Boil kettle condenser - no overhead ventilation needed

[matt_m]

Well looks like that's going to work out nicely--thanks!

 

[Spraentart]

Is there any guidance around small batch brewing with a steam condenser? I am curious if any of the parts change or if slapping on something like a steam slayer and going will be fine. I am brewing 3g batches in a 6g kettle.

 

[Charlie139]

Hi folks...
I tried out my condenser today for the first time
It more or less did the job as expected. My SG dropped 2 degrees of brix over 80 minutes. I turned up the propane until steam started escaping from in between the tack welds on 4 inch hop addition ferrule on my boil kettle lid. I ran the water pressure to the spray nozzle at the previously calibrated level and supplied the pump with municipal water. I’m satisfied with the results but my methods need some refinement. Thanks to all of you that contributed insight into this project. I had other crazy ideas about how to resolve the condensation on my ceiling. This solution is pretty slick.

 

[Charlie139]

Supplemental...my final volume was way short of target. I’ll have to do some homework and see if I screwed up the mass or liquor or grain or both or whether something else is going on. I’ll get back with more info...

 

[matt_m]

Waiting on the Steam Slayer I bought from njenabnit to work its way through the postal system but was looking at mounting options. I already have a port in my lid where I had a CIP sprayer I no longer use. Thinking of punching the hole larger and putting the port for the condenser here instead of on the side. The dome of the spike lid isn't very pronounced so it will end up pretty flat. I figure I'll need a 3" spool to make this work. Good idea or bad idea?

 

[Franktalk]

It works good on the upper side of the kettle. I have a Spike as well. Unless you are boiling the maximum amount a kettle will hold (nine gallons in a ten gallon kettle) there is no need to impinge the lid with the condenser. I know that you already have a portal for your CIP in the lid, but you only use that after the boil is done. I am glad that my lid is independent of any hoses, appliances, etcetera.

 

[matt_m]

My Steam Slayer showed up yesterday. After seeing how much it weights and just setting all the parts on the kettle lid I can see how it would start to get unwieldy. Now working up the courage to drill into my custom kettle. Luckily I have a genuine Greenlee punch set with the right size so it shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[WesBrew]

My Steam Slayer showed up yesterday. After seeing how much it weights and just setting all the parts on the kettle lid I can see how it would start to get unwieldy. Now working up the courage to drill into my custom kettle. Luckily I have a genuine Greenlee punch set with the right size so it shouldn't be too difficult.

Its better to have it on the kettle. when you have to pull that lid off for hops or whathaveyou, that steam billowing out will burn the hell out of your arm if you don't open it facing away from you. easier if the lid is is light and balanced. easier to add ingredients and to place lid somewhere when doing so. these things weigh a few pounds with the clamps.

 

[fun4stuff]

Its better to have it on the kettle. when you have to pull that lid off for hops or whathaveyou, that steam billowing out will burn the hell out of your arm if you don't open it facing away from you. easier if the lid is is light and balanced. easier to add ingredients and to place lid somewhere when doing so. these things weigh a few pounds with the clamps.

Yup, best to have on kettle.id hate to have to try and open the lid with that on...

I posted above on how i keep mine stable with my BIAB pulley and rope- simple. So if you BIAB, you may already have all you need to help stabilize it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...erhead-ventilation-needed.636955/post-8880877

 

[matt_m]

I got the hole punched at lunch. The anxiety building up to drilling into a $500+ custom kettle was way worse than the job. Ready for a boil test tomorrow.

 

[matt_m]

I did a boil test last night. Probably will need to adjust down from here but I had a roughly 1 gallon boil off from 7 gallons which would be 14%. That was with my 5500w element at 40% power. I started lower but the boil seamed weak.

Using the 9gph nozzle the effluent was in the 120s which should be fine to go down a drain line to my sump pump which would be ~20 ft of pipe away and would cool more by the time it got there.

Moisture control was amazing.

 

[cbier60]

I typically brew ~10-11 gal of wort in my 20G Spike at ~2200-2500W from my induction plate. Boiloff is ~0.85G/hr with a steady rolling boil. I have a 6gph nozzle with pretty high water pressure and come pretty close to that 6gph; I'd estimate effluent temp at 135-140F.

 

[matt_m]

Second boil test I got 0.75 GPH boil off @ 35% power and it still seemed good rolling boil. I switched to the 6GPH sprayer and could still stick my hand in the effluent so I'm going to give it a shot there next weekend.

 

[Redpappy]

I figured this would be the place to post my questions on what I am seeing. I will start with my story .
I Just converted over to electric brewing in my basements ( 5.5 gal batches, BIAB). I bought a 5500 Watt Element and a steam slayer. I was brewing outside on propane. My brewing process has stayed the same with the exception that I keep my lid on my kettle now. As far as my settings go with my element, i run at 30% power during my 60 min boil. (I could get by with 25, but it seems that most go with around 30). The last brew I did that I am drinking now (Boston Ale Clone that i have tweaked a little) is great.
I am still learning, and I do have a bad habit of not knowing technical terms..... Unfortantly i have not taken pics yet, but am thinking of it.
Things that I have noticed with my change of my brewing process... When it comes to cleaning, I have noticed a lot of stuff on my kettle. Its like the foam that is created during the boil is getting stuck to the side of the kettle and building up to gunk.
My question is, what is the gunk, and is it normal with the use of a steam slayer.

I use the 6GPH nozzle, I do have the 9, but have not tried it

 

[Bobby_M]

The vacuum formed by the condenser makes the boil bubbles form into a big head of foam. It's kind of like putting a marshmallow in the microwave. You can back off a couple more % on the power input to reduce it.

 

[Redpappy]

The vacuum formed by the condenser makes the boil bubbles form into a big head of foam. It's kind of like putting a marshmallow in the microwave. You can back off a couple more % on the power input to reduce it.

Would it be best to set the percentage as low as I can go? I know at 25% I hold a temp of 212 (boil), but have not gone any lower.

 

[day_trippr]

It seems a minimal "boil" is desirable, and with the assistance of the condenser is probably something to strive for, and then account for in recipe construction. I know when I dropped my hard boil down to just a modest roll (with about a 2/3rds reduction in boil off rate) my beer colors were a shade lighter and I did not notice any loss of hop contributions. I did have to make appropriate adjustments (which literally rolls all the way back to the amount of water to prepare) but fortunately Beersmith made that relatively painless...

Cheers!

 

[WesBrew]

I reduced mine down to 23% (5500w element) on my last brew. still had good boil.

 

[BrunDog]

You want a gentle simmer. Everyone needs to get over the idea of a "vigorous boil". While a strong boil might feel satisfying, it is bad for your wort, which has been documented by science.

 

[Bad Bubba]

Has anyone monitored the temperature of their boil? If the condenser creates a vacuum it would mean the wort will boil at a lower temperature. Which would impact hops utilization. I already boil at 201 degrees F which I account for in beer smith.

 

[matt_m]

I did my first brew yesterday.
- Not running my exhaust hood was definitely nice.
- Definitely some DMS "aroma" coming off the water which I just ran it into a bucket this time. I'm going to get a drain to the sealed sump pump set up before the next session which should make a dramatic difference.
- 35% power was still a little high for me. I had some hop material buildup above the boil line indicating some foaming so I'm going to drop a couple percent for the next brew.
- My OG was off by 4 points, not terrible, but more than I'm used to (usually get +/-2) I completely forgot to check my post-boil volume but suspect my boiloff was slightly lower than my water test.

 

[BrunDog]

It may be a worthwhile test, but I suspect the pressure change is in the neighborhood of a fraction of a psi. In my initial tests, I boiled without a lid, using plastic wrap, and it deflected but held on. Any serious vacuum would have pulled it off. Keep in mind the vacuum creation is self limiting - without the steam to condense, the vacuum cannot be created.

 

[Bobby_M]

We're close enough to sea level that my boil measures 212F and I still measure 212 while Steam Slaying.

 

[matt_m]

I got my plumbing all set up. Except I realized there’s no reason my chiller water can’t go down here too so I’ll be adding a wye.

 

[Bobby_M]

Can't beat that convenience.

 

[Spraentart]

Starting buying parts for this based on post #278 since I, unfortunately, cannot get a steam slayer right now. Is there any alternate source for the 6gph sprayer? The stainless version does not appear to be in stock on McMaster-Carr.

 

[Bad Bubba]

Starting buying parts for this based on post #278 since I, unfortunately, cannot get a steam slayer right now. Is there any alternate source for the 6gph sprayer? The stainless version does not appear to be in stock on McMaster-Carr.

Any reason not to use the brass version?

 

[msjy2008]

Started buying the parts for this, anyone have this setup on a SSBrewtec 20 gallon E-kettle?

 

[geckobrewDDS]

Just mount to the side. It’s not going be as efficient with a narrow long tubing. I’m more of a fan of the side mounts: Then can easily add hops without making the lid heavy and awkward for adding hops. You can always cap it off during BIAB if you’re concerned about losing volume.

On a different note: i semi-recently started using my BIAB pulley to support my steam condenser. Super easy and cheap.

On a third note: i was having issues with the condenser working when running a tube directly from the condenser to my sink or floor drain. As mentioned above , i think this was because of the angle the tubing had to make... to solve this, i have the condenser draining straight to a bucket with a spigot. Then tubing from the spigot to my sink. This way, draining from the condenser is not slowed.

Pic

Very curious about your setup. I would like to do something similar. Would you be able to give me a quick breakdown of what equipment you're using and what your brew process is?

 

[Bobby_M]

Just my luck, ship arrived in port with 100 Steam Slayers. Shipment got split up and Im sitting on 100 bodies without the cap and sprayer adapters. Will announce when they are finally here.