Blichmann Engineering "set-it-and-forget-it design" Auto Sparge?

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usurpers26 said:
Am I understanding this correctly?

You could use this sparge arm as the return during recirc in RIMS/HERMS?

Also, when actually sparging, on a single tier, would you be able to still pump from the MLT --> BK?
Click to expand...

Sure. All this device does is keep 1" to 2" of sparge water above the grain bed when fly sparging.
 
Beerman1 said:
Hi guys - John here from Blichmann Engineering. We made the body from low lead surface treated brass for cost reasons. There is a reason the stainless units in McMaster are so expensive. Stainless is hard to machine and hard to cast. The big difference between our design and the inexpensive "toilet valves" is the size of the openings. A chunk of grain entering it will block it open, or plug it up and cause trouble. We had this casting specially made to include large openings for just that reason.
Click to expand...

I cry imposter! The real response from Blichmann would read something like:

"We milled the body out of a solid chunk of stainless steel because it's shiny and sexy. Yes, it's more expensive, but that's the way we like it. Some of our critics have suggested cost-cutting measures, such as not packaging our highly polished stainless parts in specially-fabricated stainless steel shipping cartons. These people are unworthy of bling, and will not be receiving stainless Christmas cards from us."
 
Honeywell has LED liquid level sensor control units made of plastic as well in stainless. Use one with an adjustable time delay you set to allow for different drain rates of different grains batches plus grain amounts. Adding this time delay prevents the short cycling of the sparge pump. Easy to clean besides no valve seat problems with grain particles causing the above posted overflow problems.
 
So has anyone actually purchased and used this? How'd it work?

Also, can it be set to point downwards? For example, and you turn the float 90 degrees so if you come in from the top it still works in the same manner? if you can set and forget it seems that you would.
 
Brew-boy said:
Half the fun of homebrewing is making your own stuff. My sparge arm which covers the whole grain bed equally only costs about $5 to make.
Click to expand...

yeah but does it have a shinny big BALL at the end, i didnt think so so i will take my big ball and be happy i have at least one!

well thats my thoughts anyway
 
This is my favorite "auto" sparge setup. The one in the video is pretty ugly, but the concept is painfully simple. I'm thinking about incorporating a similar design. At some point, you'd want to lower it completely (or switch to a simple drain), otherwise you'd have to massively over-sparge every brew.

 
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Edcculus said:
I'm pretty sure The Pol has one on his new super sexy stainless electric build.
Click to expand...

A electronic LED liquid level sensor or a mechanical toilet flushing system? Newer electronics vs the water closet
design of the 1900's? Rope with knots and watch vs a electronic paddle measuring boat hull speed, old vs new?
 
splobucket said:
So has anyone actually purchased and used this? How'd it work?

Also, can it be set to point downwards? For example, and you turn the float 90 degrees so if you come in from the top it still works in the same manner? if you can set and forget it seems that you would.
Click to expand...


No, it cannot
 
Yuri_Rage said:
This is my favorite "auto" sparge setup. The one in the video is pretty ugly, but the concept is painfully simple. I'm thinking about incorporating a similar design. At some point, you'd want to lower it completely (or switch to a simple drain), otherwise you'd have to massively over-sparge every brew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLg5U9SSEHM
Click to expand...

That's the same thing as the Hartford loop. He needs a T fitting on there to keep it from starting a siphon.


Check out the link mentioned earlier.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my...mash-lauter-tun-92724/index3.html#post1011236
 
Boerderij_Kabouter said:
Can anyone confirm the thread size on the Blichmann autosparge? Is it 1/2" MPT male nipple that you attach to on the outside of the kettle?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Yes, it is 1/2" MPT, it goes through the side of the kettle and has a small lock nut on the outside to hold it in place.
 
Hopefully someone who owns one of these can help me with this:

What is the diameter of the float ball?
How far is it submerged when the valve reaches the point of full closure? (this would let me determine the absolute maximum liquid fill level in my rubbermaid cooler MLT without the float hitting the lid)
 
I'd be considering this for my Brutus clone. What's $50 more dollars when i already spent $2000? A lap dance i suppose. Anyway, I am using kegs and plan on brewing 10 gallon batches. Where exactly would one position this thing on the side of a 15.5 gallon keg, roughly? I suppose the pivotal arm will allow me to make an initial set point and then i can........forget it.

has anyone used this with a keg?
 
That autosparge is mentioned somewhere else on this forum, I recall a stainless ball 2" or 3" in diameter. Doesn't More Beer sell them? With the low pump pressure against the seat pushing the ball down this is not a factor. I would guess 1/4 to 1/3 the ball diameter at the most submerged. I sure would buy one first and lower the whole valve assembly into water with a hose and blow into it to locate how far down to seat the valve. Take that measurement then drill those pretty kegs only once. Being this close any slight bending of the rod would correct to your final level. JMO's.
 
You dont have to fine tune the location of the hole. The float arm is fully adjustable. You can mount it and use it just as easily on a 5 gallon mash for one brew, and a 10 gallon mash on the next.

Determine volume of your mashes, then locate it somewhere slightly above that. Like I said, it doesnt have to be precise, as the arm is fully adjustable, otherwise it would be junk, youd have to have the same mash volume each time.

There will never be a need to bend the arm.
 
willynilly said:
You dont have to fine tune the location of the hole. The float arm is fully adjustable. You can mount it and use it just as easily on a 5 gallon mash for one brew, and a 10 gallon mash on the next.

Determine volume of your mashes, then locate it somewhere slightly above that. Like I said, it doesnt have to be precise, as the arm is fully adjustable, otherwise it would be junk, youd have to have the same mash volume each time.

There will never be a need to bend the arm.
Click to expand...

On the one we installed the teeth were coarse there was almost a 8" difference in between tooth settings. This with a 14" long rod I made for a 30 gallon SS drum for the MLT. I ended up cutting extra threads for a SS wing jam nut at the valve end of the bowed rod. It then could be rotated 180* cutting in half those 8" steps, a fine adjustment for between the valves tooth adjustment still allowing wide brewing volumes. It's not my brew system I would of used a LED sensor probe instead. Thumb screw set to nats azz any level be it a 2# grain bed to 70#.
 
willynilly said:
It is a great tool... I love it, your wife will hate it yes.
Click to expand...

She already hates me for what I drag home over the years.

Ha got one better;
This sounds like the Fein "MultiMaster" oscillating power cutting tool shown on TV. I just watched it and told the wife it comes with a rubber tongue attachment. LMFAO. Whew OT.
 
Shepherd5 said:
Would this work? It comes in all stainlees steel. http://www.robertmfg.com/specs.html

Click on the last pdf
Click to expand...

About the same valve in design but a different brand that was
in SS also..
Look on that site it has BTU numbers on their flexable SS
gas lines also. The BTU numbers drop rather fast even with
short lengths of flex pipe on what they can handle.
What's the price of theie SS float valve? I bet not cheap.
 
Does anyone know if the valve can operate properly with the pressure from a little giant 3MD, or will the valve be "forced" open under the pressure?
 
The valve we used submerged the 3" SS float 1/4" more than when no water pressure was applied with s sprinkler system booster pump pressurized at 200 PSI. I would bet any of these float valves will handle a magnetic drive pump, home well or city water supplied pressure systems.
 
Beerman1 said:
Hi guys - John here from Blichmann Engineering. We made the body from low lead surface treated brass for cost reasons. There is a reason the stainless units in McMaster are so expensive. Stainless is hard to machine and hard to cast. The big difference between our design and the inexpensive "toilet valves" is the size of the openings. A chunk of grain entering it will block it open, or plug it up and cause trouble. We had this casting specially made to include large openings for just that reason.
Click to expand...

John
Welcome to the forum. I have a question about the float on the silicone return hose, what is it made of, where can I buy one, etc. I built a RIMS using a cooler MLT and I would like a float for my return 1/2" Silicone tube.
 
FWIW, it cannot shut off the flow of my LG pumps completely anyway, but it will reduce it to a trickle. The pressure is too much for the float to shut it down....
 
Cliff897 said:
Well best guess I have is that it might be subject to acid etching and failure.
The seat on most valves of that sort are little annular rings standing proud against which the Buna seal seats. Other designs use an O ring into which a conical metal seal is inserted to effect a seal. But in either event the contact surface of the seal is subject to decomposition at a rather fast rate given as how it's a small surface area in the flow of the acidic hot fluid.

Of course a soft seal material might compensate for this for a good long time. In this application it is not like a toilet which will annoy the hell out of one 'cause if it's always leaking rather a poor seal quality in this app' will only leak fluid into the grain bed.
Click to expand...

I find this hard to believe as the valve is not subject to low brewing pH 24/7 months on end. I bet after a flush and rinse it will last about as long as a stainless valve. I've seen brass and stainless valve seats cut by just leaking water not chemicals with very little or no etching beyond the leak area. This is with high and low pH products. One valve posted above with 0.093" or 3/32" orifice only flowing 1.5 gpm at 40 psi I bet a March or LG pump with its low pressure that valve would trickle one could pee faster.
 
BrewBeemer said:
I find this hard to believe as the valve is not subject to low brewing pH 24/7 months on end. I bet after a flush and rinse it will last about as long as a stainless valve. I've seen brass and stainless valve seats cut by just leaking water not chemicals with very little or no etching beyond the leak area. This is with high and low pH products. One valve posted above with 0.093" or 3/32" orifice only flowing 1.5 gpm at 40 psi I bet a March or LG pump with its low pressure that valve would trickle one could pee faster.
Click to expand...

+1 I have been brewing for a while. I had a small 7 gallon kettle with a brass valve going back to the days when I did extracts. My 21 year old nephew uses it now to brew extracts and I bet the valve lasts at least another 15 to 20 years.
 
I use one of these on my 10G Rubbermaid cooler and it works fine.

As for the float on the tubing...it is foam I believe, but that sealed waterproof foam.

That make any sense?
 
Try any diecast valve around anything but a pH of 7 it becomes Swiss cheese within days like sunken ship of 80 years. An "El Cheapo" oil barrel bung drain valve we once used as a quick fix 30 gallon MLT, lasted a week with the seat all pitted from erosion it wouldn't seal. Mild steel borders on junk from iron imported items. When I think of zinc it's those sacrificial plates and prop shaft balls on boats protecting iron and bronze in salt water below waterline.
Even 304 stainless pits with with vinagar, a trucker friend this is all he hauls in product, his old tanks started to pit then fractures developed with leaks before the 3 year mark. Now get into 316 SS grade your talking more money no matter the item but it will last. I see on these SS float valves the side castings show a 304, bottom of the list just one step up from mild steel.
 
Arent all high end kettles 304 SS? False bottoms? Three piece ball valves... ??

The autosparge will last longer than any of us keep our rigs, I am sure. :rolleyes:
 

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