Your Best DIY Equipment?

[HarryFlatters]

It's small beans in comparison to many of you, but other than my keezer, this filter to replace the tiny standard item supplied with my Hopcat has been brilliant in preventing the pump intake from clogging.

 

[SmallSpacesBrewing]

soyyojuli. Your mashing pump looks interesting. I'd love to make that.
What kind of pump is it?

Hi. Yeah it's an OK pump. Don't expect a super strong draw from it, but it works fine. Also does not come with cable. I used an old 12v charger I had laying around.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beer-Pump-...hash=item2f251c7958:m:mkGIfejVm7qPKRO5D_0shPQ

 

[foxy]

Today cleaning my PET fermenters, simple build, for kegs and fermenters, cleaned 2 fermenters today, no kegs to clean but the kegs and posts get blasted with this cheap easy to make system.
Just emptied fermenter, quick rinse ready to go on to cleaner, components, spray ball, some irrigation tube and the cheap Ozito brand submersible pump plus one keg chime.

Note the post cleaners for the kegs.
Place fermenter/ keg over the spray ball, power up the pump and away she goes.

Two fermenters all briney and ***** ready for the next brew. (after sanitising of course)

Easy to make hood for those with a single vessel brewery, about 12 GBP.

 

[steveinUS]

For a 3-tier all grain brewery, I created the BrewLadder in 2004. It uses a standard wooden step-ladder which I modified by removing two of the steps and installing a folding shelf to hold the mash tun. Lots of fun to build. I brewed many a batch on it before lending it to my son, who of course no longer seems to know where it is . The original design shown used a drill-powered pump to move hot liquor to the top tank, which was soon replaced with an electric brewing pump mounted to the bottom step. It’s also easily accessorized with clips, hooks and such to hold brewing tools.

 

[JT_Brews]

Love the BrewLadder!

Easy to make hood for those with a single vessel brewery, about 12 GBP.
View attachment 22571

I could do with one of these, would you mind describing how you made it?

 

[foxy]

Love the BrewLadder!


I could do with one of these, would you mind describing how you made it?

Stainless steel bowl from Chinese cooking utensil stores, cut hole in the top, the flue is from the same store. A s/steel beaker with a rim around the top, pop riveted the rim of the beaker to the bowl and cut off the bottom of the beaker.

 

[ssashton]

came with the Ace mash/boiler (which I think is now Klarstein). It has a metal ring around the rim for reinforcement.

So.. I'm not that keen on my stainless bucket and grain bag method anymore! After using it a few times I've found that I need to dump the grains from the bag directly in the bucket because the fabric holds restricts wort flow too much. It takes ages to drain, I have to wait about 10mins between each 1L of sparge water (I sparge 5L) so 40-50mins just to sparge well. Dumping the grain bag means burning my hand and also making a mess.

I was thinking to buy the same grain bag you have there with handles and steel ring. I want to ask how easily the wort flows out? Does the bag hold the liquid in because the mesh is fine, or does it drain out nice and fast?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Great question, love to see people’s hacks!

My converted water boiler. Also, because the boiler has no volume graduations, a 45cm plastic rule (the boiler has a convenient diameter such that each 1cm depth is a litre volume).

 

[The Baron]

My best non-brewing specific item a Wilko Turkey Baster, loads of uses

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

My best non-brewing specific item a Wilko Turkey Baster, loads of uses

 

[Buffers brewery]

Over-complicated? Yes. Unnecessary? Probably! But it’s my favourite piece of diy kit. It’s my reciprocating sparge tank fitted over my cooler mash tun..
Like most diy projects, it’s gone through a series of “refinements”.

This is the original “design”.

The sparge tank is a plastic food storage box with holes drilled in the bottom suspended from a carriage that’s moved backwards and forwards along the aluminium track sitting on top of the cooler.

The latest “design” is enclosed with plastic cladding to reduce heat loss. Thermal probe fitted to the cooler indicates mash temperature and a probe in the wort return line indicates the temperature in the HERMS circuit.
OTT? Definitely! Does it provide benefits? Dunno. But I enjoy it

 

[The Baron]

Yes Hazlewood it has LOADS of uses

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Over-complicated? Yes. Unnecessary? Probably! But it’s my favourite piece of diy kit. It’s my reciprocating sparge tank fitted over my cooler mash tun..
Like most diy projects, it’s gone through a series of “refinements”.
View attachment 23379
This is the original “design”.
View attachment 23380
The sparge tank is a plastic food storage box with holes drilled in the bottom suspended from a carriage that’s moved backwards and forwards along the aluminium track sitting on top of the cooler.
View attachment 23381
The latest “design” is enclosed with plastic cladding to reduce heat loss. Thermal probe fitted to the cooler indicates mash temperature and a probe in the wort return line indicates the temperature in the HERMS circuit.
OTT? Definitely! Does it provide benefits? Dunno. But I enjoy it

I’m a fan of over-engineering and this is a doozie. Thank you! :hat:

I’m sure you could fit a windscreen washer motor and linkage (optionally, a second linkage to your rocking chair!) to automate the movement. Also, maybe a ball float valve to recharge the sprinkler reservoir.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I’m a fan of over-engineering and this is a doozie. Thank you! :hat:

I’m sure you could fit a windscreen washer motor and linkage (optionally, a second linkage to your rocking chair!) to automate the movement. Also, maybe a ball float valve to recharge the sprinkler reservoir.

Thanks! It's good to know there are other people like me . FYI, the sprinkler reservoir, or as I call it, the sparge tank has either lauter water (that rhymes!) or reheated wort pumped to it by 12 volt pumps that I control, not with valves but a model railway controller! Now where's that rocking chair...

 

[ssashton]

Great question, love to see people’s hacks!

My converted water boiler. Also, because the boiler has no volume graduations, a 45cm plastic rule (the boiler has a convenient diameter such that each 1cm depth is a litre volume).

View attachment 23378 View attachment 23377

Where did you buy the grain basket?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Where did you buy the grain basket?

I think I got this one from Amazon and paid £80. If you Google “grain spider” you’ll find the same thing for between £70 and £90.

 

[The Baron]

Over-complicated? Yes. Unnecessary? Probably! But it’s my favourite piece of diy kit. It’s my reciprocating sparge tank fitted over my cooler mash tun..
Like most diy projects, it’s gone through a series of “refinements”.
View attachment 23379
This is the original “design”.
View attachment 23380
The sparge tank is a plastic food storage box with holes drilled in the bottom suspended from a carriage that’s moved backwards and forwards along the aluminium track sitting on top of the cooler.
View attachment 23381
The latest “design” is enclosed with plastic cladding to reduce heat loss. Thermal probe fitted to the cooler indicates mash temperature and a probe in the wort return line indicates the temperature in the HERMS circuit.
OTT? Definitely! Does it provide benefits? Dunno. But I enjoy it

Some serious sh%$ there Buffers-its a man thing

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Thanks! It's good to know there are other people like me . FYI, the sprinkler reservoir, or as I call it, the sparge tank has either lauter water (that rhymes!) or reheated wort pumped to it by 12 volt pumps that I control, not with valves but a model railway controller! Now where's that rocking chair...

A kindred spirit!

 

[shweeney]

So.. I'm not that keen on my stainless bucket and grain bag method anymore! After using it a few times I've found that I need to dump the grains from the bag directly in the bucket because the fabric holds restricts wort flow too much. It takes ages to drain, I have to wait about 10mins between each 1L of sparge water (I sparge 5L) so 40-50mins just to sparge well. Dumping the grain bag means burning my hand and also making a mess.

I was thinking to buy the same grain bag you have there with handles and steel ring. I want to ask how easily the wort flows out? Does the bag hold the liquid in because the mesh is fine, or does it drain out nice and fast?

water drains from the bag fine. Once I've hung it up on the bike stand I twist it around a few times to squeeze the wort out and it just flows out without a problem (don't know where you'd buy the bag separately though).

 

[ssashton]

Over-complicated? Yes. Unnecessary? Probably! But it’s my favourite piece of diy kit. It’s my reciprocating sparge tank fitted over my cooler mash tun..

Looks like some pretty cool engineerding! Does a motor move the tank?