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Author Topic: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT  (Read 7197 times)

Offline HiImBrian

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #30 on: August 08, 2014, 03:31:40 pm »

Am I the only one that doesn't wear pants when brewing?

Honestly, I never wear shoes. Even flip flops are optional.

You're a brave man.  I never brew without wearing jeans and shoes.  I've had too many mishaps when I dressed more casually.

That's what I'm thinking Denny!  :o

Yeah, I've been splashed a couple times over the years, once while wearing shorts.  Umm....sucks. Don't recommend it.  Hasn't happened since I stopped drinking while brewing though - coincidence ?  Hmmm.   :D

If you're not drinking while you brew, are you really brewing? I thought drinking was right up there with sanitation and stuff???

All that aside, I'm going to exchange my valve for a nylon valve simply to fix my initial problem of hitting the cooler with the handle. It sounds like there's a few different ways to go about this and all work well in their own way.

Offline Stevie

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #31 on: August 08, 2014, 03:44:29 pm »
I rarely drink on brew days anymore as well. Everything goes smooth this way

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #32 on: August 08, 2014, 04:32:21 pm »

If you're not drinking while you brew, are you really brewing? I thought drinking was right up there with sanitation and stuff???


I'm pretty sure I'm still brewing..............better !   I know, everybody starts out drinking while they brew. It's kind of symbiotic even, right?  But in reality, in AG brewing there's several things you really need to get RIGHT, ie., temps, hop additions, volumes, etc.  So, I'd rather have several celebrating how good it came out than several forgetting how mediocre it came out.   ;)
Jon H.

S. cerevisiae

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #33 on: August 08, 2014, 07:44:09 pm »
It was more difficult to control the runoff speed.

+1

I did not use ball valves on any of the mash tuns or hot liquor backs that built during my the first ten years that I brewed all-grain beer (yes, great beer can be made using humble equipment).  Home brewing back then involved more than making beer.

A simple bulkhead assembly can be fashioned out the gasket that is used to seal the valve assembly that comes with the cooler, a 3" section of racking cane, and a number 2-1/2 stopper.  The 3" section of racking cane is threaded through the hole in the rubber stopper such that there are roughly equal lengths sticking out of each end of the stopper.   The stopper is then inserted though the valve assembly gasket from the inside of the cooler with the smaller end of the stopper pointing towards the outside of the cooler.  A length of 5/16ths tubing is pushed onto the outside end of the racking cane, and a house clamp is used to control flow.    Believe it or not, one can achieve a fairly snug fit with this arrangement because the liquid is pressing on the larger diameter end of the stopper, which makes the fit even tighter.

With that said, I went all out when I built a new brew house upon returning to the hobby.  I used stainless everything.  I hated controlling flow with the ball valves so much that I put hose clamps on my lauter tun and hot liquor back hoses.  The ball valves are now used only as shutoff valves.   All flow rate control is performed using the hose clamps.  I like using hose clamps because the flow rate can be adjusted in discrete steps, which makes repeatability much easier.

Here is  the 3.5-gallon brewery that I built upon returning to the hobby:










« Last Edit: August 10, 2014, 09:03:37 am by S. cerevisiae »

Offline denny

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #34 on: August 09, 2014, 09:41:49 am »
I rarely drink on brew days anymore as well. Everything goes smooth this way

Yep.  I also find drinking makes me even lazier than I naturally am, so I tend to put off cleaning if I've been drinking.
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Offline kramerog

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #35 on: August 09, 2014, 09:43:09 pm »
I used to have ball valve now I have the nylon valve.  With a little dexterity, I can close the nylon valve with one hand.  The nylon valve is small and light.  I think it stresses the outlet of the cooler less.

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Offline BrewBama

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Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #36 on: August 10, 2014, 04:49:25 am »
I have a stainless ball valve and bazooka tube mounted to a rectangular picnic cooler. I vorlauf at ~ 1/2 open and then wide open to drain the wort. Granted it's more expensive but what the heck.

 ...in shoes and jeans usually (that stuff is HOT!).
« Last Edit: August 10, 2014, 04:51:03 am by BrewBama »

Offline Slowbrew

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #37 on: August 10, 2014, 05:30:26 am »
I'll brew in shorts and I always wear hiking boots.  I did a brew day bare foot one day and between the back pain, calf muscle pain and the "sun" burn on the tops of my feet from flame under the kettle I decided shoes were required.

And I never drink while I'm brewing.  Too many things you can forget if you aren't concentrating.

Paul
Where the heck are we going?  And what's with this hand basket?

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #38 on: August 10, 2014, 09:09:43 am »
I rarely drink on brew days anymore as well. Everything goes smooth this way

+1

Murphy has a way of showing up when drinking is combined with brewing, especially when making all-grain beer.

Offline HiImBrian

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #39 on: August 10, 2014, 05:52:36 pm »
Dang don't a single person enjoys a brew while they brew?! I think I need to shadow an OG and step my game up. I'm a couple keggles away from my first all grain brew so we'll see how intense things get when I fire up the burners next week.

Btw, I ended up keeping the ball valve setup I had simply because Home Depot doesn't carry any nylon valves. I ended up tightening it at a bit of a downward angle so that I can close it fully. I tested the flow at different increments and it seems pretty controllable. There's always the hose clamp idea mentioned above if I need.

Offline jeffy

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #40 on: August 10, 2014, 06:45:28 pm »
Dang don't a single person enjoys a brew while they brew?!
I do, but I usually start brewing early in the morning and try not to have a beer until noon or later.
Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
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Offline ranchovillabrew

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #41 on: August 10, 2014, 08:56:36 pm »
I generally don't drink until my boil is settled in.  Usually 1 during the boil and 1 while chilling
- Charles

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #42 on: August 10, 2014, 09:52:39 pm »
I drink after I'm all done. Drinking while brewing equals mistakes. Drinking while cleaning equals to lazy to clean properly. Drinking after all done, very rewarding and relaxing

Offline erockrph

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #43 on: August 11, 2014, 09:59:53 am »
While brewing = no shoes, no pants and no beers for me. What's the point of having the comfort of brewing in my kitchen if I can't dress the part? Plus, how else would I know if my ball valve was open unless I could feel the hot brewing liquor on my foot?  :D
Eric B.

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Offline denny

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Re: Lowes vs Home Depot MLT
« Reply #44 on: August 11, 2014, 11:05:25 am »
I drink after I'm all done. Drinking while brewing equals mistakes. Drinking while cleaning equals to lazy to clean properly. Drinking after all done, very rewarding and relaxing

You said it for me, too, Jim!
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell