Aussiehombrewer Advice
Stuck Runoff
Lose the Braid!

ANZAC Day Brew PITA
The new setup worked out fairly flawlessly to a point - more later.
Quite a bit of temp loss in the hoses and the fittings - Water at 80C in the boiler dropped to about 70 in the MLT! A couple of quick kettles of water were required to get the temp up. Next time may run some hot water in to heat it up or just allow for more of a differential.

Mash settled in at 63c and held within a couple degrees for the 120 min it was there.

Sparge went flawlessly - quick recirc with the pump then slow drain into the boiler with slow top up from HLT above. Added the Roasted Barley about half way through the sparge - had steeped in cold water over night per Tom's suggestion.

During the sparge sterilsed the chiller by pumping the 80-90c water up to the HLT via it. Had previously done a poor man's CIP routine with dishwasher powder in hot water followed by a rinse.

Boiled fine - a little too fine towards the end - lost a few litres over the top!

Then the runoff to the fermenter! Whirlpooled, waited a bit a turned the pump on. All went well for a few minutes then it slowed to a trickled. Stop, whirlpool, wait, try again. Ended up turning the pump off and letting gravity do the work. Persisted with "runoff" for a couple of hours then at the recommendation of the assistant brewer gave up o the last 10 litres (still got 40-45).

Subsequent look at the bottom of the boiler confirmed that the braid on the pickup tube which was supposed to filter was solid with pellet residue. Will need to lose the braid and try something more open - suggestions?

1. Mash the grain at 63C.

2. Boil the wort with the hops.

3. The cooled wort to the fermenter

Finally worked out the arrangement.
Hot Liquor (HLT) on top. Mash/Lauter Tun (MLT) next.
Boiler started on the chair and ended up just above pump level. 

Now that's a pump stand 

Once more the brew stand
Still haven't worked out where the chiller will go.
At least I know where Nou-Nou's other boot is!




Also the brassware for the Eskies. 

Have been thinking about the arrangement
Boiler on a sep' trolley with the base just above pump height.

Virgin Stout
Thinking of a Guiness clone for the first run with the new system.
11kg of Pale, 1.3 of Roast Barley, 1.3 flaked Barley to make about 55 litres. Hops TBA.

Still need to delead the brass fittings in Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar.
May subsequently try to lock up the lead with ortho phosphoric acid - they do this in water systems so can't hurt.

The March 809HS from Process Pumps. Using Brass disconnects from Bunnings - poor stock levels means I had to go with 1inch fittings and some massive 1/2" to 1" adapters.
Piping is all braided potable water tube supposedly good for 80C - time will tell.
 

The Counterflow Chiller - Wort through the central 1/2 inch tube and cooling water going the other way through the 18mm hose the contains it.
Heard of Phil's Fittings? - this is a Bill's Fitting.
20mm x 15mm x 15mm T piece. Had to solder a 3/4 stub in the right port and 1/2 in the top to connect the CW hoses.
Initially tried soldering the left hand port to the 1/2 tube that runs from left to right but the heat started melting the hose on the right. Ended up using some 1/2 vinyl in some 3/4 hose and a couple clamps to stop the drips - learning - don't bother soldering this, the two bits of hose and the clamps seem to be good enough (and you can pull it apart!)

The inside of the boiler - stainless braid to keep the hops out.
Aim is for it to sit around the outside while the hops whirlpool to the centre
Inside of the Hot Liquor Tank.
Again some stainless braid - just to stop the odd floaty getting to the pump.

The Manifold in the Mash Tun

 

The Brew stand ($99 at Bunnings).
Still working out where to put the Mash Lauter Tun (MLT)versus the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT).
Beacause I have such a tall, ugly, boiler the MLT will probably end up higher so I can sparge without the pump.