Looking for exhaust tips

[Logan]

I recently moved to a new house and my brew rig it setup in the basement. I'm trying to work out boil water vapor exhaust. I've got a window right next to the pot so this should be pretty easy.

Has anyone else brewed with a similar configuration indoors? How serious did you need to get with the exhaust near a window like this. I can manage about 10x20" of space when the window is opened. In particular I'm wondering how open windows would do with hot steam in winter. Seems like it could condense a lot around the window and drywall.

Thanks.

 

[tracer bullet]

It'll condense on cold metal window bits in the winter for certain. Drywall maybe depending on how cold things get and how humid you allow it to become.

A fan in the window will help as long as you have somewhere for that air to come in from (nearby window perhaps). Not great though is it means in the summer you pull in hot, humid air and in the winter dry but cold air.

Check out steam condensers. You can DIY or get a kit. They work really well. It's not super water friendly but there are ways to recapture / reuse it and in Indiana you might not be too concerned (unlike say folks in Phoenix).

 

[Logan]

Ya it's not too hard to imagine those issues you mentioned especially in winter. I'm doing a boil test now with a small fan and the window cracked just to see.

Steam condensers were brand new when I built this rig a few years ago. Is that the way things are going? Unless I get really lucky with a small fan in the window I'm looking at a hood/duct/fan plumbed into the window frame. Maybe it's time to just move past that game with a condenser.

 

[doug293cz]

Ya it's not too hard to imagine those issues you mentioned especially in winter. I'm doing a boil test now with a small fan and the window cracked just to see.

Steam condensers were brand new when I built this rig a few years ago. Is that the way things are going? Unless I get really lucky with a small fan in the window I'm looking at a hood/duct/fan plumbed into the window frame. Maybe it's time to just move past that game with a condenser.

I'd recommend looking into steam condensers.

Brew on

 

[grampamark]

From the thread title I was going to suggest the local NAPA.

 

[tracer bullet]

Unless I get really lucky with a small fan in the window I'm looking at a hood/duct/fan plumbed into the window frame

And, I think, still have the same issue with bringing air into the room or actually the whole house to make up for it.

 

[IslandLizard]

I mount a box fan on the inside of the opened top section of a double hung kitchen window. The openings on the sides are covered with some foam core board. Works well here in the Baltimore/Annapolis area in MD, during all seasons.

 

[David C]

I recently moved to a new house and my brew rig it setup in the basement. I'm trying to work out boil water vapor exhaust. I've got a window right next to the pot so this should be pretty easy.

Has anyone else brewed with a similar configuration indoors? How serious did you need to get with the exhaust near a window like this. I can manage about 10x20" of space when the window is opened. In particular I'm wondering how open windows would do with hot steam in winter. Seems like it could condense a lot around the window and drywall.

Thanks.

I have much the same problem and have yet to address it for my situation. I will be watching the coments on this issue for some help myself. I had planned to constuct an aluminum Vent hood and use a Furnace exhaust fan that I have but I am not sure if this will provide enough venting for my recently constructed 10 Gallon electric system so it will involve trial and no doubt, some error's along the way.
Dave Chapman

 

[matt_m]

Forget the idea and get a steam condenser. I regretted installing duct work once I finally got my condenser up and running.

 

[SFC Rudy]

Buy a steam condenser. I dicked around trying to build this and that, none worked, and I probably spent more money than a condenser cost.

Buy a condenser, you will not be disappointed.

 

[k-daddy]

This was my solution... 16" trash can top (used Dremel to cut hole) connected to 6" tabbed elbow, then to exhaust fan. Attached funnel drain for condensation that collects in the fan housing (orient fan so electrical components are on top, away from condensation). Works great.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J1RYA8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1http://www.southwarkmetal.com/product/full-tab-round-to-round-adjustable-takeoff/https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YGN0HDW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I have a similar set up as k-daddy, but the hood is an inverted 18" diameter galvanized planter. It's mounted with a flex duct and pulley so I can lower it directly above my brew kettle. Works great.

With your window right above your setup how about doing what Lizard said, but instead take a box fan and mount it to a hinged bracket. Attach it to either side of the window then you could swing it over to the open window. If the fan is powerful enough, which most box fans are, you shouldn't have any condensation issues.

Of course, those steam gizmos are really slick too.

 

[jdauria]

I brew in the kitchen with a Foundry, but I put together a very cheap exhaust system. I bought a dryer window vent, the guy that slides to fit the window, then got some flexible aluminum ductwork and an inline exhaust fan. Section of the duct hangs over the Foundry, steam gets sucked up by the fan and goes out another duct attached to the output of the fan and to the dryer vent. Does it remove all the steam, no...but it greatly reduces it, to basically no more than a pot boiling on the stove.

 

[Bobby_M]

Big fans are all fun and games in late summer but when that Indiana winter rolls in, you will have condensation dripping off of everything including the walls and your winter brewing jacket.

 

[DuncB]

Condenser all the way.
This thread is " comprehensive "
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/boil-kettle-condenser-no-overhead-ventilation-needed.636955/
Condenser, quiet, it works, saves energy ( a fan doesn't ).

 

[Franktalk]

Yes, as others have said, go with a steam condenser. You will not regret it. Not only will it handle all the steam, but it will also allow you to boil using less energy, causing less stress on your wort. Win, win win!

 

[tracer bullet]

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/steamslayer.htm
As an example. In case Bobby doesn't wish to or isn't allowed to link his own store. I'd bet he'd put one together for you.

 

[jerrylotto]

How about a dehumidifier? It will heat the room instead of exhausting all of your heated air and allow DMS and other nasties to escape unhindered.

 

[dmbrew48]

Ok - after propane, I invested in an Anvil for inside brewing. Tried all sorts of exhaust methods. Drip, drip, drip.
As others above said: steam condenser. Buy it complete from Bobby, or go buy parts. Go find the youtube by "short circuited brewing" and watch the demo. Just do it - it works! (A dehumidifier won't keep up)

 

[McMullan]

I used to sling a 100mm ventilation pipe out the kitchen window.

Worked fine, but a bit chilly during the winter. I had to replace the pipe every 6 months or so. Now using a steam condenser, which is much better. No ventilation needed so more options for brewing space.

 

[Franktalk]

How about a dehumidifier? It will heat the room instead of exhausting all of your heated air and allow DMS and other nasties to escape unhindered.

A dehumidifier will not handle the steam from a 5 or 10 gallon rolling boil. And, a condenser will not hinder DMS or "other nasties' from escaping. The steam is simply converted to water by the condenser, and the water (hence the steam and other nasties) goes into a bucket or a drain.

 

[tracer bullet]

and the water (hence the steam and other nasties) goes into a bucket or a drain.

Indeed it does. That water stinks, and makes the hose (well, if it's silicone like mine) stink. By the end of the hour or so boil it's mostly gone and you can actually tell that you've accomplished that particular part of the job.

 

[dmbrew48]

DMS - the secret, if one could call it, is keeping the cooling spray water less than 140F. After multiple brews using the steam condenser (Steam Slayer) on my Anvil - no stink. I'm doing recirc from a bucket & pump with the 9 gph sprayer. My recirc water stays below 125F by adding a frozen ice block to the bucket 1/2 into the boil. Read Bobby's Steam Slayer instructions- it works.

 

[Deadalus]

I recently moved to a new house and my brew rig it setup in the basement. I'm trying to work out boil water vapor exhaust. I've got a window right next to the pot so this should be pretty easy.

Has anyone else brewed with a similar configuration indoors? How serious did you need to get with the exhaust near a window like this. I can manage about 10x20" of space when the window is opened. In particular I'm wondering how open windows would do with hot steam in winter. Seems like it could condense a lot around the window and drywall.

Thanks.

Are you the owner or are you the tenant? Looks like you might have put that water line in, I don't see an older purpose for it like a washing machine hookup as it is just the cold. On the very left appears to potentially be a 240 line but hard to tell but it doesn't seem that this was a washer dryer spot. There's brick peaking through near the window frame (wooden) so is the outside wall all brick? The house next door has a brick wall. I don't think it is cinder block because the pipes are kind of close to the outside wall as they enter the sheetrocked wall. Helps to know some of this to consider your options.

So I won't try to talk you out of the steam slayer, I'll just give you my own experience so far. I built my own hood out of keg halves. It's in my garage and the ductwork vents up and out through the band joist. I used 6" duct and an inline fan, max flow is 402 cfm. I can get by on setting 7/8 but on a vigorous boil I go with 8. I have a damper on the outside wall exhaust. The ductwork is not insulated and the garage is not climate controlled but is part of the house. I have insulation in the band joists but uninsulated block walls with the outside wall partially below grade. The interior of the hood is not smooth, it has rivets and a light enclosure (2 actually). The inline fan is sufficient to vent all steam however I do get condensation, which drips at the front corner and in the middle at the duct connection. To put it into context, consider that for me, the more annoying a problem is the faster it gets fixed permanently. My fix is simply that I keep dry rags handy and I wipe down the condensation twice during a boil. Takes about 30 seconds tops each time. The center drip is not bothersome at all because it's where my mash tun sits and I am done mashing. Usually I already have the MT off the table at that point to be cleaned so I get some drips on the table which don't even collect enough to roll off the table. There are some irregular tabs that hold the duct to the hood which I might tape but potentially may not help anyway. Were I to move the hood (sell the house) I might reinstall it later with 8" ductwork and an 8" inline. I did just recently read about a drip ring that commercial breweries use. I suppose I could insulate the ducts but the run is short. I'll do it if I finish the garage but it's not annoying enough beyond I have to be careful I don't suck the rag up into the fan (just once).

A 20" box fan blows about 1000 cfm. That would be plenty if you could corral the steam to some degree. I liked the idea mentioned about a swinging bracket. Years ago we had a window fan that was half the height of a box fan but with dual fans. That might swing into your window easier with the way your window is hinged.

 

[Logan]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I did the whole duct thing before and really wasn't looking forward to doing it again. Even the best hoods drip and are of course very loud.

So, I went all in on a new boil kettle and a spike lid. In short, this is the way. This is so quiet and not a bit of steam in the room. Very happy. I converted my old boil kettle into an upgraded HLT as my previous one was smaller. I'm waiting on parts to convert the spike lid to a spigot. I've got a drain right under the kettle. The stock setup with the pump and buckets is a pain. Looking forward to hard plumbing it. Will be ven quieter without the splash sound.