One Barrel Brewery

[CoalCracker]

Yea I used some good silicone spray. Seemed to help a tad. I'm wondering If i'm not opening the initial hole large enough.

 

[CoalCracker]

Ended up getting a larger coupling to gain some room for the dimple. It worked! Did two holes in 15 minutes. Worked Great! Saturday I'll get them all soldered in and we should be golden. Then all there is to do is mount the pump and make a shield. Then I get to spend lots of money on shiny bits... Here are some pictures!

 

[fatherbigfoot]

Sub nice build

 

[CoalCracker]

Thanks!

Called the local Welco this morning and they have the flux. Going to get my C02 filled and pick some up. Tonight I'll see how well I solder some fittings.

I also ordered a thermometer for the mash tun and some other tri clamp fittings. Hoping to get the keggle made tomorrow morning and up for sale. Then I can buy more fittings!!

 

[1fast636]

awesome build man. cant wait to start brewing myself got a little man on the way so put a hault on progress but is giveing me alot of time to learn

 

[Rickochet]

awesome build man. cant wait to start brewing myself got a little man on the way so put a hault on progress but is giveing me alot of time to learn

Enjoy that little man--you will have plenty of time to brew as he grows. There's nothing like brewing a batch with my three sons! And my youngest "little man" is 6'5"!!! They don't stay little for long!

+ CoalCracker---you are doing a great job!

 

[CoalCracker]

Picture with everything together. Got all of the soldering done today. I have some more fittings on the way! Should have the site glasses built this week. Depending on Sandy...

 

[CoalCracker]

Thanks Rick and 1fast. It's been a lot of fun. I just have to figure out where and how to mount the control panel. I'm thinking of building a hinged mount and have it swing out when in use and then swing in when storing it.

 

[abarnett]

If you have the budget, I've seen builds use flat panel TV mounts for the control panel. They can handle the weight, have the mounts, and most can swivel around - but they cost a couple bucks.

 

[SweetSounds]

Mono price.com. You can buy a fully articulated 60" tv mount for $40

 

[CoalCracker]

Not sure how I like the idea of a tv stand. I've seen it done on other stands and really haven't been able to make myself like it. I think I may just build one out of extra steel I have laying around. Make it pivot and lock into place when in use. I have to do more staring at it. Also was able to make the site glasses this week. Not sure if I like how far they stick out.

 

[CoalCracker]

Also looking to purchase a chiller. I was looking at the Chillus convolutus from more beer. I like the ease of cleaning. However, I'm not sure how well that is going to chill a 20 gallon batch of beer.

Do you think this would work or should I go for a plate chiller? I had one before and believe that led to some infections. Would like to stay away if possible but if it's needed. I'll just have to be more vigilint about cleaning it out.

 

[Adacarda]

Nice doing business with you the other day, plan on getting some good use out of the keggle. Your build is looking great keep up the good work. Also, where did you get the clamp rings for your tippy-dump?

 

[CoalCracker]

Yea it was nice to meet you as well! The lock pins are from McMaster. I like that they lock in place. This way it won't accidently back out and cause a dump.

 

[CoalCracker]

Just did some window shopping and calculated that I'm about 600 bucks away from being up and running. This number is +/- 100 lol. The majority of that cost is in the stainless fittings. 30 bucks a ball valve and 25 a dip tube, it adds up quick. Hoping to be brewing on this by the new year... Was hoping by turkey day but that isn't going to happen. Not on a wedding budget..

 

[Antler]

Looks great! Why not build yourself a counter flow chiller?

 

[CoalCracker]

I don't know if the CFC will have enough gusto to chill that much wort. I'd probably have to build a 50 footer to make it work. That's a lot of space and would probably cost about as much as a plate chiller by the end.

On a side note, my BIL sent me a text last night with a picture of the control panel wiring so far. He's doing a great job!

 

[Antler]

I don't know if the CFC will have enough gusto to chill that much wort. I'd probably have to build a 50 footer to make it work. That's a lot of space and would probably cost about as much as a plate chiller by the end.

On a side note, my BIL sent me a text last night with a picture of the control panel wiring so far. He's doing a great job!

Maybe I'm wrong, but a CFC should work fine. It'll cool 5 gallons of wort same as it will 50 gallons, just a little longer.

 

[huntingohio]

I am envious... truly truly amazing

 

[rvklein]

You really should check into the TV mount. Mine works great. I can move the control panel out of the way easily or nearly in front of the HLT.

Here's some pics of mine $30 delivered: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/basement-brew-pub-237444/index22.html

 

[CoalCracker]

I do like that mount. Seems plenty sturdy. Once I get the stand in it's final resting place, I'll have to entertain that idea.

Anyone have any other ideas as far as chilling goes? Still kinda stuck. I'll be getting the 1/2" x 50ft chiller kit from coppertubingsales.com for the HEX. I can always throw some ice in the HLT and use the HEX as a prechiller if I need to in the summer. I know a plate chiller would work best but after cleaning them on my last system and seeing what comes out even after it's "clean" i'm really having a hard time settling on buying one.

Just thought about something else. I can use the HEX coil as an immersion chiller first, bring the temp down to say 100, then take it out and place it in the HLT with some ice to chill the water and run it through the counterflow to bring it the rest of the way.

 

[rvklein]

I'm building a closed loop chiller. It'll consist of a 70 qt cooler set up like a jockey box with a 50' stainless steel coil. I'll pump glycol from my glycol chiller through the coil to bring the water temp in the cooler down to about 32 degrees. Then have a pump to recirculate the chilled water through the plate chiller and back into the cooler. This was there's no waste water and less swapping out of hoses.

I've got all the parts on order to look for a DIY thread in the near future.

I do think you'd need more than 50' for a 1bbl batch.

 

[slakwhere]

I don't know if the CFC will have enough gusto to chill that much wort. I'd probably have to build a 50 footer to make it work. That's a lot of space and would probably cost about as much as a plate chiller by the end.

so i don't think you fully understand how a CFC works. it has no limit based on size of batch like an IC does. you just push hot wort from top to bottom, and cold water from bottom to top. you adjust the flow of the beer or water to get the desired output temp.

 

[Monster Mash]

A CFC will be the most efficient way of cooling and will save you a lot of time on your brew day.

I have a 1BBL system and I use a 12' Convoluted Chiller that gets me down to 70 degrees.

 

[CoalCracker]

I understand how it works. However, the more contact time you have with the cool water, the lower the temp will get. This isn't a decision between an Immersion chiller and CFC. This is CFC vs. Plate which is also a type of CFC. A plate has more surface area to it which is why they usually work better than a typical CFC. It all comes down to surface area. In order to match the performance of a plate chiller you would probably need a fairly large CFC.

 

[slakwhere]

it is for sure all about surface area, but i think you're talking a difference of a couple of minutes for a plate vs an IC, even when dealing with 20 gallons. just set your flow rates to get the temp you want, possibly using your 50' ic as a prechiller to let you flow faster. and CFCs are way less prone to clogging and gunk buildup.

 

[CoalCracker]

Yea, I hated my plate chiller. That's why I was thinking CFC only during the winter months and then during summer use the HEX in ice to pre chill the water before going into the CFC.

 

[Monster Mash]

If a 25' CFC will chill 5 gallons @ .5 gallons per minute it will chill 30 gallons at the same rate. My 12' convoluted chiller gets down to 70 and it takes a little over an hour to transfer 30 gallons.

During the summer I use a post chiller due to warm ground water, it uses 10lbs of ice in an ice chest, it gets it down to 60 and I still have ice left over at the end.

 

[CoalCracker]

Ok sounds good. That's what I'll do then! Thanks for the input. I may wrap some copper wire around it every 6 inches to a foot to add some turbidity into the water that way there is no "skinning". Then solder each wrap to keep it in place.

 

[Antler]

Ok sounds good. That's what I'll do then! Thanks for the input. I may wrap some copper wire around it every 6 inches to a foot to add some turbidity into the water that way there is no "skinning". Then solder each wrap to keep it in place.

This is what a convoluted chiller is. Basically the inner tube is wrapped in copper wire so the water "spirals" through creating more distribution of the heat!