I have a bottle washer\pump that I use with starsan. I just made a tree with some nails, some plastic straws which I melted to to the nail. My tree fits about 90 bottles. Pic below (and my uncle) 
draining bottles
- Thread starter Robbo851
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Hi @Soyyojuli
That's awesome!
I have all the parts to build a bottle washer/drainer powered by a submersible pump, but haven't got around to building it.
Hi to your uncle, too.
That's awesome!
I have all the parts to build a bottle washer/drainer powered by a submersible pump, but haven't got around to building it.
Hi to your uncle, too.
Thanks! Yeah it works like a charm and the cost was next to nothing.
The bottles are always rinsed after pouring then I use this bottle washer\pump filled with starsan to sterilize the bottles before I start transfering the beer to the bottling bucket. Nice and easy.
I love these DIY projects. I'm waiting for part to make my second magnetic stirrer now. My first one works great but is ugly. Not fit for all that lovely yeast. The new one is being fitted with leds, power button and a speed adjuster. I'm making it in wood. It's gonna be awesome.
I would love to see your washer!
Or what your planing.
Hi again!
I am planning something similar to this:
I will use 15mm copper tubing and fittings so that 24 bottles can be cleaned at one time. I plan to use underbed storage boxes so that there is a continual reservoir being pumped around.
Oxi cleaner pumped around to wash and clean water at mains pressure to rinse.
I had planned to pump Star San around to sanitise, but the foam might cause problems, so I'll probably sanitise as I bottle, the way I do now.
I am planning something similar to this:
I will use 15mm copper tubing and fittings so that 24 bottles can be cleaned at one time. I plan to use underbed storage boxes so that there is a continual reservoir being pumped around.
Oxi cleaner pumped around to wash and clean water at mains pressure to rinse.
I had planned to pump Star San around to sanitise, but the foam might cause problems, so I'll probably sanitise as I bottle, the way I do now.
That's a cool project! 24 bottles at a time. That would save me some time. Might Steel this one
What are you brewing on?
Saisonator
Landlord.
Hi!
I have a three-vessel gravity-fed system based upon a 20 litre tea urn as a HLT, an ACE mash tun, which is a double-skinned tea-urn type vessel and a 40 litre Buffalo boiler.
I've added a pump to the system to recirculate the mash over the heating element, a RIMS setup controlled by PIDs.
Sounds great! Pics? I've just started my allgrain adventure. I'm an engineering student with two kids so I needed something really cheap. Managed to build a plastic brewery. Cost me about 300 kr or 30 pounds in parts plus some time. I'm planing on installing a pump on it soon but the 2 brews Ive made in it came out great. Pics below
I put in 2 x 1500w heating elements, made a filter/protection for the elements and and something to put the grain bag on.
Managed 75% efficiency on the first and 71% on the last one. It works great. Only lost about 0,5 degrees when mashing for 90 min. I wrapped it in some covers. It heats up 30liters of water to a boil in about 35-40 min. Nice and easy. Works great. Wish I had your setup though.
Hi @Soyyojuli
You setup looks great!
If you're making good beer it doesn't matter whether you have shiny, shiny stuff or home-made equipment.
I started by ordering a 30 litre tea urn, very cheap, but when it arrived I measured the capacity and it only held 22 litres. The company gave me my money back but did not collect the tea urn, so I had a free vessel.
You setup looks great!
If you're making good beer it doesn't matter whether you have shiny, shiny stuff or home-made equipment.
I started by ordering a 30 litre tea urn, very cheap, but when it arrived I measured the capacity and it only held 22 litres. The company gave me my money back but did not collect the tea urn, so I had a free vessel.
I love when that happens! Was it from china? I've had that happen to me sometimes with small items
Hi again,
It wasn't from China, but it is a Chinese product.
I don't have any photos to post, unfortunately.
It wasn't from China, but it is a Chinese product.
I don't have any photos to post, unfortunately.
Thats ok. Maybe some other time. I still need a fermentation chamber. Then I'm all set. I hear the diference is like sun and day with temp control. I'm able to control more or less 20 degrees in my fermentation room. But....
It's on my never ending list of stuff I need for brewing.
I didn't go back and look at my original post but I do store them that way in the basement. What I probably didn't add was that on bottling day they get bottle-brushed with an appropriate cleaner, rinsed, drip-dry (ish) and then Starsan.
My "bottle tree" is the bottom dishwasher rack that has been run through a cleaning cycle. Is that perfect? I doubt it but no problem after five years. I also have considered the idea of putting that clean bottle on a peg or what have you. In my case, a clean dishwasher rack and then a dripping bottle (from Starsan) placed on the holder. My thought (right or wrong) is that there's enough Starsan dripping from the bottle to contact the wire rack.
Edit: I did go look at the post where I said that I do further cleaning. I guess you could keep them covered while storing. I don't consider them clean at the point of storage, only ready for the final step prior to bottling. With the flip-tops I use, I could easily cover them but they still wouldn't be air-tight (I remove the gaskets) so I would feel it's necessary to use a brush and detergent before Starsan anyway.
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