Please Critique my Top Tier set up

I just set up my 3 tiered Blichmann brew tower. This is my first set up, and I am looking for advice from the more experienced brewers out there before I commit to installing the gas manifold....

So, as you can see, I have it set up with a 10g HLT at the top left, my 10g mash tun on the right middle, and my boil kettle on the front bottom.

I wanted to set it up so I could drain from my HLT to my MT without using a hose, but that set up did not work for me becuase the HLT had to be on the top, but in the front channel. I was bumping into it since it was laid out in the front along with the boil kettle.

Sometime in the next month or two, I would like to add a pump so I can do a whirlpool while chilling.

Are any of you seeing anything not right with this set up? Any improvements I can make with the layout to make it a better gravity system?

Thanks for any advice!

Setup look fine. Be prepared for changes. I must have reset my Top Tier about twenty times before I hit upon my current configuration. Switched burners around, which is a pain. Changed burner height, not a pain. As you add gear to the setup, the arrangement will evolve in ways you cannot anticipate. By the way, love my Top Tier. Good luck.

JJFlash said:

Setup look fine. Be prepared for changes. I must have reset my Top Tier about twenty times before I hit upon my current configuration. Switched burners around, which is a pain. Changed burner height, not a pain. As you add gear to the setup, the arrangement will evolve in ways you cannot anticipate. By the way, love my Top Tier. Good luck.

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Oh man, I can see this already. Just made a change where now I can use gravity with no hoses. Had to take both burners and the shelf off

Looks like I had mine set up before 1000 revisions

would love to get a blichmann. not sure about the money, though...

This is how I have my TopTier setup. I have the HLT up top facing away from the front. This way I can have my MLT and BK on either side of my manifold which I've found makes it easier to do everything from one spot.

You're setup looks great though. Let us know how it works for you.

arborman said:

Oh man, I can see this already. Just made a change where now I can use gravity with no hoses. Had to take both burners and the shelf off

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I don't have a Top Tier, so please feel free to take that into consideration for my comments. I am not sure why you don't want a hose to gravity drain your vessels. With the hose you will be able to create a siphon action and drain more liquid from one vessel to the another. Without the hose, you have no chance to create the siphon action and draining will stop when your liquid level gets to the level of the ball valves.

By the way, I love your setup.

Mark

LuiInIdaho said:

I don't have a Top Tier, so please feel free to take that into consideration for my comments. I am not sure why you don't want a hose to gravity drain your vessels. With the hose you will be able to create a siphon action and drain more liquid from one vessel to the another. Without the hose, you have no chance to create the siphon action and draining will stop when your liquid level gets to the level of the ball valves.

By the way, I love your setup.

Mark

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Mark, this is a great point. I've only used my Top Tier for two batches but I quickly learned on my first batch that hoses are a must to create the maximum flow rate. It is easy to have the MLT setup directly beneath your ball valve on the HLT but without a hose it takes longer to drain and there is a risk that you won't get the last 1-3 gallons out of the pot. Also, the water can splash and you can get burned.

I have one hose setup with a quick disconnect on one end and bare hose on the other. I can use this to drain my HLT and MLT and then drop it in a bucket of sanitzer to use to drain my BK after the chill.