Livestock Water Trough as Vent Hood? Crazy?, Redneck?, Genius?...

[boondocksaint]

So, sitting here during my 90 min mash on a Kal's (TEB) Creamsicle Pale Ale brew day and looking to reconfigure my vent hood situation. Currently, I have a 40 quart stainless steel mixing bowl that I mounted a VenTech fan to (yes, vertically). I do get condensate during the boil and have to be on standby to mop the edge of the bowl. Not terrible but a bit of a PITA. Was kicking around ideas and my brew buddy came up with the idea of using a [brand new] livestock water trough as a vent hood. They are galvanized steel so it wouldn't rust. The size seems about perfect (1' H x 2' W x 6' L). My local Tractor Supply store has them for ~$200, so the cost is attractive. The trough/hood could be mounted to the wall with brackets. I would hard pipe the exhaust with the fan mounted horizontally to alleviate the condensation issue. Thoughts? Potential issues? Thanks all! Cheers! Was trying to upload an image but cannot get the image to resize to make it small enough. Oh well, I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

 

[pigroaster]

Why not score am old bath tub? Tractor supply also has plastic carts for feed that would work!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I think it's a cool idea. Why didn't I think of that before I bought my hood?

 

[sibelman]

Very creative. My DIY hood (not a stock tank) uses a horizontally mounted fan too. IME, you'll likely get some condensate dripping around the edges, especially when brewing on more humid days. btw, Lowe's lists one at $131.

 

[boondocksaint]

Very creative. My DIY hood (not a stock tank) uses a horizontally mounted fan too. IME, you'll likely get some condensate dripping around the edges, especially when brewing on more humid days. btw, Lowe's lists one at $131.View attachment 762765

I checked that one out from Lowes. Unless I’m looking at the wrong one, I think that’s the 4’ long tank which would cover the MLT and the BK only. Not that I really NEED the 6’ tank so all three 20Gal kettles are covered but I think it would look better aesthetically. Thanks!

 

[superiorsat]

A true condensate hood has the metal sloped down to a catch channel around the bottom that leads to a drain. My attempts at making a hood have all failed as condensate always occurred and I didn't like the idea of any dripping back into the kettle. The fans we have access to (I think) also don't move enough air volume to pull all the steam out. If you actually had a big enough commercial fan then the make up air required would make it pretty darn cold in winter and hot in summer in the brew garage.

 

[sibelman]

A true condensate hood has the metal sloped down to a catch channel around the bottom that leads to a drain. My attempts at making a hood have all failed as condensate always occurred and I didn't like the idea of any dripping back into the kettle. The fans we have access to (I think) also don't move enough air volume to pull all the steam out. If you actually had a big enough commercial fan then the make up air required would make it pretty darn cold in winter and hot in summer in the brew garage.

These are valid concerns. Aluminum J channel around the inner perimeter of my DIY hood is partially effective at catching the condensate. My ~700cfm Vortex brand fan seems more than powerful enough, but of course pulls outside air in. Steam Slayer and the like trade these concerns for greater water use. Cheers.!

 

[superiorsat]

I have a steam slayer but never use it due to added work and extra water plus I like to see the boil. My garage is big enough and all plywood inside that all I have to do is have a box fan to disperse the steam, and I have a couple fans mounted to a board that goes in the window to keep the air moving through the garage. I just open the window on the opposite side and it pulls through. No steam on windows or anything. I do run a dehumidifier after brew day but that is more to get the humidity in the air from all the evaporating water on the floor.

 

[PCABrewing]

These are valid concerns. Aluminum J channel around the inner perimeter of my DIY hood is partially effective at catching the condensate. My ~700cfm Vortex brand fan seems more than powerful enough, but of course pulls outside air in. Steam Slayer and the like trade these concerns for greater water use. Cheers.!

What about mounting the hood (trough) at a slight angle to direct the condensate flow? That along with the J channel might do a pretty good job.

 

[sibelman]

What about mounting the hood (trough) at a slight angle to direct the condensate flow? That along with the J channel might do a pretty good job.

I like the tilt/angle concept. J channel might be tough to curve around a stock tank rim; the only real challenge with straight edges is sealing the corners

.

 

[boondocksaint]

I like the tilt/angle concept. J channel might be tough to curve around a stock tank rim; the only real challenge with straight edges is sealing the cornersView attachment 762946.

I believe the angle of the vent hose also affects the venting/condensation. We adjusted the angle of the flex hose and that did a great job of alleviating the condensation. If I do go the stock tank route I may have to come up with some kind of baffles to channel condensate.

 

[Stormcrow]

I believe the angle of the vent hose also affects the venting/condensation. We adjusted the angle of the flex hose and that did a great job of alleviating the condensation. If I do go the stock tank route I may have to come up with some kind of baffles to channel condensate.

You might poke around some maple syrup making forums. I've seen good hood ideas and condensation traps on there.