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Brewferm Kettle help

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  • 20-02-2015 11:02am
    #1
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭


    Hey all,

    Myself and my mates got a Brewferm Kettle over the Xmas.

    We did our first brew on it 3 weeks ago, but it took way longer to reach 100 degrees than we usually experienced with using a gas Burco (half boil).

    I understand the greater volume of water is going to take longer to boil, but once the lid came off the temp went back down under 100 and it never got a "rolling boil" - what gives here? We're talking hours longer.

    It usually takes the Burco approx 30 minutes to get to boiling. (5 litre steep wort plus 5 more litres of cold water for the half boil)

    What we did last brew day was get the full 21 litres to 70 for steeping, remove the steeping grains then up the temp gauge to 100 and wait...wait...wait. It got up to 100 with the lid on, then boiled over to we took the lid off, temp back down to 97, lid back on, temp back up, boil over rinse repeat.

    What are we doing wrong? How do we get to a rolling boil?

    It's disheartening to buy an expensive piece of kit that seemingly doesn't work properly - we must be doing something wrong, can anyone give any pointers?

    We eventually want to use this kettle to move to BIAB and full grain brewing, but if getting it to boiling, and maintaining that is going to be an issue then what do others do?


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    #2
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,848 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    This seems to happen a lot with boilers that have thermostats. Received wisdom seems to be to get out the screwdriver and bypass it. If you search around you might find someone who's already done it to that model.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #3
    RasTa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,116 ✭✭✭✭RasTa


    If that's the only fix then I'd be returning said product.


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    #4
    Beersmith
    Registered Users Posts: 1,407 ✭✭✭Beersmith


    1800Kw is low firstly, most boiler have 2400kW and just about get a rolling boil. Secondly you are probably losing too much heat to the environment. You will have to insulate the outside. Thirdly are you brewing outside as it will obviously lose more heat.


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    #5
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭Lovely Bloke


    BeerNut wrote: »
    This seems to happen a lot with boilers that have thermostats. Received wisdom seems to be to get out the screwdriver and bypass it. If you search around you might find someone who's already done it to that model.

    I know I spoke to you about this recently in person, so thanks for that.

    I wasn't sure what you meant by "by-pass" the thermostat.


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    #6
    neoanto
    Registered Users Posts: 98 ✭✭neoanto


    Maybe just have the lid open a little bit, so you're still releasing the DMS and other bits but retaining the most heat you can.
    I think John Palmer said having the lid open a bit is fine also, but I could be wrong!


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    #7
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,848 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Baldy Conscience wrote: »
    I wasn't sure what you meant by "by-pass" the thermostat.
    It's a thing people say on forums :) I'm kinda with Rasta on this -- if it's not doing what it's supposed to, leave it back and get a fermenting bucket with a kettle element bodged onto it.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #8
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭Lovely Bloke


    BeerNut wrote: »
    It's a thing people say on forums :) I'm kinda with Rasta on this -- if it's not doing what it's supposed to, leave it back and get a fermenting bucket with a kettle element bodged onto it.

    Heh, one of the lads I brew with actually made one of them with one of our old FVs and two kettle elements and we are using both tomorrow.


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    #9
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,894 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    BeerNut wrote: »
    It's a thing people say on forums :) I'm kinda with Rasta on this -- if it's not doing what it's supposed to, leave it back and get a fermenting bucket with a kettle element bodged onto it.

    fully assembled one here for the same price.


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    #10
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,848 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    loyatemu wrote: »
    fully assembled one here for the same price.
    AFAIK those Electrims have a thermostat, so that would be back to square one.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #11
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭Lovely Bloke


    Just an update on this, I know everyone was waiting for one.

    The kettle maintained 100 degrees for an hour on two brews on Saturday, even with the lid off - it was by no means a "vigourous" boil, but it was "rolling" - as in, I could clearly see water (wort) rising through the kettle for the hour, and breaking the surface, so hopefully that's that.

    We just need to adjust our expectations on time taken to get 21 litres to boiling point, as we had previously been doing half-boils in the burco.

    Used the hacked FV+Elements to get the temp of the water up close to boiling while the grain was steeping in 70 degree water in the kettle, so we weren't just introducing cold water, to save on time.

    Did a stout and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone, which will hopefully go into the American Ale Competition this May.


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