My Beer Engine Setup

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andybiochem

Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by andybiochem » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:03 am

jaroporter wrote:hey, saw this first time around and thought it looks great. love the idea of having it all fully plumbed in! i need a coupla three-way valves like in the OP but am finding it hard to source. only thing i've found that looks similar is a branch valve from a1barsupplies but the postage is crazy high for one piece. any ideas where to look would be much appreciated!
Sorry for the slow reply.

To be honest I'd stay away from the 3-way valves, especially if they're holding back mains water pressure. I've gotten through 2 different valves since I built this set up. One jammed up, and the other leaked after a couple of weeks. I've never had a problem with John Guest 15mm valves, so have altered my plumbing to use these.

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ajclarkson
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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by ajclarkson » Fri Jul 25, 2014 11:19 am

This is a fantastic setup, really well executed.

One question though, how long will the beer last once its put into a poly? I'd love a setup like this but if I can't get through it fast enough, might not be a viable way for me to store brews while drinking others!
Adam

Fermenting: AG#15 - Dubbel - Oh, Seven?
Conditioning: AG#14 - Pale Ale 3 (Challenger & Mt. Hood)
Drinking: Out! :(
Up Next: Oatmeal Stout, Hefe
Year To Date: 165 pints | Total: 775 pints

My Setup: Electric BIAB with a Dual Purpose Heat Exchange / Cooler

jaroporter
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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by jaroporter » Fri Jul 25, 2014 11:29 am

no worries andy, i haven't really cracked on with this yet as i'm getting better condition direct from the pin than the engine! coupla things might need tweaking i guess. and that's really useful to know that you wouldn't recommend them, thanks.
dazzled, doused in gin..

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floydmeddler
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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by floydmeddler » Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:10 pm

andybiochem wrote: I won't secondary in them, I've only just started with this setup so my plan will be:
- Primary ferment in brew bucket, dry hop if needed
- Crash to 4 deg c
- Secondary ferment in another brew bucket, clear with gelatine
- Transfer to polypin at day 14
Lovely set up. I may do something similar!

With regards to a secondary fermenter, I, too, used to rack to secondary and gelatine there. However, Recently, I've been crashing to 0.5c for around a week then adding gelatine directly into primary. I then polypinned the lot into 5L pins. The beer came out very clear and by the next day, it was bright as anything in the pins. Give it a try, I think you'll be glad you did. It saves time and effort. ;-)

adamzworld
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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by adamzworld » Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:35 pm

andybiochem wrote:I've added a blue 3 way valve to allow the pump to be flushed through with mains water (it shares the mains water connection to my reverse osmosis unit).

I've also 'plumbed in' the waste tray so it drains directly to the sink waste in the next room.

This makes it really easy to clean out the beer engine after I've had a pint or two from it. I pull a pint, pull air through to remove all the remaining beer, throw the water valve and let it run until the engine is cleaned out. The waste water all drains away.

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This is a brilliant set up. I'd like to do something similar when I connect my pressure barrel up to an Angram pump. I'd also like to keep the pressure barrel in a fridge and run the line out through a hole in the door.

I'm not that competent when it comes to re-wiring things so the idea of wiring the fridge up to a STC-1000 is a bit daunting! I was wondering whether it would be possible to connect the fridge to a timer so it stays on for an hour and then switches off for an hour, so I try to maintain an average temp as close to 11oC as possible. I know it's a bit Heath Robinson but I thought it worth a try. Has anyone tried doing something similar to maintain a slightly warmer temp and would it be likely to kill my fridge fairly quickly if I do this?

jaroporter
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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by jaroporter » Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:27 pm

technically *for most fridges* you're not "re" wiring anything - you just plug the fridge into a home made or pre-wired STC1000 temperature controller unit. there's wiring diagrams on this site or links to retailers, so you should be able to find something to help get more control. hope it works out for you, it's great having beer like this!!
dazzled, doused in gin..

adamzworld
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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by adamzworld » Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:21 pm

jaroporter wrote:technically *for most fridges* you're not "re" wiring anything - you just plug the fridge into a home made or pre-wired STC1000 temperature controller unit. there's wiring diagrams on this site or links to retailers, so you should be able to find something to help get more control. hope it works out for you, it's great having beer like this!!
Thanks for the response. So does the STC 1000 simply control the power to the fridge, switching it on and off like a thermostat to maintain a constant temp? If this is the case then would using a plug in timer do the same job, albeit in a more basic way?


Cheers,



Adam

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Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by steambrew » Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:21 pm

For the people who need this is as good as it gets [-X

greengrass

Re: My Beer Engine Setup

Post by greengrass » Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:34 am

I have 2 brew fridges, one for fermentation and the other I plan to use as a serving fridge, I have recently got hold of a beer engine so I would like to have a set up like yours, but I am having trouble sourcing a 3 way valve can you let me know where you got yours from, have you got your beer engine connected to a rigid barrel and if so how do you get over the vacuum collapsing your barrel. I have never used a beer engine before how do you think they compare against keg type set ups.
Cheers
Greengrass.

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