Boiler Steam Extractor

[battwave]

For time immemorial, Mrs Battwave has complained bitterly of the cooking ingredients in the kitchen cupboards solidifying due to the effects of high levels of water vapor on brew days. Sound familiar? If so, read-on......

I'd reasoned that extraction of the steam at-source, had to be the solution, but the Mk1 extractor came to a sticky end on its maiden voyage when the plastic fan of my Toolstation ten quid extractor fan went all floppy and crashed into the surround. As a dedicated engineer, I put this down to the overheads of development and shelled out another ten quid, and can report that Mk2 gave a condensation-free brew day yesterday.

The difference between Mk1 and Mk2 is the holes in the side of the old fermenter, where the total area of these is equal to the area of the 100mm extractor pipe. Also gives the ability to see what's going-on in the boiler!

The last photo shows the fan mounted in what was the base of an old fermenter. This is a 240v fan; if you're not happy with your electrics, low voltage fans are available for a few pounds more.

Just hoping this photo upload will work; not done it before!

 

[mr_spin]

Nice idea. here's your images

 

[battwave]

I knew there'd be someone who would just be able to tinker with all that html stuff and tell me my mother's maiden name and inside leg measurement. Well done Mr Spin; can you tell me what I did wrong please?

 

[mr_spin]

I knew there'd be someone who would just be able to tinker with all that html stuff and tell me my mother's maiden name and inside leg measurement. Well done Mr Spin; can you tell me what I did wrong please?

when posting images, you need to post urls with .jpeg/jpg etc rather than the link to the actual website such as http://www.imgbox.co.uk/upload/files/20 ... 6b77b1.jpg rather than http://www.imgbox.co.uk/?photo=2011-04/d46b77b1. In your earlier links, if you grab the url and load the page, right click on the pic and this gives you the URL for the jpg file. It is this url that you embed with

 

[battwave]

Thanks Mr Spin.

 

[craigite]

You might find that there is a lot of condensation inside the 'lid'. When I tried this the extractor itself caused condensation to drip back into the brew. Desided this was not a good idea, the first time the extractor was quite clean but who knows what it would be like in a few brews?

Hope you have better luck than me.

 

[Runwell-Steve]

That looks to do the job,

I have a fixed brewery set up in my garage that I have just finished upgrading. Steam extraction was a serious consideration as my previous setup just filled the garage every brew and I had condensation dripping from the ceiling.

After lots of research, and a bit of a gamble I bought a stainless steel cooker hood from Wickes, with the intention of extracting the steam to outside through the wall, it was only 40 quid.

It got it's first run yesterday, I was more impressed than expected. Not a single bit of condensation formed on the hood, all the steam got extracted outside and there were no drips back into the boiler.

Once I had finished the boil and covered the boiler I took the filters out to see how wet it was inside, and it wasn't, the whole thing was bone dry, even though it had moved about 8 Litres of water in the form of steam.

I was very pleased with the way it worked, I was expecting at least a few drips back into the boiler, but no, not one.

 

[battwave]

You might find that there is a lot of condensation inside the 'lid'. When I tried this the extractor itself caused condensation to drip back into the brew. Desided this was not a good idea, the first time the extractor was quite clean but who knows what it would be like in a few brews?

Hope you have better luck than me.

I'd worried about that myself and concluded that if I let it run-on after the brew (to dry it out), and kept it in a clean dry place i might be OK. As for the drip itself, I reasoned that the steam is sterile and anything that dropped back into the boiler would be sterilised.

......but only time will tell. If I start asking questions about spoiled brews and off flavours, please feel free to remind me about this conversation :-)

 

[craigite]

You might find that there is a lot of condensation inside the 'lid'. When I tried this the extractor itself caused condensation to drip back into the brew. Desided this was not a good idea, the first time the extractor was quite clean but who knows what it would be like in a few brews?

Hope you have better luck than me.

I'd worried about that myself and concluded that if I let it run-on after the brew (to dry it out), and kept it in a clean dry place i might be OK. As for the drip itself, I reasoned that the steam is sterile and anything that dropped back into the boiler would be sterilised.

......but only time will tell. If I start asking questions about spoiled brews and off flavours, please feel free to remind me about this conversation :-)

Sounds like you all have this sorted. Might be time for me to revisit this idea.
Only problem is with wind speed regurally over 30mph if the direction is wrong the extractor will decome a vent!

 

[evanvine]

Now for the tongue in cheek method of extraction.
I put my boiler on a trolley and wheel it under the "up and over" garage door, all the steam vents to atmosphere and not the garage. :whistle:

 

[craigite]

Now for the tongue in cheek method of extraction.
I put my boiler on a trolley and wheel it under the "up and over" garage door, all the steam vents to atmosphere and not the garage. :whistle:

Oh, to have wheels on my boiler.
I feel a project growing in my head. How about remote controlled

 

[snail59]

Oh, to have wheels on my boiler.
I feel a project growing in my head. How about remote controlled

Your gonna need one of THESE :rofl:

 

[evanvine]

Your gonna need one of THESE

Or you could use a B&Q sack barrow that converts into a flat bed trolley!

 

[Aleman]

I'm seriously considering a chimney on my big boiler (which happens to have a convenient Flange fitting for it) . . . straight into an extractor hood/ fan . . .so that I can brew rain free.

I tried it with a piece of 54mm Copper tube held over it and got great 'draw'

Need to deal with the issue of condensation so I'm thinking 4" diameter ducting (the hole is only 1 1/2" . . .with a 'cup' to collect condensation and drain out to 'waste'. The cup will mount to the flange . . . and it will have holes in to allow free cool air to enter

 

[evanvine]

BB came up with this idea, but didn't go into how he dealt with condensation running running back!

 

[Rparkera]

If you're using a kitchen extractor fan - mine is about a foot above the open 5 gallon electric boiler - then remember that you don't just get steam coming into the filters / extractor fan unit. Those volatiles and other gunk have got to go somewhere too

I usually wash the steel grease filters from the hood in our dishwasher - luckily they are d/w proof! And I'm also wiping them throughout the boil with an absorbent cloth

The whole hood unit also gets a wipe at the end of the boil too, inside the lip and fittings - a brown liquid looking remarkably like wort has collected in there.

Going to have to improve this for the new 10 gallon electric boiler

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

BB came up with this idea, but didn't go into how he dealt with condensation running running back!

When I'm brewing I have a dip in the pipe just after the bungy, the heat makes it dip...then every so often I lift the pipe off and drain away the condensate....
When I get chance I'll be fitting an aluminium flue with an hole in the "dip" to drain away into a container!!

Works great for me! :thumb:

BB

 

[unclepumble]

I'm seriously considering a chimney on my big boiler (which happens to have a convenient Flange fitting for it) . . . straight into an extractor hood/ fan . . .so that I can brew rain free.

I tried it with a piece of 54mm Copper tube held over it and got great 'draw'

Need to deal with the issue of condensation so I'm thinking 4" diameter ducting (the hole is only 1 1/2" . . .with a 'cup' to collect condensation and drain out to 'waste'. The cup will mount to the flange . . . and it will have holes in to allow free cool air to enter

I didn't find condensation to be an issue tony, the wort pressure boils if you keep the lid closed & the DMS drives off well, I got mine to 110 deg C with about an 1" spare to the rim at 110deg C with no boil over

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