One ramble before I go to Sydney
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Syphon versus Ball-Valves - My Verdict
Well, after 3 years of using an auto-syphon, I finally relented and drilled the holes in my 2 kettles for ball-valves.
I never had any major problems with the auto-syphon until they increased the internal diameter of the ones they sell here. The new ones basically are a nightmare. They pretty much don't work and were what prompted me to finally go for ball-valves.
I have now done one brew with the ball-valves and am now fully re-committed to coming up with an auto-syphon system that actually works.
Ball-valves might look good and give you a few moments pleasure on brew day as you open and close them and control flow but that's where it starts and that is where it ends. It's a bit like BIAB versus traditional for me where BIAB is awkward for a moment but in all other ways it is superb. The awkward moment is when you have to pull the bag (though even this can be made easy) but in doing this, you don't have to buy/maintain/clean two other vessels and you don't have to clean the grain from (and usually pull apart/re-assemble) a mash tun etc. (A lot of BIABers probably don't even realise how awkward it is cleaning out an esky from grain.)
But, nothing is more awkward than cleaning/sanitising.
What a pleasure my original auto-syphon was compared to these ball-valves! My original auto-syphon was a little inconvenient in some ways but nothing compared to ball-valves.
Here is what you should consider before drilling holes in your kettle for ball-valves...
1. Working out what valve to buy - This was a challenge in itself and I had to correspond with a high-tech brewer mate of mine just to narrow down what I should be looking for.
2. Working out where to source the auxiliary components - My experienced mate or myself could not find one retailer that had everything in stock at the time of purchase. I had to investigate, at great time/travel expense, the individual components and there weren't many. I ended up purchasing them from 4 different places. (Try finding SS washers and silicone O-rings for a start.)
3. Assembly - I finally got all the bits and had double O-rings and food-grade grease and Teflon tape (3 rolls). So now wrap any threads with Teflon to the right thickness (if you need a component to end up at a set point) and start assembling. (Also see 8 below regarding spanners.)
4. Now Test It - Well now that you have spent so long assembling your tap, you better test it because there is a good chance it will leak from somewhere. The only way to really test it is to fill your kettle with water. If it does leak, undo it all and start again. Or, you could risk it and wait until your kettle is full of liquor on brew day.
5. Ah! This is great!!!! - Yep, this is the bit you have been waiting for. This is the bit where you can swing on the tap and control flow etc. Enjoy it because it gets worse from here. Remember, this bit only lasts a minute. Now you can make things more fun by throwing a dice because now you have two alternatives...
6. Cleaning Alternative 1 - You could put some water (or even a cleaner and then a sanitiser) in your kettle and boil it. (This btw takes time and gas). Anyway, run it/them through your tap, opening and closing the tap ten or twenty times and then you might think your kettle tap is actually clean and sterile. If you do that, then cross your fingers. It is actually impossible to clean and sterilse a ball-valve without pulling it completely apart (thanks Doogiechap for educating me on this). Just ask one of the QLD traditional brewers here on AHB, who several years ago, lost 1500 lts of beer over many, many months and brews simply due to his kettle ball-valve. No one picked up on this and now he pulls it apart after every brew.
7. Cleaning Alternative 2 - You can get lucky or you can pull the ball-valve apart. I have pulled both mine apart after 1 brew and also a mates after 3 brews. My mates smelt ripe and mine were both already gummy and certainly smelt unclean even though I had opened and closed the tap a heap of times. So let's pull the taps apart. Agree?
8. Disassembly - Get three spanners out just to do the 3 piece ball-valve. You'll also need a few other spanners to undo the parts extending from the ball-valve. Make sure you undo the bits in correct order otherwise you won't have enough leverage to undo some bits.
9. Cleaning Part 1 - Get rid of all the teflon tape you used in assembly. This is a bastard and will keep you occupied for a while. You will need a wire brush.
10. Cleaning Part 2 - Alkaline soak/scrub/rinse.
12. De-Mineralise/Sanitise 1 - Acid soak/scrub/rinse.
13. Assembly/Sanitise 2 - Get your teflon tape out, your spanners and your no-rinse sanitiser and go back to (3) above.
Necessity must certainly be the mother of invention because I just had 2 simple ideas on how to improve my faithful old auto-syphon. Cool!
I hope the above makes new BIABers seriously consider a stainless steel racking cane and syphon hose before they start drilling holes etc.
In the meantime, when I get back from Sydney, I'll see the stainless steel guy we use in my work, and now that I have a clear idea of what is needed, will see if he can make what I want.
Spot!
Pat
