Quick brew

[Scooby]

Scooby, a question about your mash tun. Is it the one from Catering Services u.k. I've received mine today and was wondering how to cut through the double wall stainless and what size/ fitting will I need to connect a ball valve on the outside and a copper manifold inside.
I bought mine to be able to fly sparge as I've never been able to get consistency batch sparging so thought I may be able to up my efficiency
by using the spinning thing.Cheers.

Yes it is JB and i bet your pleased as they are an excellent value piece of kit that do the job

I cut a rectangular clearance hole in the outer skin using a hacksaw with a Bi-metal 32tpi blade and an angle grinder, I was covering the tun in insulation so neatness didn't really matter.

The existing hole inside needs opening out, I drilled a pilot hole in a stout piece of wood positioned such that when I clamped that in a workmate with the tun pushed firmly up against the wood the pilot hole was central in the original, then with the usual cursing and swearing forced a HSS hole cutter through it's fairly thin so not to bad.

The ball valve is fitted to a tank flange I think it was a 20mm hole, I can't remember what the brass piece that connects it to the manifold is called but I got it all from B&Q. I made the manifold so that when the brass piece with no name is screwed fully on the flange, the manifold positioned and the brass piece turned back a few turns the manifold is held securely.

I hope that is of some help, here are some pics.

[Scooby]

Cheers DaaB, will have to wait awhile as both my cornies are full or at least soon to be full. maybe I should get another one

[Scooby]

Even I have 4 cornies and i've barely had a drink in 12 months

You make me feel very inadequate, let alone those on the forum who have 10 or more but then I only ever have a snifter from each cornie to check the quality

[jonnybeer]

Scooby, yes it's the dogs danglies,well pleased. Great pics and explanation. good idea to cut a larger hole and insulate the outside. I was trying to find a fitting to go through 2 neatly cut holes and compress inside enough to stop any fluid leaking into the insulation. Did you flatten the inside to make a good seal.
By the way mine arrived in only 5 days. Thanks.

[prolix]

you did realise the tap on those comes apart and fits a 1/2 inch thread. You don't have to hack the thing at all as the bit that is left it the bit in the hole

[jonnybeer]

no tap on mine!!

[Vossy1]

DaaB, I'm interested in trying a batch sparge and have just been reading your linked page above, end of page 1

To find out what is needed at the start of boil to end up with 26L at the finish

I think I'm being thick but this line doesn't make sense to me

Aren't you doing a 23 ltr brew length, ending with 23 ltrs after the boil

[Vossy1]

That was a nice way of saying your thick

Makes sense now...faulty Vossy logic

[Vossy1]

Right DaaB...page 2 of the batch sparging sheet

Using a 4kg batch in a mash tun with 1L dead space as an example,

First Batch

To collect 15.25L of wort from the first batch you will need

15.25L + 5L (absorbed) + 1L (dead-space), total 20.25L of liquor.

Why is 5ltr absorbed assuming 1ltr/kilo absorption on 4kg of grain

[Vossy1]

I loose 4L to the 4kg grain bill

Yep I get that but the formula above says 5ltr absorbed

I'm having my dinner soon, fancy spoon feeding me

[Scooby]

you did realise the tap on those comes apart and fits a 1/2 inch thread. You don't have to hack the thing at all as the bit that is left it the bit in the hole

I didn't like the tap that came with it and already had the ball valve fitted to my cooler tun

[Vossy1]

15.25L + 5L (absorbed) + 1L (dead-space), total 20.25L of liquor

Ah ha....swimbo has just explained this to me.

So it's a total of 5ltr absorbed including 1ltr of dead space

Vossy's simple logic says that 5 + 1 = 6 (see formula above ) but swimbo pointed out that the final volume for the first sparge would then read 21.25 ltr

Swimbo to the rescue again

[Scooby]

Scooby, yes it's the dogs danglies,well pleased. Great pics and explanation. good idea to cut a larger hole and insulate the outside. I was trying to find a fitting to go through 2 neatly cut holes and compress inside enough to stop any fluid leaking into the insulation. Did you flatten the inside to make a good seal.
By the way mine arrived in only 5 days. Thanks.

Yes excellent service, tracking number as well.

I didn't flatten but used two washers, one outside and one inside as in the pic, no probs with that. Glad my experience was of use

[prolix]

scooby the tap comes apart the crome tap bit comes off the barrel



I just unscrewed the tap and replaced it with the same ball valve you did

[Scooby]

scooby the tap comes apart the crome tap bit comes off the barrel
I just unscrewed the tap and replaced it with the same ball valve you did

The threads were different and the hole way to small.

Can't remember what you you did so perhaps a few pics would be of some use to JB as there is more than one way to skin a cat


Edit Just noticed JB's is tapless so not very meaningful
Just looked and I have a 3/4" ball valve, that is why it wouldn't fit.