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[Agentgonzo]

And measured to perfection. If you put another coat of paint on that ceiling you'll need a shorter airlock!

There was a lot of measuring to be sure it would fit. We couldn't get the shelf any lower!

 

[Agentgonzo]

After years of the fermenter getting in the way for 2 weeks every 6, I finally got around to putting up a shelf and giving it a permanent home
View attachment 91439

Bother. One thing I didn't think about was the head pressure to pump the wort up into it. The pump on the g30 is just about capable of doing it, but it's a slow transfer!

 

[Agentgonzo]

Bother. One thing I didn't think about was the head pressure to pump the wort up into it. The pump on the g30 is just about capable of doing it, but it's a slow transfer!

If anyone's got smart idea for getting around this issue, I'd be happy to hear it. The GF is to heavy to lift by itself when full. Same goes for the fermenter. I could buy another pump, but I'm wondering if there is a simpler solution. I had though about pumping it into a jug, then manually pouring the jugs into the fermenter, but that risks overflow and spillage if I take my eye off the ball. Plus yet another thing to sanitise... And that's not a lot of space to pour into the fermenter it's so close to the ceiling

 

[Old Fart At Play]

If anyone's got smart idea for getting around this issue, I'd be happy to hear it. The GF is to heavy to lift by itself when full. Same goes for the fermenter. I could buy another pump, but I'm wondering if there is a simpler solution. I had though about pumping it into a jug, then manually pouring the jugs into the fermenter, but that risks overflow and spillage if I take my eye off the ball. Plus yet another thing to sanitise... And that's not a lot of space to pour into the fermenter it's so close to the ceiling

Well I don't know if it is a *good* idea, but... you could put the gf on a hydraulic lift, and when ready to pump to fv, crank the gf up on the lift. You'd probably get the gf up to mid chest height. (My FV sits on the floor, but I've been considering a hydraulic lift to crank it up for bottling).

 

[Agentgonzo]

Well I don't know if it is a *good* idea, but... you could put the gf on a hydraulic lift, and when ready to pump to fv, crank the gf up on the lift. You'd probably get the gf up to mid chest height. (My FV sits on the floor, but I've been considering a hydraulic lift to crank it up for bottling).

Thanks. I'd thought about this, but I hydraulic lift reply presumably be pretty big and expensive and my storage space is limited

 

[Old Fart At Play]

Thanks. I'd thought about this, but I hydraulic lift reply presumably be pretty big and expensive and my storage space is limited

Not really that big when folded down, but about £180 I think. Not very elegant though, I know

 

[Caramel Ox]

The problem with buying another pump is that the cheaper ones will be similar to the GF internal pump anyway. Can’t you fit the shelf brackets the other way up?

 

[Buffers brewery]

You could do away with the brackets and just screw a couple of battens to the wall on the top of the tiles and to the cupboard side to support the shelf. That’d drop the FV down a few inches. Is the GF on a stand? If not that could reduce your head height so the pump works better

 

[Agentgonzo]

The problem with buying another pump is that the cheaper ones will be similar to the GF internal pump anyway. Can’t you fit the shelf brackets the other way up?

I could always daisy chain the pumps?
Flipping the shelf brackets would mean the angled supports get in the way of the shelf. And any lower and the shelf gets in the way of the sink


Nice idea though

 

[Agentgonzo]

You could do away with the brackets and just screw a couple of battens to the wall on the top of the tiles and to the cupboard side to support the shelf. That’d drop the FV down a few inches. Is the GF on a stand? If not that could reduce your head height so the pump works better

GF is on a small dolly. I brew in the kitchen with the extractor fan, then wheel it through to the utility room with the fermenter.

I don't want to be lifting the Gf full of hot wort. I did that with my old 3 vessel system and it always scared me.

Part way through the transfer this time, I did lift the GF up and 18 inches. It made the pump work satisfactorily, but as above, I don't want to be lifting it when it's hot hot wort in it

 

[Agentgonzo]

At the moment, the tubing comes out of the GF, into the CFC at counter top level, then up to the top of the fermenter.

One thought I had would be to put the CFC up at the top level, so it gets past the head of pressure before going through the coils of the CFC. I don't know whether this will make any difference though as my fluid mechanics knowledge isn't that good

 

[Old Fart At Play]

GF is on a small dolly. I brew in the kitchen with the extractor fan, then wheel it through to the utility room with the fermenter.

I don't want to be lifting the Gf full of hot wort. I did that with my old 3 vessel system and it always scared me.

Part way through the transfer this time, I did lift the GF up and 18 inches. It made the pump work satisfactorily, but as above, I don't want to be lifting it when it's hot hot wort in it

If you already have a dolly, then definitely worth condidering a hydraulic lift. Has (lockable) wheels, surface area isnt much bigger than a dolly, allows you to wheel around like a dolly. Cost still a drawback though.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I still haven't found a nice solution to this. I entirely removed the chiller from the loop, but the result was the same. The pump couldn't quite overcome the head pressure.

Looking into the specs, the pump in the grainfather is an mp10 pump, which says it will deliver 1.5m of head on 220V or 2.1m on 240V.

I need to overcome 2.05m, and have a bit too spare so this just isn't enough.

I looked at the mp15, which can deliver more head pressure, but unfortunately it's too big to fit into the housing for the grainfather.

The hydraulic lift would work, but yet another huge thing to store I just don't have the space for. I'm thinking daisy chaining two pumps together is possibly the best option at this point

 

[Buffers brewery]

If you have a spare plastic bucket with a tap? Perhaps your old fermentation bucket? Put a board over the sink and stand empty (sanitised) bucket on and pump into the bucket. Switch pipes and pump from bucket up to conical.

 

[Agentgonzo]

If you have a spare plastic bucket with a tap? Perhaps your old fermentation bucket? Put a board over the sink and stand empty (sanitised) bucket on and pump into the bucket. Switch pipes and pump from bucket up to conical.

The old fermenter was donated to another brewer. I could get another one, but it's more stuff to store. Good idea, but not ideal. I'm investigating the other pump idea, but if that doesn't work then an "overback" is a good fallback

 

[H0PM0NSTER]

Move the GF upstairs for the brew and drill a hole in the kitchen ceiling for an easy gravity fed transfer!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Not mine (i wish it was)

 

[Rodcx500z]

I wish

 

[An Ankoù]

Not mine (i wish it was)

Do you really, Chippy?
Dead flash for a homebrew/mancave sort of thing, but I think if it were a pub on the high street, I'd walk right past and look for somewhere with a coupe of handpulls.

 

[Clint]

I thought that...not much homebrew being served there.