Manifold

[Timmsy]

Im looking at making my own manifold today and just curious on what should i make it out of? Cooper of PVC tube? Would it matter making it outa PVC as cooper is bloody expensive? What diameter should i make it of?

[Kevnlis]

I have a guide on my website, I tried the vinyl tubing for a few brews but it was not as good as the braid I now use.

[rwh]

Don't make it out of PVC as you can leach chemicals out of it. The cheapest and easiest method is the stainless steel hose braid:

http://cruisenews.net/brewing/infusion/page1.php

[Timmsy]

That stainless steel hose braid do you just gut it and use the outa?

[warra48]

That stainless steel hose braid do you just gut it and use the outa?

You got it in one, you clever little fellow! That's exactly what you do.

[rwh]

The stainless steel hose braid comes from a toilet water supply hose, and I cut the ends of the hose off with a big wire cutter. The stainless braid slips right off the hose inside it. Fold and crimp one end with a pliers, and slip the other end over the copper tube with a hose clamp. Push the drilled stopper over the copper tube so that the narrow end of the stopper is pointed away from the stainless braid. Add a piece of tubing and you are all set.

I cut the ends of mine with a hatchet. The stainless is very hard, so you need to be pretty forceful.

Also, instead of the copper tube, I used a bit of a "little bottler".

[Kevnlis]

I wrapped a few layers of electrical tape around the braid and cut it with a hacksaw, very clean and no freyed edges.

I used the existing outlet I had built for the vinyl tubing and just attached the braid to that with a hose clamp. I used a marble and a hose clamp to seal the other end (marble inside the braide and the hose clamp holds the braid down around the marble).

[Timmsy]

i was going to go to the plumbing shop after work to get cooper and the elbows but i would be guessing that would cost me near $40 where i can do what you guys suggested for next to nothing. Am getting my esky ready and all i have to do now is get a bigger pot as i have 2, 1 is 20ltr and the other 11.5ltr. Got the 11ltr one last nite for a whole $17 new. The use to sell big 1s but that side of the company (Cheif) has been sent to China errrrrrr hopefully the markets this sunday will have one for me

[rwh]

Yep you will need a bigger pot to do the boil in (or you could do a split boil if you don't manage to find one). The 11L one is probably big enough for your mash/sparge water if you do two batch sparges.

[Timmsy]

ill find one its just when. If not ill have to fork out 200 for a 50ltr. That is just way to crazy!

[Kevnlis]

Have a look on Allquip. Try your local Army Surplus store, catering suppliers, tackle shop (for boiling seafood), etc.

[Timmsy]

nice 1. Had a quick gork at allguip and they have 50ltr alloy ones for 95 but you need SS yeah?

[Kevnlis]

Why do you need SS? Both of my big stockpots are Aluminium. I would have liked to have had the money to pay for SS, but I am poor!

[Timmsy]

your poor? im a porber thats for sure . Well i mite chase up a alloy then to. Will keep my eyes open at the markets etc... Shop aroud for abit. I wana do partials for a while 1st untill i get the grisp of this type of brewing

[drsmurto]

Timmsy? You on Grumpys by any chance?

Anyway, if you have a few more coins lying around i can highly recommend the beerbelly false bottom - Link

Its what i use and it works a treat, it allows me to crush very fine and still not affect the sparge flow too much.

[Timmsy]

Timmsy? You on Grumpys by any chance?

Anyway, if you have a few more coins lying around i can highly recommend the beerbelly false bottom - Link

Its what i use and it works a treat, it allows me to crush very fine and still not affect the sparge flow too much.

Yeah mate but i havnt posted much at all or anything i dont think

Adelaide boy hahaha

[warra48]

nice 1. Had a quick gork at allguip and they have 50ltr alloy ones for 95 but you need SS yeah?

I have a 40 litre alu pot from Allquip. Delivered to my door for about $105. Does me perfectly, as I don't consume enough to ever want to brew more than my standard batch size of about 22 litres. Easy enough to clean with one of those pastic type scrubbies at the end of a brew. Also, the alu pots have a lot thicker base and wall than SS, and I think they give you better heat distribution than pots with a thinner base and walls. Alu is also a helluva lot easier to drill to install a tap than SS.
Anyway, it's your coins and your decision.

[ilovechocolate2002]

with all the dairyfarms lying abandoned at the moment, there are plenty of stainless receival vessels available for next-to -nothing sized 20 lt up to 300lts...also stainless mesh screens(handy, dome shaped) and all sizes of plate-chillers up to BIG
if someone can tell me how to post a pic i'll send some...cheers

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Thinking about the original question a bit (I don't think a lot about much) the domestic use of copper has been superceded by a grey flexible plastic pipe and bloddy big John Guest fittings. Someone somewhere has decided this is good enough for drinking water at domestic cold/hot water temperatures. It may well be good enough at mash temps too.

Notice how I refrained from mentioning BIAB...

[rwh]

if someone can tell me how to post a pic i'll send some...cheers

This thread contains instructions on inserting images.