Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical (BIAC)

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Jimmy
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Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical (BIAC)

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 4:08 pm

I may be buying a 17g conical and was curious about cleaning it..

For those with a conical, how do you clean it? A 7.3g conical may not be so hard to clean, but I'm thinking a 17g one could be difficult.

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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by sleepyjamie » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:12 pm

Jimmy where are u getting a 17g conical?


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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:21 pm

Was thinking about this rig. Boil kettle, chiller and jacketed conical all-in-one:

http://brewha.co/products/3-in-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:23 pm


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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by mr x » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:32 pm

Interesting, but I think I would like a SS element if it was in there for the ferment. As far as cleaning - hot water, caustic, and acid, same as a big boy brewery.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:33 pm

mr x wrote:Interesting, but I think I would like a SS element if it was in there for the ferment. As far as cleaning - hot water, caustic, and acid, same as a big boy brewery.
Element doesn't come with it, just a 2" tri-clover port so you can add whatever element you want.

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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by GuingesRock » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:43 pm

HEY! that’s my idea! I'd kill for a jacketed pot. I'd like to have one and build it the way I would like. I don’t suppose anyone knows where you can get a jacketed pot. One thing that’s really good about that kind of setup I think, is the boil sanitizes everything, including ball valves which are very difficult to sanitize properly if you don’t use heat.
Last edited by GuingesRock on Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:44 pm

They sell a jacketed kettle as well

http://brewha.co/products/boil-kettle" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by GuingesRock » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:49 pm

Watching the video. My valves are very close to the pot so the heat will sanitize them. Looks like they didn't do that.

That's a hell of a boil and you can't turn it down.
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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:52 pm

GuingesRock wrote:Watching the video. My valves are very close to the pot so the heat will sanitize them. Looks like they didn't do that.

That's a hell of a boil and you can't turn it down.
It doesn't really show it well in the video, but you still use a controller with the setup the same as you would with any other electric setup.

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by GuingesRock » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:52 pm

The lid with all those contraptions attached will be hard to sanitize. I have a simple lid I put in the oven to sanitize. If I forget to put it in the oven I spray it with Starsan.

To chill the wort with the jacket, I think it still should have a whirlpool. It's fine without for fermentation temperature control.
Last edited by GuingesRock on Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:55 pm

GuingesRock wrote:The lid with all those contraptions attached will be hard to sanitize. I have a simple lid I put in the oven to sanitize.
Everything on top of the lid is connected via quick disconnect tri-clover clamps. You can throw all the connections/valves in a bucket of sanitizer, and you can then sanitize the lid however you'd like.

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:57 pm

GuingesRock wrote:To chill the wort with the jacket, I think it still should have a whirlpool. It's fine without for fermentation temperature control.
That was one of my concerns, but it's still doable. It would likely be via some type of return built into the lid as I wouldn't want to screw with the walls of the conical.

It's also possible that I'd just do no chill anyway..

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by GuingesRock » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:02 pm

My concern with ball valves is they have areas around behind the ball that sanitisers can't reach. then when you turn on the ball valve you introduce a festering culture from the previous brew/brews.
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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by LiverDance » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:04 pm

mr x wrote:Interesting, but I think I would like a SS element if it was in there for the ferment.
first thing I thought of as well.
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by AllanMar » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:07 pm

GuingesRock wrote:My concern with ball valves is they have areas around behind the ball that sanitisers can't reach. then when you turn on the ball valve you introduce a festering culture from the previous brew/brews.
I have some TriClamp butterfly and some TriClamp Ball valves, the butterfly are way better IMHO and worth the extra cost. They also have the benefit of being CIP.

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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:09 pm

LiverDance wrote:
mr x wrote:Interesting, but I think I would like a SS element if it was in there for the ferment.
first thing I thought of as well.
I don't know much about the risks, causes, etc., this is a response they had regarding this issue:
"The black heating rods on both the 4500W and 5500W models are made from the highest Grade Nickel and Chromium Incoloy which is high temperature and corrosion resistant. It is essentially a mix of premium grade nickel and stainless steel. Incoloy is about 8 times more expensive, lighter, and more corrosion resistant than standard 304/316 stainless steel.

These heating elements are principally installed in home water heaters used in potable water systems. Tens of thousands are most likely in use worldwide in hot water tanks built by American, A.O. Smith, Bradford White, Craftmaster, General Electric, GS Wood, Kenmore, Lochinvar, Maytag, Mor-Flo, Reliance, Rheem, Richmond, Ruud, Sears, State, and Whirlpool Heaters, to name a few."

Since the plug is not made of stainless steel, the only concern would be rust, however, a protective coating will form on the element base after a few uses. While leaving a heating element in water of an open/aerated vessel such as the HLT can encourage rusting, in the 3-in-1, the boiling and subsequent fermentation removes oxygen from the vessel so any oxidation is negligible and leaving the element in for the duration of the fermentation does not pose a problem. We have brewed many batches with the 3-in-1 and have yet to notice any rust scale forming on the plug. With a new element we did notice some oxidation, particularly in the first few batches where the plug surface and the yeast that settled nearest the plug was darkened but after the second or third batch this darkening of the yeast had largely disappeared as a dark protective coating formed on the surface of the plug.
I'd still probably go with a stainless element if I got this.

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by GuingesRock » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:27 pm

With a new element we did notice some oxidation, particularly in the first few batches where the plug surface and the yeast that settled nearest the plug was darkened but after the second or third batch this darkening of the yeast had largely disappeared as a dark protective coating formed on the surface of the plug.
I don't know much about elements either but aren't you supposed to keep cleaning them well so you don't get scorching. If you cleaned the element, then would you end up at square one again with the black staining of the yeast (not sure I like the sound of that) Did you check out the density of the element?

I was going to put an auxiliary 110V heater in my pot to use along with the stove, and was going to use the boil coil, just to get me to the boil more quickly. Once at the boil I was going to shut it off and just use the stove, which gives a nice boil, then I won't need any kind of controller (can use the knob on the stove to turn it down if necessary).
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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:34 pm

GuingesRock wrote:
With a new element we did notice some oxidation, particularly in the first few batches where the plug surface and the yeast that settled nearest the plug was darkened but after the second or third batch this darkening of the yeast had largely disappeared as a dark protective coating formed on the surface of the plug.
I don't know much about elements either but aren't you supposed to keep cleaning them well so you don't get scorching. If you cleaned the element, then would you end up at square one again with the black staining of the yeast (not sure I like the sound of that) Did you check out the density of the element?
I'm not sure about the scorching, but I think the spot they refer to is not the actual element itself, but the "butt" where the element is attached.

As for the density of the element, it's whatever element you want - the vessel doesn't come with an element. You can buy one on their website, and it's the electric brewery one (they actually build it for them).

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by GuingesRock » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:36 pm

Sorry, misunderstood.
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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by AllanMar » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:38 pm

I think they're referring to the steel "face" of the element, that commonly rusts, it doesn't get hot.

I've never understood how not cleaning the element causes scorching (but I have heard it). I've heard you can burn out your element that way (buildup insulates the element and essentially dry fires it, it does form a pretty nice white coating).

I'm sure Blischmann is going to start marketing that we need elements like the boil coil (Ultra Ultra Low Watt density?) but even the LWD ones should be fine IMHO (people say even the HWD ones are ok).

If anyone finds a good source for pure SS elements, id be interested.

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by Jimmy » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:45 pm

AllanMar wrote:If anyone finds a good source for pure SS elements, id be interested.
Shane purchased these ones - not sure if this is "pure" or not

http://brewmation.com/Heating_Elements.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by sleepyjamie » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:45 pm

I'd like to get a 20 gallon or 25 gallon conical. Problem is I don't know if it would fit in Tim's basement haha


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Re: SS Conical Fermenter

Post by NASH » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:48 pm

Jimmy wrote:
WTF is a mashtoon? :lol: :lol: :lol:

:banana:

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Re: Brewha 3-in-1 kettle & jacketed conical

Post by AllanMar » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:48 pm

Jimmy wrote:
AllanMar wrote:If anyone finds a good source for pure SS elements, id be interested.
Shane purchased these ones - not sure if this is "pure" or not

http://brewmation.com/Heating_Elements.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
THanks, those seem pretty good. Unfortunately the sizes don't work for me (other then the ripple).

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