# Ash's Brewery Progress



## Ash in Perth (20/6/06)

Ok ive finally got some time to start building. Went and got all the SS bits today. Only thing missing in this photo is the 6m 3/8" SS tube for the CFC. Going to put it all together over the next couple of weeks. cutting, welding, etc. Ill keep updating the thread as i do more work. Dont expect a masterpeice like tony's though.


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## lou (21/6/06)

Ooooh 

love those sexy 3 piece stainless ball valves :wub: 

lou


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## Tony (21/6/06)

very nice mate.

love the sign........ GOOD BEER HERE 

hehe

cheers


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## mika (21/6/06)

Where the valves come from Ash ? and if you don't mind...How much ??


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## ausdb (21/6/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Ok ive finally got some time to start building. Went and got all the SS bits today. Only thing missing in this photo is the 6m 3/8" SS tube for the CFC. Going to put it all together over the next couple of weeks. cutting, welding, etc. Ill keep updating the thread as i do more work. Dont expect a masterpeice like tony's though.



Whats you brew size going to be Ash, with a 50L mash tun you may find yourself upping your batch size sooner rather than later and it looks like you might be running out of space in your kettle. Also be interested to know where you get the 3 piece valves from too.


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## devo (21/6/06)

mmm beer porn


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## spog (21/6/06)

ash ip,i see you have the 3 ring type burner in your rig.i have a 3 ring burner on my hlt and 2 ring burners on mash tun and kettle.after doing( watching) an all grain with dicko recently with his nasa burners,they seem to be the ducks nuts.but but but i have since been told that with an adjustable regulator i should get much better performance from my burners than in say, standard mode (regulator) not nasa quality :angry: lack of research on my behalf. any body else had/have this system going.am i wrong?..cheers..spog..


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## devo (21/6/06)

spog said:


> ash ip,i see you have the 3 ring type burner in your rig.i have a 3 ring burner on my hlt and 2 ring burners on mash tun and kettle.after doing( watching) an all grain with dicko recently with his nasa burners,they seem to be the ducks nuts.but but but i have since been told that with an adjustable regulator i should get much better performance from my burners than in say, standard mode (regulator) not nasa quality :angry: lack of research on my behalf. any body else had/have this system going.am i wrong?..cheers..spog..




I still use a 3 ring on my kettle which has been going great guns but the nasa on the HLT is as you put it, "the ducks nuts". :super:


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## Tony (21/6/06)

i used a 3 ring under 30 loter boils and it worked great.

HAd to ubgrade to the mongolian for the 60 liter boils but i thing if i had of got a hightr flow low pressure reg for the 3 ring and mounted it better it probably would have worked ok.

thats the only explination for the burner arguments. everyone has them mounteddifferent and the perform differently because of this.

2 options. 

get a high pressure burner to keep your kids awake or play with your setup to masimise airflow potential and heat utalisation and see how you go,

cheers


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## spog (21/6/06)

cheers , sorry for the slight hijack not intended,cheers ...spog...


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## Ash in Perth (21/6/06)

Ill only be doing 20-30L batches because i prefer having lots of different beers in my firdge rather than lots of the same. The 3 ring burner should be enoguh for this.

Ill be using an electric element and thermostat for the HLT. Mash is going to be heat exchange.

Ball valves were from sterlings steel in perth, cost a bit less than $20 for 1/2" 3 piece. All bits are cheap there.


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## mika (21/6/06)

Champ !  Sounds like the kinda valves I need. Got a part number at all ??


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## Ash in Perth (21/6/06)

Not with me but they have a 'shop front' where there will be some one to sort you out.

Get a quote first because i think most of their prices are done that way.

http://www.stirlingsaustralia.com.au/contact.php


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## razz (22/6/06)

G'day Ash. I think you may need to rethink your kettle and mashtun. I did the same thing and ended up swaping them around. The cut down keg will be oodles for a tun but could be to small for a kettle, even with the volumes you mentioned. The 50lt kettle I kept entire but for a 28 cm diametre cut out in the top. Also means you can do double batches if you please.


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## Ash in Perth (22/6/06)

Thanks for the tip. I will be cutting the HLT and mash tun down aswell. the kettle is going to be the kettle becasue teh base has already been inverted but i will see what i can do. it is 40L to the top so it should handle a 25-30L boild with no issues i hope.


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## Juddy (22/6/06)

Ash
My current system is similar to yours. Never had the slightest problem with single batches and follow your theory on large batches (i.e rather have many small batches, than few large batches available). HLT electric element. And boiler combination of electric and double ring conventional burner. Efficent, reliable and easy!


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## ntboozer (22/6/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Thanks for the tip. I will be cutting the HLT and mash tun down aswell. the kettle is going to be the kettle becasue teh base has already been inverted but i will see what i can do. it is 40L to the top so it should handle a 25-30L boild with no issues i hope.



Ash,
I'm also setting up a kettle similar to yours - what do you mean by "the base has already been inverted"?
My kettle, apart from the top cut out, is still as it left the factory, concave base when viewed through cutout. Are you saying your base is convex? If so, does this have an added advantage for heating etc?
Might be time to get out the mallet.......  

Cheers
nt
:beer:


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## Ash in Perth (23/6/06)

I made the base pointing upwards for a couple of reasons. firstly, it makes the outside the lowest point (where the tap will be) so there is less wort left in there. secondly, it gives a point for the wort to 'boil' from and may trap heat better underneath. not sure if this is the best way to do it but I reckon itll be good.

Cheers, Ash


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## Ash in Perth (24/6/06)

Coiled my CFC tube this morning. Just held one end up to the keg and rolled it slowly along the ground leving a strait bit on the end. nice wide circle to make it easy for the hose to go around it and i just stepped on one end while pulling the other to seperate the coils. The smaller of my 2 assistant brewers is smelling the coil for faults in the second photo.


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## Ash in Perth (26/6/06)

Ok im about to cut the HLT coil down to a more suitable length. It is currently about 8m long. How long do you think it should be? 

i was thinking about 4-5m long so it gets good heat exchange but isnt long enoguh to worry about too much volume in their and being harder to clean.

Its about 8m long 3/8" tube and has a coil diameter of about 210mm



100th post!


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## jagerbrau (26/6/06)

Ash what sort of cost was the pipe, been thinking about doing similar. Got bits and peices of SS gear but want to go all SS.

Cheers


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## ausdb (26/6/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Ok im about to cut the HLT coil down to a more suitable length. It is currently about 8m long. How long do you think it should be?
> 
> i was thinking about 4-5m long so it gets good heat exchange but isnt long enoguh to worry about too much volume in their and being harder to clean.
> 
> Its about 8m long 3/8" tube and has a coil diameter of about 210mm



I would leave it as long as possible, stainless is worse than copper as far as heat transfer goes so play it safe and leave it long at the moment. Being stainless it should not be hard to clean anyway, if you are worried just circulate some warm caustic through your march pump for a while.


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## Ash in Perth (26/6/06)

This coiled tube cost be $20 something on ebay. you can get it at stainless maunfacturers for less than $10/m usually then you have to get it coiled.

I need a bit fo teh tubing for something else but ill leave it at about 6m at least then. cheers.

Im not using a march pump, but an aquarium pump for now. i might get a march pump later on, jsut need to see how much the element and thermostat will cost me first.


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## Ash in Perth (1/7/06)

Another update. Did some cutting this morning (and destroyed my cheap grinder) and drilled holes in the kettle and mash ready to have the 1/2" sockets welded to them.

Still have a bit of work to do on the HLT. I cant start drilling holes for the tap, coil or element untill i get the element hopefully next week.

Also have a second Mashmaster thermometer on its way form ross (used the same one in the pics) and a march pump from Process Pumps.

Cheers

Mash tun, HLT, Kettle if you werent sure.


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## Ash in Perth (4/7/06)

Just finished building the HLT. Got a 2000W element and fitting+cord from Roy at TWOC homebrewing for about $70. 

All i have to do now is weld the 5 sockets on and the coil to the keg walls then insulate and im done!


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## browndog (4/7/06)

Looking good Ash, bet you are keen to give it a run. That is an interesting way you have mounted your element there mate, I have not seen it done that way before.

cheers

Browndog


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## Ash in Perth (4/7/06)

Every one seems to mount it on the sides. i never saw the point of that becasue you have to flatten it somehow. in the middle, on the bottom means the water should circulate to an extent by itself.


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## razz (4/7/06)

G'day Ash. Just a small hint when you try to slip the hose over the copper coil for your cfc. There will be a lot of resistance as you push more and more hose over the copper, so you may need to straighten the copper first. That's what I did and it made life a lot easier.


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## Ash in Perth (4/7/06)

My CFC is stainless steel and i have already coiled it 

Its a wide coil so hopefully it will not be too hard.


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## razz (4/7/06)

In hindsight the tricky bit was the end of the tube digging in to the softer garden hose, so you could try tapeing over the end or something similar. <_<


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## Ash in Perth (4/7/06)

Ill do that. cheers for the tip.

Basically what i have is a 6m coil. I am tihnking i will put hoels in the side of the hose, about 5.5m apart and then tails of either end to connect to the cold water and drain. by feeding the coil through 1 hole and out the other and sealing with a decent silicon i tihnk it should work pretyt well.

How did you do yours?

Cheers, Ash


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## mika (4/7/06)

browndog said:


> Looking good Ash, bet you are keen to give it a run. That is an interesting way you have mounted your element there mate, I have not seen it done that way before.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog



Have you looked at an urn lately ?? Picked one up from the roadside collection. Appeared to be totally stuffed and beyond redemption unfortunately  But the element was mounted from the bottom.
It was actually fairly flat and followed the bottom of the urn pretty closely, so will be interesting to see how Ash's works out.

I suspect it don't matter much :unsure:


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## mika (4/7/06)

browndog said:


> Looking good Ash, bet you are keen to give it a run. That is an interesting way you have mounted your element there mate, I have not seen it done that way before.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog



Have you looked at an urn lately ?? Picked one up from the roadside collection. Appeared to be totally stuffed and beyond redemption unfortunately  But the element was mounted from the bottom.
It was actually fairly flat and followed the bottom of the urn pretty closely, so will be interesting to see how Ash's works out.

I suspect it don't matter much :unsure:


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## Zwickel (4/7/06)

razz said:


> ..... Just a small hint when you try to slip the hose over the copper coil .....


then it would be helpful to pour in some liqid soap first.

Cheers


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## FNQ Bunyip (4/7/06)

or a water based personal lubricant  of your prefered flavour of coarse...  

:beer:


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## Millet Man (4/7/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Ill do that. cheers for the tip.
> 
> Basically what i have is a 6m coil. I am tihnking i will put hoels in the side of the hose, about 5.5m apart and then tails of either end to connect to the cold water and drain. by feeding the coil through 1 hole and out the other and sealing with a decent silicon i tihnk it should work pretyt well.
> 
> ...



Good luck trying to get it on already coiled.  

Even when I straightened mine out it was a struggle (~9 m long). If you try to slide it through a hole cut in the side there will be way too much friction.

For the outer coil I used black garden hose and the ends I used 19mm garden hose elbows. Drilled through the ends of the elbows with a 3/8" bit and put them on last. Copper fits snug through the hole and sealed with some silicone.

Doesn't leak and works like a dream taking wort down to 20C using 2 litres cooling water to 1 litre of wort, tap water is about 10C ATM.

Cheers, Andrew.


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## kirem (4/7/06)

I mounted my element the same as Ash. My element is a long one that folds back on itself unlike Ash's circular one. It works very well. I don't seem to get any stratification.

I am working on making it gas/electric. Gas and electric to get the water upto and change temp quickly and the electric to hold the temp.

K


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## Ash in Perth (4/7/06)

> I am working on making it gas/electric. Gas and electric to get the water upto and change temp quickly and the electric to hold the temp.



Sounds like a good plan. let us knwo how it goes!

I was going to use clear hose but black retic hose would probably do the trick well too. that way fittings can be used rather than dodgy silicon. thanks for the idea millet man! 

hmm tommorows job i guess.


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## Tony (4/7/06)

Looks great ash.

I will be darren for a bit and point out a negative i can see.

Im sure you have it covered but i loke to learn lessons from people who have already stuffed it up and learnt. 

Have you considered how your going to seal the top of that open top mash ton to keep heat in.

mine drops temp faster than the herms coil in the HLT can heat it.

I covered the top of the ton and the temp rose and stabalised at setpoint within 15 min, and thats a 40 liter mash volume with a 3 meter coil in the HLT.

just checking youve thought of this.

cheers mate.


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## Ash in Perth (4/7/06)

dont worry mate i am well aware that i have no idea what im going to make a lid out of. i was thinking maybe some thick plastic sheets cut circular with polystyrene to insulate.


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## Ash in Perth (5/7/06)

After a trip to bunnings i have my CFC sorted now aswell as the materials for the insulation.

Ill be using a layer or 2 of the expansion joint stuff and aluminium insulation tape to seal it.

ended up being pretty easy to slide the hose around it. the hose had about the same coil diametre. only the alst meter was tricky. The elbows are tight wenoguh on the steel that i might not even have to seal it off.


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## jagerbrau (5/7/06)

did my CF the same and leaks less than those how spent money on all the fiddlie bits, getting motivated to go all SS like you though.


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## Ash in Perth (5/7/06)

well with any luck it wont leak at all 

if you want to go stainless steel, be prepared. you will not let yourself go half assed about it. i tried to and now im close to $1000 i think because i thought id get all the best bits rather than going with my cheaper plans.

but... its all going to be worth it!


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## Goat (5/7/06)

Great work Ash. When will you be firing it up?


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## Ash in Perth (5/7/06)

Still need to get it welded and then its ready once i join all the SS and silion hosing up (15min job). Ill probably prop it up with bricks for now but ill be building a small wooden stand for it to sit above the bench top so the taps and pump are below the vessels.


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## browndog (5/7/06)

> QUOTE(browndog @ Jul 4 2006, 03:40 PM)
> 
> Looking good Ash, bet you are keen to give it a run. That is an interesting way you have mounted your element there mate, I have not seen it done that way before.
> 
> ...



Clarification, I meant anybody building a HLT. 
I have a 20L urn that I pulled out of a metal scrap skip that to my delight, worked perfectly. The things people throw out :beerbang: 


cheers

Browndog


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## Rocket (8/7/06)

Hi Ash,

Your brewery should work fine. One thing i dont have is a CFC I use a imersion coil as less stress over infection if the CFC is not sanitized well.
Is this your first all-grain setup? 
Have you been brewing for long if so where you a tin man or a partial masher?
I have been interested in H.E.R.M.S but many people say if your mash tun is well insulated single step infussion if fine and they also say lagers work fine in a single infussion (yet to try have always stepped my lagers). I made up a heat exchange for the mash but am now rethinking using it.


Happy brewing


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## Ash in Perth (8/7/06)

Ive been all graining for a fairly long time, but mostly smaller brews, from 12-20L depending on gravity. I never really liked K&K beers so i only did a few of those and i was onto AGing quickly.

I was thinking about just using an immersion heater for that reason but i thought if im going to build it i might aswell do it properly at first becaseu id probably change over eventually.

I doubt the beers will be any better than those form a decent 'simple' setup but this is easier to brew with and more fun to build and design i think.


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## Tony (8/7/06)

Ill second that  I dont think me rig will make better beer, buts it good fun to use and looks cool. 

The wife recons its "ugly"

Gadget factor overload 

i loooooove gadgets 

cheers


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## Franko (8/7/06)

Tony said:


> Ill second that  I dont think me rig will make better beer, buts it good fun to use and looks cool.
> 
> The wife recons its "ugly"
> 
> ...




I hear you Tony Im a gadget nut also


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## thunderleg (8/7/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Ive been all graining for a fairly long time, but mostly smaller brews, from 12-20L depending on gravity. I never really liked K&K beers so i only did a few of those and i was onto AGing quickly.
> 
> I was thinking about just using an immersion heater for that reason but i thought if im going to build it i might aswell do it properly at first becaseu id probably change over eventually.
> 
> I doubt the beers will be any better than those form a decent 'simple' setup but this is easier to brew with and more fun to build and design i think.



If it aint broken, it doesn't have enough features yet.


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## Ash in Perth (12/7/06)

Bought a couple of new gadgets and made some cheap ass lids.

Thermostat and 2000W element from Roy at TWOC. Simple but works well on his system. I have the 2 mashmaster themometers for the mash and HLT.



These lids were made for about $5 each from plant pot bases cut down and small knobs on top. the tape is for holding it together becasue it was brittle and cracked a couple of times. it is insulating tape so i might cover the entire lid with it too. In this pic u can see the insulation ill be using. enough there to cover HLT and Mash.



I have a welder sorted out now, just need to make a time with him on monday. should be about $100 for what i need done.

Ash


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## Ash in Perth (21/7/06)

Its been welded and cleaned up so ive been able to insulate it and screw all the bits together and put them in palce, aswell as the element and thermo's. All thats left to do is build a small wooden frame for each (HLT 10cm higher than Mash) and wait for the pump to arrive so i can hook up the hoseing and its ready to go!


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## Justin (21/7/06)

System looks nice. Your certainly throwing the $$ into it. Lots of stainless bitzies.

(EDIT: OK, read the first page and you answered it in rgards to your batch size plan. Removed comments here as they were address in the first two pages of this thread).

However, just a reminder to keep an eye on that element in the HLT too. Make sure it's off before you draw much water out of it otherwise that will poke through the surface really quick. I have elements in the bottom of mine (in from the side and very low) and I've nearly exposed them several times. I'd blow that one for sure   

Hope all goes well for the first run.

Cheers, Justin


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## warrenlw63 (21/7/06)

thunderleg said:


> If it aint broken, it doesn't have enough features yet.



:lol: :lol: 

Warren -


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## thunderleg (21/7/06)

Hi Ash

Shaping up nicely. Where did you get your welding done?

Ben


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## warrenlw63 (21/7/06)

Ash

Good to see somebody is trying the expansion jointing. You won't be dissapointed. My HLT and Mashtun are covered with it. The mashtun rarely loses a degree over the course of a 60 minute mash.

At $8 per keg it's bloody good value too. :beerbang: 

Warren -


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## Justin (21/7/06)

That insulation looks like good stuff Warren and Ash. Looks easy to get a nice, decent looking finish with it that doesn't look tatty and cheap. I assume it's got an adhesive back.

I may look into some for mine in the future. Insulation is a good thing, makes a big difference.


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## warrenlw63 (21/7/06)

No adhesive back unfortunately Justin.

I just cut it at lengths slightly less than the keg diameter and taped it on the end. This allowed it to be stretched on in hoops so to speak (just think giant rubber band). Then I just taped the hoops together.

Coincidentally one roll does one keg "exactly".

About 6 hoops per keg and the world's your oyster.  

Warren -


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## Ash in Perth (21/7/06)

Warren, I used this stuff after reading your post about how you did it, thanks!

thanks for the tip justin, i am the forgetful type that would probably go through a few of the elements. and yes, there has been alot of $$ gone into it (about 800 i think)

The welding was done by CJ engineering in willeton. $50 for the 5 sockets and 2 tube entries.

Cheers!


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## browndog (21/7/06)

Ash, your brewery is looking better and better every day, I am looking forward to hearing your report on the maiden run mate, any ideas what you will do ?

cheers

Browndog


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## Ash in Perth (21/7/06)

Yeh i cant wait to get it going. fingers crossed that the pump arrives early next week.

a simple munich helles. weyerman pils, caramalt, melanoiden and acid malt. Hopping with crystal to about 25IBU and a decent dose late in the boil.


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## yardy (21/7/06)

warrenlw63 said:


> Ash
> 
> Good to see somebody is trying the expansion jointing. You won't be dissapointed. My HLT and Mashtun are covered with it. The mashtun rarely loses a degree over the course of a 60 minute mash.
> 
> ...





gday guys,

where can i get some of that there insulation thingy stuff ?


cheers

yard

sorry for the ot a bit.


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## Ash in Perth (21/7/06)

no worries mate, im doing this to help other people mostly anyway.

came from bunnings. the stuff i used was $20ish and it did both MY(smaller) kegs wityh a bit left over (5cm by 25m and about 1cm thick). you will need some tape aswell. i went stupid and spent $20 on 50m of 'air cell insulating tape' which is jsut glorified aluminium tape.


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## mike_hillyer (21/7/06)

Ash what can I say except you a real visionary ahead of your time and I'm obviously extremely jealous!


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## Franko (25/7/06)

Ash,
where did you get that elecric element from mate and what did it set you back
cheers
franko


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## Ash in Perth (25/7/06)

its a 2000W element from TWOC in bibra lake, my HBS. cost $44 bare or about $60-70 by the time i bought the cord that plugs into it and a socket that screws it in place on the outside.

I tihnk its the same as the ones grain and grape have but im not sure.


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## iceman (27/7/06)

Hey Ash,

Looking good, Am in the process of setting up my own rig also. Nice jpb on the insulation. Will check that out on my next shopping trip. Quite similar to the set-up i've got going (although it has been re-designed sooo many times i've lost count, what if I....?) make a plan and stick to it. 

Got an addition to the side of mine that I hope works. Picked up an old glass washer from a mate and adapting it to wash my bottles!!! washing and sterilising 200+ bottles (330ml) in 15-20mins hopefully!!  

nice thread mate, be checking up for the completion (and any more hints)

iceman


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## Ash in Perth (31/7/06)

i had heaps of plans and things to figure out, which is why it took me so long to get started. once i did itall fell into place well and i ended up doing a better job than my plans and for a higher cost. but it ended uop being much easier than i thought it would.

That bottle washer sounds good. a mate of mine said he was going to make something like that for us to use but it never happened.

my pump should be here tommorow so ill be brewing as soon as it arrives if it isnt too late. only simple connections the rest is ready to go.


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## Ash in Perth (4/8/06)

Its all ready to brew with now. Pump arrived today and its all hooked up.

Gave it a quick run with 10L of lightly acidified water to help clean the welds up a bit more. 

I didnt realise the march pumps were so noisy.

Chiller worked well at first bbut towards the end had heated the water up a bit and so did not chill that well. this will be solved when i brew because there will be about 10kg of crushed ice in the tub. I made a simple areator with some racking tube heated up and hole punched.




for now i will be using hoses to connect/disconnect things but if this is too much hassle ill build a simple 2/3 way SS tap system but id rather keep it simple if it works.


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## Archie (4/8/06)

Hey Ash,
The Brewery really looks the goods. What stuff did you use on your kegs to cover them up is it some sort of adhesive stuff and where did you get it. Wouldnt mind using it on mine.

Cheers Archie


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## Ash in Perth (4/8/06)

its expansion joint stuff, came on a roll from bunnings for about $20 to do both kegs with a little left over. The tape is holding it on and in place which is $20 per 50m also and a waste of money, any tape would be fine. its 'air cell insulating tape' paid for the name and didnt realise it wouldnt insulate by itself but jsu tseal it which is good i spode but any tape will do the same thing (maybe not look as good though?)

look at the top of this page and in the previous one there is a bit more info on it


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## Archie (4/8/06)

Cheers Ash


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## big d (4/8/06)

Im hoping that powerboard doesnt stay too close to its current location Ash.Water near by it can be a very big worry to your health should the worst happen.

Cheers
Big D


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## Ash in Perth (4/8/06)

haha no that was jstu temporary untill i could raid an extension cord from somewhere else. its now sitting in the middle of the chiller coil on a brick away from splashes and the cords have drip loops.


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## Batz (4/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> I didnt realise the march pumps were so noisy.




Mine march pump is not noisy at all,I think you have a problem there.

Batz


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## Hopsta (4/8/06)

They are noisy if you run them dry. When i first recieved mine i plugged it in for a couple of seconds to make sure it worked and it screamed. Running them dry is deffinately not good for them.


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## Ash in Perth (4/8/06)

it wasnt running dry i let the water flow through first

would it maybe do it if it was trying to pump under too much pressure?


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## Batz (4/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> it wasnt running dry i let the water flow through first
> 
> would it maybe do it if it was trying to pump under too much pressure?




I wouldn't think so Ash,stupid question I know but you where running it in the correct rotation?

Batz


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## Guest Lurker (4/8/06)

Its a single phase pump Batz, not 3 phase, so I dont think it can run backwards.


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## Ash in Perth (4/8/06)

i plugged it in and it pumped ok. 

its probably jsut that my idea of a noisy pump is different that yours. im used to aquarium pumps which jsut hummmm.


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## Batz (4/8/06)

OK
Just a dumb arse fitter here , never was much good at that bitey stuff
I do know a thing or three about pumps but.

Batz


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## Sparky (4/8/06)

All looks superb Ash   

Have been following this thread for sometime as I'm making plans to build a similar setup. Now have a folder full of plans, ideas, pics & drawings. 

I'm thinking that I'll start off using hoses until i get the process sussed. I've recently got a PLC controller with 3 Analog inputs & 5 PIDs for controlling temperatures & a LCD interface display. there's 24 digital inputs & 22 outputs. The outputs will control the heating elements & pump and also turn on lamps to indicate the correct valve sequence for each brewing stage  

The plan is use it to control the brew process on Brewday & with the flick of a switch & the change of a couple of plugs look after the fermenting fridge & the kegerator. 

Tony will understand this madness. It's a Unitronics Vision 230.

A few weeks ago I spent the day with the brewer at Rooster's Brew House here in Hawke's Bay, learning how he goes about making a brew. We made a 1200 litre batch & I learned heaps!!

Very interested in your pump & how you get on. Have been questioning the regional agents for March in Wellington NZ with regard to supply. A complete waste of my time, they dont want to know. 

I have an idea however, that I could set up a pump similar to what I use on my lawn weed sprayer. I have a piece of tube, that passes around three rotating studs on the wheel. As long as there is head, the fluid is pumped. Wondering if I can hook this up to an electric motor & recirculate using this method?? 

apologies & no intention to hijack thread

Good luck for the first run

Cheers


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## Sparky (4/8/06)

> Batz
> I do know a thing or three about pumps



Heya Batz any comments on the wheel & tube type arrangement pump and whether it would be effective

Cheers In Advance :beer:


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## Ash in Perth (5/8/06)

Gave it its first run today. 4.5 hours from waking up to all being cleaned up, faster than any other brew ive done including mini mashes. that inclusing milling 5kg of grain and was with about a 75min boil and a 75min mash. there was ltitle time lost in between.

All up it went really well aside form mashin in a little cool but ill let the beer show how well it went.
heres some Pics



Milling with my modified marga mill and home made hopper.


Mashing in.


tube setup for underletting mash liquor. fed by gravity but if i want to fill it up more i can hook it up to the pump easily like i do for sparging


recirculating through the coil


sparging (still goes through the coil for no reason)


Boiling


Chilling. ended up at about 27DegC which is a little warm for pitching a lager so ill use more ice next time.

Cheers, Ash


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## big d (5/8/06)

And good to hear the power board has been moved Ash as i would hate to hear of one less west coast brewer to meet.

Cheers
Big D


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## devo (5/8/06)

Nice work Ash, looks like it running like clock work.  


Here is a pic of my revised setup that has so far put out about 3 really nice brews. :super: 

View attachment 8519


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## Ash in Perth (5/8/06)

That looks good mate.

Im guessing fromt he blackened bottom of the HLT and the metal sheets it is heated by a gas burner? if not try insulating that aswell, might speed up heating it.


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## devo (5/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> That looks good mate.
> 
> Im guessing fromt he blackened bottom of the HLT and the metal sheets it is heated by a gas burner? if not try insulating that aswell, might speed up heating it.



It's a dual heating set up using a nasa burner to quickly get the liquor up to temp and an electric element to manitain the correct temp. 

And yes the rear is well insulated I did plenty of pre heat testing so nothing is melting.  

View attachment 8520


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## Shunty (5/8/06)

Sparky said:


> Very interested in your pump & how you get on. Have been questioning the regional agents for March in Wellington NZ with regard to supply. A complete waste of my time, they dont want to know.
> 
> I have an idea however, that I could set up a pump similar to what I use on my lawn weed sprayer. I have a piece of tube, that passes around three rotating studs on the wheel. As long as there is head, the fluid is pumped. Wondering if I can hook this up to an electric motor & recirculate using this method??
> 
> ...



Tried them when i was looking for a pump, ended up buying from the states. They don't import the March 809.

The tube/stud arangement is a peristaltic pump - good for low flow rates but probably a bit slow for brewing unless you go to big tube or rev the nuts off the motor (which tends to damage the tube)


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## Sparky (6/8/06)

Cheers Shunty thanks for the tip.

Ash

Your brew day looks to have been a right whizzer! 

Great it has all worked out so well, makes it all worth while

Cheers


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

After my first few shifts at a well known WA micro I have decided i have a few things i am going to change with my brewery. I will be building a bigger and better kettle (I was wrong, you were right!) and i will make a screw-in hop back which then connects directly to my chiller by screwing it into the tap which will be horizontal rather than angled down. The flow can still be regulated through the kettle tap because the hop back will not be a sealed unit.

My biggest problem right now is that i am underletting with water at 78 DegC and its only getting to about 50-55 in the mash by the time it fills up. I think from now on ill pre-heat the water and mash tun to 69 and chuck the grains into that slowly while re-circulating.

I have also made another mash return that works much better.


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

Any suggestions for good kettle ideas?

I was thinking about one of those top quality SS pots. Kegs are good but i want to clean it up a little and maybe get more efficient heat usage.


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## Justin (25/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Any suggestions for good kettle ideas?
> 
> I was thinking about one of those top quality SS pots. Kegs are good but i want to clean it up a little and maybe get more efficient heat usage.



:blink: Umm, lets see. A keg or a pot, gee that's about it. :blink:

Just don't buy a 60L pot and cut it down to 30L h34r: 

You really cut the nuts off your brewery by cutting your kegs down to such a small size. 

Sorry mate, I couldn't resist. It's a bugger you've got to change things but you were asking for it with a question like that and I couldn't resist having a dig in the good Aussie fashion. You already know the answer to your question anyway. 

Hope you find something to sort it out though. Sorry.


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## razz (25/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> After my first few shifts at a well known WA micro I have decided i have a few things i am going to change with my brewery. I will be building a bigger and better kettle (I was wrong, you were right!) and i will make a screw-in hop back which then connects directly to my chiller by screwing it into the tap which will be horizontal rather than angled down. The flow can still be regulated through the kettle tap because the hop back will not be a sealed unit.
> 
> My biggest problem right now is that i am underletting with water at 78 DegC and its only getting to about 50-55 in the mash by the time it fills up. I think from now on ill pre-heat the water and mash tun to 69 and chuck the grains into that slowly while re-circulating.
> 
> ...


G'day Ash, obviously the problem there is the tun absorbing too much heat. I don't know how keen you are on underletting but I don't bother with it. I flood the tun and allow it to absorb as much heat as it will and then I dough in, yeah I know I have to stir the mash but at most it takes 5 minutes to dough in and stir. Always hit my required mash temps.


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

Justin, the size of the kettle is not the problem really, and using a thick heavy duty keg the top half or more is just going to loose heat (aswell as all the messy bits). The main thing is that for the hopback im building, i need a horizontal tap rather than the angled tap. with a keg, for it to be horizontal it would need to be too far up the side and there would be too much left in the bottom. A large pot would be good but i thought before i spend $200 or so on a good one i should hunt around for something else.


Razz, that is what i did in my little SS pot for mini-mashes and it was perfect. I tihnk i will have to go back to that method. I was underletting with the new setup because i can, and it saves the stirring.. thats the only benifit i found. Cheers


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## Justin (25/8/06)

No worries mate, it's clear you know what your doing and what your after. I was just stirring you up a bit. It's Friday afternoon and I'm going out of my mind :wacko: . Got to go home, via the pub.

I see your predicament though. Would it work better if you maybe made a sealed hop back unit that you could screw straight onto the tap perhaps? The the angle of the tap might not be as much of an issue then. 

Otherwise you could possibly use a compression fitting or two and a small curved piece of copper pipe coming off the tap and into your hopback to adjust your angles?

What was the exact design of the hopback you were going to use.

Edit-Added pic: This was the sort of pipe arrangement I was trying to describe above. It will certainly take the angle issues out of the equation. Please excuse my dodgey ass photoshop attempt.


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## warrenlw63 (25/8/06)

Justin

Which is the end you light and which is the end you inhale?  

POETS day rolls on. :lol: 

Warren -


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## bugwan (25/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> After my first few shifts at a well known WA micro I..........
> 
> ............. i will make a screw-in hop back which then connects directly to my chiller by screwing it into the tap which will be horizontal rather than angled down.



Sounds like your shifts have been at Little Creatures... They're big hop back users aren't they  

Mate, good luck with the decision on the pots. I guess it comes down to $$$s. If I could afford it, I'd go a nice SS 70 litre pot in my brewery, but I will make do with a converted keg until the dollars roll my way (or I can justify it to SWMBO).


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## Justin (25/8/06)

Exactly mate. Load her up with cascade buds, invert a nasa burner in the top and toke away.

The hop pipe. Patent is in as we speak.

I'm going home damn it.


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

they look like corn flakes


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

The hop back looks exactly like what i had in mind... where can i get one?

hieght is also an issue, becasue i want to keep it mostly gravity fed. if the kettle tap is horizontal, the hiegh of the hop back outlet will end up about the riht right for the CFC inlet. any lower and the CFC outlet wont reach the fermenter... As a temp measure so i can get the hop abck going before building my new kettle (inc whirlpool?) i might conenct it up like how you have said. The kettle is fine for brewing but i want more gadgets too.

I am not going to say where my new job is untill i know for sure its in my pocket. I am confident but i have only done a few shifts for a bit of a trial. I should find out for sure on monday.


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## kwikkwaka (25/8/06)

The main thing is that for the hopback im building, i need a horizontal tap rather than the angled tap. with a keg, for it to be horizontal it would need to be too far up the side and there would be too much left in the bottom. 


Hey Ash, could you not put a 90 degree elbow onto the end of your vertical tap to change the direction to horizontal?

Just a suggestion


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## bugwan (25/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> I am not going to say where my new job is untill i know for sure its in my pocket. I am confident but i have only done a few shifts for a bit of a trial. I should find out for sure on monday.



No worries - I was just stirring. We're 4 hours ahead over here - that's home time by my watch.

Have a good weekend all, brew like mad.
Bugwan


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

kwikkwaka said:


> The main thing is that for the hopback im building, i need a horizontal tap rather than the angled tap. with a keg, for it to be horizontal it would need to be too far up the side and there would be too much left in the bottom.
> 
> 
> Hey Ash, could you not put a 90 degree elbow onto the end of your vertical tap to change the direction to horizontal?
> ...



if it was vertical that would work well but its on abotu a 45Deg angle. makes it tricky. 

for the next few months ill only be doing wheats and lagers so i ahve plenty of time before ill be wanting the hop back and therefore the new kettle so im in no hurry.


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## MAH (25/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> The hop back looks exactly like what i had in mind... where can i get one?



More Beer. US$79 for the standard one, US$97 with male QD's.

Cheers
MAH


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## ausdb (25/8/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Justin, the size of the kettle is not the problem really, and using a thick heavy duty keg the top half or more is just going to loose heat (aswell as all the messy bits). The main thing is that for the hopback im building, i need a horizontal tap rather than the angled tap. with a keg, for it to be horizontal it would need to be too far up the side and there would be too much left in the bottom. A large pot would be good but i thought before i spend $200 or so on a good one i should hunt around for something else.



Ash
Try Kongs oriental trading in William st Northbridge. No super dooper thick stainless ports here but you can't go past an 80L soup pot for $55 can you!!!! They are not very thick (read like very thin!!) but I find it works extremely well with a 4 ring burner if you have one, if you have a nasa you would probably have to place a sheet of aluminum between the burner and the pot to spread the heat around. At the price it's worth a try as i have been very happy with mine.

Also can I chime in for about the eleven hundreth time "told you to get a bigger kettle"


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## Ash in Perth (25/8/06)

thanks mate... i should have known, you can get anything from there


I like the look of those 'clover' connections/seals on the site. They would make things much easier.


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## kook (25/8/06)

ausdb said:


> Try Kongs oriental trading in William st Northbridge. No super dooper thick stainless ports here but you can't go past an 80L soup pot for $55 can you!!!! They are not very thick (read like very thin!!) but I find it works extremely well with a 4 ring burner if you have one, if you have a nasa you would probably have to place a sheet of aluminum between the burner and the pot to spread the heat around.



Sounds perfect for my HLT 

Cheers ausdb!


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## Doogiechap (7/9/06)

So Ash, I'm itching to know, is it Little Creatures where you are spending time earning money instead of spending it ?? / Congratulations on whereever it is  
Cheers
Doug


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## benno1973 (7/9/06)

Also try Lucky Import Export Trading Co. up on Brisbane St in Northbridge. I can't give you a price, but I was in there on Tuesday and noticed that they have a fair range of large (read HUGE) aluminium stock pots. Again, very thin, but will pass as a HLT if required...


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## big d (7/9/06)

Has anyone in Perth had a look into the shops that supply caterers/chefs etc of large s/s pots and prices yet?

Cheers
Big D


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## benno1973 (7/9/06)

Yep. I was in QCC also on Tuesday (notice a theme here?  ) and priced SS pots there. Quite expensive. 50L SS pot for ~$330, which is a LOT more than Allquip have them online for (Robinox for around $180 I think?). However... not too sure if Allquip will ship a 70L pot to Perth. Could be a bitch to post...

BTW - QCC had alum pots 70L for around $145. No 70L SS pots available though when I went.


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## benno1973 (8/9/06)

All...

Check out this Perth catering site, West Coast Cafes which should give you a springboard to a number of different catering suppliers. I've sent off a few emails to 'test the waters' but haven't heard back yet.

Take a look at these sites... National Food Service, Kontact (secondhand equipment) and Caterlink.


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## Ash in Perth (8/9/06)

Yeh I am working at little creatures now. about 30 hours a week untill ive finished uni.

Kongs in Perth (chinese shop) have a massive range of SS pots for veyr good prices apperantly. they are very thin so wouldnt be good for a boiler but would make a good HLT or mash etc.

I dont have the link with me, im at uni right now. There is a place over east that has 50L Robniox pots for $160 plus postage. the 70L ones were about $200 i think.

Cheers, Ash


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## chimera (8/9/06)

Congrats on getting the job at <small renowned WA brewery> Ash.
LC is the place I most regret not visiting on my one and only trip to WA a couple of years back. I plan to fix this problem at some point down the track..


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## Ash in Perth (11/9/06)

Uber-insulated my mash tun today. Added an extra 2cm of layered bubble wrap, sealed it with tape (leaving some slack to allow it to expand when hot) and insulated the bottom of the tun with a couple of layers of stick on 3mm foam from clark rubber. The lid will be insulated with a thin layer of polystyrene, covered with a thin inert plastic layer. 

This means I dont have to re-circ to keep the heat up if i dont want to, but just to step up to mash out and clarify.

This is on top of the 1cm foam insulation already on it.


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## Ash in Perth (9/11/06)

my new kettle, 36L robinox



I boguht a new drill for runnign my mill (and for drilling) 1010W.



Hooked up my new mashmaster chiller, giving it a run today. I am ruunning the water through my old CFC with ice water runnign through the other way to chill my tap water to 15-20.



And i am finally going to build my stand. $90 of metal and bits from bunnigns.


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## chillamacgilla73 (9/11/06)

Looking good Ash and a belated congrats on the job at LC. 

Didn't realise Bunnings sell Jack Russells....  (I couldn't resist)


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## Ash in Perth (9/11/06)

thanks mate.

They are in the garden centre, usually diggin in pots and barking at customers or running off with anything they can fit in their mouth.


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## ausdb (9/11/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Hooked up my new mashmaster chiller, giving it a run today. I am ruunning the water through my old CFC with ice water runnign through the other way to chill my tap water to 15-20.



Ash try running your CFC with the ice water circulating in series with your plate chiller or vice versa, you will probably get better results as every time you go through an interface you lose a few degrees. The closer you can get the ice water to your wort the better.

If anyone wants to experiment at the WBBD this weekend I have a 6m coil of 3/8 copper than can be put in an ice bucket as a post chiller from my CFC.


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## Ash in Perth (12/11/06)

That is probably what I will have to do, use the plate chiller for the first stage with tap water and then my old CFC with ice water for the second. This way I should be able to get down to about about 10-12 for lagers or at least 18 for ales.


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## Whistlingjack (12/11/06)

Ash in Perth said:


> Tha is probably what i eill have to do, use the plate chilelr for the first stage with tap water and my old CFC with ice water for teh second, this way i should be abel to get down to abotu 10-12 for lagers or at least 18 for ales.



Translation, please?


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## Ash in Perth (2/6/07)

A bit more progress. I think im finished now for the 3rd time but who knows.


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (2/6/07)

....and a comical fermenter, LC must pay well.


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## animal_man (2/6/07)

wow
that is nice!


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## stuart (2/6/07)

Hi Ash,

How did you attach the taps to the kettle? Got a pic?
Just about to add a robinox 36 or 50L to my brewery.
cheers 
stu


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## Ash in Perth (2/6/07)

I dont have any more pics on hand but it is a 1/2" socket welded top (whirlpool elbow inside at 2/3 wort height) and bottom (run off/recirculation) witha nipple and 3 pc ball valve attached.

Getting a good welding job done would be a bit expensive but worth while if you are buying an expensive pot and want it to last

Hope this helps


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## brendanos (4/6/07)

Is there a gear box hidden inbetween the drill and the mill, or is it direct drive? I couldn't get enough power out of either of my drills to overcome the stall torque.

I take it you ran out of room in the old brewshed?


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## Ash in Perth (5/6/07)

yeh the old shed was too small, in my new house, the shed is double the size of my entire old shed and its all dedicated to the brewery.

My old drill couldnt handle it so i went and got a 1010W drill with a metal gearbox instead of the crap plastic ones most drills have. it has no trouble evne at slower speeds. its jsut a cheap brand from bunnigns but its a good drill


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## brendanos (5/6/07)

Cheers Ash, guess I'll be investing in a new drill in the near future.


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## Cortez The Killer (5/6/07)

That's a sweet sweet rig

Cheers


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## DarkFaerytale (6/6/07)

nice one! i like the idea of putting one of those 5L heinie kegs on your mill as a hoper, good work (tu)

-Phill


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## DEALE (7/6/07)

Great looking brewery. I am starting the same process with 3 ss kegs now. Already several months in and a large hole cut in the top rather than the cut down version. I started to asseble peices from Bunnings for a no weld set up, but have realised welded and SS fittings are the way forward. By the way I have found SS to be very reasonable now, not much cheaper to go with brass.

I have some questions ( I am new to AG brewing, have done a few partials and many kits in the past)

Why did you go with the element in the kettle rather than a burner? Ability to have a thermostat?

Are the mashmaster guages fastened into the socket, and the socket welded to the keg with the probe 
poking through a small hole or one the size of the socket diameter. Are they 1/2 inch?

Any reason for the valve pointing down from the kettle and is the pump used to drive all the liquids? 

Why the 2 valves on the Mash Tun? 

Do the silicon hoses slip over the barbs and stay there without clamps?

How important is a pump and what did the March cost?


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## Sammus (7/6/07)

DEALE said:


> Great looking brewery. I am starting the same process with 3 ss kegs now. Already several months in and a large hole cut in the top rather than the cut down version. I started to asseble peices from Bunnings for a no weld set up, but have realised welded and SS fittings are the way forward. By the way I have found SS to be very reasonable now, not much cheaper to go with brass.
> 
> I have some questions ( I am new to AG brewing, have done a few partials and many kits in the past)
> 
> ...



I'm pretty sure kettle is the one with the burner and 2 valves - one of which is for draining, and the other for whirlpooling with the pump.

Oh yeah, and nice setup


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## DEALE (8/6/07)

Yeah your'e right I got the terminology around the wrong way LOL


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## Ash in Perth (19/6/11)

Bringing it back from the dead.

I've been quiet on here lately but I've been brewing still and thought some of you might like to see my new hopback. It's made for about 200g of cones which is about the maximum I'll ever need on my 20-30L system.


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## jayandcath (20/6/11)

I can feel the enamel being disolved off my teech just looking at that green goodness.

Nice work Ash, sweet rig.

Jay


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