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Vanoontour

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Morning All,

So I've been doing some thinking as of late (dangerous I know) and have come up with a plan for me to get into larger batch, 3v brewing.

I started with the AG for $30 bucks thread, as many here probably have too. So I've got me a 19l pot and a bag. I am in the process of mounting a wee 3/8" ball valve to it so I stop pouring hot wort over the missus holding a funnel into the cube. My problem is where to mount it (the valve, not the missus :D ) in the pot. More info needed.

Stage 2 of the brewery build is to use the esky I already have as a mash tun and I have sourced a keg to use as the kettle. So will have a 19l HLT, esky mash tun and keggle.

Stage 3...to be continued but will probably involve getting an extra keg as my HLT with an element.

Any way, now back to the valve and pot, at what height to mount the valve. As it is currently being used as a kettle I don't want to mount it too low as I will just be putting trub into the cube. However then as part of the brewery growth it will need to be low to get all the water out. So over to you all oh wise ones. When whirlpooling and draining can the kettle be on a small angle, allowing the trub to form on the low side of the pot? This would allow me to mount the valve lower down.

Cheers in advance,
 
Mount it reasonably low, but use a pickup tube inside the pot so you have the freedom to adjust it to draw from where-ever you feel best.
 
you say you've got a keg sourced to use as a kettle, so with that in mind, id mount the tap as low as you can go and use this as your hlt. Then get that keg up and running quicksmart so you can brew.

If it becomes your kettle in the short term, with a tap too low, problems with trub. If it becomes your HLT short term, and the tap is too high, even though it's only a 19lt pot, you'll have to tilt it to get all the water out and into your mash.

I'd keep it as a small hlt with a tap mounted as low as you can go. Who knows, one day it might make an awesome heat exchanger for a recirculating mash setup.....

Actually, what i'd really do, is if you already have the esky ( i will assume a decent sized one if you are planning to use the keg as a boiler), and you already have access to the keg for the boiler, i'd ditch the whole 19lt pot, and go on the lookout for another keg, or similar sized pot and start again.

You'll be able to do double batches very easily with a 50lt HLT, 40lt esky, 50lt kettle. This is what my setup consists of. Yes it is very close to boilover at the start, but with a watchful eye (i also skim the break/foam material as it gets close) it's very easy.

You'll have to mount the tap in the keg you've sourced either way, so all you're really doing is replacing the pot with something bigger (which you'll also have to mount a tap either way) to make brewdays easier.



my $0.02 worth. Haven't checked the markets for a while, are we still up? :)
 
Cheers gents, mounting will be as low down as possibly and will keep on the scrounge for a pick up tube that fits. Problem being its a 3/8 valve and all other components I have seen are 1/2. Oh well,

Cheers
 
Cheers gents, mounting will be as low down as possibly and will keep on the scrounge for a pick up tube that fits. Problem being its a 3/8 valve and all other components I have seen are 1/2. Oh well,

Cheers

My pickup tubes consist of some copper tube, an olive and a compression nut from the big green shed. Any reason you are going 3/8? 1/2" would be just as easy and compatible with any future upgrades going forward.
 
My pickup tubes consist of some cooper tube, an olive and a compression nut from the big green shed. Any reason you are going 3/8? 1/2" would be just as easy and compatible with any future upgrades going forward.

Already had the 3/8 valve from a previous project. All future plumbing will be 1/2 for sure.
 
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