortyjacobs]

Check my "Invisible Sculpture" link in my sig. It's obsolete now, (I have a pump, and am going to transition to a 2 vessel electric 10 gallon "countertop brutus 20" type model), but it worked great for 2 years.

 

[OneHoppyGuy]

why not just put a sight glass in your HLT? $20 bucks from Bobby
seems like a whole lot of hassle to fill a pot with water

 

[Smashing]

I'll be going with either a direct fired or hopefully electric HLT in my 3 tier. It'll have a sight glass and water run up the post for easy filling.