Not sure if this is the right place for this so forgive and move if needed, and my apologies in advance.
I am in the designing stage of my single tier stand made from unistrut and keggles and need some suggestions/opinions on connection options and valves.
Here is the general outline based on the attached pic.
I plan on using 4 3-way L type ball valves to eliminate hose switching and have been tossing around the idea of all cam locks or a combination of cam locks and copper or pex tubing with John Guest style push fit fittings on some connections. My reasoning is if I go all camlocks I would be looking at approx $300.00 worth of camlock sets (males, females and high flow 90 barbs). I am also thinking I could eliminate some of the 1 way ball valves as well.
I do want to be able to take everything apart easily for cleaning/storage as well.
So here is the basic rundown:
Water comes in and can be split before the filter for cleaning or to the IC or go through the filter for filling HLT. HLT will be electric fired through control panel by PID (didn't show any of that). Water exits HLT through ball valve and goes to chugger pump 1, exits pump and goes to first 3-way, splits to HLT return or tee into HERMS coil ( the reason for this split is to direct initial strike, and sparge water into MLT). Water exits herms into MLT.
Fluid from MLT and BK go to another 3-way that directs one or the other into pump 2 inlet. Pump 2 outlet goes to another 3-way that splits to herms during mash or BK during sparge through last 3 way. This last 3 way will also direct wort from BK out back to BK in for whirlpool or to fermenter at the end.
I'm thinking I could eliminate the HLT return valve (Don't really need any control there) and the herms out from HLT and maybe the MLT in valve as well. Now let me say I have been given the greenlight to purchase all I need including all cam locks, but it's hard for me to swallow $300.00 worth of them, I am just naturally a cheapa&&.
Opinions and suggestions on what you folks might do?
I am in the designing stage of my single tier stand made from unistrut and keggles and need some suggestions/opinions on connection options and valves.
Here is the general outline based on the attached pic.
I plan on using 4 3-way L type ball valves to eliminate hose switching and have been tossing around the idea of all cam locks or a combination of cam locks and copper or pex tubing with John Guest style push fit fittings on some connections. My reasoning is if I go all camlocks I would be looking at approx $300.00 worth of camlock sets (males, females and high flow 90 barbs). I am also thinking I could eliminate some of the 1 way ball valves as well.
I do want to be able to take everything apart easily for cleaning/storage as well.
So here is the basic rundown:
Water comes in and can be split before the filter for cleaning or to the IC or go through the filter for filling HLT. HLT will be electric fired through control panel by PID (didn't show any of that). Water exits HLT through ball valve and goes to chugger pump 1, exits pump and goes to first 3-way, splits to HLT return or tee into HERMS coil ( the reason for this split is to direct initial strike, and sparge water into MLT). Water exits herms into MLT.
Fluid from MLT and BK go to another 3-way that directs one or the other into pump 2 inlet. Pump 2 outlet goes to another 3-way that splits to herms during mash or BK during sparge through last 3 way. This last 3 way will also direct wort from BK out back to BK in for whirlpool or to fermenter at the end.
I'm thinking I could eliminate the HLT return valve (Don't really need any control there) and the herms out from HLT and maybe the MLT in valve as well. Now let me say I have been given the greenlight to purchase all I need including all cam locks, but it's hard for me to swallow $300.00 worth of them, I am just naturally a cheapa&&.
Opinions and suggestions on what you folks might do?
