A bit more bodging

[Sean_Mc]

After seeing Bolty's and Brewzone's spinny sparge arms thought I'd have a go and build one today.

So bodging with what I have in the shed I seem to have something that might be okay.

Testing over a rhino bucket.....click pic for video

 

[Cussword]

:thumb: Very inventive, I might have a go myself :

 

[jamesb]

Is that gravity fed or pumped Sean?

 

[corby_brewer]

Is that gravity fed or pumped Sean?

I think its a pump feed JB. Well going by this anyway.

 

[Sean_Mc]

Yep it's pumped from a 12v jobbie.

Work stuff sorted so the HLT has just been switched on

 

[bolty]

That's wicked :thumb:

Let me know how it works out for you... Can't wait to use mine.

 

[Sean_Mc]

Bolty it worked a treat, sorry no pics as I was balancing the flow through the pump to keep the water a few mm above the grains, but reckon I have that pretty much sorted for its next run.

Thanks for posting the video and how to build one :thumb:

 

Detail of the gland would be much appreciated!

 

[Cussword]

That is a nifty little pump what is it & where is it available

 

[Sean_Mc]

Eric, Bolty describes how to build one better than I could, here's what I followed

The way I did it was to tighten the compression fittings either side fully (for the arms), then with the top compression fitting, fully tighten it (the olive bites into the copper pipe), then undid it fully. I then added a load of PTFE tape to the thread of the top compression fitting and threaded the nut on, though only partially.

Because of the PTFE tape the nut does not have to be fully tightened to lock onto the thread leaving the olive not compressed between the nut and the fitting, thus allowing it to spin. You can then either put food safe, high temp grease or small amount of PTFE tape on the top of the olive, if it does not spin, to help it go round.

I then drilled the holes in the arms, starting from the centre I drilled them in a descending pattern to make sure the centre ones don't take all the water.

Toni, there's lots of info about the PUMP over at JIMS, that's where I saw it.

 

[Aleman]

I'm planning on buying one for the femto system to recirculate the HLT and for sparging purposes. . . . Probably ready for my brew day next week

 

[Cussword]

:thumb: Thanks mate, I'll be looking that up :

 

Eric, Bolty describes how to build one better than I could

Many thanks for the info SM and many thanks to Bolty for the original post.

 

[Sean_Mc]

Building a new hop strainer whilst I have a brew mashing. Using the mesh from a flexible tap connector

Thought I'd have a hack at the fitting and was happy to find a barbed tail, which is a nice snug fit for the 8mm hose I have for the pump

 

[Sean_Mc]

Today's bodge was finally fitting the taps to an old fridge and actually seeing how many cornies I can fit in it.

I took the old blow moulded skin out of the door interior, then it was just the metal front and foam

couple of taps fitted

With a squeeze I can just manage to get four cornies in.....perfect ...and the freezer below is for hops and other brewing bits

Gas attached and three taps connected to the door.....sadly only two work, going to order pipe, JG fittings from Paul at BB and another dalex tap

Its been all in place now for a couple of hours so had a sample of my pale ale and its chilling nicely. Air temp is 4c, but the kegs are still 12c.

SWMBO is disgusted that I did that to a fridge and is starting to worry about the time I spend in the shed :whistle:

 

SWMBO is disgusted that I did that to a fridge

That's the problem, they just don't understand the finer points of life!

 

[Sean_Mc]

Had to promise that I'd put a fizzy water on tap...didn't say when though :grin:

 

[kentish dave]

hope you don't mind if I put this here:

I am about to embark on my first AG, I am the ultimate cheapskate so I reason that I don't strictly need a sparge arm (sprinkle from a kettle or something as per John Seymour's instructions), I don't need a chiller, I will just stick some ice and cold water in my bath, dunk the bucket in there and put a plastic pipe full of ice into the centre of the brew. I could even preserve the integrity of my plastic brewing buckets by attaching a couple of kettle elements to a plastic pipe, with the power supply safely inside and dunk that in the tub for the boil. And maybe I don't need a hop strainer or a tap, I could build a little sieve onto the end of a small pipe and siphon the barm out of the boiler?

Is this possible or is there some essential reason why the boiler must have a tap?
seems to me I could do my first AG brew with about a tenner's worth of extra kit.

 

As home brewing includes a lot of experimentation, I would suck it and see.
Think you'll end up paying the £10 though!

 

[Sean_Mc]

Dave when the worts cooled the protein clumps and you need to remove this. Best way is to filter it through the hops you've used and drain through the bottom out of a tap........think I have that right :wha:

I first went for gate valves (cheaper), but ball valves are mush easier to use