A warning for mango chutney boiler users!

[flything]

£1000? 70ltr Nordic Optical Stock pots are about 70 euros plus delivery, so for about £100 you should be able to put together a boiler that won't 'might fail'. You can buy them built for you for less than twice that.

The rest of the kit, HTL and Mash tun can be made from plastic without any concerns.

[Kev888]

The rest of the kit, HTL and Mash tun can be made from plastic without any concerns.

Indeed. Unless you've removed the boil dry safety and accidentally boil dry in a plastic HLT, anyway. At least thats partly what prompted me to use a copper cylinder even for my HLT; hot things just seem inherently better in something that won't melt easily, especially if there's nothing to physically limit the scope for accidents.

Cheers
kev

[bigdave]

you can just imagine Ann Robbinsons reaction to such an accident if it were discussed on Watch Dog

Your boiler is the weakest link, goodbye.

I still maintain that this is somewhat scaremongering. Yes we all know that plastic boilers go soft when boiling for a long period of time and using one is a risky business but so far it hasn't been reported that a mango chutney barrel has collapsed during a boil. There is also nothing to say that the split in the barrel is in anyway related to repeated boiling.

So before condemning plastic boilers perhaps some testing/research is needed to see if this same splitting has happened before or will happen again.

Oh, and I think you'd be just as unlikely to get anything of your insurance company if you burnt the house down by knocking a gas burner over.

[sparky Paul]

Yes we all know that plastic boilers go soft when boiling for a long period of time and using one is a risky business but so far it hasn't been reported that a mango chutney barrel has collapsed during a boil. There is also nothing to say that the split in the barrel is in anyway related to repeated boiling.

Indeed there isn't, but the deformation evident around the base certainly does have something to do with the temperature. Before one failed completely, I would guess there would be some prior warning, such as the OP experienced... let's hope so anyway, because 50L of boiling wort could seriously injure someone, or worse.

If the split has propagated from some pre-existing unnoticed damage to the drum, well that's another issue. These barrels are all secondhand, and have travelled half way across the world. Who knows what mishandling they have been subjected to during their journey?

[bigdave]

These barrels are all secondhand, and have travelled half way across the world. Who knows what mishandling they have been subjected to during their journey?

One day I'm hoping that I get mishandled!

As Ive said before, after reading this I am glad I opted for a copper boiler rather than a plastic one but I dont want anyone to be scared to get a brew on just because they didnt have access to SS or copper.

[Blackjack]

And it is all highly illegal, against the law, go to jail

I don't necessarily agree with all the recent legislation that requires all electricians to be certified. I'm not but I have got more electrical engineering qualifications than a busload of sparks.

BUT not only does this thread detail the problems of homebuilt boilers it also shows the dangerous failure of diy electrics.

I know there are hundreds of people using plastic boilers and kettle elements every week, but it really is hilariously unsafe and ILLEGAL. Natural Selection could get you and put you in contention for a Darwin Award .

The home brew shops that fabricate and sell these ready to go are in precisely the same position, unless of course they have a certified electrician who comes in on a Saturday morning to put them together.

Simple statements of fact. sorry.

[JackA]

I'm all for bodging together stuff which is 'dangerous' as long as the risks are understood.

I noticed this crack about a week ago but concluded it wasn't a big deal. Turns out it could have been a problem. However, the leak was a small drip a second - so extremely manageable - but if left unchecked probably would have developed.

This is just a warning that these things can break, so check your barrel before your next brew so you don't get caught out

[boingy]

The electrical safety argument is a slightly different one but, yes, some of the things folk do on here with electricity does scare me a tad.

I'm kinda with bigdave on the scaremongering thing. There are risks with all home made boilers but this thread has gone a bit too far towards the "ooh, you don't want to do that, mate" imho.

[Kev888]

Yes indeed, it should definately be down to personal choice. The main purpose of this sort of discussion in my view is more to help people make that choice from a position of awareness, rather than naive optimism about the potential issues, and to help identify the types of things to be careful of if an adult chooses to try it for themselves.

Speaking as someone who 'very' nearly scalded themselves rather badly (with a cheap converted plastic boiler ripping like a balloon bursting), I consider such info on JBK vary valuable indeed and I wish I'd had t'internet back then. But it doesn't stop me taking a DIY approach, far from it, it has just helped me identify in more depth what options I personally feel are acceptible for me. Priceless!

Cheers
Kev

[sparky Paul]

There are risks with all home made boilers but this thread has gone a bit too far towards the "ooh, you don't want to do that, mate" imho.

I'm all for DIY boilers, but with safe electrics, and using suitable materials.

[Horatio]

The home brew shops that fabricate and sell these ready to go are in precisely the same position, unless of course they have a certified electrician who comes in on a Saturday morning to put them together.

Simple statements of fact. sorry.

My H&G plastic boiler comes with a PAT sticker on it! Shows that they take the stuff seriously I think.

I don't think this thread is scaremongering personally. I think it is a well placed warning from a brewers personal experiences. If from reading this just one person checks their blue barrel boiler and finds a defect before any harm is done, then this has been a worthwhile thread IMO. Like any process that involves handling very hot substances great care should be taken at all times and complacency banished.

[bigdave]

btw - with a shortage of good quality elements, has anyone considered using an electric fire as an immersion element ? It can't be any worse than trying to contain 30L of boiling wort in a bucket not designed to hold boiling wort

Cant say Ive tried that but Ive heard that due to the great gas cylinder shortage, home brewers in the USA have started burning religious books in an attempt to get their stainless steel boilers up to temperature.

[dwhyte]

So is a Thorne Electrim Bin seen as 'safe' then?
It's designed for the job surely?
Electrics safe and whatnot?

[brewzer]

I had an electrim to start of with and the element for some reason half way through the boil went inside the bin and i got covered in boiling wort luckily my 2 girls who normally help me had gone out otherwise they would have got it aswell
After this i took it back and then invested in a burco and also i gained a brupacks boiler aswell now i have 2 different brews every time i have a brew day
I would always go for the tried and tested way S/S or ceramic You cant always trust the plastic in my opinion but i do now a lot of you use them and have not had any problems and thats great and if its not broken why fix it

[Kev888]

I believe another angle thats relevent here is the production volume and testing: You may or may not see plastic buckets as suitable, but the more professionally produced versions have prior testing and development in their favour, and are generally produced to a quality and consistency suitable for retail - the proper sort of platics and so on rather than what is cheap or to hand that 'may' work.

I'm not saying our standards are 'necessarily' lower, some of the creations on this site are astounding and well in excess of many commercial offerings. But it must also be recognised that knowledge, skills and budgets vary and that many of us on this forum are doing things for the first time to some degree or other. Maybe not in general, but often the first time for a given individual, or the first time with a particular model of bucket, or marrying new combinations of components together and that sort of thing.

The things many of us make are therefore by nature essentially untried prototypes initially, and can range widely in many factors including safety. Its their choice but some of the things you see people 'testing' scare the willys out of me

Cheers
kev