Messages

16

Equipment and Software / Re: Converting fridge or freezer to fermentation chamber

« on: June 20, 2012, 09:20:09 AM »

I used a side-by-side when I first got into kegging.  With two temperature controllers I controlled the freezer side and the fridge side.  The freezer controller turned the refrigerator on and off.  The fridge-side controller controlled a computer fan mounted in the duct between the sides, pulling colder air from the freezer to the fridge.  This worked well for lagers at 36F and ales at 46F.  The lager side also doubled as a conventional fridge for hops, bottles, etc.

17

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Today's brewing disaster...

« on: April 09, 2012, 05:28:20 AM »

I had the hose on my turkey frier burner catch fire at Big Brew last year when somebody moved my tank, pushing the hose up against one of the legs of the burner. The rubber melted and it flamed up.  That was a scary moment.  A buddy turned a hose on the the flaming hose while I closed the valve on the tank. 

I was able to get the hose replaced for less than twenty bucks.  Even after you get your new burner, getting the hose replaced will increase your options.

18

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Carbing and Quitting

« on: March 22, 2012, 09:17:35 AM »

When the beer warms up, Co2 comes out of solution and the headspace pressure increases.  As long as your keg didn't lose any pressure, the process will reverse when the beer is cooled.

19

Ingredients / Re: Post your water report

« on: March 11, 2012, 01:02:13 PM »

Colesville, MD -- Montgomery Co. 2/2012
Surface water

pH 7.4
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 112
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.19
Cations / Anions, me/L 1.6 / 1.6
ppm
Sodium, Na 11
Potassium, K 2
Calcium, Ca 14
Magnesium, Mg 5
Total Hardness, CaCO3 56
Nitrate, NO3-N 1.0 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 2 (6)
Chloride, Cl 27
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 34
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 28
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

20

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Disassembling cobra taps for cleaning?

« on: October 23, 2011, 06:20:28 AM »

You need to open them up to let out the big chunks of slime that grow in there.   

21

Kegging and Bottling / Re: leaks at low temp

« on: August 29, 2011, 11:02:01 AM »

You shouldn't tape the threads; it's not pipe thread.  The gasket makes the seal, and taping the threads could actually prevent the gasket from getting tight.  Don't use tape on any flare or gasket connections, only pipe thread.

22

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Home Glycol system

« on: August 11, 2011, 07:14:45 PM »

The expenses related just to the glycol system were
additional freezer (serves double duty with frozen food),   $200
trunk line, 20-ft                                                            $350
pond pump for the gycol.                                               $ 30
propylene glycol, 2 gal                                                  $ 20
wood collar on freezer                                                   $ 40

So that's $540, but since we keep a lot of frozen food in the freezer, that $200 shouldn't really count.

With my small glycol reservoir, the glycol doesn't have much residence time, so I get a temperature much higher than the freezer temperature.  If I wanted a lower glycol temperature, I would just use a bigger bucket and more glycol.

23

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Home Glycol system

« on: August 04, 2011, 06:51:14 PM »

I've done what the OP is asking about.  I have a two-gallon bucket of propylene glycol in a small chest freezer along with frozen food.  A small pond pump is submerged in the glycol and supply and return tubes run out of the freezer and into the kegerator, where they are joined by 4 beer lines in a trunk line purchased from Micromatic.  The trunk line travels about 20 feet and through a wall to the taps in my basement bar.  The beer tubing in the trunk line is barrier tubing with very low resistance.

You cannot have the glycol reservoir in your kegerator.  The heat generated by the pump will always maintain the glycol temperature above the surrounding freezer temperature--the temperature of your beer.  This system has been in service for almost a year and I'm happy with it.  The temperature in my glycol bucket is around 32F (the freezer is at -10F)

24

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 3/5 Edition

« on: March 05, 2010, 08:46:09 AM »

What else? A Maerzen to ferment in the garage while its still cool enough.  Last lager of the season.

25

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 2/26 Edition

« on: February 25, 2010, 10:45:08 AM »

No brewing this weekend.  I had to push last weekend's brew to next weekend and take two weeks off to recover from a pulled muscle in my back from SHOVELING SNOW in Maryland!

26

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: The BEST thermometer in the World

« on: February 25, 2010, 10:30:12 AM »

Does anyone have experience with a wireless remote read thermometer?  That would really be handy, especially when heating mash water out in the garage in winter.  I could hang out in the house where it's warm.

Set up a web cam pointed at the HLT thermometer, then just watch it on you PC.  This would come in handy all throughout the brewday...hands-off brewing!

27

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Kegkits/Tom Hargrave

« on: February 25, 2010, 10:26:08 AM »

I did a couple of transactions with him before all of this bad stuff started.  The last order was for three manifolds.  I got the package promptly, but with only one manifold in it.  That's always a tough spot for the consumer, because once you've opened it you have no proof.  I sent several e-mails to Tom with no response.  I finally found his phone number and called him.  He took my word for it and sent the two manifolds promptly, saying that the packing guys were always screwing up.

Based on what I've read online since then, I was very lucky.  He wasn't such a bad guy at one time, just a terrible businessman.