New Noob

[nosco]

Hi All!
Ive only been brewin extract since October. Had 2 god awful first 2 attempts (still drank them as inspiration). Put No.3 in an old bar fridge that I modded and hooked up to a STC 100. No. 3 is pretty tasty but not quite there. No 4 is a Coopers English Bitter that I bottled last night. Doin a Cascade Porter thing next weekend. Oh and I went to a demo at the Grain and Grape that was very cool.

So considering my wealth of experience I decided to go AG and bought a 70lt SS pot of Ebay for $135, a Camco 5500W hot water element and a *deep breath* 9500W High Power SCR Electronic Volt Regulator Speed Controller Governor Dimmer. I made this hasty decision after watching this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-jDnFt402A, and after a few beers. :chug:

I got all this for just over $200 ($202.17) so I think I did pretty good. Since me and my wife are on a single income atm (she's on maternity) and we have a 1 year old this was my reason for keeping it as cheap as and also for going eBIAB. I also have a 19lt BigW pot that I will do some partials on to get my xp up while I wait for the parts to arrive, and for time and money for a ball valve and the rest.

I did realise that I will need a dedicated 240 outlet for the element after I spoke to my sparky mate but after I had already bought it :blink: but he said he can install one for me

While I am at it, can any one suggest where I can get a 1" stainless NPS locknut from for the element. And can anyone tell me what NPS is.

Cheers.

 

[sp0rk]

Hi All!
Ive only been brewin extract since October. Had 2 god awful first 2 attempts (still drank them as inspiration). Put No.3 in an old bar fridge that I modded and hooked up to a STC 100. No. 3 is pretty tasty but not quite there. No 4 is a Coopers English Bitter that I bottled last night. Doin a Cascade Porter thing next weekend. Oh and I went to a demo at the Grain and Grape that was very cool.

So considering my wealth of experience I decided to go AG and bought a 70lt SS pot of Ebay for $135, a Camco 5500W hot water element and a *deep breath* 9500W High Power SCR Electronic Volt Regulator Speed Controller Governor Dimmer. I made this hasty decision after watching this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-jDnFt402A, and after a few beers. :chug:

I got all this for just over $200 ($202.17) so I think I did pretty good. Since me and my wife are on a single income atm (she's on maternity) and we have a 1 year old this was my reason for keeping it as cheap as and also for going eBIAB. I also have a 19lt BigW pot that I will do some partials on to get my xp up while I wait for the parts to arrive, and for time and money for a ball valve and the rest.

I did realise that I will need a dedicated 240 outlet for the element after I spoke to my sparky mate but after I had already bought it :blink: but he said he can install one for me

While I am at it, can any one suggest where I can get a 1" stainless NPS locknut from for the element. And can anyone tell me what NPS is.

Cheers.

That element is round about 23 Amps, make sure your mate installs a 25 Amp circuit for that
NPS stands for Nominal Pipe Size
The nut you'll need is this one
http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Fitting-Locknut-SP-114-Female/dp/B003GXF5EO/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_y/186-3310087-0962457
And the washer is this one
http://www.amazon.com/217-Silicone-O-Ring-Durometer-Width/dp/B000FMYSEM/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_z/186-3310087-0962457

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Good luck mate, spent more than I would have in your situation - so I really hope it works out.

It'll save you some dosh. I have found out that after having my own beer around for so long, that it is expensive to buy commercial beer I actually like. So there will be savings of sorts in the long run (so long as you don't get brew porn lust and keep buying more stuff).

 

[nosco]

Thanks sp0rk. Ordered the nut and washer last week so they should be here around the same time as the rest of the gear although the PayPal payment hasnt gone through yet even though it says it been sent. Maybe ill get it for free!

Lord Raja Goomba I the initial purchases where obviously inspired by brewery lust so I guess there no hope for me now. I did sell a guitar to my sparky mate to fund this project however, the idea being that this set up will be enough to keep me goin for a long time while I learn the ropes but still be usefull for future upgrades.

Thanks fella's.

 

[Yob]

Good luck with it mate, you are probably aware that youll need a false bottom as well to stop the bag from sitting on the element.

If you enjoy the builds (as I do) as much as the brewing itself, you are going to have a blast, Im on about my third system now, each and every one has gotten better and better (and bigger :lol: ) each time.

Have a look through >THIS< thread, 46 pages of blingin systems of all shapes and sizes (Damn you Fents!!)

Its a wonderful source of information and inspiration.. for a smaller thread, have a Captain Cook at the Single Vessel Build thread which i equally as drool worthy for the space challenged.

 

[nosco]

Thanks Yob. I was thinking of making a trunkated(?) bag as my mum is great at sewing but with the size of the pot it might be to big to work. I will try a pizza tray or something.

Its a good thing the parts are taking a while to arrive coz ive still got a lot of reading to do. The voltage contoller arived today but thats all i have so far.

Nosco