Brewing Ergonomics

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

geoffd

Well-Known Member
Joined
6/10/08
Messages
400
Reaction score
0
I just noticed while creating a whirlpool that rather than stirring the spoon at the bottom of the pot; I gently raised & lowerd the spoon depth while stirring & noticed I could get the whirlpool going with much less effort.

Just wondering if outher people have noticed this or if they might consiously try it on their next brew day to confirm its not just my imagination.

Some might think this action rather trivial, but as a person with fibromyalgia ergonomics & posture have a lot of importance in minimising aggrivation.

interested to hear of any other ergonomic solutions people have come up with & try & get it all under one topic.


Some of the other things I have done to this end are:

built a "man sink" (for me a unit 9cm higher than standard) that I can touch my hands in the sink basin without leaning over. & can also put one foot forward underneath the sink.

Plumbed water up wall with a tap to fill sparge water vessel to avoid lifting the water up.

Garden pot dolly to wheel fermenter around (& strap it on when a step or two are oin the way)

Put decking down outside between brewshed & fermenter fridge shed (to roll fermenter)

Drain all liquid from grain before carrying to compost heap.
 
I just noticed while creating a whirlpool that rather than stirring the spoon at the bottom of the pot; I gently raised & lowerd the spoon depth while stirring & noticed I could get the whirlpool going with much less effort.

Just wondering if outher people have noticed this or if they might consiously try it on their next brew day to confirm its not just my imagination.

Some might think this action rather trivial, but as a person with fibromyalgia ergonomics & posture have a lot of importance in minimising aggrivation.

interested to hear of any other ergonomic solutions people have come up with & try & get it all under one topic.


Some of the other things I have done to this end are:

built a "man sink" (for me a unit 9cm higher than standard) that I can touch my hands in the sink basin without leaning over. & can also put one foot forward underneath the sink.

Plumbed water up wall with a tap to fill sparge water vessel to avoid lifting the water up.

Garden pot dolly to wheel fermenter around (& strap it on when a step or two are oin the way)

Put decking down outside between brewshed & fermenter fridge shed (to roll fermenter)

Drain all liquid from grain before carrying to compost heap.

Some great tips / implemented ideas there FJ, that may help many people from different walks of life.

I have only ever whirl pooled close to the surface, start slow outside slowly building up speed while working my way in to the centre to form a tight circle, creating a deep vortex for few seconds then that's it.

I am in the same camp as yourself and its one of the reasons i do not drink much, so i keep things pretty small when brewing to minimise exertion which keeps the enjoyment factor in it for me, which is really important cause i really enjoy the entire AG brewing process.
 
I have only ever whirl pooled close to the surface, start slow outside slowly building up speed while working my way in to the centre to form a tight circle, creating a deep vortex for few seconds then that's it.

I have on more awareness discovered this too, start from the top where least resistance & work down rather than stirring the bottom & dragging the rest of the wort above it into whirlpool + the depth pressure factor. anyway finished brewing for the day with 22.2 litres @ 22 degrees, deuces are wild :) quack quack.
 
FJ, you have a brew shed AND a ferment shed?!

you have some great tips about keeping ourselves comfortable and fit whilst brewing.

I would love a sink again where i can touch the bottom without bending (worked in the seafood industry for a long time, every bench and sink had fully adjustable feet, and was super shiny SS!)

i still can't believe you have 2 sheds for beer!
 
FJ, you have a brew shed AND a ferment shed?!

you have some great tips about keeping ourselves comfortable and fit whilst brewing.

I would love a sink again where i can touch the bottom without bending (worked in the seafood industry for a long time, every bench and sink had fully adjustable feet, and was super shiny SS!)

i still can't believe you have 2 sheds for beer!

At home you can put a plastic basin next to your sink on the counter & do the dishes in that, an easy way to elevate for that task. put a box or milk crate etc under your chopping board etc.

I rent, I brought a 2x1 meter toolshed/brewfridge shed with me & there was a 4x2 meter shed in the house I moved into last year, plumbed it for water, bottle gas & got an electrician to wire it. built the sink unit out of recycled wood, new double sink on E-bay $60, new tap with mixer & with sprayer $115 on e-bay. water pipes 50 metres + fittings, elbows, valves etc about $200 in bunnings, but i can salvage it all and take it with me down the line.
 
My wife suffers mild fybromyalgia so I can somewhat understand how you feel mate.

As someone with multiple back problems including sacroiliitis, I'm always careful when brewing. The fridge trolley is my saviour. Fermenters, kegs, sacks of grain. I like the idea of the garden pot dolly.

Cheers.
 
My son made a trolley out of a discarded office chair by using the base of 5 wheels and the frame and screwing a piece of ply wood to it. Definately a back saver.

A chiropractor advised me that when standing at a sink raise one foot slightly on a block of wood to ease the back problems.

I have changed my brew volumes from 46 litres to 23 litres recently in an attempt to avoid back strain when moving such a large volume.

I now try to sit on a tall stool when working at a bench even for small tasks like weighing hops etc.

I also store my large quantities of base grain in those plastic bins with the wheels on so I can move them easily.

My brew frame has the HLT higher than the other vessels and because I brew with rainwater that has to be bucketed in from the tank I put the full volume of water in the brew kettle and then pump it up to the HLT so to avoid lifting it to that height.

It is funny the lengths a man will go to, to brew beer :lol:

Cheers
 
It is funny the lengths a man will go to, to brew beer :lol:

Jesus rose from the dead because he had a brew day planned.... :eek: ...Pontius Pale Ale I believe....made in the brew cave...someone stop me....apologies to all christians
 
Back
Top