Equipment Score/What Do I Do Now?

[HokieBrewer]

I'm picking up a pretty decent equipment haul from a guy who was selling it locally on Craigslist.

10 gal. Blichmann Boilermaker
CampChef burner
Propane tank
Water Filter
2- 10 gal. Coolers
Wooded stand
All hoses
2- 6 ½ Gal. glass carboys
3- 5 Gal. glass carboys
Bottles
Bench capper
Shirron wort plate chiller
Mach Pump
Misc. Equipment
Airlocks
All ingredients I have left

All for $325.

So my question is this, he has it set up as a three tier wooden stand. How would you set this up or change it? Get another pump and make a single tier stand? I'm currently doing partial boil extract batches inside, so this is a huge jump, and I want to make sure I optimize all the equipment I'm getting...

Thanks!

 

[Julohan]

You could do a 2 tier with one pump. I believe you can do a single tier with one pump when you batch sparge. Do you have one or two more vessels?

 

[HokieBrewer]

What do you mean by vessels?

I'll have the 10 gal MLT and HLT above, a 5 gal MLT from earlier, the 10 gal kettle above and a 28qt pot from earlier...

 

[smizak]

That's an amazing price for that equipment. God help me if I have to ditch all my stuff one day for $300. Hope he's not a crack/meth head.

Anyway, one cooler at the very top for hot liquor tank, one cooler in the middle of the stand for your mash tun. Kettle goes on the bottom with the burner, march pump for pumping hot wort through the plate chiller into your fermentation vessel.

 

[Julohan]

I didn't see the coolers. Yeah you are pretty much set.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

This is a hell of a find. I hope you get it.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would suggest you do a few batches using gravity, or a gallon pitcher or just a bucket to transfer sparge water or even wort. For a first timer AG brewer, pumps might overcomplicate the process. Once you do a few batches w/ simple methods, you will know what direction you want to proceed.

Helluva score btw!

Sorry...i didn't see the "mach" pump...good for you man. You could still get brewing and incorporate the pump when you are ready. W/ one pump a two tier would be my choice...gravity drain the hlt...recirc wort then pump to kettle.

 

[HokieBrewer]

Noob questions that I've been trying to answer by searching, but failing:

After heating the strike (and then later sparge) water, pump to HLT or manually transfer? I'm assuming pump.

After pumping through plate chiller, will I need to gravity drain into fermentor or will there be enough pressure left to pump it?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[wilserbrewer]

Sorry Ryan, but without a picture showing how the rig is plumbed, the possibilities are kind of endless. You can pump any direction you choose...sorry to be vague. I would think you could pump from kettle through the chiller into the fermenter. Or you can also recirc through the chiller back to the kettle, then either gravity drain to the fermenter or pump. From what I have read, you need to feed pretty clean wort into a plate chiller or you risk a clog.