Moving from Kits to AG Equipment advice

[PokeHer]

A sightglass is great, but i find a dipstick a lot easier to use and callibrate each brew as i fill with known amounts i mark off with an o-rings and cable ties around my ss tube dipstick. and you dont need to fit a sight glass which cuts down on work..

Is the purpose of a sight tube purely for knowing how much is in the boiler? I have an engraving set, does anyone know if these pots are engravable?

 

[Fil]

afaik a sight glass in a boiler isnt very useful as your only really intersted in the final target volume. and boils can discolour the inside of the tube a sod to clean..

in a hlt its more useful as you probably want to measure out your initial mash volume and sparge volumes. and if you use any chemical treatments knowing the volume your treating is pretty crucial.

also depends on the height the thing is mounted, a dip stick or side pot engraving can be seen easily from above, but not if the pot is at the top of a 3 tier gravity system.

i would try the engraver on the pot underside to see how you get on first..

and if you do engrave consider what you want to engrave, basic volume, or the volume above deadspace?

 

[PokeHer]

Very helpful and makes sense, thanks

 

[TRXnMe]

Get a Qmax cutter, no practice required with those.

DO NOT try and use a DIY shop hole saw, it WILL go blunt before you finish the first hole, let alone the second.

BIAB is a good way to get started, just make sure you have enough stuff to wrap round it for insulation, although if the heat does drop off you can turn the gas back on and heat it back up a bit, just make sure you stir it regular if you do that :)

 

[PokeHer]

Oh yes I will definitely get the right tools for the job. I don't like to bodge things. Like the previous owner of my house did! Sigh...

 

[Titus A Duxass]

Oh yes I will definitely get the right tools for the job. I don't like to bodge things. Like the previous owner of my house did! Sigh...

I just bought one of those houses as well. 150 years old and most of the modernisation was done in the communist time.

 

[PokeHer]

Shinies have arrived! What a service!

 

[calumscott]

Lookin' good!!! Oooh, and that pot fits really nicely on that there hob...

Get a tap and a hopstopper fitted and get a BIAB on!!!

 

[PokeHer]

I haven't even ordered my other bits yet! Didn't expect them to be here THAT quick!

It does fit nicely on there but I'm not sure I'd be too happy with the weight of 50 litres on it... It's a separate gas hob, not supported underneath, only around the sides, what do you think?

 

[PD]

Get a couple of holes/elements in it. Then you can stand it on a workmate inside or outside the house as is your want.

 

[calumscott]

I haven't even ordered my other bits yet! Didn't expect them to be here THAT quick!

It does fit nicely on there but I'm not sure I'd be too happy with the weight of 50 litres on it... It's a separate gas hob, not supported underneath, only around the sides, what do you think?

Same as mine. I'm going to go for a double before too long... 36l + grain is no trouble at all... I think a double would go at about 55l + a bit of a sparge to bring it up to pre-boil volume...

 

[PokeHer]

Well, I'm a bit slow but I'm getting there! Ordered my Muslin Voile and my seam tape, going to knock up a bag this weekend. Also have to create my hop stopper, I've gone for a larger octagon design, will post some pics when done. So far, so good will hopefully have my first BIAB brew on the go next weekend (16th March)

:)

 

[calumscott]

Well, I'm a bit slow but I'm getting there! Ordered my Muslin Voile and my seam tape, going to knock up a bag this weekend. Also have to create my hop stopper, I've gone for a larger octagon design, will post some pics when done. So far, so good will hopefully have my first BIAB brew on the go next weekend (16th March)

:)

I'll try to remember to take you some photos of mine which should help you. If you haven't seen them by late in the week, PM me and I'll do them. :thumb:

 

[h_doody]

Is this the standard 3 vessel technique for AG:

Heat water in boiler to mash temp, move to mash tun to mash, after mash move water to HLT for boiling, move to FV?

I'm probably being rather stupid as I can't seem to get my head around it.

 

[PD]

in a 3 vessel system you heat the whole lot of water. An amount is taken out to the mash tun along with the grains and they are mashed. More water is added from your HLT to sparge ( rinse ) out all the sugars from your grains. The resulting liquid ( the wort ) is then transferred to your 3rd vessel the boiler and the brew is boiled along with its hops After cooling the brew is transferred to your fermenters and yeast added, it then becomes your beer.

That's the simple view

 

[h_doody]

Ah, so all your water is heated in one vessel up to the desired temperature, some is transferred to a second vessel to mash and after mashing is complete you run that water off into a third vessel while running the rest of the water from the first vessel through the second vessel to sparge and into the third vessel. This is then boiled and added to the FV.

 

[PD]

have a read.

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=493

 

[PokeHer]

Well, here is my progress so far....

My Boiler, cheers Vossy1

Got the idea for my hop stopper from various other designs that I've seen on here, just picked bits out. 1 Piece of advice, if you want nice circles or symmetric designs for your pipe bends, buy a proper good pipe bender and not a cheap spring pipe bender from Wickes!

Overall, really happy with it. I am putting it to the use in a few days for my first BIAB brew :)

 

[PD]

Well done....onwards and uppards..... Have fun.

 

[h_doody]

Very, very interested in seeing how your build goes as I'm probably going to be doing exactly the same, even down to the exact same pots from Bergland!