First Full Ag Advice Please :)

[Fingerlickin_B]

Ok folks, Ive done half batches and partials with a pot-in-pot setup, but now its time to step up and play with the big boys.

Prepping for a 23L brew on Sunday and I want to make sure I havent forgotten anythingfinding out mid-brew would suck

Heres what Ive got:
50L kettle with ball valve fitted (need to finish it up with grinder tomorrow)
Hop sock (has served me great so far)
Insulated bucket mash tun with domed false bottom fitted (Steves old one (cheers man :beer: ))
Miscellaneous PVC hoses for wort transfer
Mashmaster thermometer
Plastic jerry can for no chill chilling
2400W immersion element

Anything Ive missed?

My only other real concern is that I only have this fitting for connecting the hose to my kettle valve to transfer to the jerry:


Problem is that it is very obviously plastic, but Im hoping since Im not directly heating the kettle (using the element to boil) it wont get hot enough to melt. It worked fine when the kettle was used as a fermenter, but of course the hottest that ever got was 20 degrees

Please give any insight you can, but bear in mind that I cannot afford any more parts until next Thursday and would like to brew before then.

Cheers

PZ.

p.s. wasn't long ago I said I'd never go all grain :lol:

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Oh and I know PP will be quite disappointed with me for abandoning the BIAB/single vessel idea, but hey...a mash tun at the right price is a mash tun "at the right price"

PZ.

 

[Stuster]

Good stuff, FB. :super:

Sounds like you have all the steps worked out, but I'll just throw around some ideas to check every little thing.

Have you got a big plastic jug to recirculate the wort and move any hot water around? Where are you going to put the sparge water when you are sparging into the kettle? (Fermenter does the job at my house.)

I doubt that plastic fitting will melt. Have fun. :beerbang:

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Have you got a big plastic jug to recirculate the wort and move any hot water around?

Where are you going to put the sparge water when you are sparging into the kettle?

Yeah man, got heaps of jugs, pots, etc I can use for recirculation of the wort...haven't picked which one, but that's cool

I've got a large pot that I used as part of my pot-in-pot rig that can serve as a HLT either on the kitchen hotplate, using the element, or holding water heated in the kettle.

PZ.

 

[goatherder]

FB, I use 1/2" transfer hoses (blue nylex drinking water) and I find brass garden fittings work well. Just grab the right brass bush to fit a male hose fitting to your tap and you won't have to worry about anything melting.

If you can't get these before you brew then think about screwing the plastic fitting into the valve after the boil is finished - you'll avoid the prolonged heat then.

Good luck with the brew.

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Just grab the right brass bush to fit a male hose fitting to your tap

I had a very brief look in Bunnings the other day when we were there grabbing a lawnmower spark plug for my mate's pocket bike and didn't see any with a male 1/2" BSP thread...although it was packed and I only spent about 10 seconds looking :huh:

Should I be looking elsewhere, or just have a proper look next time?

For now the plastic will have to do, good idea on fitting it post boil...that's what I had planned to do anyway :beer:

PZ.

 

[KillerRx4]

Good luck with it man, you'll have fun im sure.

Not alot of advice since i reckon we're on the same level but I will warn ya that thongs & hot wort/water = burt feet. watch your hoses cause i found they like to jump off when theyre hot :blink:

 

[goatherder]

Just grab the right brass bush to fit a male hose fitting to your tap

I had a very brief look in Bunnings the other day when we were there grabbing a lawnmower spark plug for my mate's pocket bike and didn't see any with a male 1/2" BSP thread...although it was packed and I only spent about 10 seconds looking :huh:

Should I be looking elsewhere, or just have a proper look next time?

For now the plastic will have to do, good idea on fitting it post boil...that's what I had planned to do anyway :beer:

PZ.

You probably won't either, I couldn't find one.

Check out the plumbing section at Bunnings, they have a bunch of brass adapters which should fit between your valve and a hose fitting. I think from memory I used a 1/2" male to 3/4" female adapter and fitted a 3/4" male hose fitting into it. There are probably a few options you can use along similar lines.

 

[DJR]

I had the same problem trying to find the bit at bunnings - go to Reese or another plumbing store, no problem. I ended up getting it from bunnings though - a 1/2" male thread to 1/4" female thread adapter, and then i got a 1/4" hose barb connector from the tools section (they sell them for air tools)

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

I will warn ya that thongs & hot wort/water = burt feet. watch your hoses cause i found they like to jump off when theyre hot :blink:

Wise advice noted, use a hose clamp...I've got plenty of those

Cheers for your input too Goat and DJR, hopefully this'll go off without a hitch

PZ.

 

[Steve]

PZ - use a big pot on the hotplate with your immersion element. You'll also need a strong long spoon for stirring the mash. With that mashtun I either burnt my fingers or used a rubber washing up glove. Measure out your hops etc whilst mashing...... just get prepared first up and it'll go like clockwork. Any probs give me a call.
Cheers
Steve

Have fun fella - its a piece o pish!

P.S. Dont drink too much whilst brewing...you may forget to put your yeast in :blink:

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Dammit!!!! :angry:

The HBS guy told me he had what I needed on Friday and when I went in today they were out of one grain and the guy standing in for him couldn't crack the other Maybe he thought I only needed the usual 1kg or so, as there was 1kg of the grain he was out of...but I needed 4!

Looks like it'll have to wait 'till next weekend.

Thinking of ordering my grain bill from Ross and doing a "mash today, boil tomorrow" so Steve can use the tun if his new one still isn't ready by next weekend...I can store the post-mash wort in my new jerry and then boil the next day even if the tun has gone home.

I was really happy to be doing this, now p*ssed off.

Oh well, at least it'll give me time to replace the plastic hose fitting, plus the 2 day method means I can more easily use my kettle as a HLT, since the kettle won't catch the wort...the jerry will B)

Thanks for the input guys, will make good use of it within the next week.

PZ.

edit - I woke up at 9:30 this morning, kettle was finished by 11...I was ready to go...

 

[Steve]

What grain where you after PZ....I have enough golden promise that'll be great in your APA and could prolly get me mate in the club to crack it for you in the morning???? Give me a call 0404 077 899.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Steve to the rescue! :beer: :super:

Cheers man, APA here we come!

PZ.

 

[Sparky]

Good luck PZ Hope all goes well!!

Must be the right weekend for it huh?

Did my first AG today & all went pretty well.

A few things learnt.

It's in the fermenter now, a little less than expected, 15 litres, lost a bit when boiling, 3kW element & no lid.

Mods planned already

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

3000W element? She must have boiled like crazy!

You should start a "first AG" thread like everyone else does, seems to attract good advice when you explain what happened/went wrong/needs tweaking

Cheers :beer:

PZ.

 

[Sparky]

3000W element? She must have boiled like crazy!

Yep it sure did. This is where I gotta do some work. Disconnected 1 of the 2 elements & let it run on 1500 watt for a while, however 1500 watts wasn't enough to maintain the boil.

Have got solid state relays & a controller to work with & now I've seen what happens I can work out some code to control the individual elements & wire it all up properly.

The element is a low density type that is made for Hot Water Cylinders in areas where the water is hard. (Basically the elements are twice the thickness so they won't scorch the wort)

After the boil (75 min), there was nothing burnt onto the surface.

It was a good test of my method, my understanding of the process & as usual when things go wrong I RTFM afterward.

It's bubbling away real nice @ the moment. The 1098 is very busy.

I'll see how it turns out in a few weeks time & if I've got concerns I'll start searchin & asking.

Hope yours went well today.

Cheers

WayneO

 

[justsomeguy]

3000W element? She must have boiled like crazy!

Yep it sure did. This is where I gotta do some work. Disconnected 1 of the 2 elements & let it run on 1500 watt for a while, however 1500 watts wasn't enough to maintain the boil.

I run a pair of low density hot water elements in my kettle, one 1800 watt and one 2400 watt. Use both to bring water to strike temp and to get hte wort up to a boil then switch off the 2400 watt element. I found similar problems to you regarding maintain a boil. I was having trouble maintaining a boil with just the 1800 watt element running and made an insulating jacket for the kettle. Stuck some aluminium insulating foil on both sides of an 8mm foal camping mat and wrap the kettle in that. Works a treat ! I can now maintain a boil with just the 1800 watt element running.

I'm also going to go the SSR and controller circuit option as well just so there's a little more flexability in the system. Having converted from gas to an electric kettle I couldn't be happiier with the results.

gary.

 

[Sparky]

Stuck some aluminium insulating foil on both sides of an 8mm foal camping mat and wrap the kettle in that. Works a treat ! I can now maintain a boil with just the 1800 watt element running.

Cheers for that

'tis a good tip :beerbang:

 

[justsomeguy]

Stuck some aluminium insulating foil on both sides of an 8mm foal camping mat and wrap the kettle in that. Works a treat ! I can now maintain a boil with just the 1800 watt element running.

Cheers for that

'tis a good tip :beerbang:

Also have a look at my brewery at my web page for some more pictures and info about my electric setup. There are a couple of pictures of the insulating jacket there as well.

gary