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Date: 10 Sep 2006 17:31:57
From: kkociolek@pghmail.com
Subject: England HB Supplier?
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Saw a neat setup today at the LHS. A 5 gal hi temp plastic bucket with
a spigot and electric heater and thermostat mounted in the side. The
owner said he purchased it from a supplier in Britain he thinks is
called Brew Heat. I took all the info down but couldn't find it with
Google. Anyways, he did a 5 gal boil in this plastic bucket. Didn't
have to be in the kitchen using the wife's stove. The only drawback I
see is that it requires 240VAC. Does anyone have info on this supplier?
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Date: 10 Sep 2006 19:24:28
From: Lefty Skywalker
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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kkociolek@pghmail.com wrote:
> Saw a neat setup today at the LHS. A 5 gal hi temp plastic bucket with
> a spigot and electric heater and thermostat mounted in the side.
Using electricity to make heat is a sin against technology. :-p But it
sounds clever!
--
Daniel O. Miller
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the
fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true
science. Whosoever does not know it and can no longer marvel, is as good
as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." - Albert Einstein
WWYD? (-o-) <* > Genesis 49:17
Real email address: darth dot lefty at golf mike able india lima.
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Date: 11 Sep 2006 11:34:19
From: KGB (KGB)
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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On 10 Sep 2006 17:31:57 -0700, "kkociolek@pghmail.com"
<kkociolek@pghmail.com > wrote:
>Saw a neat setup today at the LHS. A 5 gal hi temp plastic bucket with
>a spigot and electric heater and thermostat mounted in the side. The
>owner said he purchased it from a supplier in Britain he thinks is
>called Brew Heat. I took all the info down but couldn't find it with
>Google. Anyways, he did a 5 gal boil in this plastic bucket. Didn't
>have to be in the kitchen using the wife's stove. The only drawback I
>see is that it requires 240VAC. Does anyone have info on this supplier?
Hi
That is the very set-up I use here in England.
The bucket is a bog-standard fermentation bucket fitted with a spigot
and a bog-standard electric kettle element.
The thermostat is NOT necessary; it gives a very nice rolling boil
without a thermostat being fitted.
A few things to watch for:-
1) Obviously make sure the bucket will withstand a long boil.
2) Make sure the spigot will also withstand a long boil - if using a
plastic spigot.
3) Either dismantle the element and BYPASS the safety cutout (not
really recommended) or alternatively make sure the element is
THOROUGHLY cleaned after every boil (the safer option) - I use both
methods!!!!!! After a few successful brews, the element suddenly
started cutting out half way through the boil, which I eventually
tracked down, to the fact that scale had built up UNDERNEATH the
element where it was difficult to clean. This was enough to trigger
the safety cut-out on the element
4) Switch on the element as soon as it is just covered by wort from
the mash tun (assuming you are doing an all grain brew). If you have
timed it right, it will come to a full boil within minutes of the
boiler getting full.
The beauty of the above setup is that when the bucket gets a bit
grotty, it is a simple matter to just buy a new fermentation bin,
drill a couple of holes in it and swap the spigot and element over for
a cost of a few pounds (dollars in the US). Mine did 40+ brews before
I (recently) decided to change the bucket.
I have also fitted a simple extractor system to mine which is
basically a length of tumble dryer extraction hose fitted to the lid
of the fermenter/boiler leading to an old 4 litre ice cream container
fitted with an old 12V computer case fan connected to a spare car
battery. The only thing I actually bought was the tumble dryer hose -
the rest was from my scrap box; this extraction system works a treat.
The lid just rests on the top of the boiler, which is enough to
extract the steam. The PC case fan gets soaking wet in use but is
still working fine after well over 40 long boils. Using this
extraction system means I get no foaming so can fill the boiler to
within an inch or so of the top without it boiling over and making a
mess.
I brew in my garden shed, which is also full of Radio controlled model
planes so I need to keep condensation away from the electronics. My
extraction system does the trick beautifully.
Regards
KGB
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Date: 11 Sep 2006 04:19:58
From: kkociolek@pghmail.com
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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Andy,
Thank you for the info.
Ken
Andy Davison wrote:
> On Monday 11 September 2006 01:31, kkociolek@pghmail.com wrote:
>
> > Saw a neat setup today at the LHS. A 5 gal hi temp plastic bucket with
> > a spigot and electric heater and thermostat mounted in the side. The
> > owner said he purchased it from a supplier in Britain he thinks is
> > called Brew Heat. I took all the info down but couldn't find it with
> > Google. Anyways, he did a 5 gal boil in this plastic bucket. Didn't
> > have to be in the kitchen using the wife's stove. The only drawback I
> > see is that it requires 240VAC. Does anyone have info on this supplier?
>
> Bruheat stuff is available from homebrew shops.
> http://www.zen37219.zen.co.uk/boilers.htm has them listed. You can make one
> yourself easily enough. Make sure the plastic is temperature stable. The
> Bruheat has a thermostat so you can use it as a mash tun though I think
> you're better off with an insulated cool box.
> --
> Andy Davison
> andy [at] oiyou [dot] ukfsn [dot] org
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Date: 11 Sep 2006 09:27:37
From: Andy Davison
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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On Monday 11 September 2006 01:31, kkociolek@pghmail.com wrote:
> Saw a neat setup today at the LHS. A 5 gal hi temp plastic bucket with
> a spigot and electric heater and thermostat mounted in the side. The
> owner said he purchased it from a supplier in Britain he thinks is
> called Brew Heat. I took all the info down but couldn't find it with
> Google. Anyways, he did a 5 gal boil in this plastic bucket. Didn't
> have to be in the kitchen using the wife's stove. The only drawback I
> see is that it requires 240VAC. Does anyone have info on this supplier?
Bruheat stuff is available from homebrew shops.
http://www.zen37219.zen.co.uk/boilers.htm has them listed. You can make one
yourself easily enough. Make sure the plastic is temperature stable. The
Bruheat has a thermostat so you can use it as a mash tun though I think
you're better off with an insulated cool box.
--
Andy Davison
andy [at] oiyou [dot] ukfsn [dot] org
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Date: 11 Sep 2006 10:31:30
From: kkociolek@pghmail.com
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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KGB,
Thank you for your reply. After considering the exchange rate and
shipping to the states, this may be a little costly. Could you tell me
something about the heater itself. Such as wattage, manufacturer, etc.
I would appreciate it. BTW, I am also a model airplane hobbyist. I
guess drinking beer and flying planes just go together ; )
Cheers!
KGB wrote:
> On 10 Sep 2006 17:31:57 -0700, "kkociolek@pghmail.com"
> <kkociolek@pghmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Saw a neat setup today at the LHS. A 5 gal hi temp plastic bucket with
> >a spigot and electric heater and thermostat mounted in the side. The
> >owner said he purchased it from a supplier in Britain he thinks is
> >called Brew Heat. I took all the info down but couldn't find it with
> >Google. Anyways, he did a 5 gal boil in this plastic bucket. Didn't
> >have to be in the kitchen using the wife's stove. The only drawback I
> >see is that it requires 240VAC. Does anyone have info on this supplier?
>
> Hi
>
> That is the very set-up I use here in England.
>
> The bucket is a bog-standard fermentation bucket fitted with a spigot
> and a bog-standard electric kettle element.
>
> The thermostat is NOT necessary; it gives a very nice rolling boil
> without a thermostat being fitted.
>
> A few things to watch for:-
>
> 1) Obviously make sure the bucket will withstand a long boil.
> 2) Make sure the spigot will also withstand a long boil - if using a
> plastic spigot.
> 3) Either dismantle the element and BYPASS the safety cutout (not
> really recommended) or alternatively make sure the element is
> THOROUGHLY cleaned after every boil (the safer option) - I use both
> methods!!!!!! After a few successful brews, the element suddenly
> started cutting out half way through the boil, which I eventually
> tracked down, to the fact that scale had built up UNDERNEATH the
> element where it was difficult to clean. This was enough to trigger
> the safety cut-out on the element
> 4) Switch on the element as soon as it is just covered by wort from
> the mash tun (assuming you are doing an all grain brew). If you have
> timed it right, it will come to a full boil within minutes of the
> boiler getting full.
>
> The beauty of the above setup is that when the bucket gets a bit
> grotty, it is a simple matter to just buy a new fermentation bin,
> drill a couple of holes in it and swap the spigot and element over for
> a cost of a few pounds (dollars in the US). Mine did 40+ brews before
> I (recently) decided to change the bucket.
>
> I have also fitted a simple extractor system to mine which is
> basically a length of tumble dryer extraction hose fitted to the lid
> of the fermenter/boiler leading to an old 4 litre ice cream container
> fitted with an old 12V computer case fan connected to a spare car
> battery. The only thing I actually bought was the tumble dryer hose -
> the rest was from my scrap box; this extraction system works a treat.
> The lid just rests on the top of the boiler, which is enough to
> extract the steam. The PC case fan gets soaking wet in use but is
> still working fine after well over 40 long boils. Using this
> extraction system means I get no foaming so can fill the boiler to
> within an inch or so of the top without it boiling over and making a
> mess.
>
> I brew in my garden shed, which is also full of Radio controlled model
> planes so I need to keep condensation away from the electronics. My
> extraction system does the trick beautifully.
>
> Regards
>
> KGB
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Date: 13 Sep 2006 17:51:42
From: KGB (KGB)
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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On 11 Sep 2006 10:31:30 -0700, "kkociolek@pghmail.com"
<kkociolek@pghmail.com > wrote:
>
>Thank you for your reply. After considering the exchange rate and
>shipping to the states, this may be a little costly. Could you tell me
>something about the heater itself. Such as wattage, manufacturer, etc.
>I would appreciate it. BTW, I am also a model airplane hobbyist. I
>guess drinking beer and flying planes just go together ; )
>
>Cheers!
Hi
The element is a generic (old-fashioned type) kettle element,
available in virtually any electrical spares store here in the UK.
However, it slipped my mind that you Americans don't drink tea so the
type of element you need may be more difficult to get hold of. Rather
than describe the type of element I mean, there is a picture of one
similar to mine at <http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BK3A.html >
It just fits through a hole in the plastic bucket and the "shroud"
tightened from the outside. The centre of the hole on my fermenter is
1.5inches from the bottom.
The size of the element is 2,400W and the voltage is 240V. The USA is
on 110V so I don't know what difference this makes to the required
Wattage. I would guess that just buying a standard kettle element
would give you the right size.
As I said, there is NO thermostat fitted - or needed. I turn on the
power to the element as soon as it is covered by the wort and if I
have judged it right, it comes to a full rolling boil just a few
minutes after the boiler is full and maintains a very nice boil for my
usual 90 minutes.
I could take issue with your statement that "drinking beer and flying
planes just go together". In my youth I lost too many planes flying
after a lunchtime session in my local bar!!!! 8^(
My flying is strictly teetotal now.
I also used to keep bees and flying surrounded by beehives is
something else I don't recommend. The bees didn't like it (I am
convinced they were a cross between African killer bees and that thing
from the "Alien" films and flying within a few feet of their hive
wasn't the brightest thing I have ever done). Mind you, the
aerobatics were incredibly spectacular as I legged it over the fields
swatting at bees with the Tx whilst trying to keep the plane in the
air - but that's another story and off topic for this NG.
Regards
KGB
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 04:54:14
From: GeoffT
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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I like your extractor fan idea KGB, I might just implement that!
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Date: 15 Sep 2006 09:21:32
From: KGB (KGB)
Subject: Re: England HB Supplier?
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On 14 Sep 2006 04:54:14 -0700, "GeoffT"
<sonic_death_monkey@hotmail.com > wrote:
>I like your extractor fan idea KGB, I might just implement that!
>
Hi
If I were making another extraction system, I would probably put the
fan at the boiler end of the hose. A (minor) problem I have is that
because the fan is at the other end and "sucks" the steam from the
boiler, the laundry hose gets warm and occasionally collapses due to
the negative pressure in the hose, causing the extraction to stop.
I figure that by putting the fan at the boiler end, the fan would
"blow" the steam through the hose, which would be under positive
pressure and wouldn't be as prone to collapsing.
It is something I am aware of, I keep my eye on the system to make
sure it doesn't happen and it is such a minor snag I really can't be
bothered altering my extraction system until the fan needs replacing -
which is showing no signs of failing at present.
Regards
KGB
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