Setting Up For Biab

[pk.sax]

Most convenient filter I've found is the argon setup - false bottom and use whole cones or plug hops to act as filter. Leave that to another day though. Just use an angled pickup tube that turns 90 degree from the ball valve setup and follows the pot to the bottom, adjust height as necessary to avoid trub based on experience.

 

[brewologist]

dont use the braid, it wont work. It'll just clog up.

anything that is fine enough to filter out break, is also fine enough to clog up almost instantly as soon as it does. Effective "trub" filters need a really quite large surface area, or they need to be "depth" filters like a hop-back.

Big Circle - type bags are pretty simple and of course very strong, but I've found that I regularly make mistakes and end up spilling grain into my pot, lots and lots of "edge" to keep control over, and I screw it up semi regularly even on the small scale rig where I use a circle instead of a bag. I've sewn a drawstring around the edge of my circle and thats helped, but its still more of a PITA than an actual bag.

voile is cheap and if your Gf sews.... try out all the different shapes and options, see which works for you the best.

your nearly ready... better get a recipe worked out

Thanks Thirsty Boy. I showed my GF the pictures of Bribies bag and she reckons she can do it so I'll try that type of bag. I might just try filtering any trub through a hop sock or muslin type filter.

Oh ok, looks pretty cool. I'm trying to get an 18 gallon mash tun set up out of an old 18 litre keg I have cut the top off and just recently been considering the same scenario. Because I'll be heating the bottom of the mash tun directly, I'm thinking of putting my silicon rubber washer on the outside of the vessel because I don't know how hot the metal will be getting. I'm sure silicon will take high temps but I don't want it releasing shit into my brew. <_<
Are you planning on cutting down the length of the threaded section which inserts into the pot. I need to get mine as short as possible for maximum drainage because it will be situated on the edge of the underside.
If you plan what you're doing carefully now you can always use your pot as a mash tun and recirculate for step mashes etc. in future.

The rubber o-ring on mine only got up to 72 degrees on my test run last night but G&G reckon I can boil with it. For 68 bucks it bloody better!!!!

That is extremly dear IMO. I can get the same setup, wholesale direct, using a 3 piece S/S Ball Valve for $30!!

Yes, when I went to pay the bill at the shop I did a bit of a double take when he quoted me the price. I just bit the bullet and bought it. I have saved money in other parts of the brewery build.

Most convenient filter I've found is the argon setup - false bottom and use whole cones or plug hops to act as filter. Leave that to another day though. Just use an angled pickup tube that turns 90 degree from the ball valve setup and follows the pot to the bottom, adjust height as necessary to avoid trub based on experience.

I had a look at a few plumbing bits and pieces at bunnies today. Next time I'm there I will get the bits for a pick-up tube.

Cheers for the replies I'm working on a recipe.

I have JW Pale (25Kg), Caramalt (3Kg) and Munich (2Kg) and heaps of hops. Mostly C hops and some German stuff. I have a hop recipe worked out that has been good for my extract beers. Just gotta work out the grain bill.

Maybe -
4.5Kg of JW Pale
300g of Munich
250 of Caramalt

Dont know yet. I will have to plug the numbers into BeerSmith and see what it looks like.

Cheers,

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Thanks Thirsty Boy. I showed my GF the pictures of Bribies bag and she reckons she can do it so I'll try that type of bag. I might just try filtering any trub through a hop sock or muslin type filter.

Nah, thats what I'm trying to tell you - seive type filters just dont work properly for stopping trub. If its fine enough to actually filter out break material, it will just clog up. A hop bag is just a floppy seive and the same will happen to it. First, some wort will come through, it will be cloudy and full of hotbreak that the bag didn't stop, then the wort will clear up, but start to come through really slowly, you will be able to speed it up again by jiggling it around etc... but every time you do, the wort will go cloudy again as break starts to come through.

The only seive type filters that work, have a really high surface area like the full false bottoms someone mentioned above. They work because a layer of hop debris builds up on teh surface, which gives you a thin complex path filter which is effective at filtering out the break material - but they still have a decent flow rate because of the high surface area. If you use whole flowers, they work better and require less surface area, if you use pellets, you need more surface area and a little technique to cut down the amount of break that comes through initially before the layer of hop builds up.

Another high surface area type filter which (reportedly, I've not tried it) works is a hop stopper like this.

which is just a variation on the theme. Once again the high surface area (it filters from both the top and bottom) means that although it will clog up fast, there are lots of square cms for it to come through. They dont look too hard to make.

So, those are your "workable and effective" options if you really really want to avoid the notion of a whirlpool. Me, I just use a whirlpool and a pick-up tube - I see the attraction of the filtration systems, but I like the simplicity of gravity.

TB

 

[brewologist]

Hey TB,

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna put a dip tube in it. Probs just a 90 degree threaded plumbing bit that will sit close to the inside wall of the pot and 5 -10mm from the bottom. I'm assuming you want the dip tube close to the edge cause when you whirlpool the trub will go to the centre of the pot.

My grain mill arrived in the mail today. woo hoo!!!!

Wort Chiller to follow. Thats in the mail.

Getting some base malt this weekend then Saturday week I'll be brewing my first All Grain batch.