Weird thing about these older fridges is that often they can consume equal or less power than a modern one. It has to do with the fact that they do not run auto defrost cycles. That also means you'll have to manually defrost the freezer every once in a while.
I was very skeptical, but when I...
16 gallons seems about right. I usually mash in with 8 for 5 gal recipes and then do a very small sparge after I lift my basked to hit my boil volume (7 gal). I have never sparged more than a gallon.
My recommendation: err on the generous side and run a long boil to hit your volume.
As far...
The clip for attaching to the kettle/basket is not included in those pics, but if you come up with a better idea for that, please share!
Anyone- I may have missed it on this thread- what is the 'best' way to affix the whirlpool arm to the rim? Mine came without the screw. I bought a...
Wanted to check back in on this. I have received the sensor and have it hooked up. It's to spec, and pretty high quality compared to other sensors I've ordered on ebay and amazon. Seller was responsive with a question I had during shipping.
Only con is it took a long time to arrive. I'm sure...
I have that setup and run 5 gal batches no problem. I even hold back ~ 1 gal to do a quick pourover sparge. You are good to go for 5 or 10 gallon batches with the 20 gal kettle and solid side basket.
I just use one of the plastic rope totes with a duct line running out of the side near the top, 415 CFM inline fan. I don't even run at full blast during boil, no drips. I have a fairly short run, though.
Here it is during the mash. Keep in mind only the RIMS tube and Controller are for sale- Mash tun, etc. have already been sold.
The controller will run a heater element (in the RIMS) with a PID controller to maintain exact mash temps and 2 pumps (or whatever you want to plug in).
Dog also...
My sight glass also leaked on water test. I disassembled, taped all threads, tightened everything. Still had a little dripping leak. It actually sealed itself up on my first brew day- I think a little sticky wort did the trick. No issues since.
Managed to sneak in a brew after work last night, something I never would have dreamed of before.
5G, 70% efficiency (consistent with first batch!), less than 4 hours.
I mashed in at 8:15 and was totally cleaned and yeast pitched before midnight. I still think I can shave 15 or so minutes...
Wanted to drop a link to a vendor that would have saved me a lot of time if I would have found him earlier. I was looking for a RTD temp sensor with 1/4" NPT threads and a detachable probe. This proved pretty tough to find, plus the probe on most standard RTD's you'll find is generally ~2", not...