Would this work as a HLT?

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floydmeddler
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Would this work as a HLT?

Post by floydmeddler » Sun Sep 12, 2021 9:43 am

Hi guys,

As much as I love my handy single vessel brewery, I've decided to build a good old classic 3 tier system in the garage because I miss the hands on element. At the minute, I can't really afford a shiny 40L HLT so want something cheap to for the meantime. Could someone with more knowledge of plastics than me confirm if this would be a suitable option? It's made with polyethylene so i'm guessing it's a yes. Always best to double check though!

Thanks in advance.

https://adexa.co.uk/Container-Bin-with- ... UUQAvD_BwE

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vacant
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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by vacant » Sun Sep 12, 2021 12:17 pm

Advertised as a waste container rather than food safe. E.g. I believe stuff made from recycled plastic could include something that once stored a toxic substance that could leach out, manufacturers can't know. Malt Miller has a 60 litre FV for £25.

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Jocky
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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by Jocky » Sun Sep 12, 2021 1:32 pm

Regular polyethylene has a melting point as low as 105 Celsius.

Ideally I’d find something Polypropylene. Like this: https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/ac ... n_Lid.html

PP is usually food safe and can get up to 130c without problems, so as an HLT they should be fine.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by MashBag » Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:26 am

https://www.bigdug.co.uk/storage-boxes- ... medium=cpc

You can often get these after single use (fruit juice or food ingredients) cheaply and they are really strong.

I have a couple of kettle elements you can have if you need. PM me.

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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by Hanglow » Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:02 pm

Jocky wrote:
Sun Sep 12, 2021 1:32 pm
Regular polyethylene has a melting point as low as 105 Celsius.

Ideally I’d find something Polypropylene. Like this: https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/ac ... n_Lid.html

PP is usually food safe and can get up to 130c without problems, so as an HLT they should be fine.
I've used the 33l version of this as a boiler for years,works fine. Angel Homebrew used to sell them pre cut for the 2.4kw element they still sell. (which is £30) If you want to save a bit more cash then the small kettle elements from cheap kettles would be fine for a HLT, no scorching of course. edit: or message mashbag!

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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by MashBag » Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:12 am

Pre-cut - that is really handy. Worth an ask, if they still do?

I have the kettle elements, because that is what I intended to build ages ago.

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Jocky
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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by Jocky » Thu Sep 16, 2021 6:49 pm

Cutting a hole in one of those is easy enough with a Stanley knife or sharp pointed small kitchen knife. Don’t cut in one go, draw the hole and then use the point of the knife to score around it, gradually getting deeper with each rotation.

Better still is a compass cutter at least to get you started, once you get part way you can finish the cut with a knife.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

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Eric
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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by Eric » Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:31 pm

I used to do mine with an old brace and bit using a standard wood cutting bit, the type with a knife one side and a chisel blade the other by keeping the emphasis on the knife. Normally took a couple of minutes to give a perfectly neat finish.
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Re: Would this work as a HLT?

Post by lord groan » Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:16 pm

A beerline cleaning bottle makes a very good hlt/boiler. Made from HDPE they have walls about 8-10mm thick. I used mine as a boiler for a lot of brews and it never softened in use, because of the thickness I guess.
https://www.lawsdrinkssystems.co.uk/cel ... rised.html
I dont use it anymore so you're welcome to it if you like. Its like the one linked to above but I cut the top off around the upper seam you can see in the pic. Not sure of the capacity anymore but was happy doing 25l brews, I can measure if you like. It has 2 x 2kw kettle elements fitted which were working last time I used it but that was years ago ands its been stored outside so they'd need replacing i suspect. Are you anywhere near Southampton in the near future?

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