Kettle circulation options mash/whirlpool

[brewprint]

My plan is to have a basket inside of my 20 gallon kettle.

I was going to have an outlet for the pump on the bottom and an inlet on the lid for mash circulation.

Can a whirlpool be achieved by doing this? What kind of connection would I need on the lid for this?

I was preferring to go this route instead of having another TC fitting on the bottom of the kettle and creating a whirlpool that way.

An arm perhaps?

It looks like on the CObrewing Down Under set up they have a long tube going into the basket to circulate.

 

[newnick]

There are a couple of posts on recirculating, here is one of them.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=543873
I use 1/2" quick connects for the pump, hose and connection to the lid and it works for me.
There are some other interesting methods that should work very well also.

 

[RM-MN]

There are several issues here that you need to consider. Why do you want the basket? What do you expect to achieve with recirculating? What do you expect to gain by whirlpooling?

 

[brewprint]

I'm making an electric system. I would like the mash to recirculate so that 'it' can maintain the mash temp without me having to do anything.

Some claim that it will increase efficiency but that's not the reason.

 

[RM-MN]

How long do you expect to need to maintain the temperature in the mash for conversion? Since you are posting in the BIAB section can I safely assume you will be milling the grains fine to take advantage of the filter potential of the bag? I have quit the 60 minute mash because my grains don't need it. The only reason that I mash as long as 30 minutes is that I've found I get more flavor extraction. My conversion is done in less than 10 minutes and that is where the temperature matters. If your grains are poorly crushed then the conversion process could be longer.

 

[brewprint]

All I know is that for larger beer such as 1.06 and greater I need to go at least 60 or my efficiency drops about 5-10%. I go 75 if it's 1.07 or more.

I mill my grains about .030.

 

[BeardedBrews]

Through the lid is the popular mash recirculation point for BIAB since you can't come through the wall at the top of the kettle (you'd run into the basket and bag). You probably want to return somewhere near the middle of the grain bed to avoid just channeling down the sides, although it's less of a concern in BIAB with the thin mash.

Through the lid could also work for whirlpool if you can redirect the flow to the edge of the kettle. You could bend some copper pipe to go from the lid inlet down to the side wall and then make a gentle L so that it's shooting out the right direction. Putting a pinch in the end of the tube increases your velocity a bit, and you do want it to be below the liquid surface.

@Bobby_M just added this deal:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/spincycle.htm

It's low profile and may even be able to stay in the pot with the basket depending on how much space you have.


I just use something like this:
http://jadedbrewing.com/collections/accessories/products/whirlpool-arm

That let's me pull it out of the kettle when I don't need it.

 

[The_Bishop]

I picked up (from @Bobby_M) a line loc setup for recirculating. It works well, adds a lot of flexibility. You can use it for both mash recirculation, and with a bit of re-configuration it works very well for kettle whirlpooling.

 

[brewprint]

Here's what I decided to do.

I'm having the TC fitting 2" from the top of the kettle on the side wall.

I need to figure out how to attach a hose to it but it's going to go in the middle of the basket.

The basket that I'm going to have designed is going to be 15x15 with 3" legs. Totaling 18". This arm will clear the basket and when I'm done mashing I will just remove the arm and lift the basket.

 

[MerlinWerks]

I have a 15 Gal Brew-Boss system, got a basket from ArborFab and made a recirculation arm that simply attaches to the BB accessory port and runs down the middle to the bottom of the basket. Probably similar to the CObrewing setup you mentioned. Works well, no complaints...

 

[brewprint]

I have a 15 Gal Brew-Boss system, got a basket from ArborFab and made a recirculation arm that simply attaches to the BB accessory port and runs down the middle to the bottom of the basket. Probably similar to the CObrewing setup you mentioned. Works well, no complaints...

That looks great. I plan to order this since I'll have a tc fitting on the top.

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-1.5-Inch-Custom-Whirlpool-Arm.html

 

[MerlinWerks]

I guess you're looking for something to both recirculate mash and whirlpool wort. I use the arm in the picture for the mash and have a separate whirlpool arm that attaches the same way.

 

[brewprint]

I guess you're looking for something to both recirculate mash and whirlpool wort. I use the arm in the picture for the mash and have a separate whirlpool arm that attaches the same way.

It looks like the pic above doesn't really show what I want. I'm looking at a SS tc fitting...nothing with copper.

The plan is to use a separate whirlpool fitting on the bottom for whirlpool and a 'sparge arm' for mash circulation at the top of the kettle.

 

[hezagenius]

@brewprint ,

Just trying to get a sense of your setup because I'm thinking of doing something similar. I want to do a recirculating BIAB with a heating element in the kettle to help maintain mash temp. Is your heating element in the kettle or are you using another vessel to heat the recirculated wort during the mash?

 

[brewprint]

@brewprint ,

Just trying to get a sense of your setup because I'm thinking of doing something similar. I want to do a recirculating BIAB with a heating element in the kettle to help maintain mash temp. Is your heating element in the kettle or are you using another vessel to heat the recirculated wort during the mash?

My setup (currently being built) is a single vessel system. I'm going to have a basket built with legs so that it sits above the element during the mash circulation.

On my kettle the TC fitting that is on the side near the top is going to be 2" below the rim. This is what I plan to use:

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-1.5-Inch-Custom-Whirlpool-Arm.html

I will remove it once the mash is done so I can lift the basket. Using a 3 way ball valve off of the pump is how I will switch from doing the mash circulation to a whirlpool when I'm done with the boil. There's a separate whirlpool arm at the bottom of the kettle.

You could get away with using the sparge arm for a whirlpool though I'm sure.

 

[hezagenius]

So will your kettle have 3 couplers on the bottom of the kettle? 1 each for the pump intake, pump outlet and heating element?

 

[brewprint]

So will your kettle have 3 couplers on the bottom of the kettle? 1 each for the pump intake, pump outlet and heating element?

I will have 4. What you mentioned along with the temp probe. The temp probe is not a TC fitting...just an NPT. Then the one on the top.

 

[hezagenius]

Got it. Thanks. Should be a great setup! I'm trying to come up with a configuration for my kettle but I only have 2 couplers on the bottom. I think I'm going to go with a drop-in heating element to maintain mash temp and drill a mash recirculation port on the lid. Then use the 2 existing couplers for the pump intake and whirlpool tube to help with hop stands and chilling time. I am sticking with a propane burner for the boil.

I'll also need a basket with legs to get clearance over the pickup and whirlpool tubes.

 

[brewprint]

It took a lot of thought as far as exactly what I wanted.

For some reason there isn't really a good BIAB electric kettle available. CO brewing systems is the closest.