And so I brewed on my new system for the first time yesterday, and it was both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time.
The main power-in contactor gave out, had to bypass it half way through my mash.
Couple of things to note for next time.
1. Never start brewing in the late afternoon. The exhaustion from cleaning up is crazy.
2. a grain basket filled with wet spent grains from a 10 gallon batch is ridiculously heavy. Exhaustion does not help. My grain basket is 14" in diameter by 14" high.
3. Cleanup is a bitch. Ended up having to scoop the spent grains out of the grain basket before I could even begin washing it.
4. Have a place and method to wash and clean big bulky items with a method to catch all grains. I'm already thinking about building a raised platform with a hole in the middle with a sieve catching all solids. It'll make rinsing everything off in a bathroom much easier.
5. You will have leaks while brewing, you will make a mess. Use cheap trays to catch everything that drips.
6. have a mop handy.
7. Have a good clean pair of oven mittens at the ready.
And some good stuff
1. The pumps worked great, not terribly noisy, plenty strong enough for my needs.
2. The idea of using a grain basket is a fantastic idea. it makes clean up a much easier task. I will have to install some sort of winch to lift it out of the pot tho. I would say 99.5% of the grains and grit stayed with the basket, so no stuck mashes or anything.
3. I used stainless steel tea steeping balls to hold my hop pellets. the balls were hung a few inches over the heating element, fantastic for reducing on the mess. Hardly any hops in the boiled wort afterwards.
