New Brewery Build - Goosegog

[Mattypower]

You can keep a cask under a blanket off co2 or a A cask filter system and a decent beer should keep okay for 1-2 weeks but cornie kegs seem to be the home brewers choice!
Setup you are a brave fella having hot water that high!

[Scotty]

You can keep a cask under a blanket off co2 or a A cask filter system and a decent beer should keep okay for 1-2 weeks

That's the bit I should've included. Cheers Matty

[Mattypower]

Your welcome Scotty! did you get your brew day with Garth?

[Scotty]

Your welcome Scotty! did you get your brew day with Garth?

Aye, it all went wrong though. Only managed the one brew thanks to the pump not working, me forgetting malt etc

[Kev888]

I don't want to sound like a party-pooper but.... After your first brew, you'll realise that having your pots so high will be extremely difficult to manage.

Yeah that kind of what I was concerned about too. Of course its difficult to judge from a photo so I could be wrong, but it may be worth trying a dry/cold test run before hand. e.g. Measure out 12kg or so of grain (in volume this will largely fill a 6gallon bucket) and then try hoisting it up into the Mash tun and work out if you could tip and mix it in okay (in practice it needs a reasonably vigorous mix as you need to break up any dry clumps). Also keep in mind that when done for real there'll be hot water in the MT that you'll be tipping/mixing it into - about 74degreesC before the grain cools it - so splashing could be an issue if your head/face is in close proximity.

Hopefully of course it'll be do-able, but If it does seem likely to be a problem then probably if you moved everything down a step (and pumped out the boiler afterwards if there is insufficient height left to drain it into anything useful) then it would be a lot easier to manage.

Cheers
Kev

[goosegog]

I'm afraid I lack the sense not to press on with my design as it is and find out for myself how I get on with things but I thank you for your concern.

With the cornies, does the CO2 propulsion affect the beer? Does it make it gassy?

[Scotty]

I'm afraid I lack the sense not to press on with my design

This is a cause for concern as you appear to be going in with all guns blazing with a distinct disregard for your safety. I appreciate the feeling of wanting to get your first brew under your belt but safety and practicality should be the number one priority.
For example as Kev has pointed out, trying to mash in with 12kg of grain whilst splashing 74/75c water when standing on a ladder or similar. How do you propose to move the mashtun once finished? The 12kg of grain will have absorbed approx it's own weight in water, doubling its weight when coming to empty it.

I sincerely hope you take a step back and rethink your design before causing yourself or others a serious injury

[goosegog]

Please run a safety-related scenario by me and I'll address your concerns

Fergus

[Scotty]

Please run a safety-related scenario by me and I'll address your concerns

Fergus

Ok.

As above re mashtuns

HLT - How are you going to monitor liquor levels to prevent burning out an element? What will you do if it springs a leak at that height whilst boiling or you leave a valve open? (we've all done it).

The boiler and FV are at decent heights, maybe the boiler is a little high but ok.

I also hope you have or will have sufficient electrical wiring in place to power the immersion elements which I assume are rated at 3kw each.

[boingy]

I can't help thinking you'd be better placed to design and build the installed brewery if you had done a couple of "manual" brews using those pots on your kitchen bench, just jugging the liquid between pots. That would give you a much better feel for how much access you need and how the processes work. And it would also tell you if you actually enjoy brewing. At the moment you are building the rally car before you have had your first driving lesson.

Keep asking the questions and best of luck, matey.

[Chiltern Brewer]

Heavy containers, water & electricity, hot metal and sticky boiling liquids... what could possibly go wrong?

Seriously, there was someone here who scalded their foot while brewing and posted the pictures - very nasty. Putting your back out or burning yourself on brewday is not funny. Most AG brewers have started on small kit so we know the risks before we upgrade.

Please don't take us the wrong way we want to encourage new brewers, just not see them injured!

[Kev888]

Please don't take us the wrong way we want to encourage new brewers, just not see them injured!

+1. My feelings too; I hope that you'll see many of the comments & suggestions are trying to be helpful and constructive rather than obstructive (having been there we do know what some of the issues are).

Of course the whole point of doing it yourself is that you can have your own choices, and I'm sure you will, but thats a big setup for a first step so please take care of yourself in the process.

Cheers
Kev

[milo]

Hi Goose

A couple of suggestions if I may!

I'm at the design/planning stage of my build. I've spent hours on-line looking through countless sites and forums for design and build idea's.

I would pay heed to all of the above points, you seem handy enough to make some necessary changes at this stage rather than when your finished.

Have you considered a "brew tree" style system, Looking at your space it seems to me that it would fit perfectly and not take up too much space. Im sure your local weld shop could knock up at stand for a few quid. I'm also wondering could you some how install a kitchen extractor hood through that boarded up window.

Best of luck with the build, i'm sure you'll manage regardless!

Milo

[goosegog]

Thank you all for your enthusiastic input and concern for my health and safety. It is much appreciated. I am a carefree and foolhardy risk-taker though but I can't say I wasn't warned so please, no more hot water warnings thanks
It's relatively easy to change the height of things, just need a few holes drilled. This setup took maybe 8 hours to build. I hadn't realised I'd need to stir the MT. What's the sparging arm for then? What's the mashing technique? I presumed you just put the malt in and let the sparging arm do the rest (batch sparging).

I didn't want to use a pump as I have the theoretical height on my side. What pump would you recommend?

As for electrics, cooker wiring will be run from my fuse box, through the loft and down to four 45A cooker switches

Constructive and helpful feedback much appreciated thanks. I've been an automotive engineer for 19 years, built cars, motorbikes, racing lawnmowers, engines, chassis and lots of house stuff so I can pretty much make what's required, I'm just not entirely clear on what's required all the time.

The HLT I will add a fluid height tube to so the level can clearly be seen. The boarded-up window is so because my garage was built onto the side of this building which used to be the doctor's surgery for the village - how quaint. Now my workshop

Cheers and all the best

Ferg

[Spud395]

I'd say you really need to look into the procedure you'll be following when brewing so GG.
No need for a sparge arm if you're batch sparging, it explaned all over the net including this site( much better than I could, thats why I wont even try)