Pumping Problems

[prongs_386]

Hi everyone. I've done a few brews with my pump which was awesome and I'm building my hex at the moment. I'm just wondering how everyone deals with the problem of leftover wort in the lines/piping? I know your not supposed to run the pump dry and even if I did there wouldn't be enough pressure to pump the last bit out of the hex coil for instance. I can imagine with permanent plumbing a lot of wort getting left behind?
Is this the case? Is it just an acceptable loss?

Thanks.

 

[browndog]

Hi everyone. I've done a few brews with my pump which was awesome and I'm building my hex at the moment. I'm just wondering how everyone deals with the problem of leftover wort in the lines/piping? I know your not supposed to run the pump dry and even if I did there wouldn't be enough pressure to pump the last bit out of the hex coil for instance. I can imagine with permanent plumbing a lot of wort getting left behind?
Is this the case? Is it just an acceptable loss?

Thanks.

It's really a very minimal amount Prongs, nothing to get conerned about mate. All you have to do is make sure you have some hot liquor left over in the HLT that you can pump though the system to clean out all the wort at the end of the brewday. Be sure to give the ball valves a couple of turns as the hot water is running though them to flush the cavities in behind the balls too.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Bribie G]

:icon_offtopic:
While we are on pumping, I'm going 60L fermenters, cold condition in situ in my new killer fridge and, inspired by Bacchus Brewing I'm looking to plumb in a permanent sliding "wand" that will go down to the bottom of the beer and pump the green beer into two kegs. Save my poor old back. Edit: might even go the disposable-bag-in-fermenter method like Bacchus - Would that count as a double Bag system?

Peristaltic pumps are dear as poison, March Pumps are more suited to hot wort handling - or have I got that arse about? What's the cheapest pumping option for 40L of beer?

 

[unrealeous]

What's the cheapest pumping option for 40L of beer?

gravity

[Edit] - although I don't see why you couldn't use your march pump to pump cold beer. Circulate your favourite no-rinse sanitiser through it for 15 mins, then it should be ok. I regularily sanitise mine with boiling wort - waiting until the kettle cools overnight (with the lid on) and then pump into the fermenter - seems to work a treat.

 

[Bribie G]

gravity

Ya going to come and lift it for me big boy?

 

[raven19]

Peristaltic pumps are dear as poison, March Pumps are more suited to hot wort handling - or have I got that arse about? What's the cheapest pumping option for 40L of beer?

Bribie - I use my March Pump to move chilled wort from Kettle to fermentor no worries - however it has been pasturised by pumping boiling wort through it for 10 mins prior to turning the plate chiller on.

Not so sure about moving wort/green beer though.

Can you gravity feed from fermentor to keg? i.e. is the fridge shelf higher than the top of the keg? If so a racking tube is the way to go.

(You could also keg the first batch, then raise the 60L fermentor onces its half as full)

 

[Leigh]

I've got my fermentation fridge on a trolley 18 inches off the ground, pump into fermenter and gravity then works fine for going to keg

 

[Bribie G]

I'll probably have to do the double lift for the time being - the new fridge is a:



Minus the fonts and tubing of course. So the FV will be at ground level. Maybe a quick lift onto a footstool for the first keg and then a lift onto the bench for the second keg - but there's a top "hole" under a plate on the kegmate that is just screaming out for a dip tube etc - B) B) B)

My magic beer box. Pitch, 18 degrees for primary, then 0 degrees for a week, then : click... whiiiirrrrrr....

wow lookat that - two fresh kegs - where did those bad boys come from ? :lol:

Edit: where it's going to slot in, there's unfortunately no scope to have the fridge itself sitting on a bench, but good system.

 

[browndog]

:icon_offtopic:
While we are on pumping, I'm going 60L fermenters, cold condition in situ in my new killer fridge and, inspired by Bacchus Brewing I'm looking to plumb in a permanent sliding "wand" that will go down to the bottom of the beer and pump the green beer into two kegs. Save my poor old back. Edit: might even go the disposable-bag-in-fermenter method like Bacchus - Would that count as a double Bag system?

Peristaltic pumps are dear as poison, March Pumps are more suited to hot wort handling - or have I got that arse about? What's the cheapest pumping option for 40L of beer?

You have it the right way about Bribie, A March 809 will do the job fine, as others have said, you just need to be sure your hoses and pump are sanitised. If you have a look on ebay there are other magnetic drive pumps out there that are much cheaper, that may do the job for you.

cheers

Browndog

 

[Doogiechap]

:icon_offtopic:
While we are on pumping, I'm going 60L fermenters, cold condition in situ in my new killer fridge and, inspired by Bacchus Brewing I'm looking to plumb in a permanent sliding "wand" that will go down to the bottom of the beer and pump the green beer into two kegs. Save my poor old back. Edit: might even go the disposable-bag-in-fermenter method like Bacchus - Would that count as a double Bag system?

Peristaltic pumps are dear as poison, March Pumps are more suited to hot wort handling - or have I got that arse about? What's the cheapest pumping option for 40L of beer?

Hi Bribie,
I don't know how much you pay for CO2 up your way but this method may be viable.
Cheers
Doug

 

[Bribie G]

I was in at Ross's around lunchtime picking up said fridge and was discussing the pumping thing with a guy there, who said a couple of brewers he knows:

• Drill the lid of the 60L FV with 2 John Guest Bulkhead fittings
• Attach a dip hose to the inside of one of them with a tube to the outside (presumably with an on/off valve)
• Attach gas line to the other
• Basically turn the FV into a huge Corny for the session
• Make sure good seals of course

Transfer to kegs or bottles using gas pressure.
Total cost under $20 (plus some gas in the long run of course)




Doogie beat me to it, haha - like he says.


Sorry to completely hijack the thread, hope the OP got the result he was looking for, I'd been going to start new thread but most helpful advice here. :icon_cheers:

 

[cdbrown]

My HERMS probably contains around 2L in the tubing. At the end I usually flush with HLT water into a bucket till it comes clean. The water stays in there till next brew at which point I'll pump through from the HLT into a bucket again until everything is nice and hot.

OT - why not pump from the tap instead of having to plum something through the lid?

 

[gregs]

Bribie Ive been fermenting in a 60 litre fermenter for a few years now. My fermentation fridge is mounted on a stand so I can gravity feed into kegs. I can lift 40 odd litres in ok but when it is 60 litres it becomes a struggle with plenty of grunting. So my plan is to make up a stand for the fermenter that couples to the fridge stand. Then after its filled and the yeast is pitched, simply slide it in, I must add that the fermenter sits in the fridge on a flat bar grill made from 15 x5 mm flat bar steel and the stand will have Teflon skids to make the transfer easy. If you want to go this way and need help with it then let me know.

 

[yardy]

Bribie Ive been fermenting in a 60 litre fermenter for a few years now. My fermentation fridge is mounted on a stand so I can gravity feed into kegs. I can lift 40 odd litres in ok but when it is 60 litres it becomes a struggle with plenty of grunting. So my plan is to make up a stand for the fermenter that couples to the fridge stand. Then after its filled and the yeast is pitched, simply slide it in, I must add that the fermenter sits in the fridge on a flat bar grill made from 15 x5 mm flat bar steel and the stand will have Teflon skids to make the transfer easy. If you want to go this way and need help with it then let me know.

Geez you Bundy blokes are innovative :icon_cheers:

 

[bradsbrew]

I have used my perastaltic pump twice now and I dont like to waste so after the kettle was filled I just took the intake off the mash tun and put it in a boiled pot of water and ran it into the kettle until the water came through. I then pumped through a couple of litres through the hoses. Next time I will do this then run through sod perc, rinse, then starsan join the inlet and outlet and leave until next brew.

Bribie buy yourself a perastaltic you know you want to.

Cheers

 

[gregs]

Geez you Bundy blokes are innovative :icon_cheers:

Geez we try to be.

How are you Yards :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Bribie G]

How much is a peristaltic worth?

 

[bradsbrew]

How much is a peristaltic worth?

I picked mine up second hand from Randyrob for $200 delivered from WA. Pretty happy with it. Could of got a new march pump for the same price but I like the idea of only cleaning hoses, no priming and no restrictions of where I want to put it on the brewstand. Now i love the sound :icon_chickcheers:

Cheers