Kettle Pickup Tube

[DrumForHire]

I use an 8 gallon kettle with a ball valve with bulkhead. I hook the valve up to a pump and plate chiller. I've been having trouble getting the last bit of wort out if the kettle without picking up break material (which is especially problematic with all the material from BIAB brews ). After researching options, this is the solution I came up with: a brass 1/2" elbow. I was looking for copper, but I'm hoping brass will be ok (anyone know if it's safe to use in a boil?). There's still a bit of clearance, so I might add a hose flare and have it angled to the bottom. I also found a stainless steel lint trap (meant for washing machines) that I'm planning on wrapping around the tube to keep out break material and using a stainless clamp to hold in place. I think I can make some layers to make a finer mesh. I know I don't need to worry about break material in the fermenter, but I'd like to keep as much as I can out of the plate chiller. So, thoughts? Has anyone done something similar or have ideas for improvements?

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[DrumForHire]

So, update: I've been searching and found a stainless steel elbow, and it'd be cheaper than the brass even with shipping, so I might order that. I'm having trouble finding 1/2" stainless hose barbs, though, just finding brass. Does anyone have a place to find those?

 

[WrQth]

Some break material is not detrimental to the beer if it gets into the fermenter, many people dump the whole kettle in without ill affect. Also break material is more of a goo so a large screen like that will do nothing to stop it. The best thing to do is use whirlfloc/irish moss and perform a whirlpool to create a cone in the center of the kettle but some will still be sucked up even if you have a slow flow rate out.

The fittings can be found at bargainfittings.com brewhardware.com

 

[SpahrBrewing]

Yeah definitely don't use brass in your boil kettle. If you're really wanting to pump as much as possible go with something like this http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=151

 

[jddevinn]

Looks like you want a dip tube, https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/diptube.htm, and then do a whirlpool. Issue that I have with every filter I try is that they get clogged.

 

[DrumForHire]

Got it. So I'm returning the brass. Here's what I'm thinking of ordering:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013S23HJM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GSL1AG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Does that seem safe for the boil? Also, should I be using teflon tape? The valve is already taped, but I didn't know if I should use it on the side that's in the boil. I'm going to give up on the filter (or maybe make a bazooka tube if I'm still not satisfied).

 

[bschot]

I use copper fittings for my pickup tube. Everything is soldered, using lead free solder, except for the elbow to 1/2" male threaded piece. Don't worry about teflon I don't use any and I get a full drain, if you do decide to use Teflon it's good up to 620 F. And for a filter I use a stainless steel scrubby, just jam it on the end of your diptube. They are ~$2 and you get three of them. I give it a good rinse before and after use and toss it when it looks a little rough, approximately every 3-4 brews.

 

[SpahrBrewing]

That will work. Don't do teflon on the inside. Only risk of exterior leak would be water moving along the threads in your weldless fitting, but the teflon on those exterior connections will stop that.

I've used the exact thing you're thinking of doing. Since you don't have a whirlpool return valve in your pot, what I would suggest, is getting a paint mixer for your drill (something like http://www.lowes.com/pd/Allway-10-5..._clickID=5845007e-bcb8-4e7c-aa44-d1d8d520fc8e) It's just steel, not stainless steel, but if you sanitize it right before and after using, the contact time with the wort won't be enough to degrade it or cause any issues.

Get a whirlpool going as strong as you can get it without causing a mess then let it sit at least 15 minutes for the break material to settle. Then transfer using pump through plate chiller and into fermenter. Throttle your pump back so you're not drawing at full speed and destroying the cone that you created.

When you get down to the last bits, the cone will start to dissipate and draw into your lines. Just let it run for a second until most of your beer is into the fermenter but not the break material. Then clean your pot, fill it with sanitizer and pump it out through the same loop to sanitize your chiller and pump.

 

[DrumForHire]

Awesome idea, I never thought of using a paint sorter stirrer. I'll have to pick one up. Thanks for the advice all!

 

[DrumForHire]

Since you don't have a whirlpool return valve in your pot, what I would suggest, is getting a paint mixer for your drill (something like http://www.lowes.com/pd/Allway-10-5..._clickID=5845007e-bcb8-4e7c-aa44-d1d8d520fc8e) It's just steel, not stainless steel, but if you sanitize it right before and after using, the contact time with the wort won't be enough to degrade it or cause any issues.

I was just checking the listing for the stirrer, and it looks like the blades are polypropylene. Is that still OK? I also found this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Metal-5-Gal-Spiral-Mixer-SM5HD/202284233 but the listing says it's made of "metal", would like a little more specificity there...

 

[DrumForHire]

Alright, I got a stainless steel elbow and hose barb. I gave it a test run with my pump/plate chiller setup this morning, and it picked all the water, so I think it's going to work well. The only thing was that I could actually see the water being sucked up where the elbow meets the valve and where the barb meets the elbow, so I just wanted to check one more time: should I use teflon tape here? I don't know if it's harmful to have teflon tape on parts that are actually IN the boil, but I'd like to direct all the liquid straight through the barb (I also may still make a bazooka tube, just for the hell of it.)

 

[schematix]

Alright, I got a stainless steel elbow and hose barb. I gave it a test run with my pump/plate chiller setup this morning, and it picked all the water, so I think it's going to work well. The only thing was that I could actually see the water being sucked up where the elbow meets the valve and where the barb meets the elbow, so I just wanted to check one more time: should I use teflon tape here? I don't know if it's harmful to have teflon tape on parts that are actually IN the boil, but I'd like to direct all the liquid straight through the barb (I also may still make a bazooka tube, just for the hell of it.)

Use 6-7 layers of the cheap PTFE (Teflon) tape but try to keep it on the first 2-3 threads so its not in contact with the wort. PTFE is about the most inert substance known to man, but honestly I don't know what else the tape is made from. I doubt its 100% PTFE.