Display posts from previous
Sort by

New Project : 10 Gal Propane "Kangaroo v1"

Post #1 made 10 years ago
by dexclamation
Hi Guys,

After scouring the forums for ideas and reassurance that our ideas would work, my two brew buddies and I have decided to dive deeper and scale up our original BIAB rig.

We've been brewing in a bag for a couple of month 15 liters batch in a 30 L pot I paid way to much for a couple of years ago. Loved the simplicity, hated the batch size and efficiency. (Only had a crappy Corona mill - our best efficiency was probably 55%).

In homage to the origins of the BIAB technique, and because "everything happens in the bag", we've decided to name our brewing contraption the Kangaroo.

We plan on building it in two stages:
1. Make the base system and run it on propane (Now)
2. Build a stand with hoist and convert everything to electric (this Fall)

************

The system is based on the 84 qt Bayou Classic pot with steamer basket. We've been lucky to find a great canadian vendor who supplied us with SS camlocks and three-piece valves at craxy low prices. Thanks to that, we splurged in and both a new mill (a Barley Crusher clone), a 20 plate chiller from DudaDiesel, and a 12V SolarFlow pump from Ontario Beer Kegs.

The Pot arrived last week in the mail with a significant dent in but was able to straighten the pot out back to normal with a rubber mallet.

I plan to use the basket and line it with the bag as it already shows some signs of wear. The basket show give it some more mileage...

There will be a predrilled, 30 cm stainless steel pipe connected fitted through the lid. The pump will recirculate the wort through the pipe via silicone tubing. The specific pump has a head height limit of 3 m.
kangaroo-v1.jpg
****

Will take build pictures tonight and post them here for posterity in the coming days.

Hopefully, the Kangaroo v1 will fulfill its promises.

Cheers

P
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by dexclamation on 14 Apr 2014, 22:29, edited 1 time in total.

Post #2 made 10 years ago
by thughes
When going electric be very careful. What you will find if you pump too aggressively is that the wort cannot flow back through the grain bed and bag quick enough, causing an air pocket under the bag. This in turn can cause cavitation around the element causing the wort in the vicinity of the element to instantly burn and scorch (ask me how I know....). The only way to prevent scorching when running the pump at more than a trickle is to stir aggressively so the grain remains in suspension and the wort can flow back through the bag fast enough to keep the pump fed and prevent an air pocket under the bag. Kind of counter-productive, huh?

See here about my trials and tribulations of that recirculating system (BTDT):

http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php ... ocumenting

---Todd
WWBBD?
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From United States of America

Post #3 made 10 years ago
by dexclamation
Hi Todd,

thanks for the reply. Your build was part of my inspiration. I've calculated that my stainless steel recirculation apparatus plus the silicon tubing will have a volume of 600 ml. The pump I picked up has a 12 l/m rate. I'll drill 20 something 1/8" holes in the pipe to try to keep the pressure on the upside.

In reading on other's build, I noticed air pocket/cavitation issue. Can't recall on which forum, I saw a guy redrilling half the hole of his basket to increase the flow. We might resort to that if we notice flow issue.

Thanks again,

Pierre

Post #4 made 10 years ago
by PistolPatch
Kangaroo - lol Pierre,

Hey guys, this might sound silly but what about pumping in reverse? Suck from outside the bag at the top and pump in at the bottom in the centre. Probably a stupid idea but it would stop that pumping speed issue and I reckon it would agitate through the grain bed well enough.

Other thing to be sure of Pierre is that you can clean everything really easily and that the technology doesn't end up being labour-producing rather than labour-saving. This can happen very quickly :).

:peace:
PP
If you have found the above or anything else of value on BIABrewer.info, consider supporting us by getting some BIPs!
    • SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Australia

Post #5 made 10 years ago
by dexclamation
PistolPatch wrote:Kangaroo - lol Pierre,

Hey guys, this might sound silly but what about pumping in reverse? Suck from outside the bag at the top and pump in at the bottom in the centre. Probably a stupid idea but it would stop that pumping speed issue and I reckon it would agitate through the grain bed well enough.

Other thing to be sure of Pierre is that you can clean everything really easily and that the technology doesn't end up being labour-producing rather than labour-saving. This can happen very quickly :).

:peace:
PP
Is it me or this pumping in reverse sounds like the braumeister? I wish we could afford that puppy. But for half the price of the 20 L we'll brew twice the beer...

Assembly went well last night (pics to come). However, the bulkhead protrude too much inside the bayou classic pot and block the inner basket. I ran out of dremel wheels last night cutting slits in the stainless steel recirc pipe. Got to go to the hardware store to buy some more and shorten the basket by 2 3/4". Yeah...
Last edited by dexclamation on 15 Apr 2014, 21:13, edited 1 time in total.
Post Reply

Return to “Gas-Fired BIAB”

Brewers Online

Brewers browsing this forum: No members and 26 guests

cron