It’s been a heckuver long time since my last post, and even longer since our last brewday. Our kegs are all in use (I’m still drinking Landlubber!) and there’s been no need or capacity for another brew to keep beer levels up.
Nevertheless, we’ve put some of the time to good use, and have finally expanded the brew length of the Boxshed Brewery by creating a boiler/copper with twice the volume of the old boiler! Great stuff.
The mashtun I made last year was built with the extended brew length in mind so will fit perfectly into the new setup. The old boiler, now complete with sight tube, will make a perfect HLT. All that was then required was a big pot to convert into a boiler, and now that’s complete too.
I remembered to take a few photos during the build. Sadly I missed several stages and most of the pictures aren’t great, but hey, I’m uploading them all anyway as a handy record (and because I’ll never move on with this blog otherwise!)
Really can’t wait to use this new vessel in anger – it looks so cool compared to the old one!
I’ll post future updates if I remember any more details of the build, but for now photos and captions will have to do the job:
-
-
I waited an age to get a good sized pot for the right price and in the end bought from homebrewers’ fave, Nordic Optical, and had this 70L one with lid shipped from Germany. Plumbing parts and stainless elements came from BES plumbing. All sight tube stuff came from craftbrewer Garth
-
-
It’s hard to tell in a photo, but these pots really do look massive. Making the first cut into the perfect mirror finish is a bit of a worry. All I can say is, get some decent tools, and measure and level check plenty of times
-
-
This isn’t intended as a guide on how to make one of these things. Look on JBK or The Homebrew Forum and you’ll get see real guides from proper skilled handymen. I made crude marks with marker pens and centre punches and went for it 🙂
-
-
I used a cordless drill with a rotation of charged batteries to keeo power at its optimum. Buildbase kindly sold me a set of Bosch Cobalt Bi-metal holesaws for half price. Brilliant. First step, fitting the smashing three-piece stainless ball valve tap.
-
-
Centre punch. Arbour. 25mm holesaw. It’s pretty much an identical process to cutting the sight tube holes on the HLT. I didn’t take any photos of cutting the hole, basically
-
-
Bit of a different beast for the two elements. 64mm holesaws are a bit unwieldly
-
-
I cocked it up, basically. The smaller saws went through like butter, but the larger ones, together with the curveture of the pot, made cutting these holes a nightmare
-
-
The saws didn’t cut through. I work hardened the cutting area by trying too hard. I got angry and sweary
-
-
Ug. I wasn’t very happy at this point and didn’t know how to fix it
-
-
As you can see I destroyed quite an expensive saw. The teeth flattened out and it basically caught on fire
-
-
If in dount, reach for a Dremel. Whatever the situation – burnt souffle, chicken pox, nasty nappy – a Dremel always helps
-
-
Cut off saws (lots of them) were used to cut out the holes freehand. They looked dreadful. I took off the burrs and tidied up the shiz with a polishing thingy
-
-
Ahem, and then it was fine! Actually, it took bloody ages of painstaking grinding, but eventually the elements were in and they looked ace. Doncha think?
-
-
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that tightening these elements with an element spanner and a cobra strap wrench is anything other than hellish. Do anything that requires skin on your knuckles before you start
-
-
The backs of the elements are huge
-
-
Sight tube elbowy bits (thanks Garth)
-
-
Nothing’s easy. Evene these things were a nightmare to tighten without killing them
-
-
Nipples. PTFE tape. Nipples nipples nipples
-
-
Really nice, these three-piece SS taps are. Copper running nipple, fibre washer, stainless back nut
-
-
This elbow makes the tap go from outy to downy
-
-
Wahay! Tap fixed on, elements in, sight tube attached – looking good…
-
-
This is what the back of those elements looks like with the shrouds. Ignore the warning label. Electricity mixes excellently with water
-
-
These thermostat probe bits aren’t needed and prevent a rolling boil. Pull them out and set them aside in case you need some cyberpunk chopsticks
-
-
Okay, so this is what you’re left with. The earth and neutral are pretty straightforward, but the live needs connecting with a piece of heat resistant electrical block. Use ceramic, or 30A rated chocolate block only
-
-
Um. Those elements again.
-
-
…
-
-
And here’s the finished boiler. After a test boil I added some silcone gasket to seal all the various threads. The next test boil went really well
-
-
I used high temperature cable for one element and even higher tolerance for the other, which is a longer run so that I can use seperate power sockets. Two elements get to the boil quickly, and one is enough to keep it rolling. Jobs a good ‘un – can’t wait to fit a hopstopper and use it anger!
Read Full Post »