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FirstAidBrewing - that's a great name. Does Beersmith make a distinction as to whether you're adding water to the grain or grain to the water?

fyi, my setup is a single tier, 2 pump system with hlt, mash and boil keggles so I'm normally brewing 10 gallon batches. Note that I brew in my basement (in the south) where I have fairly consistent temps. My #1, biggest challenge, bar none, is getting my strike temp close. The way I have...

I do a 170 mash out although for only 5 minutes (while recirculating), so when I start the sparge the mash bed is at 170. While I'm mashing out I heat the sparge water to 170. When the mash out is done and the sparge water is at 170, I turn the heat off of the HLT and start a slow sparge with...

I have burners for the mash and HLT, but I don't want to apply heat to the mash without recirculating and I can't do that because the pump is in use pumping wort from the mash keggle to the boil kettle. I can however apply heat to the HLT to maintain 170 sparge water or whatever temp will keep...

I'm going to post this question again since I didn't get a response. I have a 2 pump single tier Brutus system with 3 keggles. I am brewing 10 gal batches so I'm typically 12+ gals preboil. That means my fly sparge takes some time, so the water temperature will typically drop from 168-170 at...

The above picture is just an example. I'm attaching a pic of the ones I actually have. The electrode is rigid (I believe it is tungsten) and the wire actually attaches on the other end of the ceramic insulator. I can use the wire that came with it or some high temp wire at this point. I like...

Thanks Stealthcruiser. You can't remove the electrode from the ceramic insulator. I thought about using some of the insulators like the ones you suggested at McMaster and use high temp wire as the electrode. 2 possible problems with that. One, the wire is rated to 200 C (395 F) and two, the...

I want to install Piezoelectric or Battery Spark igniters for my 3 wok burners on my Brutus system. The problem is that the only electrode assemblies that I can find (almost all are sold for bbq grills) have only a 1 to 2" ceramic insulator with a 1 to 1.5" electrode (ususally Tungsten or some...

I have a 2 pump single tier Brutus system with 3 keggles. I am brewing 10 gal batches so I'm typically 12+ gals preboil. My question has to do with my fly sparge. When I start, my sparge water is at 168-170 but by the time I finish it is down to around 150-155. Do I need to maintain temp...

Well, the belt dressing did the trick. Thanks for the idea Jayhem! That's some nasty stuff. Anyone know how long is it supposed to last? It says not to over use. Not sure whether that means with one application or over time. Tootal - you're right about the 1.5" pulleys. Not much area to...

Let me try tightening the belt some more. It's pretty tight right now.

I have been using my Maltmill with a hand crank and decided I'd like to motorize. I hooked up with a 1/3 hp, 1750 rpm motor, 1-1/2" and 12" sheaves with a 44L belt, which should give me 155 rpm and plenty of torque. I turn on the motor and as soon as I add grain to my hopper, the belt freezes...

Hmmm. I think I have a different form of fiberglass than you had. I'm attaching a pic. It's 1" thick. I'm wondering if I can cut/sew/tape a welding blanket?

Did you wrap the fiberglass blanket in a welder's blanket? When you said it didn't work, did you mean it didn't insulate adequately or it was hard to pull tight around the keggle or what? I found my fiberglass blanket. Forgot how much I hate working with fiberglass. Geez, I'm still itching...

Thanks acidrain. After I posted this I found a long thread that Bobby M. started a few years ago where he encapsulated mineral wool in sheet metal and sealed it, much like your system. I would think that would be a pretty good project, especially with 2 valves and a thermometer. I'll bet your...

My setup is a single tier, 2 pump Brutus style system with HLT, Mash and Boil keggles with 3 wok burners (2x175,000 btu and 1x150,000 btu). I've been trying to find a good way to insulate my mash tun in order to maintain my mash temp and not have to apply heat as often. I have tried...

Thanks. I figured that out after I posted. I had forgotten about the small drain holes on the bottom.

First of all, I know a ton has already been discussed about doing this. I also saw the explosion of the keg made without vent holes in Michigan -- pretty scary, although that was on the boil kettle, not the mash tun. I have a single tier Brutus 10 type system with 2 pumps in my basement. The...

Definitely use a carbide or cobalt bit. As far as oil in the keg, just clean really well. Has not been a problem in any of my 3 kegs. I have had multiple batches of beer in them and not a hint of a bad taste. You can drill without oil but go slow; if you go too fast, generates too much heat...

you can buy cutting oil from lowes/home depot or use 3in1. i've used both successfully