Why couldn't you just run the output hose from the condenser directly out the door, instead of using a bucket?
This is what I do, although it is only about 8-10' of hose.
Why couldn't you just run the output hose from the condenser directly out the door, instead of using a bucket?
As long as its sloping downward and never goes up an incline it should be fine to drain distances. You might try taking a 2x4 or something and elevating it at the brewery end and run the hose along that to ensure a downward slope the whole way.That just doesn't work. I've tried it. I wish it did work.
It's either too long of a run to generate the vacuum, or maybe my floor isn't level or sloping down as it goes out and I lose the air gap. I lose suction/vacuum and the condenser stops working.
Dang I just bought it on maybe Thursday last week and got it yesterday, it's a custom part so I'm sure there is production needed. You can set an email alert for the product and you get it right when it comes into stock.Anybody hear when Bobby might have the steam slayer back in stock?
@bobby_m my sprayers came out of their boxes in transit, is there a way to tell the 6vs9.Needless to say, I went through 100 units faster than expected. I have more in production now including a 2" TC version.
Needless to say, I went through 100 units faster than expected. I have more in production now including a 2" TC version.
Needless to say, I went through 100 units faster than expected. I have more in production now including a 2" TC version.
Any ideas why this isn’t working for me? I’ve got the whole setup down almost exactly the way it’s described here, but my system isn’t pulling any steam out. Waste water is cold. Only 10 degrees above ambient. Could I have the sprayer positioned wrong? It’s just slightly below the midpoint of the tee.
Be sure that the end of the output hose isn't submerged in water, and be sure if you're draining it on an angle that there isn't a pooling of water blocking the hose.
Is your lid reasonably tight on the kettle? It doesn't need to be hermetically sealed, just set down square on the kettle.
Since you're not getting any heat through there that suggests either a blockage in the hose, or the lid is not sitting square enough to drive steam into the steamcatcher.
If you start with BrunDog's post #1 I think you'll find what you need. Maybe not the actual components that would be available in UK, but certainly enough info to design your own system. Good luck!
This might be a numpty question but if you are capturing all the steam why is the boil off rate lower?
With a lower boil off rate doesnt that mean that some steam must be condensing on the lid and returning to the wort which I thought was a no no?
I think this is substantially correct, except that you really can't consider steam and heat as seperate substances. The heat is contained in the steam. When you put the lid on, less heat/steam is allowed to leave the system, and you will have a boil-over unless you reduce the firing rate, that is, turn down the fire or the electric element to maintain the balance between heat entering and heat leaving.I think this is a fair question, and I am not sure that I can fully answer it, other than generalizing that both heat and steam escape an open boil kettle, but with a closed lid, the heat is contained while the steam escapes. Stated differently, with the lid closed, the only volume leaving is the steam, while with the lid open, ambient air also comes in to replace escaping steam, extracting the heat.
During my initial experiments, I was worried that adequate steam (and volatiles as a result) would not be removed, but I think this has been proven not to be a concern. Needing less heat is a significant benefit in my opinon - less power (and local heating) into the wort should ultimately stress is less. Plus, saving power is never a bad thing in my opinion.
I think this is substantially correct, except that you really can't consider steam and heat as seperate substances. The heat is contained in the steam. When you put the lid on, less heat/steam is allowed to leave the system, and you will have a boil-over unless you reduce the firing rate, that is, turn down the fire or the electric element to maintain the balance between heat entering and heat leaving.
That's absolutely true. I didn't want to go deeper down the rabbit hole than neccesary. Since putting a lid on doesn't have much effect on conduction or radiation, I didn't mention them. Convection is the only heat transfer mechanism that requires a working fluid such as steam. Steam without heat is just cool mist, is my point.Heat certainly is transferred without the steam. Remember that heat transfers occurs via conduction, convection, and radiation. The radiation, for example, does not necessarily use steam medium as a conduit.
I think this is a fair question, and I am not sure that I can fully answer it, other than generalizing that both heat and steam escape an open boil kettle, but with a closed lid, the heat is contained while the steam escapes. Stated differently, with the lid closed, the only volume leaving is the steam, while with the lid open, ambient air also comes in to replace escaping steam, extracting the heat.
During my initial experiments, I was worried that adequate steam (and volatiles as a result) would not be removed, but I think this has been proven not to be a concern. Needing less heat is a significant benefit in my opinon - less power (and local heating) into the wort should ultimately stress is less. Plus, saving power is never a bad thing in my opinion.
I think the confusion might lie in the distinction between heat and temperature. Temp is a good measure of heat content right up to the boiling point. Then you have to pump in more and more heat energy to start the boiling, but the temperature doesn't change. How is that possible? Durned if I know, I've never understood it. But it's an observed fact. Latent heat of vaporization, it's called.In my case, the boiloff rate is lower because i have to power turned down to about 30 percent, so instead of a vigorous boil I have more a simmer. It's not a function of the steam catcher, at full power that steam would have to go somewhere, and the steam catcher is where it would go.
The problem with full power and a covered kettle is a more violent/vigorous boil. That deposits hop residues on the sides of the kettle instead of in the wort where I want it. Further, in my case it'll start to come out of the lid, so it has to be dialed down.
Very early in this thread somewhere I noted that the effluent was very hot; the answer to that was to turn down the boil and voila! Much cooler effluent, and no issues with boiling over.
There is a current discussion amongst homebrewers that the "standard" advice of having a vigorous boil is being replaced by more of a simmer type of boil. The argument is the vigorous boil harms the wort due to excess heat. I'm not sure how to take that, as I don't think the wort can tell in a 212* boil whether it's a vigorous or relaxed boil--same temp.
But maybe with a vigorous boil the rising steam bubbles are hotter than they would be in a relaxed boil? Dunno.
This might be a numpty question but if you are capturing all the steam why is the boil off rate lower?
With a lower boil off rate doesnt that mean that some steam must be condensing on the lid and returning to the wort which I thought was a no no?
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The DMS precursors we're needing to get rid of boil at a lower temperature than water, so they are still removed, along with the reduced volume of steam collected by the condenser. Some will condense on the lid and drip back, it is true. Over the course of our boil, that cycle will happen so many times that the bad stuff will be removed as surely as with open boiling, I think.
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Best explanation yet. We called it PFM in the engine room. Pure somethingorother Magic. I don't remember what the F was for.I'm going with it just works...
That's absolutely true. I didn't want to go deeper down the rabbit hole than neccesary. Since putting a lid on doesn't have much effect on conduction or radiation, I didn't mention them. Convection is the only heat transfer mechanism that requires a working fluid such as steam. Steam without heat is just cool mist, is my point.
I think the confusion might lie in the distinction between heat and temperature. Temp is a good measure of heat content right up to the boiling point. Then you have to pump in more and more heat energy to start the boiling, but the temperature doesn't change. How is that possible? Durned if I know, I've never understood it. But it's an observed fact. Latent heat of vaporization, it's called.
Anyway. Could it be that the more energetic water involved in vigorous boiling does something to the wort on the molecular level, without showing up on our thermometers? I dunno either.
That visible mist may or may not be accompanied by a lot of very hot, dangerous steam. Heat energy is what makes the difference. I've hunted down 600 psi superheated steam leaks with a broom handle. The actual leak will be several feet away from where the mist cloud forms. Thank goodness we're only dealing with open systems here.This is where commonly used English breaks down.
When water boils it turns into water vapour which is invisible. The stuff you see is water that has already condensed into very fine droplets, condensing from vapour to liquid releases a huge amount of energy in the form of heat. This is how your fridge/air con etc work.
Now some people call steam the stuff you see and others say steam is water in its gaseous phase, which you cannot see.
A quick Google gives two different "definitions"
That visible mist may or may not be accompanied by a lot of very hot, dangerous steam. Heat energy is what makes the difference. I've hunted down 600 psi superheated steam leaks with a broom handle. The actual leak will be several feet away from where the mist cloud forms. Thank goodness we're only dealing with open systems here.
I'm talking about tiny pinhole leaks, of course. Anything much bigger, you just die.
Thinking out loud here. Without going into any of the math that @BrunDog did, I would expect that the condenser we are using can only escape a certain volume of steam and that a full rigorous boil with the lid off produces more steam than can be escaped by the condenser. He did mention that he is targeting a commercial boil off rate that is lower than the 10% a lot of homebrewers go by. If someone mounted 2 or 3 of these to their kettle could they effectively boil at their previous open lid wattage and get a 10% boil off rate? Not saying we should do that, but more of food for thought.This might be a numpty question but if you are capturing all the steam why is the boil off rate lower?
With a lower boil off rate doesnt that mean that some steam must be condensing on the lid and returning to the wort which I thought was a no no?
Any chance that will also include a 2" Weldless T.C.? I really want one for my element install!
A 2" WL TC is in the works but it's going to be a ***** to install given the hole size required. I also have a pull through tool coming soon that will allow install of standard 2" TC ferrules. In any case, elements install through 1.5 TC well enough that I don't understand the desire for 2"
this made me laugh a lil.Brew went well. Smell was much much better with it drained to my sump. I did run an exhaust fan with the flexible ductwork positioned next to the sump so I’m sure that helped. I’m just glad I have a hoodless low odor solution.
this made me laugh a lil.
you ran a fan with duct work...... to avoid a fan with duct work!
ok, carry on guys, I keep coming back to see the final solution here.
oh yeah, i get it man. just kinda funny that you're still employing a fan with ductwork which the slayer was supposed to eliminate altogether. I do understand what's goin on and I assume a solution is coming anyways.I have a window in the back of my basement that that is the same size as the window my hood was hooked up to above my kettle so I was able to remove the hood place the fan on the floor slide open the window and place my dryer vent totally out of site of my brewing area. So this solution works for me because I had the fan. I now don’t have a big crappy hood and duct work hanging over my brewery now which was why I added the condenser. With the fan, I can barely smell anything upstairs. Without the fan, and running the condensate to a drain 20’ away alone smelled like a normal brew day with my zymatic upstairs.
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