Basement Brewery Plumbing Question

[mtbr_brewer]

Hey All,

I recently moved into a house, and my gracious fiancé donated one of the rooms in our basement to be my brewery. I've been piecing together an e-HERMS setup for the last few months, and am finally ready to put it to use!

That being said, I've been doing some brainstorming around water access and cleaning in the room. Currently there is a wet bar across the basement where I anticipated getting water to treat and use for brewing, and water to clean equipment. However, after milling around in the space for a few hours I stumbled across a potential lucky coincidence. Unfortunately, I'm no plumbing expert so I don't know the feasibility or practicality of this option so I wanted some help.

In the photos below I have added some labels. Essentially, directly above my brewing area is a cold water pipe running to an exterior water faucet. In addition, directly through the wall labeled is the sewer drain from the sink, that runs through the floor to the main sewage pipe. I would estimate that this is either a 2" or 3" cast iron pipe, and am curious about tying into it. I know that Fernco makes couplers that I could potentially use to add a T or Y to the line. My concern is overload, some leftover grain bits, or frustration for the next home owner (we don't anticipate living here forever).

That all being said, should I consider a cold water only utility sink in the brewery or lug my water the 20 feet from the other side of the basement (granted I would still have an issue with cleaning, but my garage has a water hose that could be used).

See the picture below (pardon it's crudeness), also I realize a picture of the sewage line would be beneficial and I will get on uploaded tonight!

Thanks!

 

[Red_Dog]

Hot water is nice to have but not the end of the world. I use the first running's of cooling water through my chiller into the mash tun to clean up. Most of the time I have to add cold water to put my hands in it. Good luck

 

[mtbr_brewer]

Appreciate the insight Red Dog, once I thought about it I realized that I could probably tie into the hot water line for the sink that is a foot on the other side of the wall pictured. I didn't manage to get a picture of the sewage line, I'm trying to stay on top of my honey do list so she agrees to putting the sink in . My two main concern are if it meets local code, and if it would be a deterrent for buyers when we sell the house in 5 years or so.

 

[Red_Dog]

most codes require that you tie into the sewer vent system also for proper drainage. as for the water lines check out PEX tubing, no soldering. Check with a local plumber before you start it will save you a lot of headaches overall. Done right it should add to value of home.

 

[jackyl]

Hey All,

I recently moved into a house, and my gracious fiancé donated one of the rooms in our basement to be my brewery. I've been piecing together an e-HERMS setup for the last few months, and am finally ready to put it to use!

That being said, I've been doing some brainstorming around water access and cleaning in the room. Currently there is a wet bar across the basement where I anticipated getting water to treat and use for brewing, and water to clean equipment. However, after milling around in the space for a few hours I stumbled across a potential lucky coincidence. Unfortunately, I'm no plumbing expert so I don't know the feasibility or practicality of this option so I wanted some help.

In the photos below I have added some labels. Essentially, directly above my brewing area is a cold water pipe running to an exterior water faucet. In addition, directly through the wall labeled is the sewer drain from the sink, that runs through the floor to the main sewage pipe. I would estimate that this is either a 2" or 3" cast iron pipe, and am curious about tying into it. I know that Fernco makes couplers that I could potentially use to add a T or Y to the line. My concern is overload, some leftover grain bits, or frustration for the next home owner (we don't anticipate living here forever).

That all being said, should I consider a cold water only utility sink in the brewery or lug my water the 20 feet from the other side of the basement (granted I would still have an issue with cleaning, but my garage has a water hose that could be used).

See the picture below (pardon it's crudeness), also I realize a picture of the sewage line would be beneficial and I will get on uploaded tonight!

Thanks!

For the hot water question, note that the EPA says to only use cold water for eating and drinking, but it's your decision of course.

For the drain question, you are proposing a "wet vent". Some places allow it, some don't. You'll probably be fine, but may want to look into adding a pseudo vent in by putting a second tee up higher on that pipe. But you may have a code issue when you go to sell, again your decision.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

home depot sells point source electric hot water heaters for stuff like this, FYI. Plumbing copper is really easy, just watch a few youtube videos and i bet you'll be comfortable doing it yourself.

Also tried to do something similar a few years ago when I put a utility sink in my garage, and found I could NOT budge the old black pipe sewage line connection, where I wanted to switch out a small elbow going into the main line for a T. I ended up having to plumb up my sink without touching the black pipe.

good luck.

 

[mtbr_brewer]

Sorry for the delay, I appreciate all the feedback! I'm going to try and get some insight from a local plumber on whether it would meet code. I definitely think I would feel comfortable soldering the copper lines, or I've seen some press on fittings that have solid reviews. Nonetheless, I appreciate all the insight. I may be posting up a build thread for my brew room in the coming weeks. Still trying to get things planned out.

 

[splendidus]

Plus an eHermes is a hot water heater if you need water for cleaning....

 

[summerofgeorge]

For the sewer venting issue, look into an air admittance valve. I haven't used one (yet) but think it would take care of the "wet vent" issue mentioned above. I'm planning on using one for my basement build when I eventually have time for it.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sure-Vent-1-1-2-2-in-ABS-Air-Admittance-Valve-39018/100140686

 

[mtbr_brewer]

Reviving my old thread.

I've been brewing on my e-HERMS system for a few months now and I would really like to get my water source moved into the brewery. It'd be nice to not run 50' water hose for cooling via my CFC. Additionally, self-contained cleaning, drying, and storage would make my fiancé and me very happy. With that being said, I just had a plumbing company come out to quote tying into the existing pipe.

I wanted to mention those suggestions, and get some advice (hopefully a plumber in the crowd?). Below is a photo of the drain pipe I was planning to tie into. The plumbing company recommended taking about 6 foot of that section out and increasing it to two inches rather than the 1.5" it is. They said that would help with venting and any potential blockages. However, the pipe above and below those two are still only 1.5" so in my mind that doesn't help too much? However, I am NOT a plumber so I'd love some input on that. They quoted me about $1,200 for the whole job (running the sink lines as well). Frankly that won't fit my budget, and I do plan to check around. Unfortunately, I didn't ask any of my questions below while they were here, but thought I'd check with HBT and when I get my second quote. B

My plan was to cut into the 1.5" galvanized steel piping (not cast iron like I thought). Then I was hoping to simply cut out a 5" or 6" section below that cleanout port and use two Jenco couplers and a PVC pipe sanitary tee? I'd then just run the PVC through the wall and attach to my sink. From there I'd just need to add tees to the hot and cold water lines above and run those down for the sink.

Thoughts?

 

[Elric]

Post is three years old. I’m sure he has moved on...