Grainfather S40

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jambop

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One thing I find odd about this bit of kit is that there is no hole in the lid to put the pipe from the wort pump through ? Is there a safety reason for this or have they just not done it? I think a bit of temperature stability would be gained by drilling an appropriate sized hole in the lid so that the wort can be pumped during mashing with the lid on.
 
Does seem a bit daft as you mainly want to use the pump during the mash, and with lid off you will need to have the heating on way more often to keep temp in check. I understand this is their no frills version, but how much extra expense would a proper lid be?
 
Does seem a bit daft as you mainly want to use the pump during the mash, and with lid off you will need to have the heating on way more often to keep temp in check. I understand this is their no frills version, but how much extra expense would a proper lid be?

Going run a hole through the lid of mine totally stupid it does not have one.
 
Looks like it's bigger than the G30.

If you cut, I would cut a hole for a 2" tri-clamp bulkhead fitting. Then you can do a steam arrestor in the future if you like.
 
You should take a closer look at the G40 design, the recirculation connector is inside the kettle.
Therefor it doesn’t need a hole in the lid.
 
You should take a closer look at the G40 design, the recirculation connector is inside the kettle.
Therefor it doesn’t need a hole in the lid.

Interesting BUT I have a S40 which has the recirculation pipe outside the kettle. These things are made in China along with loads of other brands and there can big differences between one and another... or they are the same with a different logo on the front. The Grainfather is probably a bit better than most but the S40 is their cheapest offering... I am cheap so I bought one 🤣
 
On sale they are 1/3 of the price of the G30 and 1/5 of the G40.

I think they reused the recirculation arm from a smaller unit because it doesn’t even go to the center.

Also it’s odd that they put a gasket on the lid and have clamps but have three little vent holes immediately next to the gasket. I’m considering cutting a hole in the center and getting a bulkhead tri clover which can double as a handle. Then I’m hoping the brewzilla recirculation arm can be bent to fit as it looks longer. Of course that’s after doing the camlock modification.
 
On sale they are 1/3 of the price of the G30 and 1/5 of the G40.

I think they reused the recirculation arm from a smaller unit because it doesn’t even go to the center.

Also it’s odd that they put a gasket on the lid and have clamps but have three little vent holes immediately next to the gasket. I’m considering cutting a hole in the center and getting a bulkhead tri clover which can double as a handle. Then I’m hoping the brewzilla recirculation arm can be bent to fit as it looks longer. Of course that’s after doing the camlock modification.

You are right there are a lot of things that are just not quite right about the S40 but I still think it is good value for the money as there is a good solidity about the thing. I do think you are right about the recirc fitting too it would be well to replace it with a cam lock fitting. However I think it is very easy to get caught up in the little things that make very little difference to the beer you are trying to make. I have been using my one for about 6 months now and have made some very nice beer using it and have most importantly learning more about the best way to use what I have .
 
You are right there are a lot of things that are just not quite right about the S40 but I still think it is good value for the money as there is a good solidity about the thing. I do think you are right about the recirc fitting too it would be well to replace it with a cam lock fitting. However I think it is very easy to get caught up in the little things that make very little difference to the beer you are trying to make. I have been using my one for about 6 months now and have made some very nice beer using it and have most importantly learning more about the best way to use what I have .
Agree completely. It makes beer just fine. I’m not paying 1200-2000 or more for the others just so I can connect my phone and have a few bells and whistles. But I might spend the $50 so I can turn up the flow rate of the recirculation without making a mess.
 
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