Yuri's Brew Yurt (Hut)

[IrregularPulse]

Realize that $1,500 only includes what you can see in the pictures. I have done nothing to the interior, and I haven't bought the shingles or trim yet, either. I'm expecting the cost to roughly double by the time it's finished.

I thought of that after I posted. Oh well, I can always use the $1500 quote to start the project. Then, whoops honey it went a little over budget. haha

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I was thinking about how I'm going to set up the brew rig once I get the brew space finished, and I couldn't decide how high to mount the 21 gallon conical (15-18 gallon batches). I have a pump, but I prefer the simplicity and convenience of gravity feed when at all possible. Even with a pump, there is only so much vertical travel possible before the pump is maxed out. So...wouldn't it be nice if one could lower the conical to fill it, then raise it when it's time to keg?! Enter my brainstorm:

Hand Winch — 600-Lb. Capacity | Hand Winches | Northern Tool + Equipment

Using a small winch (hand cranked or electric...haven't decided), I can have the best of both worlds! I can keep the fermenter accessible throughout the brewing process but still have a convenient means of emptying it. Brilliant...or foolish?

 

[the_bird]

Somebody else did something similar... maybe Bernie Brewer? Might have used an electric winch. Probably a year and a half ago that I saw some pics.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Yep Bernie has that idea on his brew tree.

I think it is a good idea but I would have a backup system to lock the fermenter in place up and down. Just in case.

 

[CatchinZs]

I don't see why it wouldn't work.
My only concern would be the possibility for the whole works to start swinging on you. I've never really tried to use one of those hoists so the weight may help to dampen that anyway.

Assuming swing is an issue, I would think that you could use the same basic setup that you would use to pull an engine
Then maybe use some kind of fixed channel that you could mount on the wall to limit the side motion and attach the conical to that channel via a removable bar that bolts to the conical.

 

[the_bird]

I'd want to have as wide and solid a base as possible, and I agree with having some kind of backup mechanism to hold the works up if you have a failure of the cable. Of course, if it snaps you'll be short a head, so what difference will it make?

 

[Cape Brewing]

Are you going to jacket the conical?? Or store it in a temp controlled area?

knowing your posts Yuri, I find it hard to beleive you're not going to temp-control your fermenters.

Really curious on how you might do that since that is my next project now that my pub, walk-in and AG rig are done. I'm now looking at larger conicals but am putting some serious thought into how I would temp control them.

... a small glycol pump, PID controlled manifolds and simple copper tubing jackets??

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Regardless of the lift mechanism, I'll certainly provide a safety catch of some sort. I can't imagine leaving 100+ lbs of beer and fermenter dangling from a single cable (even if it's over-engineered...like I do).

The entire brew hut will be temperature controlled down to 55-60°F. Ales will be no problem. As long as there's no active fermentation taking place, I'll raise the ambient temp to around 72°F.

I've got a couple of spare TMS conical hoppers awaiting work. I was considering using them to fashion a single jacketed fermenter, but I don't have all the details worked out just yet.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Yuri_Rage wrote: Using a small winch (hand cranked or electric...haven't decided)

Go with electric, use a gear motor.

Brilliant...or foolish?

Brilliant.

I use an electric version too, attached to an aluminum rail with a 6ft travel to the side.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Can you find me a solution that costs less than $50? Otherwise, I'm hand cranking with a boat winch.

 

[Fingers]

I get the $50 budget, but this project screams 'hydraulics' to me. Are there auction sales where you are? I bought a pump for $15 to replace a failed unit and I see cylinders going for a song when they're used and dirty. Maybe weld together a frame that can be lifted by one or two cylinders with a small pump with an electric motor attached.

Unless you lever the hell out of that winch it's going to be a lot of work and mechanical stress to lift the brew. Are you attaching it to the roof or building a frame? You don't have a spine connecting your rafters so you'll have to beef it up a bit. Your floor is likely a lot stronger. Push a button, up goes the fermenter.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Nope...hydraulics are way too complicated. I want 30" of travel at a minimum, meaning either a really big cylinder, or a really big lever. The winch and a single pulley should work just fine. I can easily do pullups on any single rafter (tested), and my weight is roughly equivalent to a full fermenter. So far, this project screams $15 hand winch...

EDIT:
Fingers...ever use a "come along?" You can move a surprising amount of weight using only the mechanical advantage supplied by the gears in a hand winch. I've moved thousands of pounds of car/boat/tractor/etc onto trailers that way. A single fermenter will be child's play in comparison.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Can you find me a solution that costs less than $50?

No, but close

$59.99 12 VDC
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

$79.99 110 VAC
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[springer]

Have you thought about a chain hoist cheap & reliable 39.99

 

[diatonic]

No, but close

$59.99 12 VDC
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

$79.99 110 VAC
- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

There are many things I will trust Harbor Freight tools with. Supporting 12 gallons of fermenting beer in a 15 gallon stainless conical fermenter is not one of them.

 

[Aleforge]

There are many things I will trust Harbor Freight tools with. Supporting 12 gallons of fermenting beer in a 15 gallon stainless conical fermenter is not one of them.

I think that's being a little extreme, We have one of the 2,000lb rated harbor freight winches here and it works great. I have no doubt a 2000lb rated cable / winch system would have little trouble with a carboy full of brew. The price is awesome on it as well, and hell if anyone has taken a look around at some of the rig jobs people have pulled off on their setups I don't think you can be "too proud" to use one of these.

Beats cranking a boat winch!

 

[leboeuf]

A hand winch will be fine for moving something that weighs less than a few hundred pounds and only moves 30". I personally prefer to use my own power when I can.

 

[diatonic]

I think that's being a little extreme, We have one of the 2,000lb rated harbor freight winches here and it works great. I have no doubt a 2000lb rated cable / winch system would have little trouble with a carboy full of brew. The price is awesome on it as well, and hell if anyone has taken a look around at some of the rig jobs people have pulled off on their setups I don't think you can be "too proud" to use one of these.

Beats cranking a boat winch!

It's not that I am "too proud" to use Harbor Freight tools... it's just that my aggravation when cheap stuff breaks, or doesn't perform as well as it should negates any cost savings (for me). If the motor on the $50 winch burned up, I would be kicking myself for not spending the extra $50-$100 to save me the frustration. Just a personal preference. It's the same reason that rather than building a $20 stir plate with a fan and hard drive magnets, I picked up an actual lab stir plate/hot plate off eBay for $82, with no moving parts. The $60 I would have saved is a much less significant (to me) than my frustration when it doesn't work the way it should.

 

[pen25]

those HF hoists are fine. i have one and have picked up an international 304 which weigh in at 700 lbs

 

[Fingers]

EDIT:
Fingers...ever use a "come along?" You can move a surprising amount of weight using only the mechanical advantage supplied by the gears in a hand winch. I've moved thousands of pounds of car/boat/tractor/etc onto trailers that way. A single fermenter will be child's play in comparison.

Oh sure. I've gone through a couple. In fact I had something like that in mind when I said you'll have to lever it. The winch that you showed doesn't have any pulley system on it. I've got a cheap little rope block and tackle that is limited only by the tensile strength of the rope itself.

I guess I overestimated the weight of your fermenter. The winch will be fine for a couple of hundred pounds, but just for the record you wouldn't need a 30" throw on your hydraulics. You could lever that too since the cylinder is so powerful. It would be in line with your middle name, though.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I vote Hand Winch. As much sa we all expect to see cool gadgets in this Brewhut, the simplicity of the task at hand requires nothing more.

 

[sigmund]

I have a 3 tier system and attached a 650 lb winch to raise my boil keggle for increased head height when draining. It does the job easily. As for a safety, you can do it but those winches are a pretty basic design and if they fail, you almost always have indications that it's coming and they are not catastrophic.

 

[fifelee]

Warner Screw Drive Linear Actuator Thomson AC Motor - eBay (item 180341065629 end time Apr-03-09 18:24:00 PDT)

This is a bit too short, but maybe you can find a longer one.

 

[Joe C]

This is sweet!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

The trim is started, the siding is caulked, and it's painted. Tomorrow I hope to get the rest of the trim done and a good portion of the roof finished. The remaining trim will be white.

 

[illin8]

I vote on an automatic ATV winch

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

KISS. (Keep It Simple Stupid, or Stupid Simple- take your pick). Looking good Yuri! Wish I lived near you, I would have the roof done for you so you could focus on the inside goodies

 

[Yuri_Rage]

The roof has been the biggest pain in the ass! Actually, it's not the roof, it's the wind. Every time I think I'm going to get some work done, the wind picks up to 30+ MPH. Today might be better...but I'm not counting on it.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

F*** THIS WIND!!! I'm never going to get the roof done at this rate! No way to wrestle tar paper onto the damn thing today.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[pompeiisneaks]

I feel your pain, I was trying to brew yesterday (it worked) but it started raining right in the middle, so I know how weather can Fukc w/ things...

 

[Malticulous]

30+ is a pain. The trick is to roll into the wind.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I think the trick is...next weekend. No need for that level of frustration on a Sunday afternoon. I'm just taking my time getting the trim up, and then I'll be done for the day.

 

[pompeiisneaks]

there ya go! btw I'm doing a shed/brewhut this summer too, once it gets a bit warmer... I hope mine looks as good as yours ; )

 

[Malticulous]

I think the trick is...next weekend. No need for that level of frustration on a Sunday afternoon. I'm just taking my time getting the trim up, and then I'll be done for the day.

I wished that was a option for me many times. It's detrimental to the pay check.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Well, at least I got something done...

 

[eriktlupus]

so..yuri, come up with a cost analysis yet?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

$1750 and counting. That includes the entire frame, siding, trim, paint, and shingles. It does not include any cost for concrete...the slab came with the house.

 

[eriktlupus]

not bad, are you leaving the floor bare concrete or going to get fancy and tile or something?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I plan on getting some bargain tile to finish it off. It shouldn't cost much more than $150 for the flooring.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I wished that was a option for me many times. It's detrimental to the pay check.

Oddly enough, it's detrimental to my paycheck to do MORE work on this thing...