Portable brew cart vent system

[ExHempKnight]

I'm in the "niggling details" portion of my portable brew cart planning, and I thought it would be awesome to have massive mold and mildew problems in my basement.

But alas, resale value, my health, and SWMBO made me decide against my desire for breathing problems and a green basement ceiling, so I decided to figure out a way to vent the steam. I'd like to keep my portable brew cart... um... portable, so this is what I came up with.

Let me know what you guys (and gals) think.

The "hood" will have feet to keep it up off the rim of the kettle, to allow in make-up air. The fan will be wired to a speed control on my control panel. All the flex ducting will (hopefully) fit wrapped up on the bottom shelf when not in use.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Yeah, that's a pretty good idea....but why not have the fan more towards the exit so it gets less moisture? Will "all flex" hold up to the moisture?

 

[ExHempKnight]

Hehe sorry... By "all flex ducting" I meant "all THE flex ducting" lol. I corrected it to be more clear.

I was just going to use metal dryer hose. Something flexible, and cheap to replace. Ideally, I would use this stuff, but it's super expensive, and I don't know if I can find it in 6" diameter.

And as for fan positioning, I probably will locate it more towards the exit. I just made a quick drawing to get the basic concept across.

 

[Brewfat]

Will you have to move the hood for hop additions? What about watching for boil overs?

 

[gungadin]

How about just a window fan venting out and leave the basement door open.

 

[ExHempKnight]

Yes, the hood will have to be moved for hop additions... Unless I make a trap door (which isn't a bad idea). I could even make the trap door out of Lexan (or something similar) as a window to watch for boilovers.

Though 6.5 gallons of preboil volume in a 15.5 gallon pot doesn't have me too concerned about boilovers. If it proves to be an issue when I move up to 10 gallon batches, there's always Fermcap.

Opening a window and the basement door is all well and good in the spring and summer. Not so much when the cold weather comes along. Especially in an 85-year-old house with oil heat.

 

[resslerk]

Have you considered having a downdraft setup that isn't on top of the kettle? With the correct suction, you don't need to have it overheard. I had a stove like this and it worked awesome. You'd watch the vapors or smoke rise up about 6-8" and then arch over to the suction current and go away. Here is what it looked like

http://www.jennair.com/assets/images/cms/other/PressRelease_Jenn-AirDowndraftCooktopJGD3536WS.jpg

I'm sure you could also search Google or Youtube for downdraft stove and find a video. Seems like it would greatly simplify your setup and you'd maintain your accessibility to the kettle tops.

 

[ExHempKnight]

I'd imagine something like that requires a fan that flows way more air (and costs significantly more) than the one I plan on using.

While it is a good idea, I think downdraft ventilation would actually complicate things. Trying to find a powerful enough fan, and then trying to come up with a vent scheme that will pull copious amounts of steam from above a vigorously-boiling 19" tall pot... I dunno.

I think just lifting the vent for a minute to add hops and stir is easier.

If anything, I can hang it from the mash-basket hoist that will be above the kettle.

 

[Boar Beer]

Ok looks good on paper.

first of all I assume that you are using electric.

I would try just putting the suction hose about 8 in above the kettle and see.... what it can do. I doubt you need the hood and its more stuff for you dub around with. If that does not work you could put a board over 25-50% of the top and then i am sure you'll get it all. I just dont like the idea of not seeing what your boiling

 

[kladue]

I hope you are not planning on using one of the cheap 6" inline duct fans, I have tried that and found when the water vapor began to flow the fan was unable to cope with the higher density and a couple feet of 4" duct. I ended up using a squirrel cage fan with a higher discharge pressure rating so it could cope with the water vapor density increase over dry air.

 

[ExHempKnight]

I plan on using this, or something similar.