Recirculating Single Vessel Breweries

[bignath]

Have been thinking of doing exactly the same thing to my basket.

Im convinced im getting some sugars trapped in the grain due to it not draining as fast as possible. I could be barking up the wrong tree, but it's my theory anyway.

Couldn't HURT to have more holes drilled, unless it starts compromising the structural integrity of the basket, so i'll do small ones like you have done.

 

[thebigwilk]

Of course it's gonna pump just water without a problem, it's water AND grain you need to worry about

Snapped a quick photo of the holes I drilled in mine, MUCH better flow since then & I can run the pump without throttling it back

View attachment 58634

I would also have a look at what is happening below the basket i.e your foundation water is not moving much around your heat elements with only

the flow created by the pick up, there would be a lot of dead spots and not good even heat pattern going through the mash. A solution would be

to put another return in below the basket with a 90 degree bend on it to make a whirlpool type effect, this way its doing two things its going

to disturb any least path of resistance that slowly happens when pumping through the mash and its going to give a much more even heat wave down there.

 

[mattlea266]

I would also have a look at what is happening below the basket i.e your foundation water is not moving much around your heat elements with only

the flow created by the pick up, there would be a lot of dead spots and not good even heat pattern going through the mash. A solution would be

to put another return in below the basket with a 90 degree bend on it to make a whirlpool type effect, this way its doing two things its going

to disturb any least path of resistance that slowly happens when pumping through the mash and its going to give a much more even heat wave down there.

I have not been too worried about the movement of the wort as the mash inlet pipe, when pump is running at full flow, moves quite a bit of wort in all directions. Along with the hot wort rising and cooler wort dropping I think this would create enough movement and mixing in the vessell. I have ordered a proper grain bag to try and have organised to borrow grain mill for next brewday. If these changes work better Santa might bring me a Millmaster MKII.

I do like the idea of the second inlet pipe so if necessary I can regulate flows a bit more. Mainly thought it would be good for whirlpooling. Since adding elements and outlet I cant whirlpool with spoon which use to work really well.
Im happy to make adjustments to rig but I will see how it goes with next brew. Im also going to add more holes to basket as per breakbeer.

Imagine what I could achieve if I put this much time and thought into my real job, hhhmmm, screw that.

 

[eamonnfoley]

What sort of L:G ratio do you guys aim for? I do a HERMS BIAB at 4L:kg, and don't need a wort return (just silicon hose). Works a treat and I just top up with water to preboil volume. Assuming people use a wort return only to avoid upsetting the grain bed when carrying out some kind of sparge with the malt pipe? You wouldnt bother with the bag as it gets disturbed anyway.....

 

[mattlea266]

Completed another brew today. Have drilled extra holes in my basket, got a grain bag instead of using swiss voile and borrowed a carona style mill. I had great flow and everything was going fine until brown pump stopped working. Washed it out with hose and got it going again but this happened a few more times. Got through mash and was going to use it for recirculating PBW after boil and she wouldn't go. Tried another 12v adapter, nothing. Pulled it apart, nothing obvious to my untrained eye.

Is this common with these?

I pretty much have no option but to get another one because I am not forking out $250+ for a march pump ATM. I might get one from local supplier instead of foreign, I assume they are the same pump though.

 

[QldKev]

Completed another brew today. Have drilled extra holes in my basket, got a grain bag instead of using swiss voile and borrowed a carona style mill. I had great flow and everything was going fine until brown pump stopped working. Washed it out with hose and got it going again but this happened a few more times. Got through mash and was going to use it for recirculating PBW after boil and she wouldn't go. Tried another 12v adapter, nothing. Pulled it apart, nothing obvious to my untrained eye.

Is this common with these?

I pretty much have no option but to get another one because I am not forking out $250+ for a march pump ATM. I might get one from local supplier instead of foreign, I assume they are the same pump though.

Why not spend a bit more than a brown pump and get a kaixin pump?

QldKev

 

[mattlea266]

Why not spend a bit more than a brown pump and get a kaixin pump?

QldKev

Hey QldKev. Thats what I have spent the last hour looking at. Was going to get a millmaster for christmas but might be a pump and carona mill. I read your review on them but that one is now unavailable off the link you supplied. Do you know of another supplier in that price range that will sell one unit.
I think I would prefer the threadless type like you got for similar reasons.

If I got Kaixin I think I would add that second inlet at the bottom of the pot similar to what you done.

Pretty annoyed brown pump only lasted 2 brews.

 

[QldKev]

Hey QldKev. Thats what I have spent the last hour looking at. Was going to get a millmaster for christmas but might be a pump and carona mill. I read your review on them but that one is now unavailable off the link you supplied. Do you know of another supplier in that price range that will sell one unit.
I think I would prefer the threadless type like you got for similar reasons.

If I got Kaixin I think I would add that second inlet at the bottom of the pot similar to what you done.

Pretty annoyed brown pump only lasted 2 brews.

2 brews is better than what I got. I broke mine before I got to do a brew :angry:


Only mp-20 I can find is this one. I paid $80 posted, this one is $110.

I remember seeing someone posted a link to a mp-15 which was high temp and a very good price, but I can't find it now.


QldKev

 

[sp0rk]

http://kaixinpump.en.alibaba.com/product/6...netic_pump.html
There's your MP-15

 

[Sammus]

2 brews is better than what I got. I broke mine before I got to do a brew :angry:


Only mp-20 I can find is this one. I paid $80 posted, this one is $110.

I remember seeing someone posted a link to a mp-15 which was high temp and a very good price, but I can't find it now.


QldKev

Here's an MP-15, not sure if it's a special high temp or what, it looks the same as the MP20 you linked though, with the same description.

If you tick electromagnetic, low pressure, water, standard then you can see a whole bunch of them, the 10RN,15R,20R,20RX,30RX,40R look the most interesting. The RX have higher flow and less head (the 30R only has higher flow at heads over 3m and the 20R at about 1.8m which probably wouldn't come up in our applications).

Actual Kaixin people linked in sp0rk post, but it requires minimum 50 units to order.

 

[mattlea266]

Funny thing. Pulled brown pump apart yesterday and could not get it to work. Plugged it in this morning and away it went. Running a test on it now but I am only using water. I think if it continues to give me grief I will get one of these two
THIS ONE OR THIS ONE.

I figure if Im going to spend around $100+ for Kaixin might as well spend $200 on something I know will handle over 100c and has a proven track record, no offense to Kaixin pump owners. Reasoning for this is that I want to try and whirlpool with the pump later on. Gee, Im really saving money doing this homebrew thing. Fortunately its not really about saving money.
Oh, and I still "need" a mill.

Thanks for links all

 

[bignath]

Oh, and I still "need" a mill.

Must be your lucky day!

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...mp;#entry977577

 

[QldKev]

Funny thing. Pulled brown pump apart yesterday and could not get it to work. Plugged it in this morning and away it went. Running a test on it now but I am only using water. I think if it continues to give me grief I will get one of these two
THIS ONE OR THIS ONE.

I figure if Im going to spend around $100+ for Kaixin might as well spend $200 on something I know will handle over 100c and has a proven track record, no offense to Kaixin pump owners. Reasoning for this is that I want to try and whirlpool with the pump later on. Gee, Im really saving money doing this homebrew thing. Fortunately its not really about saving money.
Oh, and I still "need" a mill.

Thanks for links all

Getting further and further away from that $25 pump...

The March have the reliability record. I run an 809 on my 3V and it self primes every time no problems. Plumbed up roughly the same the Kaixin takes a bit of stuffing around on my 1V. If you want to whirlpool definitely look at the 815 over the 809. Even look at the MAR AC-3B-MD / 230V There goes the mill for another year

QldKev

 

[mattlea266]

Must be your lucky day!

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...mp;#entry977577

Thanks Bignath

PM sent to him. I dont think I would buy one new but for that price second hand I think it will be fine. Im only doing 4-5 kg grain bills. It will leave me with more options if I end up changing pumps too.

 

[sp0rk]

Aliexpress has the high temp MP15 pumps for around $70 shipped each

 

[Sammus]

Aliexpress has the high temp MP15 pumps for around $70 shipped each

Care to link it? a few posts up there a several links to MP-15 pumps on aliexpress. None of them claim high temp or offers a single unit shipped for $70.

 

[porky]

here is the link

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MP-15RM-Hig.../672124722.html

 

[MastersBrewery]

here is the link

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MP-15RM-Hig.../672124722.html

at the bottom of that page is a link to the same pump again but like $5 cheaper

 

[QldKev]

read the comments about the impeller size on the high temp version

 

[MastersBrewery]

read the comments about the impeller size on the high temp version

saw that was thinking of getting the standard version linked at the bottom of the page and if later find the impeller sticking shave the tiniest bit off it myself, then again so long as not using for post boil whirlpool, 80c rating should be fine