Don't Jiggle Your Bag On Brew Day

[felten]

I put down my 3rd AG BIAB brew earlier today, it was a Deschutes black butte porter clone (with a few modifications). I'm planning to brew their obsidian stout back to back with this one as well. Everything went well considering I was doing a lot of brewing firsts, until it was time to pull the bag; first time doughing in at protein rest (I was going to use a decoction for mash out as well, but chickened out), first time using my home made mash paddle (it's great), and the first time the rope broke while hoisting my bag pre boil.

Luckily I am using 2 ropes to hoist since I have one of those nylon non-draining flimsy bags (definitely want to upgrade to the polyester version from the sounds of it). I Secure it to my overhead hook with one, then use the other to tie it up further after it has a chance to drain a little.

Well when I went to lift it even further I jiggled it a little a few times like a teabag, big mistake, and then with an almighty SNAP and the bag dropped right into the pot, probably 60-70 cm drop. Luckily the 2nd rope held strong and held the bag just slightly submerged in the surface of the wort and I estimate I only lost 2L max. Fortunately I missed myself entirely and it ended up all over the floor/on the burner.

Unfortunately this threw my boil out a little and I only ended up with ~19L into the cube instead of the planned ~21L. Anyway the rope that snapped was a recent purchase from bunnings, I dont have the packaging anymore but it was one of those 3mm x 60M or so orange coils of rope, fairly cheap IIRC. I guess 3mm thick probably is not strong enough to host a 6.3kg grain bill+water that my PITA bag retains. :angry:

obligatory brew day picture;

oh and my burner sooted, my soft drink bottle of cacl2 solution developed a crack in the base, I stalled my siphon to the cube twice and my papercraft zoidberg got splashed with wort.

 

[peas_and_corn]

Obligatory 'get a mash tun' post

 

[felten]

Funny story, I actually have a 26L esky, but I use it for storing brewing gear in. 26L is probably on the small side anyway

 

[Margwar]

Funny story, I actually have a 26L esky, but I use it for storing brewing gear in. 26L is probably on the small side anyway

26L is fine... There are a number of people using 26L here. I was worried myself when I get one real cheap and thought it would be way to small. But I have managed to brew a number of beers in it. As long as its a failry standard grain bill of up to around 6kg, it will mash nicely. Not much room for a mash out stage but with a second and sometimes 3rd runnings could easy do 29L or so into the Keggle....
Have since updated to a 33L as I would like to try some bigger beers. Planning a Belgian Strong Dark Ale and wondering if the 33L is going to do the job...?

 

[dago001]

3mm rope - Safe working load of 9kg (diameter squared) - not sure of the rated breaking strain. Any weight will double for every 1 metre drop ie 5 kgs on a rope that falls 1 metre will have a 10 kg impact on the rope.
5 kgs of wet grain - not sure how much it weighs but would be close to 9 kgs. I don't lift bags with ropes anymore, but I always used 10mm rope just to make sure.
Just some info for ya.
Cheers
David

 

[zoidbergmerc]

*snip*
and my papercraft zoidberg got splashed with wort.

You've got one of those too?!

Woob woob woob woob woob

 

[spog]

3mm rope - Safe working load of 9kg (diameter squared) - not sure of the rated breaking strain. Any weight will double for every 1 metre drop ie 5 kgs on a rope that falls 1 metre will have a 10 kg impact on the rope.
5 kgs of wet grain - not sure how much it weighs but would be close to 9 kgs. I don't lift bags with ropes anymore, but I always used 10mm rope just to make sure.
Just some info for ya.
Cheers
David

bugger it, use steel cable.
s.w.l on the rope,too hard sounds like a oh&s course and i've had a gut full of them . ...cheers.....spog..........

 

[dago001]

bugger it, use steel cable.
s.w.l on the rope,too hard sounds like a oh&s course and i've had a gut full of them . ...cheers.....spog..........

Yep me too - but just showing that any old rope to lift grain can be dangerous.

 

[beerbog]

bugger it, use steel cable.

Or a big ass chain. :beerbang:

 

[zoidbergmerc]

Or a jet pack.

 

[dago001]

Helicopter !!

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Bunch of nancies.

Stop mucking about and get a back hoe in.

 

[zoidbergmerc]

I dunno, one of that sky crane helicopters would be pretty bad ass And you could use it to go to work! Park on the roof! No problems.

 

[dago001]

Harrier Jump Jet ?? - Also cut about 38 minutes off my 40 minute drive to work.

 

[brettprevans]

buy some climbing rope. sure its expensive but that **** wont ever snap.

 

[Bribie G]

Verandah / awning cord, you could lift an elephant.

 

[Phoney]

I use awning cord, although after reading this thread now im beginning to think I might want to upgrade it to climbing rope just to be safe. A 9kg ball of grain dropping into an urn with 25L of liquid @ 78C could result in some serious third degree burns. Not to mention all that lost beer!

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

buy some climbing rope. sure its expensive but that **** wont ever snap.

Well... That depends. I've broken some Bluewater II 11(?)mm using it with a winch and a tripod to get a rock out of the way of a lead, but we also bent the tripod and buggad the winch on that day. We learned a lot as well...

I'm using 8.5mm Edelrid static after retiring it from active duty. The rest of it is used to tie things down on the trucklet. I certainly don't expect to break it in either use. Unless you seriously abrade it, it is most likely going to break around the knot and, I would agree, never while brewing.

</pedantry>

 

[brettprevans]

Well... That depends. I've broken some Bluewater II 11(?)mm using it with a winch and a tripod to get a rock out of the way of a lead, but we also bent the tripod and buggad the winch on that day. We learned a lot as well...

I'm using 8.5mm Edelrid static after retiring it from active duty. The rest of it is used to tie things down on the trucklet. I certainly don't expect to break it in either use. Unless you seriously abrade it, it is most likely going to break around the knot and, I would agree, never while brewing.

</pedantry>

yeah ok spills, your right, it will snap under right conditions.

I was on a army ropes course once when one of the platoon fell. It was that particular ropes' 13th? fall so they were retiring it. they got one of the big boys to hook on, pulled him up and then got us to watch them slowly slice through the rope whilst the guy bounced up and down trying to get it to snap. there was bugger all left uncut when it finally snapped. so yeah unless your commercial BIAG with couple hundred kg climbing rope would see you right.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

yeah ok spills, your right, it will snap under right conditions.

I was on a army ropes course once when one of the platoon fell. It was that particular ropes' 13th? fall so they were retiring it. they got one of the big boys to hook on, pulled him up and then got us to watch them slowly slice through the rope whilst the guy bounced up and down trying to get it to snap. there was bugger all left uncut when it finally snapped. so yeah unless your commercial BIAG with couple hundred kg climbing rope would see you right.

Yeah... But that was a training rope and they were trying to instill confidence in you. They can't afford to use the expensive stuff *all* the time...