Boil kettle condenser - no overhead ventilation needed

[kcinpdx]

I’ve been following this thread since the beginning and finally pulled the trigger on the steam slayer. While I do not yet know the final outcome of the beer, I can highly recommend the product. Installation took 10 mins on my Spike kettle and it worked flawlessly from boil to the end. It’s solved my venting issues in the garage. Now I will say that the resulting water smells terrible.....

 

[chrisgood1]

I have been using this for a while now and have about 5 beers done with it. I just took gold for my Pale Ale at the 8 seconds of froth in WY. Pretty proud of that and this great addition to my kettle. As many have said thanks to @BrunDog for putting this great idea out there for us all to use.

 

[k-os]

For anyone using the steam slayer along with a plate chiller, what are you doing to help keep hop debris out of the plate chiller? I'm going to do my first brew with the steam slayer this Saturday and was going to try using a hop bag from @wilserbrewer held between the kettle and the lid.

 

[1atom12]

All,
Getting ready to finalize my brew equipment decision for my new basement build. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on a turnkey Spike 15 gallon system. That was their recommendation for 5-10 gallon batches which is what I plan to brew. They are willing to weld in a port on the boil kettle, however, to closest to the top they can go is 2.5" from the top lip to the center of the 1.5" port. This leaves the kettle with a total volume of 12.5 gallons before liquid would enter the port and start draining. Is this close enough to the top to be effective and is 12.5 gallons enough room in the kettle? Attached is the drawing that Spike sent over per my request. Port will be on the right side of the kettle which is near my commercial sink for water supply and drainage.

Please bear with my newbie questions. This new setup will be my first time on all grain. I have been an extract brewer for about 4 years.

Thanks!
Adam

 

[k-os]

For anyone using the steam slayer along with a plate chiller, what are you doing to help keep hop debris out of the plate chiller? I'm going to do my first brew with the steam slayer this Saturday and was going to try using a hop bag from @wilserbrewer held between the kettle and the lid.

I thought I'd update this thread to let everyone know I went ahead and used the hop bag with the steam slayer and didn't have any issues about steam escaping from the lid.

 

[cbier60]

All,
Getting ready to finalize my brew equipment decision for my new basement build. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on a turnkey Spike 15 gallon system. That was their recommendation for 5-10 gallon batches which is what I plan to brew. They are willing to weld in a port on the boil kettle, however, to closest to the top they can go is 2.5" from the top lip to the center of the 1.5" port. This leaves the kettle with a total volume of 12.5 gallons before liquid would enter the port and start draining. Is this close enough to the top to be effective and is 12.5 gallons enough room in the kettle? Attached is the drawing that Spike sent over per my request. Port will be on the right side of the kettle which is near my commercial sink for water supply and drainage.View attachment 626823

Your boil-off with the condenser should be under a gallon, even for 10 gallons into a fermenter after kettle to fermenter loss, so you'll just barely make it. I know it's hard to buy this beautiful kettle with all welded ports and then add a weldless one manually, but you can definitely put that port at least an inch higher if you do it yourself. Since it's above the liquid line, this port is not as critical as the others. BTW, I added a 1.5" weldless TC port to my 20 gallon Spike kettle. Alternatvely, add the port to the lid as several others have done.

I'm assuming this is a boil kettle only since you reference the turnkey system. If you use it as a mash tun or HLT, you just put a cap over this top port.

 

[CodeSection]

All,
Getting ready to finalize my brew equipment decision for my new basement build. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on a turnkey Spike 15 gallon system. That was their recommendation for 5-10 gallon batches which is what I plan to brew. They are willing to weld in a port on the boil kettle, however, to closest to the top they can go is 2.5" from the top lip to the center of the 1.5" port. This leaves the kettle with a total volume of 12.5 gallons before liquid would enter the port and start draining. Is this close enough to the top to be effective and is 12.5 gallons enough room in the kettle? Attached is the drawing that Spike sent over per my request. Port will be on the right side of the kettle which is near my commercial sink for water supply and drainage.

Please bear with my newbie questions. This new setup will be my first time on all grain. I have been an extract brewer for about 4 years.

Thanks!
AdamView attachment 626823

@1atom12, the cost difference between Spike's 15G and 20G, is only $30. If I were you, I would simply buy a 20G BK and not have to worry about having enough capacity. It will certainly help having a larger kettle to prevent boil overs.

In my case, I assembled a 2" boil kettle steam condenser from the parts listed in this thread. I had Spike install a 2" TC at the top of my BK where I attach the steam condenser. The 2" TC is installed at 2.5" dead center from the BK top lip. This means I can only add 17.25-17.75 gal of water to the BK.

My set up is a two kettle k-rim system. Since many of my recipes call for more water, I add water to the BK based upon the recipe and grain. However, I intentionally hold back 2 gallons. When the BK heats to 145F, I drain the hot water into two different 1 gallon containers. Then I add the previously withheld non-heated 2 gallons of water into the BK. Once the temperature gets to the desired level, I transfer water from the BK to the MT.

You may not have to perform the above if you buy the 20G. However, I am fairly certain with the 15G, you will have trouble with water volume on some recipes.

 

[1atom12]

Thanks for the input so far guys. Really appreciated. Talked with Ryan at Spike today and he checked with the welding team and they are willing to install the port a half an inch higher at 2 inches. Not sure how much more capacity this would give me.

What if I just purchased the whole 20 gallon setup? HLT, MT and BK? Would I still be able to do a 5 gallon batch? The cost is not that much more. Most of the time I will be doing 10 gallon batches. paying this kind of coin, I also want the whole system to look nice as well. I know that sounds shallow, but I want all 3 kettles the same size.

Maybe that extra half an inch will make all the difference on the 15 gallon?

 

[CodeSection]

I do not believe 1/2" will make that much of a difference. Whereas, the 20G BK is 2" taller and almost 3" wider.

On another note, what are you planning on using the TC port on the front at 6" high for? Below is what Spike did for me...

 

[1atom12]

Then back to my other question. What's the smallest batch I can do on the 20 gallon setup?

Thanks again,
Adam

 

[1atom12]

Also, no idea on the other ports. Its whatever is needed for the turn key Herms system.

 

[CodeSection]

You can easily do a five gallon batch using a 20G BK. However, if you are going to use a manual thermometer, it would be better to have it at 4" high rather than 6" high. You will not need the 20G MT or 20G HLT for five or even maybe 10 gallon brews. Though, I like the extra space of the MT when brewing 10 gallons.

Have you compared the advantages/disadvantages of Herms vs RIMS? There is a thread on HBT that discusses it. If I find it, I'll post the link.

Once I started brewing with the 20G kettles, I have not looked back and only brew that amount. But, at least I have the option for a five gallon brew. Below is my setup. The thermometer on the BK is on the left out of the picture....

 

[CodeSection]

@1atom12, you might find this thread helpful... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/2-vessel-herms-or-3-vessels.663369/

 

[1atom12]

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the 20 gallon full system. Maybe I can talk them into moving the thermometer down to 4 inches while they are at it.

BTW, my Steam Slayer arrives tomorrow. The first piece purchased for my new brewery.

Thanks again all

 

[mongoose33]

All,
Getting ready to finalize my brew equipment decision for my new basement build. I am almost ready to pull the trigger on a turnkey Spike 15 gallon system. That was their recommendation for 5-10 gallon batches which is what I plan to brew. They are willing to weld in a port on the boil kettle, however, to closest to the top they can go is 2.5" from the top lip to the center of the 1.5" port. This leaves the kettle with a total volume of 12.5 gallons before liquid would enter the port and start draining. Is this close enough to the top to be effective and is 12.5 gallons enough room in the kettle? Attached is the drawing that Spike sent over per my request. Port will be on the right side of the kettle which is near my commercial sink for water supply and drainage.

Please bear with my newbie questions. This new setup will be my first time on all grain. I have been an extract brewer for about 4 years.

Thanks!
AdamView attachment 626823

If you want to maintain using that kettle....here's what I've done with mine. My BK heats the strike water to boiling and then I chill it down to strike temp, and I'm right at that point where if the boil is vigorous I'll lose some out the port. Solved that by using a couple of 90-degree els which also raised the Steam Slayer high enough for me to drain to the sink, and if the water level is a bit high...doesn't matter.

 

[Spartan1979]

I finally tested my condenser and my electric system yesterday. I tried to do a 90 minute boil to see what boil off I get. But in trying to prime the pump I dumped a fair amount of water on the floor so I don't know for sure. I did look after one hour and about 1/2 gallon was gone. I boiled at 35% power until I started running it through the pump/chiller to sanitize them. 45% seemed to work well for that.

I checked the temp on the condensate and it was 90-95 degrees F. It looks like I'm using about 13 gallons/hour. I also checked my water cost and for a 90 minute boil it would be about $0.23 so I don't mind the extra water and the resulting cooler condensate as it runs directly into my waste pipes.

Thanks to @BrunDog for this great idea. It eliminated having to punch two six inch holes through the brick on the front of my house.

 

[Goowa]

I finally tested my condenser and my electric system yesterday. I tried to do a 90 minute boil to see what boil off I get. But in trying to prime the pump I dumped a fair amount of water on the floor so I don't know for sure. I did look after one hour and about 1/2 gallon was gone. I boiled at 35% power until I started running it through the pump/chiller to sanitize them. 45% seemed to work well for that.

I checked the temp on the condensate and it was 90-95 degrees F. It looks like I'm using about 13 gallons/hour. I also checked my water cost and for a 90 minute boil it would be about $0.23 so I don't mind the extra water and the resulting cooler condensate as it runs directly into my waste pipes.

Thanks to @BrunDog for this great idea. It eliminated having to punch two six inch holes through the brick on the front of my house.

@brundog what did you say the optimal temperature for the effluent liquid should be?

 

[BrunDog]

Well, assuming the spray water's max thermal "absorption" capacity, it would theoretically be just below boiling. We will never get perfect mixing, so if you can get the water out around 175 degrees or so, then it is probably maxed out. Anything much less than this means too much spray water is being used. In @Spartan1979's case above, a smaller nozzle could possibly used, but as long as water use is no big issue for you morally or financially, then it's all good! Certainly better on drain pipes to keep the effluent temp lower than 140.

 

[Spartan1979]

Well, assuming the spray water's max thermal "absorption" capacity, it would theoretically be just below boiling. We will never get perfect mixing, so if you can get the water out around 175 degrees or so, then it is probably maxed out. Anything much less than this means too much spray water is being used. In @Spartan1979's case above, a smaller nozzle could possibly used, but as long as water use is no big issue for you morally or financially, then it's all good! Certainly better on drain pipes to keep the effluent temp lower than 140.

I live near Saint Louis, and so far, water use isn't a big issue. Right now we have flooding. Our water comes from the Missouri and Meramec Rivers so even when we're having a drought, we don't have restrictions.

 

[Spartan1979]

Now I'm figuring out my hop spider. I've had this hop spider for years. I can't remember where I got it (Stainless something) and it has three arms made of stainless round bar that extend out over the the edge of the pot to suspend it. Since I'm using a BoilCoil I can set it on the bottom. I slit three one inch pieces of silicone hose and put them over the bottom ring to slightly lift it off the bottom and to prevent scratching. Then I bought another piece of stainless round bar to keep it from tipping.

Any reason this won't work?

 

[Goowa]

Now I'm figuring out my hop spider. I've had this hop spider for years. I can't remember where I got it (Stainless something) and it has three arms made of stainless round bar that extend out over the the edge of the pot to suspend it. Since I'm using a BoilCoil I can set it on the bottom. I slit three one inch pieces of silicone hose and put them over the bottom ring to slightly lift it off the bottom and to prevent scratching. Then I bought another piece of stainless round bar to keep it from tipping.

Any reason this won't work?

View attachment 628520 View attachment 628521

I don't see why it wouldn't? What problems are you expecting?

 

[processhead]

Now I'm figuring out my hop spider. I've had this hop spider for years. I can't remember where I got it (Stainless something) and it has three arms made of stainless round bar that extend out over the the edge of the pot to suspend it. Since I'm using a BoilCoil I can set it on the bottom. I slit three one inch pieces of silicone hose and put them over the bottom ring to slightly lift it off the bottom and to prevent scratching. Then I bought another piece of stainless round bar to keep it from tipping.

Any reason this won't work?

View attachment 628520 View attachment 628521

Of course it will work!
The only problem I see is that kettle is way too pristine.

I would like to see some pictures of it with a heavy coating of trub and boil debris coating every bit of that shiny surface!

 

[mongoose33]

Now I'm figuring out my hop spider. I've had this hop spider for years. I can't remember where I got it (Stainless something) and it has three arms made of stainless round bar that extend out over the the edge of the pot to suspend it. Since I'm using a BoilCoil I can set it on the bottom. I slit three one inch pieces of silicone hose and put them over the bottom ring to slightly lift it off the bottom and to prevent scratching. Then I bought another piece of stainless round bar to keep it from tipping.

Any reason this won't work?

View attachment 628520 View attachment 628521

I think you'll find somewhat lower hop utilization. I did the hop spider thing for a while, and always found I needed more hops to get equivalent effect to just dumping in them in commando. I even set it up so it was above boiling bubbles so they'd come up through the hop spider but it didn't make much difference.

In your case, no bubbles will come through that spider, so I'd also expect lesser utilization.

However--lots of stuff that seems logical don't quite meet the test of experience, so your best bet is to try it. It's not like it's going to produce bad beer, and you may find just increasing your hop bill by 25-50 percent makes up for lower utilization.

********

BTW: I'm doing an extended tryout of the hop shots that Yakima Valley sells. They're concentrated hop extract with the bittering effects of hops but not the trub. They're sold in 3 and 10 ml syringes, plus you can buy a can of 150ml. You get about 10 IBU of bittering in a 1.050 wort per ml in a 60-minute boil.

@Morrey put me on to this. We did a couple of California Common beers from the same recipe with the difference being he bittered with the hop shot, I bittered with Northern Brewer hops. We compared and both were very similar, except the beer I did (using the hops) had a bit more bite to the bitterness, Morrey's had a fuller, more rounded bitterness. Both were great, just depends on what you're looking for.

I just brewed a Kolsch yesterday using them, we'll see how that turns out. I used one of my own homemade hop shots which I made using the 150-ml can of hop extract. You can get the syringes on Amazon for 16 cents apiece in a 100-pack. The hop extract is $30 for a can, so 3 ml of bittering costs....about 75 cents.

Now, I know this isn't what you're trying to do, it's my approach to trying to solve the same problem as you, i.e., how to get hop essence in the beer without all the hop trub. Might try it, see what you think, and it might help others.

Here's my pile of homemade hop shots:

 

[Spartan1979]

I don't see why it wouldn't? What problems are you expecting?

Nothing really. There won't be much circulation under the spider. I know it wouldn't work with a propane burner, there'd probably be scorching. I was just asking in case there's something I didn't think of.

 

[Goowa]

Nothing really. There won't be much circulation under the spider. I know it wouldn't work with a propane burner, there'd probably be scorching. I was just asking in case there's something I didn't think of.

I think it's a good idea, good call on the silicon so it doesn't scratch.

 

[day_trippr]

In my one-shot experience resting my spider on the (gas fired) boil kettle bottom it did scorch under the spider. First time I'd ever scorched wort in that kettle. It wasn't horrible but it was obviously something to never do again.

btw, that spider is indeed from Stainless Brewing, I have the 6" diameter version. I'm pretty sure they don't make them like that any longer (with the three tubular appendages for the SS rods)....

Cheers!

 

[BrunDog]

None of my business... but I think a whirlpool is the way to go.

 

[Spartan1979]

None of my business... but I think a whirlpool is the way to go.

I'm setup to do that too. But based on my trial run, I'll have wait until I'm finished chilling. The output through the CF chiller was pretty dismal. I have ordered a big impeller for my March 809 pump.

 

[Goowa]

Fired up the steamslayer today for the first time with my first brew on my electric rig. Things went pretty well, still have some fiddling to do with my temp probe. Also, forgot to put the steel wool behind my trub dam and whoops, whole hops don't go through pumps and whirlpool valves well. [emoji4]

Anyway, ran my 5500W element at 40% power, and was getting roughly 135 F effluent out the drain. Was using the 9gph sprayer head btw. I had about 1GA boil off in an hour, in my 15GA ss brewtech kettle. The smell was mostly delicious Willamette hops, but I did notice that sweet corn smell people have been replying with. It wasn't terrible though, and I can't say that there was any bad smells at all. My son said he didn't smell it in the next room, wife of course smelled it when she opened the basement door. Interestingly enough the 9gph sprayer after an hour produced 11GA.

Anyway, super happy with it after one batch, thank you @Bobby_M for offering the complete package and @BrunDog for dreaming it up!

 

[Bobby_M]

Fired up the steamslayer today for the first time with my first brew on my electric rig. Things went pretty well, still have some fiddling to do with my temp probe. Also, forgot to put the steel wool behind my trub dam and whoops, whole hops don't go through pumps and whirlpool valves well. [emoji4]

Anyway, ran my 5500W element at 40% power, and was getting roughly 135 F effluent out the drain. Was using the 9gph sprayer head btw. I had about 1GA boil off in an hour, in my 15GA ss brewtech kettle. The smell was mostly delicious Willamette hops, but I did notice that sweet corn smell people have been replying with. It wasn't terrible though, and I can't say that there was any bad smells at all. My son said he didn't smell it in the next room, wife of course smelled it when she opened the basement door. Interestingly enough the 9gph sprayer after an hour produced 11GA.

Anyway, super happy with it after one batch, thank you @Bobby_M for offering the complete package and @BrunDog for dreaming it up!

I have been running at 29% lately. I think if you sneak a quick peek at 40%, you'll see it's pretty violent in there.