My consolidated Brutus 20 questions

[dragonlor20]

Where did you buy the stainless tubing inside of your kettle?

 

[Keith_Mahoney]

Those were options with the bulkheads from bargainfittings.com

 

[Coff]

I love this build, I really want to build one for brewing in the winter but Id much rather do at least 5 gallon batches.

Has anyone tried something similar but with 2 120v 2000 watt elements? On 2 separate 20amp circuits of course.

 

[Keith_Mahoney]

I love this build, I really want to build one for brewing in the winter but Id much rather do at least 5 gallon batches.

Has anyone tried something similar but with 2 120v 2000 watt elements? On 2 separate 20amp circuits of course.

Yes others have gone that route. Make one element controllable for mashing and just wire the other to a cord to plug in for boiling. You could also just build a heatstick.

 

[HearthstoneBrewery]

Keith, do you have any issues with priming the pump? I'm thinking that your orientation of pumping up to the top of the chiller would make priming the pump easier.

jkarp, any thoughts on that?

Also, I currently have a 10 gallon round cooler MLT that I want to use for a system like this, along with a 7 gallon turkey fryer pot, to make 3.5 net gallon batches. I don't think the extra cooler space should be an issue. Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[Keith_Mahoney]

I have no problems priming the pump after I have put at least 2 gallons in to the kettle. That will provide enough pressure to prime the pump and once it's primed it stays that way until the end when the kettle is pretty much fully emptied through it, the CFC and into the fermenter.

I can't help you on the cooler question. Most everything I make is over 1.060 so I never have dealt with an empty cooler. The five gallon only holds about 12# anything needing more I also have a 10 gallon cooler with false bottom as well.

 

[jkarp]

Keith, do you have any issues with priming the pump? I'm thinking that your orientation of pumping up to the top of the chiller would make priming the pump easier.

jkarp, any thoughts on that?

Also, I currently have a 10 gallon round cooler MLT that I want to use for a system like this, along with a 7 gallon turkey fryer pot, to make 3.5 net gallon batches. I don't think the extra cooler space should be an issue. Any thoughts, anyone?

Key to easy march pump priming is sufficient pressure on the input side to push air out of the pump, just as Keith said. I've never had any issues.

10 gal cooler will work fine. You may lose heat a tiny bit faster with the larger surface area, but I wouldn't be overly concerned.

 

[iijakii]

Could just recirculate during the entire mash if you have heat issues, right?

 

[jkarp]

Could just recirculate during the entire mash if you have heat issues, right?

Absolutely. Many CB20 users do anyway.

 

[MaltyHops]

i really like how you've moved the kettle input from the lid to the side for whirlpooling. I'm stealing that one, for sure.

i've been tempted to move to the side for the kettle and mlt several times. ... but then i think of all the brews i've done that had full to the brim kettles or mashes and chicken out.

I think I had the same concern when I got the input socket welded about half
way up the ~5gal MLT pot in my slowly progressing version of your CB20 in
order to have whirlpooling going but then wondered if I had made a mistake
and limited how much I can boil in the MLT.

I intend to put an elbow on the inlet on the outside of the inlet so the elbow,
camlocks and hose will point vertically so I'm thinking the MLT can be filled
quite high even though the inlet itself would be well below the liquid level.
Hopefully this will be ok.

Tom.