wwalrath520
Member
This is a long post but it's a good story so bear with me...
I could have bought Blichmann and looked like every other Tom, Dick, or Harry but I didn't. I'm just getting into doing all grain and want to set it up right. Consistency on brewday makes better beer.
I built a 2 level setup out of some spare lumber but got to thinking, "Good lord I do not want to lift my HLT with 170 F liquid up there." So I bought a chugger pump from my LBS but they don't sell any thermoplastic tubing and I don't like waiting or paying for shipping. So I stopped by my local Ace Hardware store, I looked at what they have to use that is:
Nothing came remotely close to those requirements. Then I saw this stuff that looks like PVC called PEX. I Googled PEX, it's used for food grade plumbing, it can handle water up to 200 F, the connections are lead free brass slip on connections that can be taken off at any time so I can replace a line or clean everything out if need be. The only issue was the tubing was rate to 200 F @ 80 PSI. I don't approach 80 PSI with my pump wide open, maybe 10 at most. So I called the manufacturer (Sharkbite) and they told me that the tubing might suffer a structural failure at 212 F. I tell them I'm 212 F at 10 PSI and the tech says, "Then structurally you should be fine." The question of off flavoring and toxic byproducts may be a concern but the tubing won't break down at 212 F. As for off flavors, there was no data on file for what might happen to the water or wort going through at that temperature.
I hooked the pump to my kettle, thermoplastic tubing into the pump, PEX out the other side, up the platform and over into my HLT. I boiled the water, opened the valves, turned the pump on and cycled the water through the system for 10 minutes. I let it cool and tasted the water. It tasted like the stuff I had set aside as a control group.
Now I have added a second pump, a new burner (the old one turned my kettle black), and a boatload more PEX to rout wort or water to different places.
Cleaning it will be simple, run boiling water through the system with a quick rinse of StarSan. (Sharkbite looked at StarSan and said it should be fine if I used it as directed).
No copper, no welding, no more thermoplastic tubing that dries out in the desert or having to wait to order. (I did have to use 4 feet of TP tubing to hook to my plate chiller, I could have used PEX for it too but I didn't want to rent the tool from ACE to put the connectors in.) I probably will go back and do it later but I'm impatient.
I have some basic pictures taken but I need to shrink them to fit. If you have questions, let me know. I'm going to do a whole tutorial and such later this week.
I could have bought Blichmann and looked like every other Tom, Dick, or Harry but I didn't. I'm just getting into doing all grain and want to set it up right. Consistency on brewday makes better beer.
I built a 2 level setup out of some spare lumber but got to thinking, "Good lord I do not want to lift my HLT with 170 F liquid up there." So I bought a chugger pump from my LBS but they don't sell any thermoplastic tubing and I don't like waiting or paying for shipping. So I stopped by my local Ace Hardware store, I looked at what they have to use that is:
- Food Grade.
- Won't get soft/develop kinks and can have valves connected for routing.
- Can handle liquids at boiling temperature to help in the cleaning process.
- Won't give off funky plastic flavor
- Won't kill people from toxic chemicals leeching into the wort or water.
Nothing came remotely close to those requirements. Then I saw this stuff that looks like PVC called PEX. I Googled PEX, it's used for food grade plumbing, it can handle water up to 200 F, the connections are lead free brass slip on connections that can be taken off at any time so I can replace a line or clean everything out if need be. The only issue was the tubing was rate to 200 F @ 80 PSI. I don't approach 80 PSI with my pump wide open, maybe 10 at most. So I called the manufacturer (Sharkbite) and they told me that the tubing might suffer a structural failure at 212 F. I tell them I'm 212 F at 10 PSI and the tech says, "Then structurally you should be fine." The question of off flavoring and toxic byproducts may be a concern but the tubing won't break down at 212 F. As for off flavors, there was no data on file for what might happen to the water or wort going through at that temperature.
I hooked the pump to my kettle, thermoplastic tubing into the pump, PEX out the other side, up the platform and over into my HLT. I boiled the water, opened the valves, turned the pump on and cycled the water through the system for 10 minutes. I let it cool and tasted the water. It tasted like the stuff I had set aside as a control group.
Now I have added a second pump, a new burner (the old one turned my kettle black), and a boatload more PEX to rout wort or water to different places.
Cleaning it will be simple, run boiling water through the system with a quick rinse of StarSan. (Sharkbite looked at StarSan and said it should be fine if I used it as directed).
No copper, no welding, no more thermoplastic tubing that dries out in the desert or having to wait to order. (I did have to use 4 feet of TP tubing to hook to my plate chiller, I could have used PEX for it too but I didn't want to rent the tool from ACE to put the connectors in.) I probably will go back and do it later but I'm impatient.
I have some basic pictures taken but I need to shrink them to fit. If you have questions, let me know. I'm going to do a whole tutorial and such later this week.