Slotted copper manifold

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

user 574

Dirty blonde
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Messages
6,023
Reaction score
157
Building my manifold and I've seen web sites where the slots are up or the slots are down? I'd think down would be the "cleaner" method with less likelyhood of clogging but on John Palmers site he has a picture with the slots facing up?

Which is it?
 
desertBrew said:
Building my manifold and I've seen web sites where the slots are up or the slots are down? I'd think down would be the "cleaner" method with less likelyhood of clogging but on John Palmers site he has a picture with the slots facing up?

Which is it?


I've always seen them down, and it makes sense to eliminate the possibility of a stuck mash....
 
My mash tun has a 15" ss braided hose around the bottom. I've yet to use it, but it others have had success with this "easy" mash filter.
 
Born Brewing Co. said:
My mash tun has a 15" ss braided hose around the bottom. I've yet to use it, but it others have had success with this "easy" mash filter.

Yea, I contemplated using that concept but opening up my 'plumbing supply container' in the garage I pretty much had everything to do the copper manifold but a couple pieces so went that route.
 
Born Brewing Co. said:
My mash tun has a 15" ss braided hose around the bottom. I've yet to use it, but it others have had success with this "easy" mash filter.


That's what I have too, but if my efficiency continues to suffer I'm going to try a manifold next.

Next time I brew I'm going to concentrate on my crush, and some other things, because I'm not convinced it is the stainless braid.
 
desertBrew said:
Yea, I contemplated using that concept but opening up my 'plumbing supply container' in the garage I pretty much had everything to do the copper manifold but a couple pieces so went that route.

Hey, if you have it on hand in the garage use it. Orrelse, does copper need to be soaked in the vingar:hp solution like the brass or just boiled?
 
Born Brewing Co. said:
Hey, if you have it on hand in the garage use it. Orrelse, does copper need to be soaked in the vingar:hp solution like the brass or just boiled?


Nope, at least from what I know. Copper is completely safe from what I've read. It actually contains natural yeast nutrients!
I'm hardly an expert though--a good search on the web might find a definitive answer. I researched it lightly until I read that copper contained yeast nutrients, and then decided it was safe!
 
Not an expert here and not basing this on experience, but I have been doing massive ammounts of research in preperation of going AG. I'm going slots down although I have also seen it done both ways.
 
Slots go DOWN. Let your mind work on this one and the logical answer is the correct one. I've never figured out why people point the slots up. Not only do you get the weight of the grain bed pushing down on the slots but you also increase the deadspace below the manifold slightly. You could certainly make it work with the slots up...but why? I can swim with a 20 pound weight on my back, but it's a lot easier without it.

The vinegar and hydrogen peroxide treatment is to remove surface lead from brass parts. The lead is in the brass to enhance machinability. After machining, there is a small amount of lead sort of "smeared" on the surface which can be removed through a short soak (just a few minutes) in 2 parts vinegar and 1 part H2O2. Commercial copper tubing and pipe has no lead in it so this treatment is unecessary, but there is likely some processing lubricants/oil/dirt etc. on the surface that should be cleaned off with a brush or a soak in a cleaning solution like PBW or TSP.

Prosit!
 
tnlandsailor said:
Slots go DOWN. Let your mind work on this one and the logical answer is the correct one. I've never figured out why people point the slots up. Not only do you get the weight of the grain bed pushing down on the slots but you also increase the deadspace below the manifold slightly. You could certainly make it work with the slots up...but why? I can swim with a 20 pound weight on my back, but it's a lot easier without it.

Yep, my mind was working just fine but when I saw palmer's picture it was a WTF moment...

I seem to be having a hell of a time coming up with a good seal for the copper thru the cooler. I ended up making a square manifold out of 1/2 copper that T's off to more 1/2 copper thru the cooler. I initially tried a 7/8 stopper but drilling that was a failure/trashed it for a 1/2 copper insert. Next was a male outside / female inside thread connector with rubber washers. Got to get better/bigger washers or another new idea. I'd prefer the 3/8 reduction on the outside but... Anyone have "do this" recommendations I'd appreciate it else I'll figure it out with more visits to the hardware store...
 
Yea, the hardware store love's to see me come in:

Try Lowe's. I brought my cooler in Lowe's with me to make sure everything fit, and I could see what I had before I brought it home and forgot something. This worked for me: 1/2in. brass ball valve. Use the rubber washers you already had to make a seal. You can get a coupler that will hold the 1/2 manifold inside the cooler. On the outside spout use a brass hose barb size 1/2-3/8 or just use a 1/2 hose barb and don't open the valve all the way during sparge. Per Orrelse's instructions, soak the brass fittings in 2:1 solution of vinegar:hydrogen peroxide to clean any lead off the brass. The solution will turn blue. I hope this makes sense, as I was at your point three days ago. I wish I could post pics because reading this may have you more confused. sorry. :rolleyes:
 
yea, I'm using the brass hose barb size 1/2-3/8. Wasn't using a ball valve as I already had an inline 3/8 valve (plastic) I was going to use but could look at the ball valve... would be cleaner. As to washers I already have, think that is part of the problem; not big enough for a decent seal. You get washers at Lowes for this? I struggled locating... Plumbing repair at least at HD is where I was at.

Cooler to Lowes is a good idea... as are pictures but oh well.
 
I used the orginal rubber washers from the cooler, as well as ss 1/2id washers for a tighter fit. However, Lowe's did have the washers I need in hardware, I was looking in plumbing forever. I orignally had plastic valves, but there was some concern if they were food grade or would hold up to extreme temperatures so I switched out to brass. :cool:
 
Born Brewing Co. said:
I used the orginal rubber washers from the cooler, as well as ss 1/2id washers for a tighter fit. However, Lowe's did have the washers I need in hardware, I was looking in plumbing forever. I orignally had plastic valves, but there was some concern if they were food grade or would hold up to extreme temperatures so I switched out to brass. :cool:

Thanks Born. Cooler is heading to Lowes so I can "git er done" with a ball valve. I might take a picture or 3 and post them online. This shouldn't be that tricky; maybe its me working 12h days then trying to do this at night in a garage at 190 degrees! (ok, 107 but who counts after 100)
 
desertBrew said:
This shouldn't be that tricky; maybe its me working 12h days then trying to do this at night in a garage at 190 degrees! (ok, 107 but who counts after 100)


Man that sounds exactly like when I did mine.....YUCK.

I'm putting together a list with the exact parts I used to do mine. The hardest part was finding washers so I used the original washers as well.

If I knew what the parts were named, I'd do it now....
 
Well I took the cooler over to Ace Hardware; better service and myself and two other dudes in red vests came up with this below. Actually works great and is a very clean looking fit. Everything was in the plumbing and toilet repair area. Only thing that needed a little retrofiting was the rubber washers. Had to cut them a bit on the inside to fit the thread. (looks like I got that rubber washer on the right in the wrong sequence :rolleyes: )


cooler_parts.jpg


Note the slots are down ;) Actually I haven't cut them yet! :D
 
Hey DesertBrew, Your manifold looks real similiar to mine. Mines a litte longer though .<hehe>. Only difference is I took 6 3/4 " tees and made 3 cross pieces of 3/4" pipe across the middle of the manifold. Since then I have never had a stuck mash.
 
DBAib12 said:
Hey DesertBrew, Your manifold looks real similiar to mine. Mines a litte longer though .<hehe>. Only difference is I took 6 3/4 " tees and made 3 cross pieces of 3/4" pipe across the middle of the manifold. Since then I have never had a stuck mash.

I was thinking of adding another piece through the center to give it a bit more surface area coverage. Your idea sounds pretty good though, Maybe I'll add two. This is the easy part (except cutting). I'm just happy to have the friggen plumbing connectors solved!

I've never done AG yet so figured I'd be doing some adjusting. I bought the Phil's sparge arm and to me that seemed like a more/equally important device for good efficiency.
 
Yep...looks super!!!

The only thing I did differently was I used a plastic piece that I found in the plumbing section for a spacer. The washers that came with my cooler actually worked better than anything I could find because they had lips on them that made a perfect seal to the cooler.

One note--when you assemble that--don't overtighten. I'd make it just over finger tight for everything, fill it with water to make sure there are no leaks. If you DO have a leak, tighten a tiny bit more and re-test.

Oh yeah, don't forget to soak the brass pieces in vinegar and hydrogen peroxide!!! :D
 
Back
Top