CiP Spray Ball Inside Kettles

[koilife]

First of all, I go to a lot of work to be lazy. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it's an epic fail. Not sure which category this idea lands in . . .

Has anyone tried to hook up a CiP ball inside of a brew kettle or mash tun?

My thought is to hook it up to an upper supply port (or even add a port directly to the lid). Then, I'd need some kind of gasket and a velcro or bungee-style cord to secure the lid enough to keep the spray inside the kettle.

 

[Jtvann]

I'd consider using a submersible pump with the CiP inverted. Put it directly inside the pot or mash tun with water and cleaning solution.

 

[Franktalk]

I have one in my kettle that I put in an upper port that I also use for whirlpooling and a steam condenser. Works great with 3-4 gallons of 160 F water, my Riptide pump and PBW at one ounce per gallon. I usually run it for 15-20 minutes, and it cleans without any need to scrub by hand.

 

[koilife]

I'd consider using a submersible pump with the CiP inverted. Put it directly inside the pot or mash tun with water and cleaning solution.

I did that. Once. I walked away to work on something else while the clean cycle ran. The pressure was enough to knock the lid loose, and I had a spectacular mess when I came back. Adding constant pressure on the lid (bungee, etc.) would likely stop the worst of it, but I'm still wondering about whether a seal/gasket is needed. My lids rattle around a bit, and I'd like to avoid dribbles coming through when the seam is hit by pressurized spray. I really want to get to something I can set and forget and not worry about leaks at all.

I have one in my kettle that I put in an upper port that I also use for whirlpooling and a steam condenser. Works great with 3-4 gallons of 160 F water, my Riptide pump and PBW at one ounce per gallon. I usually run it for 15-20 minutes, and it cleans without any need to scrub by hand.

You don't get much mess on the outside because there's no seal between the lid and the kettle? How tight a fit are your lids?

 

[Franktalk]

I have a Spike ten gallon kettle, and the lid fits well. However, in order to seal it, I use two five pound rubber coated dumbbells (my wife's) on top to create a seal; it works well after I position them right.

 

[koilife]

Hefting dumbbells comes dangerously close to the work I'm trying to avoid . . . . But probably more effective than trying to hold the lid down with bungees.

I'll be giving that a try. Thank you.

 

[sicktght311]

I thought about this as well for my boil kettle and mash tun. If you can get a spare lid, drill a hole in it, put a CIP ball in, and then line the rim of it with some of that rubber window seal stuff that has the adhesive backing. If you put something heavy (like the above mentioned 5lb dumbell) on top, it should seal extremely well. Not sure about air pressure and whatnot though. Thats above my pay grade

 

[koilife]

If you can get a spare lid, drill a hole in it, put a CIP ball in, and then line the rim of it with some of that rubber window seal stuff that has the adhesive backing. If you put something heavy (like the above mentioned 5lb dumbell) on top, it should seal extremely well.

I didn't think about weather stripping. I'll look into that (w/ close attention on materials composition of the stripping for food-safe/potable water safety).

 

[sicktght311]

I didn't think about weather stripping. I'll look into that (w/ close attention on materials composition of the stripping for food-safe/potable water safety).

Correct me if I’m wrong, and I know a lot of people play it ultra safe, but as long as you’re rinsing down your kettle afterwards and drying, I don’t think the weatherstripping really affects anything food safe wise. It’s not in direct contact with, or immersed in, a sustained amount of water that goes into brewing

 

[eric19312]

How bad is the leaking with the spike kettle and 10 pounds of weight? I am going to try this. I am going to add at 1.5" TC port to my kettle lid and use the spike conical sprayball in that.

 

[Franktalk]

Once I get the weights placed in the right position on the lid, it doesn't leak at all.

 

[eric19312]

Once I get the weights placed in the right position on the lid, it doesn't leak at all.

I did ok today with some paper clips.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Pinging @eric19312 to see how this venture has worked out. Thx!

 

[seatazzz]

A month or two ago I upgraded my mash tun to a 10g Igloo cooler. My old one (16g extract barrel) had a sparge arm incorporated into the lid and worked fairly well, just in a straight line. For the new tun, I drilled a hole in the center of the lid, added a 3/4" to 1/2" bulkhead, a 4" nipple, and a CIP ball on the end of that. Works a treat for the sparge, and lautering is easy. It's also very easy to take apart to make sure there's no grain bits left in the CIP after use. I also MIAB.

 

[eric19312]

Pinging @eric19312 to see how this venture has worked out. Thx!

It does work but not less time or effort than a quick scrub. Someday when I get a more powerful pump I might try it again.