National Homebrew Club Ireland

Brewing Discussions => Equipment & Chemicals => Topic started by: Leann ull on December 03, 2015, 12:52:23 PM

Title: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Leann ull on December 03, 2015, 12:52:23 PM
God damn you Chugger for continuously drawing down so much wort on my herms that my poor little suspended mash tun floor can't cope. 1st stuck herms in 25 mashes, ok it was a monster 12kg 1089. Washed oat husks only helped marginally.

Not only have you given me stuck herms mash but also flattened the base of the doomed nut on my suspended mash floor

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/03/08c8b1922010aa46996c6207ca244813.jpg)

you have also created little dents in the base from your ability to draw down onto the floor of the MT

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/03/7f88285d36b6f7620291ad5be6dfae8c.jpg)

Time for a minor mod with longer marine grade bolts to increase the height of the floor from 8 to 40mm to allow a "reservoir" of wort to feed the beast and hopefully eliminate stuck herms mash

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/03/583d16d14e6117f8b82b3541a1ddd91c.jpg)


(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/03/7c056743500299e968a5b6a304569b44.jpg)
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: imark on December 03, 2015, 12:59:15 PM
Jesus! Flattening the head on that nut is mental. Would you add a strip along the bolts to distribute the weight?
I am in the market for a false bottom for similar setup. There's a blichmann false bottom that I was looking at though. Slots rather than holes.
Still sitting on the fence.
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Leann ull on December 03, 2015, 01:41:00 PM
The issue is the rate at which the chugger draws wort, up to 20l a min, so if you only have 15-20L in there in the first instance and 5 gets absorbed by the grain its not passing through the grain quick enough to recirc.
I'll post back as to how I get on
Wait for the digs from the tea-baggers in the cheap seats at the back, "I never have that problem" ;D
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Kevin O'Roundwood on December 03, 2015, 01:46:06 PM
Quote from: CH on December 03, 2015, 01:41:00 PM

Wait for the digs from the tea-baggers in the cheap seats at the back, "I never have that problem" ;D


Why don't you just lift the grain out of the.... -oh I see!  :P
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: DEMPSEY on December 03, 2015, 01:55:56 PM
Tea bagger here. Had that done to me as well when Alex came over to try and brew a big beer too. Flattened the plate completely so went back to copper pipes while I looked for better but guess what the copper pipes work so well that I am slow to change. Copper pipe system cheap as a box of tea bags :D
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: DEMPSEY on December 03, 2015, 02:00:22 PM
When brewing them big beers on that little plate can you not hear that voice in your head saying "the force is strong in this one ". :)
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: DEMPSEY on December 03, 2015, 02:07:21 PM
Quote from: imark on December 03, 2015, 12:59:15 PM
There's a blichmann false bottom that I was looking at though. Slots rather than holes.
Slots will drain better than round holes that's why all commercial Mash Ton floors are fitted with slotted floor plates  ;)
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Leann ull on December 03, 2015, 02:11:35 PM
Ker-fecking ching
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/blichmann-boilermaker-false-bottom-38-litre-10gal-p-3376.html
They are the rolls royce and if I had one of their pots no brainer I guess.
1 stuck in 25 mashes so needed a slight mod, mine fits pot exactly not sure diameter of those guys

May the Froth be with you  ;D
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: DEMPSEY on December 03, 2015, 02:22:39 PM
A hundred and fourty quid just for a plate. Jasus I in the wrong business :o
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: imark on December 03, 2015, 02:25:14 PM
€180 actually...it's the 20Gal one you need for that pot.

'It's beginning to look a lot like christmas...'
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: molc on December 03, 2015, 02:29:57 PM
I've actually got a mash bag for the mash tun and use that for the filtering above a small 5L reservoir created by the base dome of the keggle . Bag gives filtering plus makes it easy to clean, plus I can give it a tug if the mash ever sticks for unknown reasons.

Need to make a wee insert for the dome at the bottom, so I can get the diptube all the way to the bottom and then I'm set.
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Sorcerers Apprentice on December 03, 2015, 04:28:50 PM
Something like this might help protect your false bottom.  Connect a tee on the inlet to the pump and stick this lad into it, then switch the chugger through the contacts. You can set the desired cut off point
-0.1- 0.15MPa Pneumatic Electric Contact Pressure Vacuum Gauge AC 220 380V 10VA 20mm Thread Diameter PT 1/2"/
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MPa-Pneumatic-Electric-Contact-Pressure-Vacuum-Gauge-AC-220-380V-10VA/32312406275.html
(from AliExpress Android)
Title: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Leann ull on December 03, 2015, 04:37:15 PM
You mean restrict my chugger, how very dare you sir ;)
nice idea far too complicated for me though how do you know about this sort of stuff as my mind is racing on where else I could apply it to :)
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Shanna on December 03, 2015, 07:52:47 PM
Quote from: molc on December 03, 2015, 02:29:57 PM
I've actually got a mash bag for the mash tun and use that for the filtering above a small 5L reservoir created by the base dome of the keggle . Bag gives filtering plus makes it easy to clean, plus I can give it a tug if the mash ever sticks for unknown reasons.

Need to make a wee insert for the dome at the bottom, so I can get the diptube all the way to the bottom and then I'm set.
After introducing a chugger in to my setup & it going even slower than normal I am looking on ways to speed up the cleaning of the mash tun. Would you have a link to where you got the mash bag?

Shanna
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Sorcerers Apprentice on December 03, 2015, 08:00:22 PM
A vacuum gauge might be an option though?
Ps sorry Shanna post was meant for CH your reply hadn't shown up in my tapatlk
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Shanna on December 03, 2015, 08:59:59 PM
Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on December 03, 2015, 08:00:22 PM
A vacuum gauge might be an option though?
Ps sorry Shanna post was meant for CH your reply hadn't shown up in my tapatlk
No hassle. Just as an aside that stainless plate you sent me has proved itself very useful. I added in an old stainless steel colander in that forms a dome to support the grain bed when recirculating the wort with my chugger pump.

Shanna
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Damo on December 03, 2015, 09:01:53 PM
Quote from: CH on December 03, 2015, 04:37:15 PM
You mean restrict my chugger

Ok I know nothing about herms :( so I'm curious

What's wrong with restricting the flow? Would u not get better heat exchange with a slower flow?

Surely u restrict flow when sparging😛
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: nigel_c on December 03, 2015, 09:15:00 PM
Did you not see what happened in ghostbusters?
You don't cross the beams, or restrict your chugger.
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: johnrm on December 03, 2015, 11:00:56 PM
Teabaggers - I love it!
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Damo on December 03, 2015, 11:09:37 PM
Up to attic I go, time to dust off the VHS's!

If I still had my video player :P
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: molc on December 04, 2015, 09:00:58 AM


Quote from: Shanna on December 03, 2015, 07:52:47 PM
Quote from: molc on December 03, 2015, 02:29:57 PM
I've actually got a mash bag for the mash tun ...
After introducing a chugger in to my setup & it going even slower than normal I am looking on ways to speed up the cleaning of the mash tun. Would you have a link to where you got the mash bag?

Shanna
It's called the brew bag and it is a us company. Think brulophsy did a review and had a 10% off code as well. They make custom sizes or ones specifically for a keggle. Here's mine in place, going to add a cord through the eyelets to hold it in place better and a small hole in one of the support bands to fit my recirculating tube.

Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: armedcor on December 04, 2015, 02:15:53 PM
Colm you've really got yourself a sexy lil set up now!
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: molc on December 04, 2015, 02:40:07 PM
Quote from: armedcor on December 04, 2015, 02:15:53 PM
Colm you've really got yourself a sexy lil set up now!
Yeah pretty happy with it. Having it static makes the brewday a lot less painful. Still trying to speed things up - takes about 6 hours from start to finish, including cleanup.

I will be posting the ArdBir build and final config over the Xmas/January on my build thread. In the meantime, here's a teaser of how it is right now...
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: armedcor on December 04, 2015, 02:44:19 PM
Lovely!
Title: Re: The power of the Chugger for Herms
Post by: Hop Bomb on December 04, 2015, 03:36:46 PM
Why cant you throttle flow on the outlet of your chugger? Surely going full bore on the chugger for your herms is way too fast a flow rate? (not used my herms pot yet btw so have no clue)

FWIW I left both chuggers on running dry (by accident) from 6pm til 7am. Not a bother on em. They're a lot more resilient than ye think.

edit:  stuck some bleeder valves on mine for easier priming.

(http://i.imgur.com/Rg9Ppv5.jpg?2)