Help needed with shiny set up

[nicknoxx]

I'm in the planning stages for brewery 2.0 and am hoping to make as much of it as possible out of stainless steel. I'm planning to make all vessels bottom draining with a purpose build table to take the pipework underneath. So my questions are:-

How important is Mash Tun insulation with a HERMS set up? The un-insulated post are half the price of the thermopots and simpler to convert, so I was thinking of just using plain pots and wrapping with Armaflex or similar.

The 150lb screw fit stainless fitting are new to me. I've done a fair bit of plumbing and was wondering how easy it is to thread stainless tube (by hand) and how you get fittings to line up when using parallel threads. Any clues?

This is what I'm planning:-

Thanks

 

[Fil]

As im (hopefully) nearing the end of my Big SS brewkit build i can answer some of your Q's..

firstly i didnt use any parallel nipples to seal a pot hole, i used the tapered hex nipples with m20 ss washers (the od of the thread is 20.9mm however the tolerance of m20 washers isnt that tight, and most in a pack will be a snug fit round the hilt of a 1/2" bsp hex nipple, those that are not can easily be filled out a tad. M21 washers will leave a gap where the hex edge is flat..

if you check out the recirc return fitting on the pot below u can see the hex of the nipple on the pot exterior connecting to the fittings inside braced each side with a m20 SS washer, ptfe tape helping seal the washer onto the nipple hilt, and a silicone sheet diy washer cut in too.

To line up as u want count the revolutions needed to fit the bits to lock beyond your required position, undo and wrap the thread with a liberal amount of sealing tape. and then refit lining up turning your previous count -1. u can also dab a small smear of feronox lsx thread sealer to help lock the bit in place..
(its noxious till cured then is simple silicone suitable for pottable water use)

as for threading your own pipe, Ive not done that, but with the right tools it can be done im sure though it may be hard on the tools??

I think your better off with an insulated tun, I went thermopot, but as long as its insulated somehow. a big hot SS pot will radiate a lot of heat, and without insulation to retain heat your herms may not be able to maintain the mash temp let alone rise it for any stepped mashing..

I opted to go a different route to your plan, and the following is just my reasons.

I havent gone fixed in place pots as it would make cleaning a pita, especially getting the dead grain out of the tun. and while its a bit of a cheat, i find a last minute forward tip to be an excellent solution to minimising deadspace.

I didnt opt for fixed pipework, too expensive, I didnt consider threading my own pipe and just balked at the price of swaglock fittings (the stainless steel equivalent of compression fittings) and while camlocks are not cheap, you only need 3 hoses and one pump if you go that route. tho they are not a spill proof solution, and they get hot so a glove is a useful bit of brewday kit as is a garden centre gravel tray to catch lil spills. No one seems to mention that when talking about em..

have fun with it :)

 

[nicknoxx]

Thanks for your very comprehensive reply.

I see that special dies for threading stainless are available but they are eeeeek prices (>£50 for one). For a small brewery it's got to be cheaper to get someone else to thread some tube for me.

I'm planning to use more than one pump because I want to fly sparge and need two as a minimum and phase 1 will use the cheapo solar pumps on ebay so I might as well buy a third.

In contrast to you, I think it will be easier to clean in place as manhandling 100l pots over a small sink is quite tricky. We'll see. . . .

thanks again

Nick