Steam From Kettle A Problem, Extracting/ Removing

[glaab]

Hi all,

I'm nearly all setup for AG but not sure of the best way to get rid of the steam from the kettle.
I've just had gas run down to my snooker room/ bar and had a bayonet fitting put just outside the door to run the mongolian burner but that isn't ideal. I'll need 2 marchpumps with the kettle & plate chiller outside and the HLT , MT, herms inside. Pumping 4-5 metres to the kettle is do-able but then I would need to pump back inside to the fermenter, or lug the fermenter with 45-50 litres of wort inside, either way is a PITA & I won't be able to brew if it's too windy. I can't do the boil inside as things are, I only do double batches and expect to boil off about 5L which would pretty quickly stuff up my gyprock etc and wouldn't do my billiards table any good. Fitting a permanent extraction hood isn't practical because of the layout[position of bar/ gas line etc]. I've thought of putting the kettle near the door and trying to blow the steam outside with a pedestal fan but that sounds a bit hit n miss. Does anyone have a good solution to get rid of the steam? I need to get it sorted before I weld up a brewstand. Thanks for any suggestions.

Cheers

 

[Andyd]

You will be surprised at how effective a pedestal fan can be.

I'm in a similar quandary, although a fume hood is an option in my case. What I am probably going to go for is a kettle cover piped up to an extractor fan so that I can lift it up when I want to look inside or add hops.

Andy

 

[bum]

Pretty sure all safety recommendations for burners say not to run them inside.

That being said, hoe doable would a rangehood installation be?

Otherwise, just move the lot outside. Ain't that hard.

 

[reviled]

Otherwise, just move the lot outside. Ain't that hard.

I brew outside all the time, even in the rain sometimes lol

 

[glaab]

Thanks for the replies. It's a lot of expensive crap to leave out in the weather and it's a 2 man job to get it inside/ outside even once it's on a stand with castors, and I'll still be at the mercy of the wind/ weather. Inside I have the bar, sink and benchspace so it'll be much easier to brew inside. I'm not too concerned about running the burner inside, it's a very big room[80m2+] and ventilation is adequate for that.
I might try a pedistal fan first but the direction of the wind might stuff up that idea. Maybe I can put a rangehood on the brewstand and vent it outside with some flexible ducting or do something like that,
back to the drawingboard,...

f expensive crap to leave out in the weather ...

 

[bum]

I was gonna suggest just the stand stay outside and you bring the vessels inside but it looks like you'll be hard plumbing?

Nice looking gear, glaab.

 

[Wolfy]

I have mine next to a window with a ceiling mounted exhaust fan and that is not enough, still have to be careful of drips from water/condensation from around the fan.
I think a range hood or some other method of more direct extraction would be the way to go if you were building/planning something.

 

[hirns]

Without knowing a bit more about the room it's a bit hard to make suggestions. The rangehood with flexicoil ducting would allow you to roll the ducting to the door or out through a window or through an external wall. You could also use a window or side wall mounted extraction fan. You can also buy floor mounted workshop extraction fans that might work sitting at the back door. My old man has a rangehood that hangs via chain from the roof. Their are four hooks in the ceiling for the chain. It can be taken down when not in use.

Cheers :icon_chickcheers:
Hirns

 

[bum]

I was gonna suggest just the stand stay outside and you bring the vessels inside but it looks like you'll be hard plumbing?

Nice looking gear, glaab.

Just noticed the camlocks so moving the vessels inside and putting a cover over the stand when not brewing might still be an option?

 

[jjeffrey]

I had the same issue in my garage.

I had a spigot welded into my kettle (you could stick one in the lid) and ducted the steam outside via a flue, whicH I installed whenever I brewed. The flue was just a piece of PVC pipe. The duct was high temperature stuff, which a begged from a hose dude (off-cut).

Eventually, I was able to convert this setup into a condenser which allowed me to collect heat from the steam to heat water for cleaning and domestic consumption.

Here's a link to a photo which shows it (sort of). There are a few other shots in the albulm which might show it better:

kettle photo

Your gear looks pretty flash.

jj.