G’day from Australia,
Well the brew rig is progressing, my priorities were for:
minimum parts
no ‘re-plumbing’ mid brew
able to clean and sanitise ‘in place’
preferably stainless throughout
So far I have made the stand and begun drilling the 15GAL kegs, the piping is all 3/4" stainless tube from Bunnings (http://www.bunnings.com.au/rail-modular-s-steel-tube-19mm-1000mm-mdr481_p4825519) with NPS thread cut on the ends to make lengths as needed. The rest of the fittings and parts have come from Ebay (mostly via China).
The electrical setup includes (I work with some responsible and qualified electricians who will wire it up for me):
digital temp controller with sensor and readout
2400W heat element
circuit breaker
20A switches
20A solid state relay
sanitary magnetic pump
Attached is my planned setup and configurations, the use of three-way valves has reduced materials and performs as a sanitary barrier when I drain the wort to the fermenter as well as selecting between re-circulating through the heat exchange and transferring into the boil pot. My false bottom I had was too large to fit in the keg so I found some industrial strainers which will do the job nicely and I intend to hold them in place over the outlets with (nickel coated) neodymium magnets on opposite sides so that I minimise holes in the kegs.
If you see any rookie mistakes please feel free to provide any criticism before it all comes together because “an ounce of planning now prevents a pound of regret later”
