A.G. In a flat/apartment?

[fatboylard]

Hello all,

A quick question to those of you who brew all grain yet live in a flat or apartment. How do you find brewing in this situation and are there any particular things that you do to combat issues such as steam from the boiler or neighbours who don't like the smell (heavens forbid )?

I ask because I'll be moving into a first floor flat later in the year and could to with knowing in advance if there are any changes to equipment/method that I should take into consideration. As a start I was thinking of maybe fitting some flexible venting pipe (like you get on a tumble-drier) to the lid of the boiler that could be hung out of an open window. Is this feasible?

Thanks in advance,

Sam

[dave-o]

I wouldn't worry about neighbours, i'd worry about GFs/wives/partners etc. Neighbours are unlikely to notice.

No reason you can't brew in a kitchen with the windows open. It would be good to have a cupboard that's in a place where a few fermenting smells won't be a problem.

[themadhippy]

I live in a flat and brew in the bathroom,a bit of wood across the bath makes a good work surface,easy accesses to water,and any mess ends up in the bath ,also im lucky that the window ledge is wide enought to take my boiler.

[oz11]

I wouldn't worry about neighbours, i'd worry about GFs/wives/partners etc. Neighbours are unlikely to notice.

I'm in a semi-detached, my neighbours know when I am brewing because they get the smell in one, and only one, of their kitchen cupboards. It's very odd!

Sorry for digression.

[Rick_UK]

Can't imagine it would be any more of an issue than cooking a big curry or a having a long hot bath!

[dave-o]

I wouldn't worry about neighbours, i'd worry about GFs/wives/partners etc. Neighbours are unlikely to notice.

I'm in a semi-detached, my neighbours know when I am brewing because they get the smell in one, and only one, of their kitchen cupboards. It's very odd!

Sorry for digression.

Well, it's lucky that boiling wort smells nice!

[floydmeddler]

Have brewed all my beers in my small 1 bedroom flat. just make sure you have all the windows open during the boil and you'll be fine.

[dean_wales]

Not a flat resident but I did use to do AG brews at my last small terraced house.

The whole process is fine, its just the boil. If you have plenty of big windows in the kitchen you should be OK with just them open if you live alone. A flat mate would probably not be too keen. You can also use a desktop fan to blow the steam towards the window.

Personally I boiled once and only once indoors it made such a mess. Condensation on absolutely everything.

The alternative is to, like you say, do some DIY extraction. Just make sure that whatever you set up doesnt allow condensed unsterile wort to drip back into the boiler. A 90 degree elbow straight above the boiler and a tight fitting lid should avoid this. I would use some rigid box section pipework from screwfix followed by an inline fan and then some flexible hose to dangle or wind its way out the window. I think I remember my brother (plumber) telling me that you can get smaller diameter pipework and little powerful inline fans for extrating steam from built in showers. They would be ideal but probably more £'s

( Check out the Screwfix website > Home > Ventilation > Ducting)

All this would also depend on what kind of boiler you have?

Dean.

[dave-o]

If you have an extractor hood over your cooker that may well do a good job if you can fit the boiler on the hob under it.

[fatboylard]

Thanks for the responses guys!

The boiler is a 30+ litre Ace something-or-other bought off e-bay (pretty much the same as any other catering boiler). It runs off electric and has a twist-fit lid so the idea of fitting a small shower extractor fan seems perfectly feasible. Screwfix sells a basic kit for less than £25 (and there's a branch about half a mile away... methinks a visit is in order ) I think I'll have to experiment a bit first, maybe post a few diagrams for some more technologically minded folks to review. In the meanwhile it's time to fit a ball valve and some insulation then finally get on the AG wagon!

Regards,
Sam

[simco999]

A cheap fan to blow the steam out of an open window - I've said it before - my mate stripped the wallpaper in his kitchen with steam from his boiler - SWMBO was not happy.

[simco999]

Wooohooo - 300 posts.

[bod]

the kitchen in my flat is a MASSIVE 6 foot squre... so its possible, but just make sure you have a window open or an extractor fan, even then my wee kitchen is like a sauna and the steam drips down the walls.

[dave-o]

The lesson for flat brewers being - don't wallpaper your kitchen, paint it gloss!

[dean_wales]

A cheap fan to blow the steam out of an open window - I've said it before - my mate stripped the wallpaper in his kitchen with steam from his boiler - SWMBO was not happy.

Oh my god.......