all in one systems but no easy water source

[Robbo851]

Hi,
I am looking into getting an all in one system that I would use in my garage which has electric but doesn't have a sink or any water source, I have an out side water tap about 20m away and I have brewing buckets I could use to move water from the kitchen to the garage. I probably would of gone with the grainfather connect but it would seem it needs to connect to a tap near by. is it possible for me to have any all in one system without a water source near?

 

[simon12]

I don't own one but as far as I can tell the only thing that needs a water source is the chiller so without you will need to either no chill or move it to chill or get a 20m hose (for chilling doesn't need to be food grade).

 

[Robbo851]

would a no chill work? would you just skip the chill and let it cool naturally?
the garden hose option, would it connect easily to a garden hose? if so that's the simplest option surely - for

 

[MagnusTS]

I have a similar set up, and fill the Grainfather (for the mash) using a big plastic jerry can which I carry to the garage from my kitchen.

You only need to connect directly to a tap for cooling the wort with the Grainfather's excellent counter-flow chiller. I use a hose from my outside tap to the chiller. But I can never get a perfect connection, and there is always a little water sprayed from the join between hose and chiller.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Robbo, I use a hozelock connected to my outside tap on my chiller and the overflow goes down the drain or if you have one a water butt, you will just need hoses that are long enough

 

[Robbo851]

thanks for the answers guys, seems like I could rig something up with a hose to the outside tap. time to start saving now.

 

[Rodcx500z]

thanks for the answers guys, seems like I could rig something up with a hose to the outside tap. time to start saving now.

This is something I will have to do in winter Robbo, also you will need some kind of extraction for all the steam that gets generated during the boil

 

[Robbo851]

This is something I will have to do in winter Robbo, also you will need some kind of extraction for all the steam that gets generated during the boil

I was worried about the steam but read that the grainfather was one of the better ones for producing least steam and found several people saying they did theirs in their garage with the garage door open and no issues

 

[Rodcx500z]

I was worried about the steam but read that the grainfather was one of the better ones for producing least steam and found several people saying they did theirs in their garage with the garage door open and no issues

Mines a metal shed so I will need something that's for sure, forgot to say you don't need to go lugging buckets of water I have a 15mtr flexi hose pipe that you turn on at the tap and you can turn off at the other end

 

[Robbo851]

I wouldn't use a hose to fill the system for the wort only the chiller, hose pipes just seem so unsanitary. don't mind lugging about buckets, that's what I'm currently doing anyway moving from the kitchen to the garage.

 

[The Baron]

If you are not sure of using a hosepipe I would no Chill as I use it on every brew and find it suits me very well and never had a problem

 

[Robbo851]

If you are not sure of using a hosepipe I would no Chill as I use it on every brew and find it suits me very well and never had a problem

hose for the chiller is fine just not to fill the with water for the boil.

 

[The Baron]

Just thought if you do want to use the hose there are ones that are safe for water sources I think caravaners use them but they are a little dearer than standard hoses as you would expect. Try ebay or the local outdoor style shops this is how they are described -
Certified blue drinking water hose for caravans,camping & motorhomes

 

[Rodcx500z]

So you mean mains water through a hose pipe should not be used in the kettle for boiling the wort, I didn't know this but I always run it through to get rid of any water In the hose, and surely anything in the water would be killed off during a 1 hour boil,

 

[The Baron]

Using standard hoses can release plasticisers etc in the hose etc so it is not good practice if you are using it for filling the brew kettle and sparging but ok for cooling through a chiller as this water does not come into contact with the brew

 

[Ghillie]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50FT-200...hash=item521e1ab0f7:m:mPVZ5YOGZP-S2k8u-mj-_8A

Not being funny by the way, these are great.

I wouldn't use a hose to fill the system for the wort only the chiller, hose pipes just seem so unsanitary.

Wouldn't worry about that; all my beers are made with water from a hose. Even the two that won both comps I've entered on the forum this year

What's more is that it's all pre-boil so no need to worry about things being "unsanitary". As long as the hose is clean and your water is is clean - then your beer will be clean.

 

[terrym]

So you mean mains water through a hose pipe should not be used in the kettle for boiling the wort, I didn't know this but I always run it through to get rid of any water In the hose, and surely anything in the water would be killed off during a 1 hour boil,

If you flush the line through before you brew, the amount of plasticiser or whatever it is people are concerned about will probably be so small as to be undetectable. It certainly won't taste and spoil your beer.
I often wonder why people worry about these things when they should be more concerned about consuming the very thing they are striving to create, which is of course ethyl alcohol, let alone all the other organic chemical fermentation byproducts present in lesser concentrations.

 

[Rodcx500z]

This place is a bloody edumacation I love it, well I am 66 now so it's onward and upward

 

[MagnusTS]

This is something I will have to do in winter Robbo, also you will need some kind of extraction for all the steam that gets generated during the boil

Yes, @Rodcx500z is correct, there is a LOT of steam. I have my Grainfather at the front of the garage with the doors open for the steam to escape. But it does still make everything damp in the garage.

 

[Ghillie]

No extraction for me and I'm too lazy to run cabling for one. Even as an electrician, doing work in your own house is still a chore...

For now, having the garage roller door open and the wee access door at the back is enough to force the large majority of steam out. An extraction fan with trunking and hood above the vessel would be ideal though.