Today I did do...

[james1988]

I built a Mash Tun and started work on a boiler.

After wanting to get into home brewing for a long time I decided to take the plunge after reading a few threads on here about it. After doing a few wines (Coffee and Ribena) and a batch of Ginger Beer and them all turning out well I decided to make the move to all grain.

The mash tun is used to keep the liquor water) and grain at a temperature of 68c for 60-90mins (depending on the brew) and the boiler is used to heat your water to your strike temperature (the point at which you add your hot liquor to the grain in the mash tun) and then after the mash out when you add your hops into the wort.

So it goes...

Hot liquor > mash tun > fermenting vessel > boiler and add hops > cooler (or leave to cool in your fermenting vessel) > fermenting vessel.

All the copper piping is 15mm and so are the taps.

First off I pulled the coolbox apart and filled it with insulating foam (didn't get any pictures of this bit as I completely forgot) and let it dry; about 90 mins I think.

Then I drilled a hole and fitted the tap and female to male connector.
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/523726d5.jpg

After that I set about measuring up the length and width of the box to install a strainer. The strainer is made from 15mm copper piping with 2mm holes drilled at regular intervals.

I started off with 2m of this...
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/0e4e94c9.jpg

Then cut it down to make the strainer.

One side
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/e7201973.jpg

Mock up of the whole Strainer
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/bb006bb3.jpg

Holes drilled
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/f662dae9.jpg

Complete strainer
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/24ee924d.jpg

Strainer fitted and a successful test run without any leaks!
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/5c60fbc9.jpg

I then started work on the boiler which will be made from an Argos value kettle and a Youngs fermenting vessel.
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/fd955dd2.jpg

Tap fitted (again 15mm)
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/26711588.jpg

Hop strainer installed
https://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/masakabassist/Mash%20Tun%20and%20Boiler/a627e4d2.jpg

I stopped there for today. I wanted to test for leaks before fitting the kettle element. There's a little dribble coming from above the tap so I've used gasket sealant in the hope that it will stop it so I'm going to leave it until tomorrow for it to cure fully before water testing it again and fitting the element.

James

[growler]

The strainer in your mash tun needs to be slotted nor drilled Nx the slots go to the bottom
I will try to get a pic of mine
____________________
DILLIGAF

[james1988]

Fuck! The examples I've seen on the internet look like they've been drilled. Out of interest why shouldn't they be drilled?

James

[Benson_JV]

Drilled will be clogged up by grain very very easily.
Also, it needs to face down, otherwise stuck mash will occur.

Looks good though otherwise.

The boiler, be careful with those youngs barrels...they can get very squidgy at boiling temp...you have been warned!
You might want to fit two elements, I find when doing 23L length brews that it takes an age to get to boil with two! God help ye if you want to do 10 gallon brews.

I would also make a copper cooler, the crash cooling helps aid the coagulation of proteins and this is what you want!

Anything else mate and I'm happy to help.

Edit: Also, even though you've insulated the mash tun make sure you insulate with blankets, don't wish to sound patronising but you want to keep it shweet at 67.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[james1988]

Is a cooler essential in your opinion?

I've got a metre of the copper piping left so I'll knock a slotted strainer up instead. Thanks for heads up though. I'd rather find out now than half way through a brew. I run a temperature test earlier (just water) and it only dropped 2c over 90 mins. I understand the grain will cause it to drop a lot more but does that seem to be efficient as far as the temperature drop goes?

James

[Benson_JV]

Actually the mass of grain will make the temperature drop less, providing you get your strike temperature right. There's more mass so heat will take longer to dissipate. Not bad 2C, I loose 1C and that's with a metric tonne of blankets! For the first brew though maybe just a blanket incase?

Personally with the cooler, I would get one...overnight cooling can lead to infection and you'll have the cold break material stuck in the boiler! Not something you really want to have to faff with and come bottling time you'll loose more beer to it.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[james1988]

I had a thought earlier, would wrapping the strainer in voile stop the mash getting stuck? I thought it would have the same effect as the boil in a bag way of doing things. I can then use the remaining copper piping to create a - albeit shitty - cooler. I'm on a bit of a budget unfortunately so I'm trying to do everything as cheap as possible.

As for the boiler, I was thinking of filling it from the hot tap first - it was 50c when I checked the other day - and then using the boiler to take it the rest of the way. Does the mash out lose much temperature?

I'm beginning to think that there is a lot more to this than I originally thought.

James

*Edit*

The tap on the boiler still hasn't sealed. Looks like I'm going back to the drawing board with this one.

[Benson_JV]

Probably not, with the weight of 5-6kg of grist pressing down on it I'd make sure to do it properly first time, could become more expensive otherwise.

Water from the hot tap, I've always heard you shouldn't really use that (although I can't think of a particular reason why not) but I always just use cold tap water. Make sure you use a campden tablet to kill the chlorine eitherway.
Mash out doesn't really loose much temp, I generally aim to mash out at about 75-78C.

If the boiler isn't sealing, I would personally go for a bigger/better boiler such as this one: (the one I have)
https://www.hopandgrape.com/public/detailv1.asp?itemcode=TEN20175450

They do say that they recommend you don't use them for boilers but that is just to cover their arses.
If you take a look over at www.jimsbeerkit.com/forum you'll see many many people (inc myself) use these.

That way you have more than enough room for a 5 gallon brew (you need around 30L to start with to end up with a 23L brew) and you can just about squeeze a 10gallon brew in.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[Ariel Badger]

[Benson_JV]

There you go then.
I thought it was something like that but didn't want to sound like a twit if I was completely off the mark.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[james1988]

Thanks for the advice. I'll start over and do it right this time haha

I'm trying to think of something I could use a bastardised FV for. I really don't want to throw 10quid down the drain

James

[Ariel Badger]

Why is the FV scrap?
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[james1988]

Unless I can get it to seal I'm not going to have much use for it.I'm going to take Bensons advice and get a better one if the Youngs FV's go a bit squidgy during the boil. Is there a sealant about that's food / beer friendly?

[Ariel Badger]

[Benson_JV]

Seal it up with a tap! Then you have a FV with a tap.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[defblade]

[james1988]

With any luck this afternoon I'll get time to make a new strainer for the mash tun but I have two questions; should the slots run length ways or width ways and how wide should they be?
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Excuse the crap artwork just wanted to make sure I get the right end of the stick this time around.

When I get a better FV I'll buy another kettle to speed up boil times now that I've taken on board everything you guys have said and when I've got some more cash to spare I'll build a coil chiller. Being in uni I'm poor so this is going to take some time to finish I think.

[Berk]

https://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixD-1.html

Might be useful for you? I found it last night, inspired by this thread. I've had a quick skim and it seems to be a fairly comprehensive book.

Make sure to keep us updated with how you get on.

[james1988]

[Benson_JV]

Looks perfect!

If you weren't so far away I'd happily lend you some of my equipment for the brew. But alas, money does not stretch to get myself that far.

But, I digress. It seems to be coming along quite nicely.
As I said, check out some of the stuff on www.jimsbeerkit.com/forum
Quite a lot of homemade AG setups on there.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[james1988]

Thanks for the offer but you are a but it would be a bit of a track like you said haha

I was intending to go and get a better fermenting vessel today to make a new start on the boiler but they are only open Monday - Saturday which is a bit shit as I'm back in uni tomorrow and wanted to get this all out of the way so I can just get on and brew.

[Benson_JV]

Ah don't worry! It's better to take your time and get the first brew done properly than fluff it. It's hard enough as it is trying to get everything right the first time!
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[james1988]

Only a little update if anybody is interested, I managed to seal the FV yesterday so now I have one with a tap and one without.

At the risk of sounding stupid what is the easiest way to bend copper piping or can you buy it already pre bent. Would it be worth me buying a pipe bender that is only going to be used once in a blue moon or is it the only way of doing it?

James

[Germ]

[james1988]

Thanks for that I'll look into getting one of those on the weekend and some more piping. The bedroom brewery is getting there

James