large brewing questions

[hitthewall79]

For you guys who brew on the larger end, say 20 or 55 gallons, I know this may be a stupid quesiton, but is there anyway to move your brew without a chugger pump? I live in an appartment, so loud chugger pumps like that are out, but at the same time, i'd love to do larger batches. Any recommendations on a quieter alternative to chugger pumps? where would be the best place to find larger food grade barrels for free or cheap? thanks everyone in adance!


Colorblind brewing

Flavor beats color every time

 

[BargainFittings]

Pumps are not that loud. A vacuum cleaner is much louder than a pump.

You can transfer everything with a bucket if you really had too.

Are you planning on boiling a big batch inside? My big 50 gallon rig boils off 5 gallons in an hour. That is alot of steam inside the house.

 

[TopherM]

There are three tier systems and tippy rigs that move wort vessel to vessel with gravity.

+1 pumps are not particularly loud. They are about as loud as a microwave. I just found the decibel level specs, and a March 809 puts out about 38-40 dBs, and chugger is very comparable. One chart I found says a computer fan is about 42dB, and a running refrigerator compressor is listed right at 40dB, so a pump is about the same sound level as a computer fan or a fridge compressor.

Are you seriously considering having a 20-55 gallon system in your apartment? You must be single :cross:

 

[hitthewall79]

Nope, I'm not single, getting married next year, and that's actually why I want to brew this big batch. It will most likely be either wine or cider, so no boiling will be needed. I'm not thinking about going as big as 55 gallons, that's just wayyyyy to much, I was thinking more along the lines of something like 20-30. Another idea is for appple jack,but I haven't looked into how well these containers seal, or freeze

 

[hitthewall79]

As a cheaper alternative, how about one of those drill powered pumps? Would that airate too much, or is it a good idea for $20?