My Beer Engine Setup
- Dennis King
- Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
- Posts: 4227
- Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:52 pm
- Location: Pitsea Essex
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
When I first started using the polypin/handpump set up I did prime but not bothered for a few years now.
- floydmeddler
- Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
- Posts: 4160
- Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:37 pm
- Location: Irish man living in Brighton
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
Nice!
- Dennis King
- Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
- Posts: 4227
- Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:52 pm
- Location: Pitsea Essex
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
With my set up I leave the beer for a few weeks in the pin to mature and only connect to the pin when I'm about to start using it. On the rare occasion there is a big build up I can tilt and let off excess gas.Doingatun wrote: how do you deal with natural co2 build up in a pin if unattended for a few days or if going away leaving a near full pin?
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
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.
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.
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
Andy - this looks great!
What size of beer line would you recommend for the polypin tap?
What size of beer line would you recommend for the polypin tap?
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
Lovely set up why did I not think of using poly pins looks better than my firkin set up
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
Now that's a great idea! I've got a couple of beer engines in the garage, an Angram (which I fear needs a new seal a newish Worthside.I've added a blue 3 way valve ...I've also 'plumbed in' the waste tray so it drains directly to the sink waste in the next room.
The thing that put me off using them with my cornies was the amount of waste, I'd end up wasting at least 1/2 pint per session, having a beer or two at a time the wastage soon adds up! It was also a bit of a phaff moving it when getting beers in and out of the fermenting fridge!
Cheers,
Jamie
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
Sorry for the slow reply - busy January!sub82 wrote: What size of beer line would you recommend for the polypin tap?
The polypin tap was an absolute pain. It seems to be a completely non-standard size, so no pipes/pushfits fit well at all.
What I did in the end was cut a 1" length of 1/2" hose and push it on to the tap, even though it's not a tight fit. Then I popped a 1/2" JG speed fit over the hose, which clamps the hose on a little better.
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
No worries that's great - have ordered the parts so we'll how it goes!
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
andybiochem wrote:Sorry for the slow reply - busy January!sub82 wrote: What size of beer line would you recommend for the polypin tap?
The polypin tap was an absolute pain. It seems to be a completely non-standard size, so no pipes/pushfits fit well at all.
What I did in the end was cut a 1" length of 1/2" hose and push it on to the tap, even though it's not a tight fit. Then I popped a 1/2" JG speed fit over the hose, which clamps the hose on a little better.
I was thinking of this thread last week regarding the three way valve for cleaning after use I have ordered 12mm JG stem elbows for mine after speaking to a brewery that use them for their polypins he did state they must be genuine JG as exact copies are well NOT EXACT but suppose the taps on polypins may be different.
Wha's Like Us? Damn Few And They're A' Died!
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
The wife acquired me a beer engine for Christmas along with some fonts for visual purposes for a home bar, but the engine works so I wanted to have a crack at the pin route but I have no means of crashing primary.
What's the best route in that case? Primary as normal (leave as much as I can to make sure the FG is as low as it's going to go) then put in the pins and leave for a few weeks for final conditioning then rig up to the beer engine?
What's the best route in that case? Primary as normal (leave as much as I can to make sure the FG is as low as it's going to go) then put in the pins and leave for a few weeks for final conditioning then rig up to the beer engine?
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
Nikster wrote:The wife acquired me a beer engine for Christmas along with some fonts for visual purposes for a home bar, but the engine works so I wanted to have a crack at the pin route but I have no means of crashing primary.
What's the best route in that case? Primary as normal (leave as much as I can to make sure the FG is as low as it's going to go) then put in the pins and leave for a few weeks for final conditioning then rig up to the beer engine?
Can't really answer that one I'm afraid! I always crash to 4 deg c before fining, then transfer to pin. Doing that keeps a fair amount of condition in the beer all the way to the pin, and the end pint from the engine is spot on.
I don't know how you'd go about conditioning in the pin - looking at other users posts it looks like a delicate balance of venting excess gas out of the pin before it explodes.
Mr Dennis King, or Jim, are probably the best people to ask.
- Dennis King
- Telling everyone Your My Best Mate
- Posts: 4227
- Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:52 pm
- Location: Pitsea Essex
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
I use one piece of tubing from the polypin tap to the beer engine, an Angram, plus jubilee clips to tighten.andybiochem wrote:sub82 wrote:
The polypin tap was an absolute pain. It seems to be a completely non-standard size, so no pipes/pushfits fit well at all.
- GrowlingDogBeer
- Even further under the Table
- Posts: 2672
- Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 5:20 pm
- Location: Wickford, Essex
- Contact:
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
I use a very short bit of upvc hose to connect between the polypin and standard 3/8 beer line. That then connects to a check valve and then some silicon hose between the check valve and the beer engine.
-
- Drunk as a Skunk
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:12 pm
- Location: Garden of England
Re: My Beer Engine Setup
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!
dazzled, doused in gin..