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Boilover prevention cooling circuit - (unproven)

Post #1 made 15 years ago
by STAG
Hi everyone
I made a reference to an idea I had with regard to preventing wort boilover in my intro post on joining biabrewer,
post #553 http://biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=119&start=550
and now I`ve been accepted as a new member I can post a pic of what I was going on about.
In my lack of preperation and my haste I have just tried this concept with boiling milk, which was quite something to see. The foaming raging head stormed up the headspace in the pot but as it reached the cold channel it could go no further and did not overflow a single drop, it did produce a glazed sort of ballooned skin that didn`t know what to do with itself but I guess milk does do that.

Has anyone tried this approach ?

In anticipation of my big first brewday, I have made up a circuit that spits the cold water inlet into 4 seperate 8mm copper tubes wrapped around my pot. There is a screw between the manifolds that when tightened pull the tubing against the pot wall. The manifolds each have a 15mm push in connector for easy `ummm` connecting up.

I dont really know when the optimal time would be to open the cooling channel, in other words would be be best to wait till the final few seconds or can the cooing channel be opened well before the worry of boilover occurs.
What I`m trying to acheive is the wort heater/gas still causing a proper full wort boil but it`s all contained in the pot.
If you`ve not read this before have a look here
Importance of a Full Wort Boil
http://brianbeer.blogspot.com/2008/03/i ... -boil.html

cheers guys and regards from the UK
yeah before u say it, (not another pom whose side got lucky in the cricket) , I`m from a now extinct British colony called Rhodesia and am living in exile in England. But man I do love the British ales.
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STAG = Single Tun All Grain

Post #2 made 15 years ago
by wizard78
Hi stag and welcome to the forum.
I like your concept, and am interested to hear the outcome.
I personally haven't had an issue with boil overs yet, but I have only been doing single 24 l batches ( boil volume of about 32 L) in a 50 L keggle. I may have the need for something like that when I start doing double batches.
Good luck and be sure to keep us informed.
Cheers wiz
[center]"All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer."
[/center]
[center]Homer Simpson[/center]
[center]K.I.S.S., B.I.A.B.[/center]

Post #4 made 15 years ago
by STAG
nice to meet you wiz and thanks for your welcome mate.
Yep it`s pretty outrageous me thinking I can cure a 70 litre boilover when I never done a single brew,
well I have helped a friend thru a stove and birco 3v brewday and I guess i gained SO MUCH experience hehehe.
No seriously I just try and think on a practical level and yeah I have loads of good ideas , trouble is most of them suck ( quote: George Carlin - brilliant US comedian and deep thinker)

I`ve also been wondering about just splitting the grain for mashing rathing than obliterating the cell stucture thru a grinder. I am making a simple device based on a linishing machine to provide a constant feed of grain thru a rubber channel that squeezes and pulls each grain under a sharp blade to cut the grain into 2 halves, lengthways. Each half you`d have nature`s little cup holding most of the contents within.

WHY I hear you shout.
well my thinking is
1) dont destroy the cellular stucture - in nature everything is based on a cell formation.
simply open the pod and introduce warm liquid to encourage the sugar conversion to go ahead.
2) all of the goodies we want from a grain are not contained in the husk or the root attachment, it may even keep
the tannins from spreading ?

BIAG really interests me, is it farfetched to consider making a tubular stainless mesh (which has been been done i know) to contain the mash, but in this tube there are mesh dividers that split the grain load into circular segments so that the whole weight of the grain bill is not compressing upon itself like the usual voile type bag.
and the simple act of raising/lowering the mesh a few times will in effect do a sparge/rinse of the grain pods.

It`s these kind of thoughts that keep me awake at night, oh and the gorgeous female body that surely can`t be improved.
Last edited by STAG on 12 Feb 2011, 07:02, edited 5 times in total.
STAG = Single Tun All Grain

Post #6 made 15 years ago
by stux
Boil-overs only appear to be a problem at the start of boil and until some of the crud gets boiled off...

I would generally be worried up until just after the first hops addition, after that... i begin to add my boil-time water additions (double batch maxi-biab in 50L pot)
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12

Post #7 made 15 years ago
by hashie
STAG wrote:thanks a ton hashie
thats a great compliment coming from you proper brewers
Proper brewers...pfft

Just some mug on a forum :drink:

Welcome along STAG :)
Last edited by hashie on 12 Feb 2011, 13:33, edited 5 times in total.
"It's beer Jim, but not as we know it."

Post #8 made 15 years ago
by PistolPatch
Welcome aboard STAG :thumbs:

What an excellent first topic! Thanks for the fascinating read :salute:.

As hashie said, that is very neat work and I think it is a very clever solution. Boilovers are a bit of a mystery to me. I had a couple of close calls on some of my first AG's but since then, they have never been a problem. Maybe after a few brews, your brain intuitively knows when you should be checking your kettle???

I also love your thinking on splitting the grain. As far as I can see, this sounds perfectly sensible and, more probably, is a brilliant idea. I have no idea how you would actually split the grain in two but it sounds as though you are right onto it. You certainly have me fascinated.

Great stuff STAG :peace:,
PP
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Post #9 made 15 years ago
by STAG
thanks a lot PistolPatch your comments do inpire me to keep going.
As soon as I have any sort of update I`ll post it here.

cheers guys
STAG = Single Tun All Grain

Post #11 made 15 years ago
by BobBrews
Mad Scientist,
I use fermcap in my boil and my fermentation buckets. I have had no problems since. Actually I do a better job of watching the boil I suppose that helps? I really like it in my buckets to keep from using a blow-off tube or cleaning up after a blow out. It doesn't affect my wort it drops out of suspension and collects in the trube. I could live without it but why?
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Post #12 made 15 years ago
by Mad_Scientist
STAG, I read your intro. Your BPCC unit looks very interesting. Is that your original idea? Let us know how that bad boy works! With your skills, I'm sure you will have quite the brewing setup. I'm jealous..... :scratch:

PROSTS
Richard
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #13 made 15 years ago
by paulbigelow
My boilover problems went away after I switched from extract to all-grain with a full-volume boil. I sometimes get foaming right after the boil starts, but it never recurs later in the boil. My last brew didn't even threaten at all. I've gotten brave enough now that I will walk away for short breaks during the boil.

Perhaps the maxi-BIABers could comment, but I'm guessing that it is directly related to the density of the wort. My extract brews used old-style recipes where all the malt went into a fraction of the water. With those boils I had to hover the whole time with one hand on the gas shut-off valve and a wooden spoon in the other hand ready to stir like mad.

Post #14 made 15 years ago
by stux
I think you may have it right. But then again, I have a more powerful burner now and when doing maxi you're normally pushing towards the brim
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12

Post #15 made 15 years ago
by STAG
Mad_Scientist wrote:STAG, I read your intro. Your BPCC unit looks very interesting. Is that your original idea? Let us know how that bad boy works! With your skills, I'm sure you will have quite the brewing setup. I'm jealous..... :scratch:

PROSTS
Richard
Hi Mad_Scientist :salute:
I had not heard of Fermcap-S, that was interesting reading up about it. thanks.
Yes mate, BPCC was my original idea, I`d never try steal someone else`s ideas and post them as my own. :nup:
Last edited by STAG on 28 Feb 2011, 02:42, edited 5 times in total.
STAG = Single Tun All Grain
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