Mash tun / fermentor project

Steam powered cooking and distillation devices.

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Oldvine Zin
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Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Started this project with my posts going to Still Related Hardware not knowing what I was going to do with this tank
tank.JPG
built a lid for it
lid.JPG
I'm going to set it up for steam mashing, started on the wand today- started with a 6.5 foot piece of 3/4" copper
wand1.jpg
sent it through a HF roller and ended up with a 24" ish circle of copper.
wand2.jpg
drilled some inward holes at the same angle as the cone at the bottom
wand3.jpg
wand4.JPG
Soldered the tee and riser

Now waiting on more parts to arrive and some more free time to work on it.

OVZ
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by yakattack »

* grabs popcorn and cold beer and takes a seat on the bench in the corner*
HDNB wrote: The trick here is to learn what leads to a stalled mash....and quit doing that.
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bitter
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by bitter »

Awesome. Too bad its so large or could do a steam strip in the grain with to.

B
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

bitter wrote:Awesome. Too bad its so large or could do a steam strip in the grain with to.

B
I had the same thought, that's why I made the plastic lid instead of a stainless one -it would be too tempting to add a column to it. Maybe someday when I go craft!

OVZ
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by steelmb »

Oldvine Zin wrote:
bitter wrote:Awesome. Too bad its so large or could do a steam strip in the grain with to.

B
I had the same thought, that's why I made the plastic lid instead of a stainless one -it would be too tempting to add a column to it. Maybe someday when I go craft!

OVZ
:wtf: It's ok to do it now, you just can't tell anyone here. :silent:
I believe MCH may have said it best. "It's your hooch, you get to choose."
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http://w.homedistiller.org/forum/viewto ... =7&t=66849
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

Just a thought.
Nice looking Mash tun/fermentor build :thumbup:
A conical bottom like that begs for a bigger drain valve.
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

shadylane wrote:Just a thought.
Nice looking Mash tun/fermentor build :thumbup:
A conical bottom like that begs for a bigger drain valve.
Damn you shady :) I thought about that and decided it was something that I could add later, but now.....
Might go with a 3" TC system
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

Three inch should do it.
I sometimes have to poke my two inch with a stick to unclog it :lol:
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

3" valves are almost twice the cost of 2" - might go with a 2" drain and have money left over to buy a stick :D
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

Oldvine Zin wrote:3" valves are almost twice the cost of 2" - might go with a 2" drain and have money left over to buy a stick :D
Sounds like words of wisdom to me :thumbup: :lol:
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

Oldvine Zin wrote:
bitter wrote:Awesome. Too bad its so large or could do a steam strip in the grain with to.

B
I had the same thought, that's why I made the plastic lid instead of a stainless one -it would be too tempting to add a column to it. Maybe someday when I go craft!

OVZ
We just up-ed it to 30. That looks like 30, right?

Same steam wand is perfect for stripping to. All 30 gallons. Cook, mash, ferment, strip all in the same vessel.

Good luck!
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You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

Just a drunken thought
It takes less than a #15 keg boiler to drive the #30 mash thumper.
Don't remember if there's a limit to thumper size. :roll:
In all honesty we are about getting home distillation legal.
So let's keep the discussion down to that limit
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

It's just going to be a fermentor - if and when I go craft it might turn into something else but for now it's hobby only.

OVZ
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

+1 your idea will work very well :thumbup:
You have some nice tools to get the job done. :lol:
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Badmotivator »

Hey, OVZ. I was playing around with a homemade dewatering machine earlier this year. I had a hopper feeding spent cracked corn into a 3" TC ferrule, and even at that diameter the corn was "bridging", that is, forming a structure that would stick and not collapse down through that 3" opening. So with a 2 or a 3 I think you may still need some stick work or high pressure rinse water to get cracked corn to flow down nicely.

You want to hear some crazy talk? A CIP nozzle installed a few inches above the drain, pointing down toward it, on the inside of your tank, and they faked the moon landing.
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Since it was a cloudy day I decided to spend it indoors and work on my project.
tank1.JPG
2" ferrule tigged to the abse of the cone
tank2.JPG
Elbow and valve
steam1.JPG
The start of the steam generator. And yes Shady I'm planning on building a "manly" manometer for it :lol:


edited to say abse = base
Last edited by Oldvine Zin on Sat Aug 27, 2016 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by jedneck »

enviuos
looking good
welcome aboard some of us are ornery old coots but if you do a lot of
reading and don't ask stupid questions you'll be alright most are
big help
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

Dadburnit
Post more pictures and tell us the how and why.
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

jedneck wrote:enviuos
looking good
I have the toys but someday I hope that I can make a drop as good as yours
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

shadylane wrote:Dadburnit
Post more pictures and tell us the how and why.
Well I'm not doing anything new or groundbreaking - just trying to figure out this steam thing :)
steam2.JPG
steam3.JPG
1" triclover to some 1" copper first tee has a fitting for a 15 lbs prv and a takeoff for the manometer(just for you Shady) second tee is the output via a braided stainless hose to a tri fitting and then up to a ball valve that will hopefully work as the vacuum break
steam4.JPG
steam5.JPG
Attachments to the fermentor
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

First attempt building a manometer
mano1.JPG
Built from scraps I had laying around - still needs work. This version is good for about 8psi, - 10psi and I made a mess :oops:
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

If you want a manly sized monometer make it 6 feet tall and it will blow the water out at around 3 psi :lol:
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Snackson »

This is horrendous! You should box it up and ship to me to dispose of.

Good looking work! I've been thinking about replacing my elements with two of these, http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/s ... pling.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow and some copper pipe with holes drilled in it for a steam stripper for distilling the grain. Use my old keg boiler to feed it with steam.
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

shadylane wrote:If you want a manly sized manometer make it 6 feet tall and it will blow the water out at around 3 psi :lol:
Damn I guess that I only have a girly sized manometer :lol:
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by shadylane »

What are you using to color the water in your mano?
Edited
On a side note, using a TC to connect the injector like you did is a good idea :thumbup:
Makes it a lot easier and less messy to remove and clean the injector
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Thanks Shady!
Just a bit of red food color in the water
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Oh and Shady I showed you mine what about you showing yours :)
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

Snackson wrote:This is horrendous! You should box it up and ship to me to dispose of.

Good looking work! I've been thinking about replacing my elements with two of these, http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/s ... pling.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow and some copper pipe with holes drilled in it for a steam stripper for distilling the grain. Use my old keg boiler to feed it with steam.
Snackson I think that this is a better and safer option https://www.brewershardware.com/TC15F10NPSCOV.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Oldvine Zin »

oopps snackson, thought you were going all electric_look at brewers hardware for a better price on those fittings
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Re: Mash tun / fermentor project

Post by Snackson »

Already electric, going to use the 1/2" NPT pass through 2" triclover for the steam to go into the kettle. I have a 26 gallon milk can with two 2" ferrules. Use the NorCal part to send steam to internal pipe manifolds. Attach fitting to boiler, attach manifold inside boiler, connect steam line to the external side of fitting on boiler, send steam in to strip alcohol from grains.
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