Plumbers Nightmare...Help

[Dieseljockey]

Right guys....here we go.. :pray:

Done most of the pipework....but will you lads have a look and see if there's any blaring cockups that stand out to you!!!

All the joints are still loose so I can juggle the pipework if I need to without damage.

Closer look at first photo...

cont...

I think I've got most of it correct.....water from HLT to Tun for mash...then back through the pump to sparge...the Tun to Boiler.

I've sat & looked at it for long enough...I need to get my maiden brew on the go :thumb:

 

[chrisp]

I,m not sure if I'm looking at this correctly, but when you are sparging from HLT how do you get the wort out of the mash tun into the copper?

Chrisp

 

[Dieseljockey]

No your right Chrisp.....

My thoughts where to batch-sparg....first I'll completely drain the mash tun into the kettle.... once the first runnings are collected, an additional amount of hot liquor is pumped into the mash tun, and then drained again into the kettle.

Have I lost the plot???

 

[Samarith]

Are you related to Escher? :wha:

Lets see how much learned from one day with Aleman.

I probably would have gone with plastic hoses to connect the containers to the pump as required. I assume the pump inlet is on the left?

The downside with your setup seems to be that you can't underlet into the mash tun, that and you better triple check all the valve settings before you power the pump each time.

Edit: Oh and how will you know if the mash tun is running clear before you redirect to the boiler. Umm...and be very careful with power to the pump you could compress the grain bed to a solid mass in 3 seconds flat at full power.

 

[Dieseljockey]

Lets see how much learned from one day with Aleman.

I probably would have gone with plastic hoses to connect the containers to the pump as required. I assume the pump inlet is on the left?

The downside with your setup seems to be that you can't underlet into the mash tun, that and you better triple check all the valve settings before you power the pump each time.

Edit: Oh and how will you know if the mash tun is running clear before you redirect to the boiler. Umm...and be very careful with power to the pump you could compress the grain bed to a solid mass in 3 seconds flat at full power.

right now you've got me worrying...Why plastic hoses??
...I wasn't going to underlet at the mo....have I gone wrong there?
...If I have it correct I was going to recirculat the first batch to the tun till clear then send to the boiler....then sparg then pump to boiler...I agree about the valves but from what I've seen of other setups...some guys have the same problem....there very visual..you can see if there open or not..fingerd crossed :pray:

..With the pump..1 it's a magnetic drive so hope that's easier to work with.
2..I hope I have it right with the top gate valve acting as a balance pipe..I can restrict with the other valves also to slow the pump down...again fingers crossed :pray:

 

[Cussword]

right now you've got me worrying...Why plastic hoses??
...I wasn't going to underlet at the mo....have I gone wrong there?
...If I have it correct I was going to recirculat the first batch to the tun till clear then send to the boiler....then sparg then pump to boiler...I agree about the valves but from what I've seen of other setups...some guys have the same problem....there very visual..you can see if there open or not..fingerd crossed :pray:

..With the pump..1 it's a magnetic drive so hope that's easier to work with.
2..I hope I have it right with the top gate valve acting as a balance pipe..I can restrict with the other valves also to slow the pump down...again fingers crossed :pray:

The plastic hoses give you a visual & they are easier to dismantle if your setup isn't a permanent fixture which yours looks to be.
The balance pipe looks just the same as Uncle Plumbles, so I would say that it's perfect :thumb:

 

[Cussword]

Are you related to Escher? :wha:

Lets see how much learned from one day with Aleman.

I probably would have gone with plastic hoses to connect the containers to the pump as required. I assume the pump inlet is on the left?

The downside with your setup seems to be that you can't underlet into the mash tun, that and you better triple check all the valve settings before you power the pump each time.

Edit: Oh and how will you know if the mash tun is running clear before you redirect to the boiler. Umm...and be very careful with power to the pump you could compress the grain bed to a solid mass in 3 seconds flat at full power.

Tony would be proud of your memory

 

[Samarith]

Don't take anything I say as right, I spent one day doing a single brew with Aleman. While he knows what he's doing, I don't know that I understood everything.

Plastic hoses because its easier to swap those around as required. You can see at a glance what's connected to what. Though with the nice big taps you've go so can you.

I was told underletting is much easier to manage if its a one man operation, certainly looked easy. Dump all the dried into the MT first then pump in water, none of that add a bit, stir, add a bit....

Recirc till clear etc would work, its what we did. I guess you'd watch the liquor going into the top of the MT for clarity. Silly me.

Pump wise all I can say is the one we used had a variable speed control that was used several times. I'm afraid my experience is very limited.

 

[Dieseljockey]

Cheers Cuss :thumb:

I can see about the plastic pipe...I could splice a short length in...but would it do anything..I will be watching the wort as it recirculats..
yes it's a fixed setup....so no putting away after a brew..... :clap:

I want to look at working the pump into the cooling system also...but that's later on.

 

[Dieseljockey]

Cheers Samarith.. :thumb:

No problem mate ....glad for the input..made me think even harder....I've read up on underletting and I think I could do it with this setup with a slight tweak....maybe easier :wha:

I just want to get everything ok before I tighten it all up :pray:

 

[chrisp]

It looks like you can underlet to me, no pump running and just open the valves from the HLT to the mash tun, or am I missing something?

LHS HLT - Middle Mash Tun - RHS Copper?

Is that right?

Chrisp

 

It all looks very impressive DJ, you must have spent a fortune on all those compression joints.
They do give you the advantage of disassembly though.
An overall pic as well as the close ups would have helped me get my head around what you are doing, I'm just grateful to the others for explaning it!

 

[Dieseljockey]

Yes you may be right about that Chrisp....because I let the water from the HLT out and it ran through the pump...


Ericstd...

Cost of the com joints was ok...think they were about £2 each...& the valves about the same. can't get an overall pic the place is to small...we have a little cottage and it's the old outhouse where the old folks would have have the old cast boiler...I can remember going out and having to light the fire under the boiler after filling it with water for the old lady for wash day...It's about 10" X 10"....hence it's name "The Outhouse Brewery"

Your correct about the advantage of disassembly..I've had the pump off a couple of time yesterday alone :twisted: ...a leak from the seal end...when it came the inlet / outlet were on the same side so I took out the bolts and turned it as it is now but it sprang a leak....

 

[Aleman]

If you buy the compression fittings in bulk from Screwfix it is significantly cheaper :whistle: