Recent content by Zmanwithdog

Northern Brewer has the best price right now PURELY based on free shipping over $40... most beers that I've been making recently have been very close to if not just over $40 for the grains, hops and yeast alone where the shipping makes the gross cost a minor deciding factor. Other then that, the...

Like everyone else that started all grain with a 5 gallon rubbermaid cooler, mine has thermal stress cracks... I started to think about upgrading to a SS version and checked prices like everyone else and SS versions of insulated containers are pricey to say the least. I started to think about...

I also had temperature issues in my kegerator... I bought a "muffin fan" on Amazon in which it lives in the kegerator circulating that air around. I routed the power plug out the drain hole. Made a HUGE difference. Now I can set the thermostat to something more reasonable which means the...

I have a temperature gauge and then two valves after my cfc before it hits the pot again. One valve goes to the pot, the other valve goes to the fermenter. I recirc to the pot until the temperature is tuned to the fermentation temperature I want and then switch valves to direct flow to the...

This is the one we use for "manual" operations... https://www.biopharm.saint-gobain.com/pure-fit-tru-valve-system?cat=16&parent=tubing-clamps

Fyi, this is the actuated type we use at work... not cheap but no valve bodies to clean... https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F233050842096

If you do "make your own", you need to design in some tolerances as to what "closed" is. It's too easy to over compress silicone and that will tear the tubing. Just an fyi...

I use pinch valves at work a lot for use with silicone tubing... specifically: Acro Associates, Inc. Where they offer solenoid and pneumatic options...

Thanks to all for the input... I dumped it and chalked it up to a learning experience...

If it was a little too much, then maybe... this is WAY too much... I was going to let it sit a another day and cross my fingers. I can only assume that 2oz to make 5 gallons of sanitizer would be like drinking straight sanitizer? Considering that drinking straight sanitizer is called out as...

I'm new to ciders and am pretty sure I royally messed up this morning with my current batch. It was early and I was doing to many things at once. I have 5 gallons of fermented hard cider which had a final gravity of 1.000 that I was going to back sweeten as it was overly dry for our tastes...

I run two ss pumps in series and have never had an issue... as whether there is a quirck to the cheap beige pumps, I can not speak to that

Btw, the pumping power of the pump is based on the outlet pressure capability of the pump. This is more or less called out in xxx feet/inches/meters of "head"... aka, a pump can lift water-like fluid xxx high before it stalls out... IF you wanted a more "powerful" whirlpool, one could put two...

All Chugger, March, Beige Pumps, etc... are all mag drive pumps. The pumps as used for home brewing are more or less all centrifugal pumps... centrifugal pumps are the lowest cost style of pump for any application. Mag drive pumps use a magnet embedded in the head to spin the impeller (aka...

Btw, my system is technically a three tier electric system and is for 5 gallon sizes. All major wattage heating is done on my 3100W electric stove top. I heat 4 gal of mash water in a 5 gallon pot on the stove and gravity grains to the mash tun which sits on a bench next to the stove. I have a 5...