# Ag Equipment Finished



## Jye (8/8/05)

Hey All,

After about a month of gathering and work I have all of the equipment for my first AG, except the burner  

Here are some pics of the HLT and Kettle.


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## Jye (8/8/05)

The MLT and chiller


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## Jye (8/8/05)

I would just like to finish up by saying I have you guys to blame for my new found obsession due to the massive amount of information on this site  I never even knew about ag until I came here and now all I can think about is my first brew day on the 17th.

Cheers :beer:


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## bonk (8/8/05)

looks good, 

whats the first brew going to be?


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## Jye (8/8/05)

Cheers Bonk,

I was think of just going with an apa

5kg pale malt
0.5 Crystal
28g cascade 60min
14g cascade 15min
14g cascade 5min

any suggestions are more than welcome


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## warrenlw63 (8/8/05)

Looks nice Jye.

From what I can see you're well on your way to insanity.  

Enjoy the process.

Warren -


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## Green Iguana (8/8/05)

Good work - How did you get those kegs to shine like that matey....

Cheers


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## AndrewQLD (8/8/05)

Nice and shiny too, how did you clean up the kegs? Looks great.

Andrew


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## Jye (8/8/05)

I friend got them for me and thats how they were...guess I'm just lucky


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## Jye (8/8/05)

The one think I found different from what I read was to do with cutting the kegs. I only ended up using one disc for both kegs, took it really slow and went around about 4 times before cutting all the way through.

The disc cost less than $2 from Bunnings (I ended up buying 4 not know how many I would use  )

You can see in the pic the used disc on top of a new one.


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## Justin (8/8/05)

Yep they are the cutting disks that I've made mention to a number of times. They are very thin (1-2mm) and just slice right through those stainless kegs like a hot knife through butter, I haven't even used a full one yet (did three kegs with it), I also have another few in the tool box and one dedicated to ferrous metals. These are the only wheels I cut with, so quick and easy because you are removing about a 1/4 of the metal you normally have to remove with conventional sized cutting disks. 

Nice shiny kegs too. For those that want to know you can make yours shiny too by buffing them with sand paper, working up to wet and dry and then finally a metal polish if you want a super shiny finish. I might do mine one day, it takes a while though. The secret to a nice finish is to work in one direction rather than a swirly circular motion.

Cheers and welcome to the addiction.
Justin


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## Guest Lurker (8/8/05)

Bit of a shame that after spending so much effort polishing those brew vessels all nice and shiny, some graffiti vandal hit them with a spray can of black paint.


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## joecast (8/8/05)

man, those wort chillers are impressive. and with two, you should have your wort cooled pretty damn quick. ive only got one, and it has fewer coils than either of yours! really nice set-up.
joe


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## Jye (8/8/05)

The chillers were not planned to be like that. I cut the kegs to fit the largest lid I had in the kitchen, then when it came to making the chiller I realised the hole was to small for me to use a post-mix keg to wind the coils. So I ended up using my fire extinguisher and made 2 so if I want I can freeze one in a block of ice and run the tap water through it first... another idea I picked up for here 

Guess which one I made first :blink:


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## shmick (8/8/05)

G'day Jye
Just noticed the position of the pick-up (outlet) tube in your kettle.

I originally had the same idea - to direct the break material into a seperate container first then switch to the fermenter when clear for the rest of the wort.
My CFWC wasn't real happy this way (clogged) so I changed to a curved tube that picked up from the lower side corner.
I was still getting a bit of muck so I ended up removing the tube altogether.

After I whirlpool and drain, nearly all of the rubbish is left in the kettle along with 2.8 litres of wort.

I suppose if you're using IM's you won't have this problem. I also have a flat bottomed kettle with the outlet 25mm above it.

What do others think - bottom or side pick-up?
How much do you lose to the gunk after draining?


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## Jye (8/8/05)

Hey shmick

I think you are referring to my HLT pick-up, the kettle has a ss braid to clear the wort.

I havent brewed on it yet so I may have misunderstood your comment :huh:


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## warrenlw63 (8/8/05)

Grrrr... Yeeechh...  The idea of a braid pickup on a kettle scares the s**t out of me. :unsure: 

Would only take some wayward hop and particulate matter to either frustratingly slow down or completely block the flow to your fermenters. Flowers/plugs would most probably be OK. However pellets would be another story altogether. <_< 

I prefer a plain old pickup tube with the inlet located at about 1 o'clock on the bottom of the kettle. You may still get a bit of crap from the boiler but thankfully no blockages.

Each to their own though.

Warren -


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## Ross (8/8/05)

welcome to the world of AG Jye - there's no going back - where abouts in Brisbane are you?

Good to see such an increase in brizzy Ag'ers of late - The passion is certainly highly infectous  ...


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## Batz (8/8/05)

warrenlw63 said:


> Grrrr... Yeeechh...  The idea of a braid pickup on a kettle scares the s**t out of me. :unsure:
> 
> Would only take some wayward hop and particulate matter to either frustratingly slow down or completely block the flow to your fermenters. Flowers/plugs would most probably be OK. However pellets would be another story altogether. <_<
> 
> ...




I am afraid he's right Jye , I had a braid filter the same as that , great with plugs but big pellet additions clogged it.
I was forever knocking it with my paddle to get a flow

Batz


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## shmick (8/8/05)

Jye said:


> Hey shmick
> 
> I think you are referring to my HLT pick-up, the kettle has a ss braid to clear the wort.
> 
> ...



Sorry Jye
My setup is reversed to what you have
What ever works for you is best.
Goodluck.


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## Borret (8/8/05)

Some nice work there Jye.

But I'm not sure about the title of the thread. I don't believe a brewing system is ever 'finished'. Just progressively more refined.

Borret


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## Jye (8/8/05)

> I am afraid he's right Jye , I had a braid filter the same as that , great with plugs but big pellet additions clogged it. I was forever knocking it with my paddle to get a flow


Thanks for telling me that now, Im pretty sure I stole the idea from you  will know in a weeks time how it goes.



> welcome to the world of AG Jye - there's no going back - where abouts in Brisbane are you?


Im in Runcorn and get my supplies from the slacks creek HBS, I think I remember reading that you get some grain from there, whats the range like?



> But I'm not sure about the title of the thread. I don't believe a brewing system is ever 'finished'. Just progressively more refined.


I was afraid of that


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## Brizbrew (8/8/05)

Nice setup you have there mate, I am well jealous of your shiny kegs, mine are a bit "weathered" but will do the job no doubt.

What size copper pipe do you guys use for the pick up in the kettle? At the moment I have 1/2 inch will that be big enough?


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## Justin (9/8/05)

1/2" and Yep.


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## Asher (9/8/05)

Jye - Give the braid a go.. It may be OK
Here's a pic of my Kettle taken nearing the end of the pump to fermentors. I ended up using a slotted copper manifold and can pretty well suck the kettle dry if I choose...
I CF Chill by the way.





Asher for now


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## warrenlw63 (9/8/05)

Asher said:


> Jye - Give the braid a go.. It may be OK
> Here's a pic of my Kettle taken nearing the end of the pump to fermentors. I ended up using a slotted copper manifold and can pretty well suck the kettle dry if I choose...
> I CF Chill by the way.
> 
> ...



2 Things with Asher's manifold.

1 It's copper with (I think) the holes on the bottom. Less chance of clogging than braid due to larger holes.

2 Most importantly... Asher has the circumference a lot wider than Jye's taking the manifold away from the centre of the hop sludge.

Still think that Jye is courting disaster with his design. That said it's all just a hunch. :unsure: 

Warren -


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## Jye (9/8/05)

The ID of the HLT pipe is 16mm and the kettle is 10mm, can not remember what they are in inches


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## Jye (9/8/05)

Do you think it would be possible to just but a longer piece of ss braided in and then whirlpool to get the hops into the centre away from it?


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## warrenlw63 (9/8/05)

Would probably be far safer Jye. Batz is more or less speaking from experience. He encountered blockages with the same configuration.

Warren -


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## ausdb (9/8/05)

Asher said:


> Jye - Give the braid a go.. It may be OK
> Here's a pic of my Kettle taken nearing the end of the pump to fermentors. I ended up using a slotted copper manifold and can pretty well suck the kettle dry if I choose...
> I CF Chill by the way.
> [post="70789"][/post]​



Hi Asher, 
Nice to see the pic in your kettle, after our conversation about kettles last night. Your copper manifold looks pretty high up doesnt it leave a lot in the bottom? 

Cheers Ausdb


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## lefty2446 (15/8/05)

Jye said:


> The ID of the HLT pipe is 16mm and the kettle is 10mm, can not remember what they are in inches
> [post="70791"][/post]​



5/8" and 3/8" respectivly.
HTH Someone.

Adrian


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## Ross (15/8/05)

Jye said:


> > welcome to the world of AG Jye - there's no going back - where abouts in Brisbane are you?
> 
> 
> Im in Runcorn and get my supplies from the slacks creek HBS, I think I remember reading that you get some grain from there, whats the range like?
> ...



They have a huge range of grains now......


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## Jye (15/8/05)

Cheers Ross, I will be down there tomorrow morning getting supplies for my first brew day on Wednesday...muhahahaha


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## Jye (16/8/05)

As Borret stated


> I don't believe a brewing system is ever 'finished'



Here is the addition of the burner :beerbang:


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## Jye (28/8/05)

Well it happened today...the kettle got clogged with hops (9 plugs of cascade doing a SFPA) with about 2 L of wort left. I eventually got it out by pushing the hops around, what a pita :angry: but it looks like I will be taking the braid out and replacing it.

Thanks for the heads up guys  

PS I will be kegging the first AG APA on Wednesday :beerbang:


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## ausdb (28/8/05)

Jye said:


> Well it happened today...the kettle got clogged with hops (9 plugs of cascade doing a SFPA) with about 2 L of wort left. I eventually got it out by pushing the hops around, what a pita :angry: but it looks like I will be taking the braid out and replacing it.
> 
> Thanks for the heads up guys
> 
> ...



I had that happen too last Saturday  

Ausdb


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## Justin (29/8/05)

Hi there, your boiler looks the goods. Bummer it clogged. FWIW I don't use any filter in my kettle and have no problems, it's not an essential piece of equipment having a filter.

A quick question though, how did your burner go getting a good boil? It just looks like there isn't much space between the bottom of the keg rim for the exhaust fumes and heat to escape. Looks like a pretty good seal there considering how hard those burners are supposed to run. I just would have thought they'd need a bit more of a gap to vent the heat and stuff. If it works fine then no real worries but if you found your boil lacking a bit then this may be a problem. Just thought I'd comment.

We all have teething problems, wouldn't be fun without them hey . It'd all be too easy  

Cheers, Justin


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## warrenlw63 (29/8/05)

Jye said:


> Well it happened today...the kettle got clogged with hops (9 plugs of cascade doing a SFPA) with about 2 L of wort left. I eventually got it out by pushing the hops around, what a pita :angry: but it looks like I will be taking the braid out and replacing it.
> 
> Thanks for the heads up guys
> 
> ...



Justin,

Wholeheartedly agree. It's easy to become obsessed with crystal clear wort hitting the fermenters. IMO it's not totally necessary though.

Jye,

I would hate to say I told you so. Those braids are just a blockage waiting to happen. The surface area that allows the liquid to pass through would be very sensitive to fines and sludge.  

It's probably a good idea not to be too hung up on how much muck makes it through to your fermenters (within reason).

For plugs I would just have gone with a plain pickup tube and maybe pushing a copper or S/S scourer over the end. This works as a pretty good trap to stop hop leaves filtering through. No good for pellets though. Just a plain tube and whirlpool works best here. :beerbang: 

Don't worry Jye, main thing is your beer made it through in tact. Things could have been worse.

Warren -


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## big d (29/8/05)

yep braid can be a pain.what im using at the moment quite successfully is ss screen.kinda like fly screen but a tad larger.cut it from one of those cheap strainers you can get at woolies.
worth a shot to keep some of the debri out.


cheers
big d


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## Jye (29/8/05)

Justin, I never thought to leave a gap <_< ... it is probably a good idea but at the moment I am getting a good boil by the time the sparge goes in (batch sparging) so I am happy with its performance.



> I would hate to say I told you so



Go ahead you can say it  

Cheers 
Jye :beer:


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## Justin (29/8/05)

Ah if it's working well then I probably wouldn't worry. It might work better if there is a gap, but you'd have to ask someone who's experimented with the gap on these burners. That *shroud* looks like it was made for a keg . Mine is a three ring so I can't seal it that well anyway.

Cheers, Justin

Edit the spelling of shroud


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## Jye (29/8/05)

> That shroud looks like it was made for a keg



Tell me about it, the thing fits bloody beautifully :lol: act as a excellent wind break which was very useful on the weekend.


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## Batz (29/8/05)

I tried braid in the kettle too , I found the same problem with blockages.

I do need to filter the kettle wort as it flows through a C.C.F.W.C. and I belive this could block.

I use a GMK filter idea , differance is I bought a food grade one from a marine place , they are also clear plastic so you can see if the wort is flowing.

I got mine from 'Whitworths" $11.95

http://www.whitworths.com.au


Link too GMK inline filter
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...inline%20filter

Batz


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## PeterS (4/9/05)

Batz said:


> I tried braid in the kettle too , I found the same problem with blockages.
> 
> I do need to filter the kettle wort as it flows through a C.C.F.W.C. and I belive this could block.
> 
> ...



Batz, pardon my ignorance. I have a worth chiller, one could call it a WC but in german that is a water closet or shit house if you like. Mind you, in comparison to a CFWC ( Counterflow worth chiller) it probably is shit house. Sorry, Shiten houser. What is a CCFWC. I have seen it mentioned a couple of times but I thought it might be just a typo. Bugger it, I might have to get one of those as well. This madness is never ending.

:beer: 
PeterS....


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## AndrewQLD (4/9/05)

Peter,
That could possibly be a Counter, counter flow wort chiller. And as we all know, "your not a real brewer, ect, ect" h34r: :lol: .

Cheers
Andrew


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## Doc (4/9/05)

Hey Peter,

A CCFWC is a Convoluted Counter Flow Wort Chiller.
The internal copper coil is twisted (ie convoluted) providing maximum contact of the wort with the outside of the internal coil providing more efficiency heat transfer.

Beers,
Doc


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## AndrewQLD (4/9/05)

Doc said:


> Hey Peter,
> 
> A CCFWC is a Convoluted Counter Flow Wort Chiller.
> The internal copper coil is twisted (ie convoluted) providing maximum contact of the wort with the outside of the internal coil providing more efficiency heat transfer.
> ...



Sorry peter, I wasn't being very helpful, Doc is spot on as always, you Have probably seen pics of them, and you saw the one at Batzs brew day, they are the all copper affair, copper inside copper as apposed to copper inside a plastic hose. See this link for a pic and description http://www.morebeer.com/product.html?produ...7efc8ef7b89a197

Cheers
Andrew


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## PeterS (4/9/05)

AndrewQLD said:


> Doc said:
> 
> 
> > Hey Peter,
> ...



Thank you Doc and Andrew. I am glad I got the answers from you guys first. At least when Batz will say "You are not a real brewer, etc" I will not be shocked...  With the morebeer prices I just have to be contended with my ordinary chiller for awhile at least, until I run out of ideas. At least I can say I made my chiller ..

:beer: 
PeterS....


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## warrenlw63 (4/9/05)

Just thought I'd post this.

Used 5 plugs and 10 grams of pellets. It took me 90 mins to run 40 litres to the fermenter!  

Come out as a trickle, however like the tortise with the hare it eventually got there. :lol: 

FWIW all that mess is a pickup tube with a copper srubby over the end.

Warren -


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## Rex (5/9/05)

warrenlw63 said:


> JUsed 5 plugs and 10 grams of pellets. It took me 90 mins to run 40 litres to the fermenter!
> 
> Come out as a trickle, however like the tortise with the hare it eventually got there. :lol:
> [post="75335"][/post]​



I was thinking about this yesterday when I did a brew.

I'm just using a pot with a valve about 2cm off the bottom of the pot, and I drain it VERY slowly to avoid sucking down all the rubbush. But a 2nd valve ~5cm higher up the pot would allow 80% of the wort to be drained very quickly, before switching to a low/slow valve.

Anyone else do this?


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## warrenlw63 (5/9/05)

Rex.

No scientific data, however that's pure genius. :super: 

Absolutely worth a closer look. 

Warren -


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## Ross (5/9/05)

warrenlw63 said:


> Used 5 plugs and 10 grams of pellets. It took me 90 mins to run 40 litres to the fermenter!
> 
> Come out as a trickle, however like the tortise with the hare it eventually got there. :lol:
> 
> ...



just confirms why i use hop bags - soooo much easier & cleaner...
My kettle drains from the centre, so even swirling is of no use...


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## warrenlw63 (5/9/05)

Was my first foray into plugs for about 5 years Ross. Think I might wait another 5. :lol: 

Gee they smell nice though, however the pickup tube is generally 100% hassle free with pellets and usually runs off 40 litres within 20 mins. A little saner.  

Warren -


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## Guest Lurker (5/9/05)

Rex said:


> I was thinking about this yesterday when I did a brew.
> 
> I'm just using a pot with a valve about 2cm off the bottom of the pot, and I drain it VERY slowly to avoid sucking down all the rubbush. But a 2nd valve ~5cm higher up the pot would allow 80% of the wort to be drained very quickly, before switching to a low/slow valve.
> 
> ...



Asher invented the rotating pickup tube which I stole for my kettle. No pictures handy, but it works well for me
-put a right angle fitting on the nipple inside the kettle
-add a short length of copper pipe with compression fitting, add a screen of your choice if you desire
-point pipe straight up before filling kettle, so inlet is way up and collects only clean wort
-while draining, rotate pipe down with sanitised paddle and decide how far down to keep draining, you can push it onto the bottom and siphon everything if it looks clean, stop early if there is a huge amount of break.


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## Stagger (5/9/05)

From day one I have used a hop sive witch I made from s/s mesh I have used it with plugs flowers and mostly pellets. The sive slips onto a spigot, I get a 1/2L with hop tub in it but then crystal clear wort.

Stagger

View attachment 3712

View attachment 3713


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## Borret (5/9/05)

Doc said:


> Hey Peter,
> 
> A CCFWC is a Convoluted Counter Flow Wort Chiller.
> The internal copper coil is twisted (ie convoluted) providing maximum contact of the wort with the outside of the internal coil providing more efficiency heat transfer.
> ...



And here I was thinking C was for 'curly' (as they all are)  

C is also for cookie and cookie for me B) 

Borret


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## PeterS (25/10/05)

PeterS said:


> AndrewQLD said:
> 
> 
> > Doc said:
> ...



Just an update fellows. I have now finished my HERMS system. As soon as I learned what a CCFWC was I had to have one as I used my old Immersion chiller as my Herms coil. I did my first brew on the new system yesterday. It seems it is the way to go, it seems so easy with a March pump and a Temp controller in the HLT. The main problem I encountered was with my CCFWC. I was using a combination of pellet and leaf hops and it clogged in a few minutes. My kettle is an old 60L barrel type keg with an L shaped copper tube pickup. Had no problem before with it but it seems I need to get to Whitworths or Bunnings tomorrow for an inline filter. Hope that will fix the problem.

Cheers.
:chug: 
PeterS....


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## Ducatiboy stu (25/10/05)

Aint Whitworth a thread size..not a shop....???


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## PeterS (25/10/05)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Aint Whitworth a thread size..not a shop....???
> [post="85548"][/post]​



We are both correct. In my case, it is a Marine and Leasure shop that stock some items cheaper than Bunnings or some hardware shop. See www.whitwoths.com.au. (One day I might learn how to insert a link here).  

:chug: 
PeterS....


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## Ross (25/10/05)

PeterS said:


> Just an update fellows. I have now finished my HERMS system. As soon as I learned what a CCFWC was I had to have one as I used my old Immersion chiller as my Herms coil. I did my first brew on the new system yesterday. It seems it is the way to go, it seems so easy with a March pump and a Temp controller in the HLT. The main problem I encountered was with my CCFWC. I was using a combination of pellet and leaf hops and it clogged in a few minutes. My kettle is an old 60L barrel type keg with an L shaped copper tube pickup. Had no problem before with it but it seems I need to get to Whitworths or Bunnings tomorrow for an inline filter. Hope that will fix the problem.
> 
> Cheers.
> :chug:
> ...



Peter, hop bags are another easy option...

Cheers Ross


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## warrenlw63 (26/10/05)

Peter.

Another idea you may want to consider with a CFWC and pump is perhaps trying Doc's idea and using a water filter housing as a hopback? This will leave the balance of the crud behind.

Warren -


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