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I have just had an email back from Chemisphere UK confirming no problem with my returned bottle of Chemsan. So it would seem that the pH problem which I observed must simply have come down to poor mixing. Since I poured the 10mL of Chemsan into a fairly full 5 litre container of water I guess...

I can't really see any advantage in using clear bottles. I just use a little LED torch and view it through the brown bottle. If it's held close to the bottle it can be moved from top to bottom to easily view clarity.

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I have been in touch with Chemisphere UK who manufacture Chemsan and had a very prompt and helpful response. Today I received a replacement bottle of Chemsan & my original bottle was returned for testing. When I made up a batch of Chemsam with the new bottle and gave the mix what I thought was a...

Not relevant for a boil kettle which is the main topic of this thread I think.

I guess if you are happy with the flavour profiles that you get from brewing at higher temperatures then that's fine, it's you who drinks most of your beer I imagine. I don't brew lagers but generally IPAs and bitters which to my taste turn out very nice when fermented at a target temperature in...

Surely the secret of making decent beer is keeping it cool during the fast fermentation stage not warming it up? Unless you are an Eskimo and are brewing in a room even at cool domestic temperature (say 17C or 18C) then you will need cooling not heating IMHO. I use a larder fridge for cooling &...

I use Beersmith 3 and find it useful & reliable. Excellent library of ingredients. Nice brew day recipe prints. Pretty easy to use (but I'm no beginner when it comes to PCs and software). As it's a commercial product it looks like the mobile app is sold separately (£4.99 for Android). I...

I've just brewed GH's Russian Imperial Stout. I used Danster London ESB yeast slurry from a previous lower gravity brew. I should be able to let you know by Christmas how it worked out! 🙂 I have generally not been over impressed with liquid yeast packets or phials. They are very expensive...

I have been using Starsan since I started brewing & as my 16oz bottle was coming to an end I had a bottle of Chemsan in the cupboard. So I ran a test. I consistently get a pH of below 3 with Starsan (typically around 2). I have a water softener which I use for the mix, so no problems with...

I use AEB kegs which have an oval lid. As others have said I find keg lube essential to get an easy seal. I have occasionally had problems with an o-ring lid seal, so I keep a few in stock, But with a good o-ring & keg lube I get a reliable seal without much trouble.

I agree, it's just that some elements are wrapped up to fit in a small space e.g. a kettle. Water can't burn but the noise they make is steam bubbles forming on the element, so wort would tend to burn unless power turned right down. Also would be hard to clean. Those BrewPi elements look...

My gut feeling would be that you are on the right track using two low heat density elements to spread the heat. I had a quick look at the Screwfix immersion heater and personally I'd say it is unsuitable, the hole you will need to cut will be very large and it will be difficult to seal to the...

if all else has failed you could take it apart & reassemble with silicone sealant (important to use one free of fungicide e.g. Dow Corning 781)

I think that you might be proving my point actually. If your fridge is not on then the effect that I describe will not occur, so this could be why your heater tube has lasted 4 years. Or you could just be lucky. Heat cycling hot to cold using a temperature chamber or a hair dryer and a freezer...

When frequent failures like this are seen then it's normally because a product is being operated outside its design envelope. I suspect that the reason is stress due to extreme heat change (more than might be anticipated when used in an airing cupboard or greenhouse which have no active cooling...

An adjustable spanner doesn't fit very well onto my AEB kegs and if the posts are done up real tight then you'd struggle to shift them without damage using an adjustable wrench. So I guess that's why most use a ring spanner or a long socket.

I also use a deep 22mm socket & just nip them up. The O ring does not require anything more than finger tight to seal, so light torque from a socket is fine. The problem I had was when trying to be too thorough and deciding to try to take apart the poppet valve for cleaning. I have AEB kegs and...

These heaters are all about 60W, any idea of a 'hot spot' is a bit of a joke. Also natural convection currents will distribute any such low grade heat. But they all work and it makes no real difference in the end.

I find temp sensor taped to side of fermenter as you show works well for me. I prefer a brew belt rather than the rod heater type as the belt is indirect contact with the fermenter. If using a rod heater then I'd replace the glass with a 3mm aluminium sheet with ~25mm holes drilled to allow air...