Can't make a decision!!!

[jakecpunut]

Right now I have a 15.5 keggle that I use for my BK, I have a coleman 52qt cooler I use for my mash tun and I'm in the process of converting another keg to a keggle to use as an HLT.

I just got in a march pump to transfer the strike/sparge water from the HLT to the Mash tun.

NORMALLY, I'll heat up my strike/sparge water just outside my basement door and carry the water just inside the basement door to my mash tun and do my 1st and 2nd runnings in the basement, then roll the burner back outside to start the boil.

With 10 gallon batches coming up I'll be using the pump!

After looking at everything last night, I'm thinking about buying another SQ14 and just go ahead and build a stand.. something similar to this one..

http://briangill.com/files/gimgs/10_brewstand-wood-mark-ii----system.png

I would have to make the area that the mash tun sits on wider since my tun is rectangle OR just turn it sideways??

The ONLY thing keeping me from doing this is the weather.. It's nice to have the mash tun inside the basement where it's cool in the summer and warm in the winter instead of having everything outside! That may just keep me from going this route!!

If nothing else I may just get another burner and still do the strike/sparge outside and pump it just inside the door to the mash tun.

IF I stay with that setup, what's the max distance/height that I can pump from my HLT to my Tun?

 

[jakecpunut]

Just found this info so I guess that answers my question on the height it can pump..

"this pump has a maximum flow of 7.2 gpm level in and level out, and will pump up to 12 feet higher than where the pump is mounted. The more height you pump, the less the gallons per minute. For example, if you want to pump up 6, it will pump 3.25 gallons per minute, and if you want to go up the full 12, it will pump 1 gallon per minute or less. The maximum pressure the pump can produce in a closed system is 5 PSI."

 

[slakwhere]

if you are planning on firing a burner indoors you MUST ensure adequate ventilation! moisture + gas fumes == bad news.

that being said, i brewed in a hodge podge on a single burner for a while, but now i love my stand. it's nice that everything has a place.

 

[jakecpunut]

well i wouldn't actually be boiling inside.. must the mash and transfer from the mash to the BK, then roll the BK back outside.. If I had enough ventilation I'd make a stand to hold all 3 in a heart beat!!

 

[JPicasso]

I'm not familiar with your exact setup, but it seems counter productive to me to pump the strike water down to the basement, mash, then pump it out again. It seems like a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of potential to leak, lose heat, etc. etc. THEN, you're going to pump hot wort back up to the garage or patio and that's a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of potential to leak... see where I'm going with this?

Once you are at strike temp, which it sounds like you arrive at outside, you just put it in a cooler, cover with a blanket and you CAN go back into the cool basement for a while, right? When you're mashing, just leave it alone.

I vote keeping it all outside, and even with one burner, you could drain your cooler, then move your kettle to the burner. OR, even better, use the pump to transfer fromt he kettle (in the pic you linked to) back to the HLT and boil in that. Just use the vessel on the left as a temporary holding tank until you're done sparging.

 

[J-Malone]

Ive seen where you brew in your vids and I think you could definitely have the burners with the HLT and BK just outside the door and pump to the MLT inside w/o much issue. But that being said, I also think you could build a stand like you are talking about and just have to setup near your door in the basement and you would have no issues with ventilation. I know plenty of people that brew in there garage in the winter with the garage door half open and that is plenty of ventilation. Also, see Don Osborn on YT, he boils in his basement with the door open with no issues...

As I am in the process of building a stand, I say build the stand so that everything is in one place and there is less effort needed to move things around on brew day...

 

[jakecpunut]

I'm not familiar with your exact setup, but it seems counter productive to me to pump the strike water down to the basement, mash, then pump it out again. It seems like a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of potential to leak, lose heat, etc. etc. THEN, you're going to pump hot wort back up to the garage or patio and that's a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of potential to leak... see where I'm going with this?

Once you are at strike temp, which it sounds like you arrive at outside, you just put it in a cooler, cover with a blanket and you CAN go back into the cool basement for a while, right? When you're mashing, just leave it alone.

I vote keeping it all outside, and even with one burner, you could drain your cooler, then move your kettle to the burner. OR, even better, use the pump to transfer fromt he kettle (in the pic you linked to) back to the HLT and boil in that. Just use the vessel on the left as a temporary holding tank until you're done sparging.

I think I may have written the OP in a confusing way haha..

ALL my brewing takes place downstairs, there isn't any going back and forth from up stairs to down..

In the basement where I brew I have a small door that leads outside to the concrete pad.. no big garage door, just a 3' door.

I heat up my strike/sparge water just outside that door and do my mash just inside that door.. no more than 5 feet or so from each other..

I won't be pumping hot wort at all.. just strike/sparge water.

I would love to have a nice stand with everything together, but as I said I really like being able to do the mash inside where it's cooler in the hot summer and warm in the cold winter..

If I thought I had enough ventilation inside that door I could do it all inside.. Maybe I need to buy a C02 monitor and see what happens?

 

[jakecpunut]

Ive seen where you brew in your vids and I think you could definitely have the burners with the HLT and BK just outside the door and pump to the MLT inside w/o much issue. But that being said, I also think you could build a stand like you are talking about and just have to setup near your door in the basement and you would have no issues with ventilation. I know plenty of people that brew in there garage in the winter with the garage door half open and that is plenty of ventilation. Also, see Don Osborn on YT, he boils in his basement with the door open with no issues...

As I am in the process of building a stand, I say build the stand so that everything is in one place and there is less effort needed to move things around on brew day...

I've really thought about trying to do a boil just inside the door with a fan blowing from the living area towards the door.. I guess I'm afraid the C02 will make it upstairs.. If I had a big roll up door I wouldn't hesitate but with only a 3' door I'm just skurred haha

I would love to have 1 mobile unit so maybe I can work it out!

Thanks! I'll chk out the vids!!

 

[jakecpunut]

and I should clarify.. I'm not worried about ME being out in the hot and cold.. I'm worried about keeping my mash temps regulated when it gets really hot and really cold!

haha

 

[J-Malone]

Yea, I think that is a good idea with the fan...and I really dont think you have to worry all that much with the CO2 that door is plenty of ventilation and if you add a fan blowing toward the system and the door it will be fine

 

[JPicasso]

Caught some of your vids, not sticking with the BIAB eh?
Anyways, yeah, pumping in and out of the garage makes sense to me too. And I would do it to keep me warm, the beer would be fine in your cooler, maybe with a blanket in the winter.

 

[jakecpunut]

So I've decided not to build a tiered system for now.. I'll just leave the Coleman Tun inside the basement door and probably get another burner sometime soon for the HLT.

Question:

My tun sits on a wooden platform and the top of the platform is about 5' high.

Since my boil kettle already has it's own little dolly/platform that I roll in and out of the basement, inside to collect the wort, then outside to boil, I'll probably go ahead and get another burner dedicated for the boil kettle.

Since the height of my tun is 5 to 6 feet, do I need to match that height with my HLT ? The only advantage to that would be that the water would transfer faster using the March pump (from what I've read) if the HLT and Tun were at or close to the same height correct?

The ONLY problem I see with that is, if I build a platform for my new stand to hold the burner and HLT to sit on, then that will put my HLT pretty high up. That wouldn't be a problem if I could just use the water hose to fill the HLT instead of pouring say a gallon at a time, but then I guess I would need a filter to get out the nasty hose taste if I wanted to use the hose??

Btw, we bought a new bedroom suite so I have the angle iron from a queen size bed to use on the stand.. I plan on putting wheels on one side and feet adjusters on the other side so I can dial in the slope on my concrete pad.

Thoughs?

 

[J-Malone]

So I've decided not to build a tiered system for now.. I'll just leave the Coleman Tun inside the basement door and probably get another burner sometime soon for the HLT.

Question:

My tun sits on a wooden platform and the top of the platform is about 5' high.

Since my boil kettle already has it's own little dolly/platform that I roll in and out of the basement, inside to collect the wort, then outside to boil, I'll probably go ahead and get another burner dedicated for the boil kettle.

Since the height of my tun is 5 to 6 feet, do I need to match that height with my HLT ? The only advantage to that would be that the water would transfer faster using the March pump (from what I've read) if the HLT and Tun were at or close to the same height correct?

The ONLY problem I see with that is, if I build a platform for my new stand to hold the burner and HLT to sit on, then that will put my HLT pretty high up. That wouldn't be a problem if I could just use the water hose to fill the HLT instead of pouring say a gallon at a time, but then I guess I would need a filter to get out the nasty hose taste if I wanted to use the hose??

Btw, we bought a new bedroom suite so I have the angle iron from a queen size bed to use on the stand.. I plan on putting wheels on one side and feet adjusters on the other side so I can dial in the slope on my concrete pad.

Thoughs?

If it were me, I'd just try the hlt at different heights and see if there is a noticeable or appreciable difference w the pumping. If there is, then just try and get the HLT a little closer to the height of the MLT and go from there...i dont think that will be a huge issue.

You should get you a marine/rv hose (the white ones) they are for drinking water and no hose taste...

I like the bedframes idea, BobbyM did his out of that stuff... ;-)

 

[jakecpunut]

If it were me, I'd just try the hlt at different heights and see if there is a noticeable or appreciable difference w the pumping. If there is, then just try and get the HLT a little closer to the height of the MLT and go from there...i dont think that will be a huge issue.

You should get you a marine/rv hose (the white ones) they are for drinking water and no hose taste...

I like the bedframes idea, BobbyM did his out of that stuff... ;-)

Good advice! Thanks!

The only other thing I haven't really thought about or seen anybody talk about is this...

When I get ready to heat up my strike water, my numbers on the site glass will only start at like 2.5 gallons.

I'm assuming when using the march pump like I will be doing for the strike / sparge water, that i will just have "unused water" filled up to the point I can see it and then add the water I will need above that so I can pump down to that mark..

So if I need 9 gallons of strike water, I would fill my HLT up with 12 gallons since I start "seeing" the water at 3 gallons and I can pump back down to that mark to know how much I use and to make sure I don't accidentally run the water out and run the pump dry.

that makes sense but I haven't used anything like that this and just trying to think everything out..

 

[J-Malone]

Good advice! Thanks!

The only other thing I haven't really thought about or seen anybody talk about is this...

When I get ready to heat up my strike water, my numbers on the site glass will only start at like 2.5 gallons.

I'm assuming when using the march pump like I will be doing for the strike / sparge water, that i will just have "unused water" filled up to the point I can see it and then add the water I will need above that so I can pump down to that mark..

So if I need 9 gallons of strike water, I would fill my HLT up with 12 gallons since I start "seeing" the water at 3 gallons and I can pump back down to that mark to know how much I use and to make sure I don't accidentally run the water out and run the pump dry.

that makes sense but I haven't used anything like that this and just trying to think everything out..

I think your on the right track. I am in the same boat, I've never done it (yet) but I was thinking the same way...except I am not all that precise on my sparge water, so I plan to pump down to the point where it shows up in the sight glass and maybe a little more. 1/2 gallon or so here and there isnt the end of the world...

 

[jakecpunut]

Just did a little test run this morning.. With the Tun sitting inside the basement door and the HLT sitting just outside the door.

Tun valve height was 4' (thought it was higher when I originally typed the earlier msg from work)

HLT valve was at 2'

Pump was at 8"

Tubing from HLT to pump about 1.5' long

Tubing from pump to Tun 5' long

Took 3 minutes 45 seconds to pump 9 gallons of water.

Right at 2.4 gallons a minute.

I think I can live with that and surely won't lose much heat in that amount of time.

So I think I can just get away with a small angle iron dolly with wheels on it to sit my new burner on and be good to go!