1/2BBL Brewery Build

[muhteeus]

Karl, any recommendations on the proper strain reliefs? I can't find anything the right size...


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See HERE

You need something like 2DPE5 and 2DZG6 for each connector . See bottom left of the pdf in the top link. Hubbell-Kellems brand .

 

[dmarc85]

Brewed a test batch last night with my brother, and had a freaking blast!

The sparge arm actually worked really well. My biggest challenge was successfully manipulating all the ball valves and hoses without losing wort or getting sprayed with water I've got a 15 gallon batch working away in my chamber and I'm feeling proud






I'm definitely going to need a bit if practice to hone my methods, but I'm extremely happy with my setup and will certainly be sharing more experiences as I move forward with electric brewing!




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[Rivenin]

lookin good!

 

[BeerGrylls]

The only thing I would recommend is to investigate pump orientation. Most will say that your outlets need to face up in order to properly expel gas bubbles. Losing prime or churning if there's cavitation ain't no fun.

 

[UCChemE05]

deleted

 

[BeerGrylls]

Most people who know what they're talking about would not say this. Many end suction pumps have horizontal discharges...

I have no idea the specific pump you're using but you could have shorter lifespan due to premature bearing wear if the pumps are not designed to be mounted in that position but considering the duty you'll put them through, you should Still get many years either way.

With the details you put into your build, you probably already thought of this... I haven't read any of this thread but I'd make sure those pump casings don't hold up any water and they're fully drained each time as you'll start growing nasties in no time.

I'm going to guess that you don't own a March or Chugger style pump. The problem with your logic is that this is a non-self-priming centrifugal impeller pump. They rely on a fully flooded housing to begin to push liquid out the outlet. In that circumstance, you want to ensure the outlet is at least the same height as the inlet since the only way to ensure that liquid will begin to pump is to expel all air from the head to avoid churn and cavitation.

Since I don't want to keep on with guesswork I checked with the manufacturers. March suggests a horizontal orientation only. (PDF) http://www.marchpump.com/site/files/966/110094/376709/629697/0750-0404-1000_R6.pdf
Chugger suggests that the pump can be mounted vertically so long as the motor is facing down. http://www.chuggerpumps.com/frequently-asked-questions-home-brewing-pump/product-faq/ So Chugger suggests that this orientation is not problematic for the motor. However I also own these center inlet centrifugal impeller pumps, and have had mixed success with the pumps in this orientation.

Uccheme05, you won't make many friends running around here telling people that they don't know what they're talking about, at best it's rude. If you look at my original post you'll see that I'm only suggesting that it warrants investigation.

 

[dmarc85]

I'm going to guess that you don't own a March or Chugger style pump. The problem with your logic is that this isn't a suction pump, it's a non-self-priming centrifugal impeller pump. They rely on a fully flooded housing to begin to push liquid out the outlet. In that circumstance, you want to ensure the outlet is at least the same height as the inlet since the only way to ensure that liquid will begin to pump is to expel all air from the head to avoid churn and

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked into it and I am certainly considering reorienting them; cavitation was definitely a problem. I am concerned about getting liquid into the motor housing though with the pump mounted horizontally; have you had an issue with this?


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[BeerGrylls]

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked into it and I am certainly considering reorienting them; cavitation was definitely a problem. I am concerned about getting liquid into the motor housing though with the pump mounted horizontally; have you had an issue with this?


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It's certainly a concern, since having the pumps below the liquid is necessary for proper operation, but the disadvantage is that you can splash the motor assembly. An interesting solution was the jig that Kal built on his pump stand that included stainless shields to guard against the accidental splash of wort. Check that out here: http://theelectricbrewery.com/pumps?page=5

 

[dmarc85]

Most people who know what they're talking about would not say this. Many end suction pumps have horizontal discharges...

Judging by your Username, I would guess that you are or were a chemistry student at a university in Cali, Colorado, Connecticut etc.

With such an excitable and condescending tone, I can only hope that you're still an undergrad; an incoming frosh or sophomore at that. Unfortunately, I fear that this not the case because you probably graduated somewhere in '05. Either way I'll chalk up your unsavory post to the disgusting liberal arts higher ed system that plagues the minds of so many bright young people. I only ask that you please take time to actually read my entire thread before making critical comments toward the readers on here who are as passionate about the craft as I am.

And I would seriously suggest keeping your opinions about other peoples' logic to yourself; just like what happened in the last few post, you will almost always make yourself look like an a$$.


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[dmarc85]

It's certainly a concern, since having the pumps below the liquid is necessary for proper operation, but the disadvantage is that you can splash the motor assembly. An interesting solution was the jig that Kal built on his pump stand that included stainless shields to guard against the accidental splash of wort. Check that out here: http://theelectricbrewery.com/pumps?page=5

That's not a bad design; I like how it allows the housing to still vent so well. I may do something similar with a horizontal orientation.

 

[BeerGrylls]

That's not a bad design; I like how it allows the housing to still vent so well. I may do something similar with a horizontal orientation.

I've been putting off building something very similar. I'd like to have some type of quick-disconnect mounting system so that I can attach and detach the pumps without unscrewing them from the base. I was considering mounting them with something like this so that I could just pull the cotter pin and take the motor away without much fuss, in case I want to do something with them.

 

[kal]

That's not a bad design; I like how it allows the housing to still vent so well.

Thanks! That was the intent: Protect from splashes (which actually don't seem to happen much at all given that my pumps are on the lower shelf of the table), but not impede airflow in any way so that they continue to run cool. The back of the fan has a spinning blade inside that keeps the motor cool so you want air to flow through freely.

Kal

 

[dmarc85]

Despite Monday being very much a "learning experience" my first batch managed to survive and is now chugging along inside my conical I pulled a quick sample off the side of my fermenter just to check how far along everything is.



Nice and light, great hop character. I use 1# cascade (75mins) for this 15gal batch. The smell can only be described as hypnotic

So far, everything appears to be in order; however, I noticed that the temperature inside my fermentation chamber will quickly reach an equilibrium with the ambient air temperature...just fine for a warm day, but not so good for the upcoming winter months. Luckily I had a few extra parts hanging around, so I decided to start piecing together a heater for my chamber!



This is all improvised on the spot with materials I happened to have laying around. What you're looking at is an 8" duct fan attached to two reducers. I used a sheet metal knockout punch for the inlets on the bottom.



From above you can see the fan which will sit above, probably 3 very hot halogen bulbs (not pictured). The lights as well as the fan will cycle on and off whenever the temp dropped below whatever minimum temperature threshold that might cause my yeast to start getting lazy. Next are a few extra shots.





It will be a tight fit, but this apparatus will indeed in the back left corner. I may even provide electrical access for my stir plate, that way I can also be whipping up a starter while I'm finishing up whatever batch is in the conical

And, BTW, I reoriented my pumps and I'm anticipating better results for my next batch: porter.



Thanks for following! More to come

 

[UCChemE05]

I apologize for the apparent tone of my post; it was not my intention to come off that way.

My point still stands RE cavitation. The orientation of the pump as it stands will not cause cavitation; it will simply be driven by NPSHa & r. If possible, I would look at following Chugger's recommendation of vertical with top mount motor so the pump casing is self-draining.

 

[BeerGrylls]

I apologize for the apparent tone of my post; it was not my intention to come off that way.

My point still stands RE cavitation. The orientation of the pump as it stands will not cause cavitation; it will simply be driven by NPSHa & r. If possible, I would look at following Chugger's recommendation of vertical with top mount motor so the pump casing is self-draining.

Thanks and understood. There is sometimes something lost in translation with typing to relative strangers vs speaking with us in person. Also don't take me wrong. I have no quest to be right in all things, rather I'm just trying to share my experience, and enjoy doing it.

I think maybe you misunderstood Chugger's recommendation, it reads, "You can mount the pump horizontally, vertically and upside down.* However, if you mount the pump vertically do not have the motor facing up." That said, reality and theory are often two different things. These pumps just plain don't work as well when facing up for whatever reason, in my experience. Dmarc85, I see that you reoriented them. Let us know if you have more or less success with them next time?

 

[UCChemE05]

I think maybe you misunderstood Chugger's recommendation, it reads, "You can mount the pump horizontally, vertically and upside down.* However, if you mount the pump vertically do not have the motor facing up." That said, reality and theory are often two different things. These pumps just plain don't work as well when facing up for whatever reason, in my experience. Dmarc85, I see that you reoriented them. Let us know if you have more or less success with them next time?

Ah, looks like I did misread. Thanks for the heads up. That's unfortunate; it would make for a much simpler design to drain, keep sanitary, and keep clean.

 

[dmarc85]

I most certainly will give an update. With the horizontal orientation, I feel that any air inside the system would get sucked back upward through the pump, eliminating the opportunity to hang out at any junction.

A couple other projects I'll be working on in the very near future will be mounting my chiller and inline oxygenation device. I'll also be converting my large 3-door cooler into a cold conditioning, storage and service station (including taps and growler filler). With luck I'll be upgrading my keg inventory to sankey commercial style as well so that in the future my beer can be served virtually anywhere

My first project will be to finish my heater for the ferm chamber. Plenty to come!

 

[dmarc85]

Ok, so the heater is coming along, but its going to be bit more sorted since I'm going to need a separate piece of equipment to control the heater. In the meanwhile, I've mounted my plate chiller with U brackets and I successfully split my water line one more time to a flow (through a ball-valve) to my chiller.



yes, i have a minivan/grain-getter



I took Kal's advice ad rewired my junction box with proper strain relief hardware. Once it dawned on me that I could simply use a common neutral for both solenoids, I simplified the wiring a bit (it actually looks a lot cleaner



Where did that hop leaf come from?? Must be a sign of good luck!


Thankfully everything was leak free and tested 100% on the first try. My blonde is nearing dry-hoppinng point. My next batch will be a porter, similar to Dechutes. Prost!

 

[dmarc85]

Got my heater constructed tonight. It actually works nicely. I'd say the air blowing out the top is over 100F. extremely quiet and pulls only 175W. The bulb is a red 150W heat lamp I picked up from Home Depot; it's mounted inside the duct with a bulb housing that attaches perfectly in a 3/8" electrical knockout. Im considering a terrarium heat controller for this ($30). Its gonna look so sweet when it switches on automatically to keep my beer above freezing and/or fermenting at a warm enough temp during those miserably cold winter days and nights

Man, that red looks cool.

 

[dmarc85]

Dry hops have been delivered to the fermenter. Liquid chalk markers work great for tracking your beer's timeline. It works on glass or stainless and rinses right off with warm water



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[dmarc85]

DFH Midas came to visit Happy Friday!


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[SleepyCreekBrews]

just curious, what happened to the stainless tray in the brew stand?

Congrats on the first batch in the fermenter.... did you really use 1 pound (at 75 mins) of cascade in that beer?

 

[dmarc85]

just curious, what happened to the stainless tray in the brew stand?

Congrats on the first batch in the fermenter.... did you really use 1 pound (at 75 mins) of cascade in that beer?

Haha. No, I used a total of 1lb combined during 4 additions over the entire 75mins, not an entire lb for the whole 75mims. I should have clarified. The SS tray need up being too small I plan to re-repurpose it as a prep surface next to my gas grill. Thanks!

 

[dmarc85]

Getting ready for beer

 

[dmarc85]

Ready to drink beer


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[BeerGrylls]

View attachment 229362
Ready to drink beer


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Be right over. You prefer pepperoni or Hawaiian?

 

[dmarc85]

Hawaiian.


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[dmarc85]

Gulp

Gulp

Gone

This keg is gonna get attacked once 5 o'clock rolls around!


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[dmarc85]

ok so I finally took the time to wire in a new circuit within my ferm cooler for powering my heater and stir plate. Basically, what you see in the photos is how I spliced the power cable just before the main terminal, enclosed the splice in a j-box and ran the cable up the back of the cooler and into a perfectly fitted hole. I then just simply installed a receptacle over the inlet.





You can see that nice pretty heater running. The only piece I still need will be a heater temp controller. I think I'll pick up something a a nearby reptile store. Something simple and cheap.

Once I get that controller installed, I can brew up whatever I'd like at whatever time of year. No matter if its -10F or +100F. Of course I'll always have a perfect pot to spin up a new starter at the same time

 

[dmarc85]

I struggled with my trub in my shirron chiller plate on my first batch, so tonight I sterilIzed it again after noticing a funny smell from that unit.

Since my last brew day, I've mounted the chiller on the wood stand; I've also hose clamped a few connections that worried me (mostly incoming). I resterilized the inline oxygenation system that I purchased from morebeer.com as well.




Prior to this build I've only used IC's to cool my wort, but tonight I was really impressed at how fast and simple my Shirron plate chiller was.


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[dmarc85]

I added a 27gal conical to increase my productivity.
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I also got my hands on a few sanke style kegs and wow...I can crank out so much beer! Using the sanke kegs was a bit intimidating at first, but once I got a little practice taking the ring out and reinstalling it, I'm happy to have them.
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I'm happy to say that I now make far more beer than I can drink and I could realistically make far more beer than I could even fit in my three door cooler!
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I just pumped out and labeled some growlers and I've got people banging down my door for more! Haha. I'm an unofficial beer-baron Not for profit...yet
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[dmarc85]

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[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

I'm happy to say that I now make far more beer than I can drink and I could realistically make far more beer than I could even fit in my three door cooler!

Buddy if you were drinking that much you'd need to add a liver transplant to the build.

Great system! Thanks for letting us ogle.

 

[bnairuni87]

Interesting labels on your growlers.

What did you you to create them, what paper did you print on and is that a QR code?

Thanks

Brent

 

[dmarc85]

Interesting labels on your growlers.

What did you you to create them, what paper did you print on and is that a QR code?

Thanks

Brent

The paper is actually just printer paper thats been soaked in brewed tea. And yes, that is a qr code that links to my website www.marchesebrewing.com

Here is another example of a label

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[SleepyCreekBrews]

I struggled with my trub in my shirron chiller plate on my first batch, so tonight I sterilIzed it again after noticing a funny smell from that unit.

Since my last brew day, I've mounted the chiller on the wood stand; I've also hose clamped a few connections that worried me (mostly incoming). I resterilized the inline oxygenation system that I purchased from morebeer.com as well.

View attachment 230630
View attachment 230631

Prior to this build I've only used IC's to cool my wort, but tonight I was really impressed at how fast and simple my Shirron plate chiller was.

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I use one of those as well, works like a charm.
Just make sure you keep the goop out of it

 

[dmarc85]

I just blew a chunk of gnarliness out of the chiller last night. Haha. It was disgustingly impressive.

Here are some of the latest shots of my setup. I'm spinning up some yeast for a fat batch of edworts apfelwein.

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