BIAB "Brewstand"

[beerd]

Looking to put something simple together to organize my 5 gal BIAB setup. Just needs to hold the 10 gallon kettle and propane burner off the ground and give me something to mount my pump to. Bonus points but not necessary if there's an easy way to add on a hoist for lifting bag out. Something very compact, sturdy, and lightweight that I can pick up with a bad back and stick in a corner when not in use. No welding.

Could use 2x4 lumber and have plenty to hand - but concerned about heat from the propane burner. Also not as compact as something metal.

Looking at maybe a wire shelving rack, but it would need to be at least 18" deep to hold the propane burner and haven't found anything (cheap enough) that would work.

Any pointers much appreciated.

 

[ehall]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...in-Zinc-Plated-Slotted-Angle-800517/204225758 -angle corner braces. this was all I could find.

I built a rolling table/stand with slotted angle, so the stuff mentioned above and then put a galvanized sheet of metal over the plywood top, casters and good to go. I just roll it into the corner of the garage when I' done. You could also use the square slotted iron or even extruded aluminum, which would be even lighter but a bit more expensive.

 

[Jhedrick83]

I’m looking to do something similar in th next few months and he these threads bookmarked for ideas:

Wooden BIAB Stand

Double Wooden BIAB Brew Stand

 

[beerd]

Thank you.

I am now thinking about re-using a chrome wire rack already on hand.

The challenge is figuring out how to get my propane burner to rest on the rack safely. You can see from the pics that I have just enough room to put something under the burner to distribute the weight and keep it from slipping off the edge of the shelf if I bump it.

I am thinking I can either

1) Use some sort of ?sheet metal? to form a tray with a lip that I could attach to the shelf and place the burner in.

2) Flip the top shelf upside down so the edges face up, forming a lip, and then lay in either a piece of sheet metal or maybe paint some on-hand OSB and coat in foil or something to reflect heat? Want to avoid this as the shelf sockets are tapered and upside down they don't really grab the plastic cuffs. Holds my weight this way, but longer term with a bump, etc assume this is a bad idea.

Any good ideas? Need something that will be heat resistant, durable, and able to wash off any spills with a hose after brew day.

The one nice thing about this approach (aside from not spending any $) is that the shelf I have is 72" high, but the posts are split into two 36" sections. So I can leave the top posts off for easy stowage under a table, and on brew day pull it out, quickly screw in two opposite corner posts and lay a 2x4 or something over to make a quick hoist for my BIAB.

 

[day_trippr]

What is the maximum shelf load rating for that thing - and how are the corners of the shelf attached to the posts?

If you are bound and determined to use that thing, definitely lay a piece of sturdy sheet metal down and set the burner upon it.
Ideally the sheet will span both length and width to maximize the support under it...

Cheers!

 

[beerd]

Stated load is 350 lbs, per shelf.

Evidence suggests that it very securely holds one 220lb me distributed only across one span via 2x4, bouncing up and down (plus ~12 oz of homebrew). I do 5 gallons batches so I can't see putting more than 100lbs on the shelf at any point during actual use.

The corners are attached with solid metal tapered collars that fit over plastic tapered cuffs. I figure with a piece of sheet metal over top, 8" of clearance between the bottom of the burner, and the open wire rack, there's no chance the plastic corner cuffs will get hot enough to melt or deform. Will test that out before the first production run.

Surely nothing to brag about (particularly in the DIY forum where I've posted this), but cost effective in my case and portable, I think - as long as no one sees any showstoppers.

 

[Golddiggie]

Find a local metal/sheet metal shop and get a piece of 10 or 12 gauge steel (NOT galvanized) to put the burner on. If you don't have a sheet metal brake, get them to bend it to shape for you. It won't be skinflint level cheap, but it's safer than using wood under the burner. Plus the sheet meal will handle the weight without issue.

Another option would be to get the concrete matts they sell to go under fire pits when placed onto wood decks. You'll need to trim it to size/shape, but that will block heat transfer to anything under it (like wood).

I would be concerned not only about reflected heat from the burner itself (from hitting the kettle) but also transfer from the frame/legs of the burner going down to the shelf. Run the burner for 90-120 minutes, with a kettle on it and see if you can touch the legs of the burner. If you can't, just think about how that would be in direct contact with wood (if you go that route) for the same time frame. Personally, that's not something I would risk.

 

[beerd]

Huh - standing on this thing earlier I had no doubts. Glad to have some added insight. Thank you.

Why do you say NOT galvanized for the sheet metal?

 

[day_trippr]

Generally we try to avoid mixing zinc and high temperatures so we don't die
Presumably In this case the "reflected heat" radiating downwards is the concern wrt zinc coated steel sheet.

Cheers!

 

[Golddiggie]

Bad things come off galvanized when it gets too hot. Granted you might not hit those temperatures, but why risk it? For the size piece you need, even a piece of 300 stainless won't be much. I got a 1/8" piece (18" disc) that I was planning to use for a 'tippy dump' setup for my mash tun, but that's on hold. Mostly because I'm using the square tubing to make the control panel mounting arm/system that will bolt to my brew stand (it will pivot on the stand and the panel will rotate).

After I move next (when the market is not stupid anymore) into a house of my own, I'll probably use my current stand for a while. Then upgrade to a stainless table and such.

As for your mention of needing to lift a stand for storage... Why?? I have mine built so that it gets placed on one end (I put stand-offs on one end for this) and is on wheels otherwise. Without the two Blichmann burners, it's light enough to easily handle. Even with my bad back (I've had it go out when lifting things wrong). I used 1/8 wall, 2" square tubing to make this. If you're just doing the single kettle, you could do a single station version, even from steel, that won't be that heavy. Plus you can mount the pump to it.

I used my MIG welder to make my stand (one of my first projects with the MIG). Last year I finished it and have made several additional modifications to it. The square tubing I used is more than strong enough to support everything that goes onto it easily. The wheels I used are rated for more weight than will probably ever go onto it. IIRC, the base plan was posted here about a decade ago now.

 

[beerd]

I've learned something important - thank you.

That said, from experience brewing with this burner on the garage floor lifted with cinderblocks, I really don't think the reflected heat or the transferred heat through the legs get anywhere close to the 350+ F temps I am seeing where it becomes dangerous. Better safe than sorry of course - particularly as I do sometimes partake while I make. More worried about how much of the heat will transfer through to the plastic corner pieces and will need to test that well with a good long test run and a thermometer instead of just intuition.

 

[Golddiggie]

I'd also be concerned about the stability of using that shelving unit for the long term. Those things are really not that sturdy unless you have another shelf higher up than the two in your picture. I have several of that type of shelving here holding all kinds of things.

If you're at all concerned about the plastic pieces holding the shelves in position (a rather valid concern) I'd probably can that option and go with something that doesn't include plastics in critical support locations.

If you have a friend with a MIG (or TIG) welder, you should be able to get them to make you something that will do the job without any concerns. With single kettle, you could get away with 1-1/2" square tubing even (I wouldn't go any smaller) and have the entire thing on wheels to make storing it easy. Get the person to fabricate a 'crane' setup to lift the bag for you. That could be simply a setup that has a round rod that it rotates on with a winch (crank or electric) to do the heavy lifting for you. Then just remove it when not needed and store it.

You might get some time on the shelving setup, but I highly doubt it will last for all that many batches. It will either fail or piss you off. If you're not under a time crunch, get something that will last for several years, or decades.

 

[beerd]

No time crunch. The current cinderblock setup works, but just got a pump to save the aching back and having visions of tripping over tubing if I just leave that on the floor.

Expect you are right that this isn't a great setup. Came here to be talked out of it. Thanks for that.

Will make sure to be extra friendly to anyone who looks like they own a welder.

The angle brace suggestion above and that I've seen at home depot would seem to be easy to put together but those are galvanized/zinc. Just throw a sheet of stainless over that?

 

[BarryBrews]

Brewer, woodworker approach.
Prior to electrifying the top tier was a four legged propane burner with aluminum flashing heat/wind shields.

 

[Golddiggie]

@beerd Where are you located?? If you're within travel of my area of NH we could build something to do the job. I plan to update my thread for the new electric brewing setup once I have the current changes to my stand finished. Pretty much everything mounts to the stand either welded to it or bolted to it. Including the pumps, plate chiller and wort strainer/filter.

 

[brewgar]

Outstanding! Well done.

 

[beerd]

@Golddiggie many thanks for the offer but I'm down in PA. Thinking I might be able to get a second hand stainless steel equipment stand that woulddo the trick.

@BarryBrews nice setup. I'm always curious how folks with with wood stands handle cleanup. Or is that just not as much of a think when you're not doing BIAB?

 

[MaxStout]

Wood is OK as long as you protect it from heat sources. I brew on gas, so I lined mine with cement board. I used high-temp header paint to seal the cement board, and a couple coats of polyurethane for the wood. Cleanup is no problem.

 

[BarryBrews]

I'm always curious how folks with with wood stands handle cleanup. Or is that just not as much of a think when you're not doing BIAB?

Stain and Sealer finish. Maybe I'm just lucky, but with the pump handling all the liquids I never have anything but a few drops...er. But seriously, wood is very easy to customize and the cart has been modified tons over the years.

 

[bkboiler]

I even built a small heat shield for my burner the other day...just 18 ga plain steel bent around the stand legs...planning to just use it as it (I think it's got a thin coat of tooling oil from the mill).
May get "seasoned" and then eventually char and then probably rust ...
It works for now and was cheap enough.
But yes, avoid galvanized in hot areas.