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Coiling stainless tubing
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hennesse




Joined: 04 Feb 2011
Posts: 38
Location: United States: Virginia

Drinking: On Tap: Quickie ESB

Working on: Primary: Body, Body, Body IPA, 2ary: Paducah Pale Ale


PostLink    Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Bending SS tubing: Ronnie and Rotundo Reply with quote


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Kal,

I am planning on the 20-gallon Boilermakers. These would give me the option of 5 or 10 gal batches.

It turns out that "Ronnie" used to brew his own beer, and the coiling discussion has gotten him interested in brewing again! So there's a good possibility I can get the tubing coiled professionally at minimum cost. I'd better strike while the iron is hot. So what diameter coil is best for the 20 gal Boilermaker?


kal wrote:
hennesse wrote:
Question: What is the proper diameter of the coil for a Blichmann BoilerMaker ???

Depends on what size Blichmann Boilermaker. They all have different diameters.
This is why I only mentioned in the instructions that the coil should be done to place it "near the wall". This is not critical. Mine's around an 0.5 - 1" inch or so from the wall.

Kal


On another subject - I'm studying your control panel section. The more I read, the more I realize just how well thought out your system is! One observation - you mention that SSRs "tend" to fail closed. The manual for the SSR I have says that "NORMAL failure condition is contacts closed". Yuck.
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rosenjm




Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 249
Location: Ballston Spa, NY


PostLink    Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm using the 20 gal and my coil is about 15" in diameter, the kettle is about 17.5" in diameter. That leaves about .5 - 1 inch all the way around (it isn't perfectly round Wink)
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hennesse




Joined: 04 Feb 2011
Posts: 38
Location: United States: Virginia

Drinking: On Tap: Quickie ESB

Working on: Primary: Body, Body, Body IPA, 2ary: Paducah Pale Ale


PostLink    Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks! I'll pass this on to Ronnie (and Rotundo) so he'll know how to bend it. BTW, I ordered a 20 gal BoilerMaker today. I think I've reached the point of no return!

Dave


rosenjm wrote:
I'm using the 20 gal and my coil is about 15" in diameter, the kettle is about 17.5" in diameter. That leaves about .5 - 1 inch all the way around (it isn't perfectly round Wink)
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konrad




Joined: 02 Feb 2011
Posts: 29
Location: Mass


PostLink    Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rosenjm - what is the part number for the 90 degree elbows?
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rosenjm




Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 249
Location: Ballston Spa, NY


PostLink    Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

McMaster Carr part #5943K216
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Feurhund




Joined: 01 Feb 2011
Posts: 89



PostLink    Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got my elbows and a new coil. No luck finding a metal shop that would help me. Any word on issues with the ball locks not lining up because of the threading and fitting with the elbows.?
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milldoggy




Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Posts: 569
Location: Pottstown, PA


PostLink    Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To line them up, you need to add Teflon tape, it will be trail and error till you find the right amount of tape, at least that what I have to do with my welded fittings and elbows
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rosenjm




Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 249
Location: Ballston Spa, NY


PostLink    Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just measured the distance between the top and bottom of the coil, punched the holes the same distance. I then attanced the valves, and elbows just like Kal did, just point one elbow one way and the other the other way. Everything went in OK.
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Porkbutter




Joined: 19 Feb 2011
Posts: 24
Location: Grand Rapids, MI


PostLink    Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stainless is a great substance, able to withstand a lot of abuse & has plenty of "cool factor". On the other hand, is there any reason NOT to just use copper for a coil? Copper gets used all the time for immersion chillers, and the Blichmann plate chiller uses it for the brazing that is exposed to the wort. No problems with these devices. Copper is completely compatible with brewery chemicals such as PBW & Starsan, as long as the contact time is not prolonged too far. And, most importantly, it is easy to work with.
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milldoggy




Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Posts: 569
Location: Pottstown, PA


PostLink    Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am going to use copper. I only concern I read about is the in the hlt it is in contact with only water on the outside. In a bk the acidic wort passifies it, but raw water does not. I could off with my terms. Either, I am using copper for my hex
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Porkbutter




Joined: 19 Feb 2011
Posts: 24
Location: Grand Rapids, MI


PostLink    Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

milldoggy wrote:
I am going to use copper. I only concern I read about is the in the hlt it is in contact with only water on the outside. In a bk the acidic wort passifies it, but raw water does not. I could off with my terms. Either, I am using copper for my hex


The acidity of the wort actually dissolves trace amounts of copper (good thing for your yeast), but not enough to worry about. This is why most municipalities adjust the water they deliver to be a little alkaline if needed so that it doesn't corrode copper plumbing over time. Most water is already somewhat alkaline, but I use only RO water, which is always a bit acidic. If the water in contact with the outside of the coil is alkaline (likely for most people), it may darken the copper with use. Soaking it in something acidic like Starsan or white vinegar mixed with water will brighten it back up.

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milldoggy




Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Posts: 569
Location: Pottstown, PA


PostLink    Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was much better than my hungover explanation Smile

Copper is fine, going to fill mine with sand and coil it this week.
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kaikoasurf




Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Posts: 96



PostLink    Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

After using the jig made out of wood (clever idea). Could a touch of heat from a torch help keep the coil perfectly in line? Or does it stay perfectly coiled after you take it off the jig? Also I think I'm going to get my fittings welded by a professional instead of using compression fittings to make the coil bomb proof.
-Steve

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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kaikoasurf wrote:
Or does it stay perfectly coiled after you take it off the jig?

It does't have to. It'll be held in shape once mounted in the kettle.

Kal

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rosenjm




Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 249
Location: Ballston Spa, NY


PostLink    Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kaikoasurf wrote:
After using the jig made out of wood (clever idea). Could a touch of heat from a torch help keep the coil perfectly in line? Or does it stay perfectly coiled after you take it off the jig? Also I think I'm going to get my fittings welded by a professional instead of using compression fittings to make the coil bomb proof.
-Steve


It doesn't stay coiled when you take it out of the jig. I used zip ties, like Kal talks about to hold it in place until I got it secured into the fittings. Once in the fittings, then as Kal said, everything is held in place. I'm sure some amount of heat would relax the metal and allow it to maintian it's new shape, but I have no idea how much or how to even go about approaching that.

As far as welding the fittings to the tubing, that seems like an unnecessary expense. I don't know, but I can't imagine it is cheap or easy to find someone to weld SS tubing like that. It seems like it would make it difficult to replace the tubing if, for some reason down the road it becomes necessary. Compression fittings are pretty secure and foolproof. I pressurized mine to the pump shutoff head and held it there for quite awhile during my testing without a leak. The HLT is pretty stable, you aren't banging a mash paddle around in it, you don't have to scrub it or get spent grain out of it. It just kinda sits there and looks shiny and gets wiped down with some Oxy clean every so often. The design is pretty bomb proof as it is. Just my thoughts... If you do get them welded, I'd be interested in the cost.
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kaikoasurf




Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Posts: 96



PostLink    Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Found a Company that will coil the tubing for me also weld on the fittings... I plan on making a jig for coil so that way it can fit my pot exactly and the fittings can line up perfectly.. I'll keep you guys updated... still waiting on the price
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MillWerks




Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 35
Location: Seattle


PostLink    Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:23 am    Post subject: tubing bender Reply with quote

It looks like it's been a while since there has been post on this topic... I'd been thinking about bending my tubing for a while and I wanted to make sure I got it right on the first try. With parts McMaster Carr and my local hardware store I made a tubing roller that bent my 22" diameter roll of SS tubing to 13" diameter (for a 10gal boilermaker). I was only able to get about 2-3" decrease in diameter per pass, so after a few passes I was very satisfied with the result.

Basically it's three pulleys, two on bottom and a drive pulley on top that is raised and lowered with a treaded bolt and two u-shaped pieces of flat steel. One that holds the drive pulley and the other has a threaded hole in the center for the adjustment bolt and the is mounted around the top of the plywood box.

I started out with 3-2" v-pulley (like the ones used with old fan belts) because they were cheap, however the tubing took the shape of the V. Then I replaced the two lower pulleys with Petzel rope pulleys that are designed to clipped onto a carabiner for climbing (1/2" rope pulleys are expensive at McMaster and the Petzel's pulleys were $3 ea). I used the 2" v-pulley for the top drive pulley because there's a set screw to lock the pulley to the shaft (3/8 bolt), which is turned with a wrench to drive the tubing through. However, I had to create a 1/2” round seat on the bottom of the drive pulley by mounting the pulley on a bolt and turing it with a drill. Then I used a round file and with the pulley turning like a lathe, I rounded it out (that was a pain in the *** and I would recommend a different pulley, but I already had everything else set up and I didn't want to change pulley size).

Give it a shot if you want and let know if I can help you create your own roller.



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rosenjm




Joined: 21 Dec 2010
Posts: 249
Location: Ballston Spa, NY


PostLink    Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! Where were you a couple months ago Smile
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice work indeed!

Kal

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We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
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Castermmt




Joined: 03 Jan 2011
Posts: 863
Location: Lowell, In

Drinking: Steelhead Porter, Alt-Toids, Hefty-Weizen, Terry's Kolsch, African Amber, Pumpkin Ale, Double Dog Ale

Working on: Janet's Brown Ale, Terry's Kolsch, Pilsner


PostLink    Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sweet! Great idea! Mug
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