Please Critique My Countertop Brutus Build

[Tfire136]

Hello everyone!

I just completed my first DIY project (ever lol) and hoped that I can get some feedback from everyone. Over the past couple of weeks I have taken on the project of building a Countertop Brutus system. I have never really built anything, so I hope that people can provide some constructive criticism or general feedback. I tried to follow the original plans, but getting the CFC and pump into the bucket was simply not going to happen. I decided to use a plastic tote instead, and everything fits great. My only concern is that it will hold up to heat. I also may be redoing the kettle in the future because I JB welded the element to the pot.....it will have to work for right now. Everything is water tight, grounded and is connected to a GFCI outlet. The CFC has also been tested and does not leak. The kettle is a 9g Bayou pot which I insulated with self adhesive duct insulation. The MLT is a 10g HD cooler. My goal is to do mainly 3.5g batches. I am going to test the whole system later, but wanted to hear from people first. As always I appreciate everyone's knowledge and wisdom!!

 

[Tfire136]

Just ran a couple more tests on the new system......the plastic tote had no problem holding the weight of the cooler. I tested it with 8 gallons of water and it held with no problem. If anyone else has feedback it would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[stlbeer]

From the looks of the first picture, I'd turn around the tee that you use for your sight glass. It would be better if it slanted toward the top of the kettle. It looks like the ones from Bobby and he threads those on a slant to better fit the lower part of of keggle.

Other than that, nice job!

 

[Tfire136]

From the looks of the first picture, I'd turn around the tee that you use for your sight glass. It would be better if it slanted toward the top of the kettle. It looks like the ones from Bobby and he threads those on a slant to better fit the lower part of of keggle.

Other than that, nice job!

Wow....good eye! I never noticed that. I took care of it and it definitely looks better . Thanks!

 

[jkarp]

Looks great Tfire136. With a 9g pot and 10g MLT, you've got plenty of room to grow into 5gal batches too.

If you're worried about that tote top, reinforcing it with some plywood would be simple insurance. I'd also consider drilling some vent holes towards the top to allow heat to escape convectively. Keep an eye on that thermocouple. Mine only lasted about 6 months before one of the wires broke inside the strain relief. K type thermocouple wire is very brittle. Replace it with an RTD when it eventually fails. Lastly, consider adding a short piece of silicone tube to the inside kettle return with a right-angle barb on it. This will greatly improve PID temp accuracy by gently whirlpooling the wort in the kettle.

Have fun brewing on your CB20!

 

[Tfire136]

Looks great Tfire136. With a 9g pot and 10g MLT, you've got plenty of room to grow into 5gal batches too.

If you're worried about that tote top, reinforcing it with some plywood would be simple insurance. I'd also consider drilling some vent holes towards the top to allow heat to escape convectively. Keep an eye on that thermocouple. Mine only lasted about 6 months before one of the wires broke inside the strain relief. K type thermocouple wire is very brittle. Replace it with an RTD when it eventually fails. Lastly, consider adding a short piece of silicone tube to the inside kettle return with a right-angle barb on it. This will greatly improve PID temp accuracy by gently whirlpooling the wort in the kettle.

Have fun brewing on your CB20!

jkarp....Thanks!! Its great to hear some feedback straight from the horses mouth. I will get that right angle barb on tomorrow. So far everything looks good, and the best part is the portability and ability to brew anywhere. The only other issues that worry me are any off flavors created by the exposed JB weld around the element on the inside of the pot (there was a steep learning curve with this project lol). Everything I read says not to worry, so I will ride it out and see what happens. The other issue is reinforcing the the ball valves on the plastic tote. The plastic seems kind of flimsy and I know those valves will heat up once mash and boil begins. I am sure I will figure something out. Once again this place is great!!

 

[dflipse]

jkarp....Thanks!! Its great to hear some feedback straight from the horses mouth. I will get that right angle barb on tomorrow. So far everything looks good, and the best part is the portability and ability to brew anywhere. The only other issues that worry me are any off flavors created by the exposed JB weld around the element on the inside of the pot (there was a steep learning curve with this project lol). Everything I read says not to worry, so I will ride it out and see what happens. The other issue is reinforcing the the ball valves on the plastic tote. The plastic seems kind of flimsy and I know those valves will heat up once mash and boil begins. I am sure I will figure something out. Once again this place is great!!

You could probably make those ball valves on the tote more steady with some large washers. You shouldn't even need the lower one most of the time as it's on the same line as the outflow from the kettle.

How much luck have you had with priming the pump the way it's currently set up? You have a nice big kettle, which is great, but the liquid level with small batches won't be very high. You may need to provide a bit of elevation to get things started.

I run a CB20 and really like it. Just moved (and split up the gear with my old partner) but the next step is to no-chill brewing on the system. It's all done with cam-locks, so I could still put the CFC back inline if I wanted it for some reason, but I digress. Nice work!

 

[Tfire136]

You could probably make those ball valves on the tote more steady with some large washers. You shouldn't even need the lower one most of the time as it's on the same line as the outflow from the kettle.

How much luck have you had with priming the pump the way it's currently set up? You have a nice big kettle, which is great, but the liquid level with small batches won't be very high. You may need to provide a bit of elevation to get things started.

I run a CB20 and really like it. Just moved (and split up the gear with my old partner) but the next step is to no-chill brewing on the system. It's all done with cam-locks, so I could still put the CFC back inline if I wanted it for some reason, but I digress. Nice work!

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to get a Blichman quick connect and get rid of the lower ball valve. I have not run the pump yet, but will try it out in the next day or 2. I am loving the feedback!