Turning A Fermenter Into A Mash Tun

[PistolPatch]

Looks as though you guys are way ahead of me - great to see some people out there having a bash (and succeeding) at AG witha bare minimum of expense and equip. Good on you BeerMat and Scott! I'm amazed.

So far I only know, to any extent, one way of doing AG., and while I think the suggestions above are great (grain bags and liners etc. - thanks guys) I think I'm going to just try and find the right size food grade plastic pail and throw the S/S braid in that. I think this will be easier than tracking down the other stuff and risking infection etc. A pail is easy to store and I can find many other uses for it so, it fits in with my multi-purpose, space and cost-saving theme.

So, it looks as though I'm going off my Fermasher idea although I hope the suggestions above will help others with modifying their existing equipment. I've certainly enjoyed reading all the above so far and have gained a lot of ideas that I can use in other areas.

Many thanks,
PP

 

[PostModern]

PP, if it helps at all, my 25 litre pail-type fermenter/bottling bucket fits a standard screwtop fermenter inside it once the tap is removed.

 

[PistolPatch]

PP, if it helps at all, my 25 litre pail-type fermenter/bottling bucket fits a standard screwtop fermenter inside it once the tap is removed.

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Many thanks Post. It's a little bit frustrating all this, as my fermenter JUST fits inside my esky so I have to go a little smaller than your suggestion unfortunately. (I think I have the same pail you mentioned above - it's 29 at the base and 32cm at the top. I have to find a pail that is no wider than 30cm from top to bottom!) You reckon that would be simple but so far it's been a bit of a challenge. Maybe I'll just cut my one down!

I can't seem to find the plastics places over here that are so numerous in Perth but when I get some time, I'm sure I'll track them down.

It's a damn good thing you brought up your Post #2 though as otherwise this thread would have never ended up back at the obvious, that being...

'Just find a bucket!'

Good ideas should always end up simple. Hopefully when I perfect my mini-brewery, I'll be able to write a post that will tie everything together!

Cheers Post,
PP

 

[poppa joe]

PP.....Grain bags look around your sites....The stuff that goes over
the irrigation pipes...any plumbers on your sites.?I bought a roll of it a garage sale....$1.00.
Buckets ..check your local bakery...fish shop..deli...Mackas..hungry jacks...Get friendly with one of them..Free buckeys..for experiments ..
cheers
PJ

 

[Stoodoo]

Just wondering which dept you got the s/s braid from. I had a quick look today and couldn't find it.... spose I should have asked :unsure:


Cheers

 

[razz]

Stoodoo, try "hooker hose" from bunnings, Mitre 10...etc.

 

[Jens-Kristian]

I think the "fermasher" looks like a pretty damned good idea the way you thought it up to be honest, PP.

As I see it, yeah, there might be a slightly higher risk of infection, but really, if you S/S the whole thing well while you're doing the boil. Use Iodophor first, kills the nasties ofcourse. Yes, I know Iodophor is "no-rinse" but after using it, pour in a good few litres of boiling water, swirl it around and leave it in there with the lid on. The temperature in the fermenter gets pretty damned high that way and I honestly don't see why you'd have a problem.

That's the way I sanitize my fermenter every time. I'm not afraid of Iodophor, but since I like to rinse out anything that I don't consider quite natural, pouring in five litres of boiling water really does do the trick. I just leave that water in the fermenter until I'm ready to transfer the wort to it. I'm an infidel at the same time as I actually pour the boiling hot wort into the fermenter (further making sure it's properly sterilised) and then cool the wort in there.

Seriously, I hope you try your "fermasher" as I think it's a good idea that might work very well indeed.

Cheers,

Jens-Kristian

 

[PistolPatch]

Poppa: Thanks for the tips. Bunnings and Mitre10 now both have the bucket I require. Neither of them did a week or so ago!

Stoodoo: Sorry for the delayed reply but have been away. What I bought from Bunnings was a, 'Cistern Connector.' I bought the longest I could find (900mm) and it's $9.45 in the plumbing section (try the PVC fittings aisle.) These are not packaged up and seem to be a little cheaper than the similiar packaged items. The, 'Happy Hooker,' hose is in a different aisle and it may be a similiar price but on the day I shopped it was unmarked. Just go for the longest and cheapest.

Jens-Kristian: Thanks for your encouragement Jens. Often I post before I think, i.e., as soon as an idea springs into my head. Not a good habit! Thankfully most ideas have worked so far and I'll post back to those threads when I have time to collect some more accurate data and try out a few variations. As for the fermasher...

Now that I've been able to find a bucket the size I needed, I no longer have to use the fermenter. I've also realised now that my original idea had a few major holes. Some have been mentioned here already along with a few solutions such as yours. The one thing I couldn't find a solution to was using the existing fermenter tap and sediment trap. While everything fitted together nicely, as soon as you start throwing your mash paddle around, everything is going to fall apart. So, my $10 claim is incorrect. As far as I can see, you need to spend the money on solid taps and fittings no matter what sort of tun you're using unless you want to rig up a syphon.

In summary, for my rather unusual situation, a bucket with the correct fittings, placed inside my existing esky is going to work a treat.

(Jens, your sanitizing procedure looks really thorough too!)

Many thanks,
PP