Category: The Brewery

Move over Mk2

In Mk2 version, the float was signficantly simplified however setting it up was difficult and I started to move away from the idea of using Oetiker clamps inside the keg (is it safe?)

MK3 would have to be the simplest design yet!

Mk3 Simple Float

Mk3 works as follows

1. The same float from Mk1 & Mk2
2. The same replacement gas diptube OR cut down your existing liquid diptube. However now you need another piece for the end of hose
3. The same length of silicone tubing as Mk1 & Mk2 60cm
4. A length of 316L TIG 1.6mm wire is bent to capture the flared end of the diptube and is anchored freely onto the float!

Now the float has an indentation/dimple in the side that is HEAVIER is pretty much irrelevant! You dont needs washers clamps etc. Just some hose, a float and some wire!

Parts Required

Stainless Steel Float https://alii.pub/6j2oin

Food grade Silicone hose (use 7×10) https://alii.pub/6j2o4u

The list above will probably contain more parts than you need to make one float. ..

UPDATE: I published this a long time ago. If you want a turnkey solution you can use this. Its a stainless steel ball with the hose and diptube as a kit.

https://alii.pub/6j2ofj

Results

A thing of beauty!

Right down to the very end!

Feedback

I would appreciate some feedback on this new design if you decide to build mk3…

I must say testing it was a pleasure…no more spurts and carry ons…straight clean pour to the end!

 

Move over Mk1

In Mk1 version, there was a filter. I got feedback that this was causing grief when it got blocked. Additionally the build cost was on par with the off the shelf Fermzilla float. Well, we can’t have a situation where DIY cost more in parts than the commercially available item!

Mk2 Simpler Float

Mk2 works as follows

1. The same float from Mk1
2. The same replacement gas diptube OR cut down your existing liquid diptube
3. The same length of silicone tubing as Mk1
4. Except now, the float is held in place by two 316L 8mm flat washers, held in place by 2 Oetiker clamps.
5. Note, the Oetiker clamps are push fit on this 8mm tube since they are 7mm. DO NOT CRIMP the clamps as you will not be able to dismantle and clean the float.

Notice that the float has an indentation/dimple in the side that is HEAVIER. You need to face this side to the bottom. If your float doesn’t have an indentation, you can find the heavier side by placing the bare float in a jug of water.

This is the bottom side of the float. Leave about an inch of tube overhang.

This the top side of the float. Don’t make the fit tight as you want the float to rotate freely on the tubing. Again DO NOT CRIMP the Oetiker clamps.  In the photos it is apparent that I did clamp mine because they were oversized. I used 9.5mm Oetikers for the prototype as that is what I had on hand).

As you can see below, the float  sits with the diptube under the water level.

You can fine-tune the float by adding more washers to the bottom side if your float does not behave properly.

Parts Required

Stainless Steel Float http://ali.pub/229u9j

Food grade Silicone Tube 10mm OD 7mm ID http://ali.pub/229umy

8mm Keg Diptube Short/Gas http://ali.pub/229vui

316L Washers (need 2) http://ali.pub/3ru9v6

7-9mm Oetiker Clamps (need 2) http://ali.pub/3ru9r3

Note, the clamps are not crimped. The only reason you would crimp them slightly is to get a tight (interference) fit on the silicone tube. This will allow you to adjust / fine tune and more importantly clean your diptube float assembly.

The list above will probably contain more parts than you need to make one float. ..

Feedback

I would appreciate some feedback on this new design if you decide to build mk2…

UPDATE 18.10

Mk3 is ready and working better than ever and way cheaper!

http://think.gusius.com/diy-keg-floating-dip-tube-mk3/

Last Call

If you use a dispensing keg by racking your cold crashed but unfiltered beer, you will end up with some trub at the bottom of the keg which when it comes time to  clean is a fairly simple task IF you have small enough hands and forearms.

Over the last 2 years I’ve been experimenting with dry hopping in the dispensing kegs amongst other additions and these additions can result in some stubborn stains/residues in the keg.

It can take a considerable amount of water sprayed in at high pressure to dislodge residues, a resource and time consuming process.

Cleaning In Place

Cleaning in Place (CIP) has been around for approximately 50 years, and is commonly used in hygiene critical industries, such Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical, to clean a wide range of plant. CIP refers to the use of a mix of chemicals, heat and water to clean machinery, vessels or pipe work without dismantling plant. The process can be one shot, where everything goes to drain, or recovery, which recycles most of the liquid. Overall, CIP can be a very efficient way of cleaning.

I decided I would work with a recovery system which I can then pump out to drain.

The Design

I figured the setup would be connected to my Brewery’s wash area (large sinks and sprayer taps). Effectively I would need:

• a CIP spray device that fits inside the keg
• a pump that can create enough pressure to operate the CIP to an acceptable level
• a way of timing the clean
• a way of draining out the waste liquid
• minimal connections / established connection methods to minimise complexity and cost

The Parts Required

Below are the parts you will need to build one keg cleaning system. You can easily adapt my design to more than one keg by adding more lines.

THE CIP spray device

I found this nice CIP rotating ball with a DN15 female (1/2BSP) thread.

This is CIP head I used. A really good price too.

http://ali.pub/2974r1

THE PUMP

Mains water pressure here is around 120-130psi. The pump below is economical, runs off 12V and has DN15 male fittings (standard water fittings in Australia).

Specifications:

• 12VDC @ 7A (Approximately 80W)
• 5.5Litres/min flow rate
• 0.9Mpa / 130.5psi / 9 bar maximum pressure

I got the pump from here. It was the cheapest price I could find. The store had a 48% off sale (so wait for that).

http://ali.pub/2974m6

IMPORTANT: Make sure you ask for the DN15 version (Type D) of inlet and outlet. OR you can replace the braided hoses with clear PVC tubing to suit the M18x1.5 stock thread with barb.

If you want to use the M18x1.5 version, you will need these adapters:

http://ali.pub/2b6269

Then you can use the normal garden style disconnects:

12V 10A Power supply

I used a power supply designed for LEDs slightly overrated to the requirement to ensure longevity.

I got my adapter here. It comes in various plug configurations. Make sure you pick the right one for your region and to suit the pump’s DC input.

http://ali.pub/2974zl

The Keg Lid

In my design, you take off your existing keg lid and fit this keg lid which has the CIP cleaning head attached to it. The Lid is optional if you wish to keep the costs down but this way you can run the keg in any direction for cleaning.

 

 

The lid will need to be modified to adapter the CIP head to a bulkhead connector to attach to the output of the pump.

Options:

Used Keg Lid. If you want to save some money get this used keg lid which you will modify anyway.

http://ali.pub/29759i

Brand new keg lid.

http://ali.pub/2975ao

Various Bits

You will need the following bits to complete this setup.

Cornelius Keg liquid disconnect

Barbed version is acceptable here as  you will be connecting hose directly to it. I use these disconnects and they are a damn sight better than the cheap rubbish out there and also cheaper than the original Cornelius ones http://ali.pub/2975zd

Stainless steel DN15 male to union

This is to connect the CIP head to the pump’s output line. http://ali.pub/297666

UPDATE: I have changed this to a nylon version which has orings. I find this will seal the union better than stainless steel. However note, if you are running high temperatures stick to stainless steel!

http://ali.pub/297bc9

Stainless steel DN15 to 8mm barb

This is to adapt the cornelius disconnect barb to the DN15 hose to the inlet of the pump.

http://ali.pub/2976go

DN15 Stainless steel braided water hoses

I recommend you use mains water pressure rated hoses for this job as you are dealing with high pressure and possibly temperature. This was a bargain. You get four hoses for the price… http://ali.pub/2976bm

Choose your lengths to suit your setup. I used 60cm versions. You will need two of them (Pump inlet and outlet).

Mains Timer Switch (up to 60mins)

I used this timer switch to let the cleaning go for the time I need it to go for without manual intervention required.

Specs:

• Plug Type: AU Plug but choose the one you need for your setup
• Voltage: AC 220V/50Hz (Again, choose what you need)
• Max power: 2200W (plenty for this setup)
• Setting Time: 2-60 Minutes (plenty for washing a keg)

http://ali.pub/2978bd

Sundries

You will also need a short length of 6mm ID 8mm OD beer dispense hose (hard clear stuff NOT the soft PVC/silicone). The length is up to you but I recommend you keep it short as its not that flexible. I kept the length to 100mm; enough to adapt the disconnect to the 8mm barb to male DN15 adapter.

You may require some plumber’s teflon tape to connect the DN15 male union to the CIP head.

You will also require a step drill to 19mm/20mm to drill out the keg lid.

Putting it together

 

1. Drilling out the lid. You may choose to retain the safety relief valve and drill a completely separate hole but in this setup you do not need it so I drilled out the safety valve recess to 19mm/20mm so that the DN15 union fits through snugly. NOTE. You do not want this loose.
2. Use thread sealer and fit on the CIP head to the keg lid.
3. Keg Lid modification Done. NOTE: It can be a little bit tricky to get this to fit into your keg but once you figure out the motion it will easy to remove/fit.
4. Connect one of the DN15 hoses to the other side of the DN15 union on the keg lid.
5. Connect the other end of this hose to the pump’s output side.
6. Fit the beer hose to the disconnect. Note that no hose clamp is required.
7. Fit the other end of the hose to the barb end of the DN15/Barb adapter.
8. Connect the remaining stainless steel hose to the DN15 barb.
9. Connect the other end of this hose to the pump’s inlet.
10. Youre done!

You should have a setup as shown below in the diagram.

I hope you will enjoy putting this cleaning system together for your setup!

Updated Design 2018

I ended with the M18 version of the pump. Here is my new configuration:

Parts required

DN15 (1/2″) MALE to DN20 (3/4″) FEMALE Adapter http://ali.pub/2cuval

DN20 (3/4″) FEMALE to 16mm quick connect MALE http://ali.pub/2ew6yp

16mm quick connect FEMALE to 1/4 barb http://ali.pub/2cuvum

16mm quick connect FEMALE to 13mm (1/2″ ID) hose http://ali.pub/2cuvxx

OPTIONAL: Adapter for QC. If you want to extend pipes. http://ali.pub/2cuw18

Keg Residues

I’ve been homebrewing beer for the last 15 years. I started (like most) with a plastic fermenter / bucket and used hopped extracts with adjunct brewing sugars and then bottling with priming sugar.

Over the last 2 years I’ve migrated fully to kegs and I can say I don’t miss the bottling aspect of homebrewing! The only thing I do find is that beer that is dispensed towards the end of the keg tends to be extremely clear and refined.

So I asked the question, is it possible to draw from the top of the keg rather than the bottom and yet still be able to draw the full amount?

The answer came in the form of a float.

Plastic Fantastic

I am generally not a big fan of plastic items in contact with my food (yes beer is food). However I am a fan of and actively practice harm minimisation. After all we live in a world where economics rather than welfare dictates the nature of materials that come in contact with food. Harsh but true.

I am a big fan of food/surgical/marine grade stainless steel. Namely the 316 grade. It is highly non reactive in corrosive environments and does not leech out any estrogenic compounds. It could be leeching out chromium but hey what can I say; harm minimisation…

Float the idea

Here is a list of requirements I wrote up to help me design and build a device that could allow me to reduce sediment and improve clarity of the beer I was tapping off the keg:

• Needs to fit easily through the opening of keg
• Has to float in beer with ease
• Must connect to the liquid port of the keg
• It should be able to be removed for cleaning
• No permanent modification to keg
• Food safe materials only
• Low cost of course 🙂 as I have 8 kegs to modify

So I can see I will require:

1. A float of some kind
2. A flexible tube that can connect to the liquid port and the float itself
3. A method of stopping any sediment from entering the tube
4. A method of weighing down the end that draws the liquid to ensure its always submerged.

The components

the float

I found this nice float made out of stainless steel. It appears to be used for level sensors in potable drinking water tanks.

The tubeS

Silicone tubing is probably the safest material from a corrosion/leeching perspective for beer (acidic). You will need some 8mm tubing and a small amount of 10mm tubing to hold the filter inside the float.

the filter

A filter like this is very useful in stopping any sediment/trub from being drawn into the liquid port. Its not a superfine mesh so its unlikely to block up. The mesh is made out of stainless steel and can be cleaned up easily. These filters are sold as “wine filters”.

the counterweight

The simplest counter weight I can think of is to use a stainless steel bolt attached to the removable end of the filter. To install the counterweight, drill an 8mm hole in the endcap and install the bolt and nut so that the thread is INSIDE the filter as shown below.

 

Make sure you use 316 grade and not 304!

Replacement short Diptube

You can choose to cut your dip tube to attach the tubing but I didn’t want to permanently modify my kegs. The replacement diptube is actually used as the gas tube.

The Result

It will take you all but 15 minutes to make this.

Cut the tube to the suitable length for your keg. What you want is for the float to lay flat and the tube is just enough for that to happen. This simulates an empty keg scenario.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

I received some useful feedback from a reader recently so I’ve created this section to help with the build.

1. The Filter has a removable bottom which aids in fitting the counterweight 
2. To allow the filter to stay with the float you will need a 15mm section of 10mm diameter silicone hose fitted over the dip tube hose at the neck of the filter.

Sources for the parts in this project

You can help me out greatly by using the links below to purchase the parts in this project. There is no extra cost to you. In fact I can assure you of the seller’s complicity in successful orders and the pricing is fantastic.

Stainless Steel Float http://ali.pub/229u9j

Food grade Silicone Tube 8mm http://ali.pub/229umy

Food grade Silicone Tube 10mm http://ali.pub/229umy

Filters http://ali.pub/229uvp

Counterweight 316 M8x25mm Bolt http://ali.pub/2gmxjl

Counterweight 316 M8 Nut http://ali.pub/229v60

8mm Keg Diptube Short/Gas http://ali.pub/229vui

UPDATE: Off the shelf solution

I recently found that the Fermentasaurus SS Float assembly is available from Aliexpress.

It will do the job as long as you get a 8mm Keg short dip tube to replace the existing dip tube and just attach this SS float assembly to the supplied tube.

You will need:

Fermentasaurus Gen 1 SS Float + 60cm Silicone tubing: http://ali.pub/31196g

8mm Keg Diptube Short/Gas: http://ali.pub/229vui

Update September 2019

I have come up with a simpler solution for my fellow tight arse aussie brewers.

Check out my latest DIY Keg Floating Dip Tube Mk2