No Hose Move Brew Session Setup

perogi · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:41 pm Post subject:

ParadiseBrew - thanks for the info.

Those mats are no joke!! They must weigh 50#s The rubber smell is a bit overpowering but hoping a few days outside will get rid of it.

Thinking about using a few for the floor too but lugging them back outside to hose down might be a nightmare.

McGruber · Joined: 12 Aug 2014 Posts: 237 Location: Idaho

I see this thread is revived from about a year ago. I used a lot of the ideas shared here here to design a no-move system as well. It's taken a few slight tweaks, but I now have it the way I like it. I have a three pump system and a dedicated whirlpool which is a little different than most. There's no schematic drawn up, so you'll just have to follow the hoses in the pictures.

You might notice that I used the ball valve AND the dial-type valves on the boil kettle in/out and the MLT inlet. I did that do easier adjust the sparge flow rate. I just open the ball valves all the way and dial the knob type the same distance on both to get a pretty comparable flow. I still have to tweak it a little and keep an eye on it, but I find this is a lot easier than moving the ball valve handles micrometers and still having a large difference in flow.

The sample valves are to help with priming the pumps. Often I don't need to use them, but when I do I'm sure glad I have them. The sight glasses are also super helpful in determining if there's actually flow or not. I've wasted plenty of time before because I didn't know the pump wasn't moving any fluid.

I do still have to disconnect the MLT, Boil Kettle and whirlpool and bring them to the sink to wash out residual spent grain and trub, but otherwise I leave everything in place. After brewing I put about 10 gallons of PBW solution in the HLT, and flush out all the pumps, lines, valves, and wort chiller, and then rinse with another 10 gallons of water. I'd still like to hook up a quick disconnect for CO2 at the HLT pump to blow all the water out of the lines - I've just been holding a CO2 tube up to an open fitting to blow it out in the meantime. All in all though I'm pretty happy with this set up. No more burnt hands, sticky drips on the floor, and random puddles of dried wort under the pots.

mjo2125 · Joined: 27 Feb 2017 Posts: 248 Location: Dayton, OH

Awesome - how long is your typical brew day?

McGruber · Joined: 12 Aug 2014 Posts: 237 Location: Idaho

Firebrewmedic43 · Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:59 am Post subject:

Gru,
one way I cut time off my brew day is i grind a few days before and the night before i go ahead and start heating my strike water. I like using a hop spider. It has really made a difference in what I take over into my primary, Its very clean.

McGruber · Joined: 12 Aug 2014 Posts: 237 Location: Idaho

Firebrewmedic43 · Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:55 am Post subject:

I haven't actually timed my total time from turn of the on switch to storing my fermenters. The factor usually becomes how many friends/fellow brewers are over and of course how many beers...lol I do try to limit my intake to just a couple during mashing through hop additions. But I know I usually have 4 plus hours in the process. I guess I haven't really kept a clock because my brew day is planned for just that and the camaraderie with friends/fellow homebrewers. I do try not to have anything on tap that day as after the fermenters are stored we usually breakout other libations and of course food.