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Author Topic: Help me pimp my new kettle  (Read 1419 times)

Offline haeffnkr

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Help me pimp my new kettle
« on: March 06, 2018, 12:38:30 pm »
I am looking to buy a new 25 gallon kettle.  I will have a Blichman boil element in it. Use a march pump to recirculate during my BIAB mash and whirlpool during the chilling. Will be using an IC to chill.

How long do you typically wait to draw off clear wort after the chilling and whirlpool stops?
How high should the wort take off port be if the diameter is 19.5 and I am looking to get 11 gallons of clear wort into a fermenter?
Where should the whirlpool arm be mounted, ie how far off the bottom of the kettle and were should I have the pump intake for the whirlpool?

Anything else I am missing?

thanks in advance
haeffnkr



Offline Bob357

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Re: Help me pimp my new kettle
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2018, 03:01:48 pm »
I generally let the trub settle out for 15 or 20 minutes after WP/chilling. My dip tube draws from against the side and at the bottom of the kettle. I don't mind some trub getting into the fermenter.

If you don't already have something in mind to keep the bag of of your element you might be interested in this:
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/biabbottom17.htm
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Bob357
Fallon, NV

Offline haeffnkr

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Re: Help me pimp my new kettle
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2018, 12:10:57 pm »
Hi,
Thanks for the response.

Any other thoughts on the placement of the pump intake and output ports on the kettle?

thanks haeffnkr

Offline blatz

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Re: Help me pimp my new kettle
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2018, 02:50:30 pm »
Hi,
Thanks for the response.

Any other thoughts on the placement of the pump intake and output ports on the kettle?

thanks haeffnkr

trying to remember the ideals from when I put mine on, I believe you ideally want the return an inch or 2 below the level where your end of boil wort level is, and want the port to be between 90 and 135 degrees away from the kettle drain.   it is also recommended to have the tubing (stainless or copper ~2-3" in length) inside the kettle facing opposite directions to promote swirling/whirlpooling.

I unfortunately thought I would occasionally brew a 6 gal batch ( I do 12 gal batches) so I put the return at the 5.5gal level, but in 6 years on this system, I've done a 6G exactly zero times.
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