Yesterday I brewed my first batch in our new house since the move. Last brew was 3/4/12 so it was loooong overdue. All went well, had a few bumps in the road as I didn't know exactly where all my stuff exactly was and it took me 7 hours which didn't make me happy but that will be better next time. Brewed a 10 gallon batch of American Pale Ale to get me started again.
The main problem I ran into was gathering the water. I used to get it from the hot water supply on the bathtub at the old house, cutting my heating time. Now, at the new house, I did the same thing. Problem is the tub (which is the only faucet I can put a bucket under) is about 85 feet from the kettles, and across hard wood floors, linoleum, and carpeting.
I was thinking of using the garden hose I get my water for my chiller from but have two concerns. Main one is the water would taste bad coming from the hose, and the other is the extra time it would take to heat cold water.
What method do you guys use for getting your brewing water?
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
I fill 5 gallon bottles from an outdoor spigot at the far end of my house. I use a 10' RV water hose to make it easier to fill the bottles and not get wet. It takes a few minutes more, but I wouldn't use water from the hot side, it could have leached lead or other heavy metals depending on the age of the house.
I fill 5 gallon bottles from an outdoor spigot at the far end of my house. I use a 10' RV water hose to make it easier to fill the bottles and not get wet. It takes a few minutes more, but I wouldn't use water from the hot side, it could have leached lead or other heavy metals depending on the age of the house.
Ugh. You carry 5 gallon bottles at your age? I was considering the RV hose, and also maybe one of those RV water filters. I wonder if a filter on a garden hose would be sufficient? Never thought about the metals. The old house had all copper, but the new one I'm not 100% positive. 1962 build. How much longer does it take water to boil from 45-50F instead of 120F? I would need a 50ft hose if I were to use that with the outside spigot since I have to go around a screened in patio. One of my only complaints with this house is there is only one outside faucet on the backside. How did they ever wash their cars without a faucet?
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
Some of us see no value in washing cars.
And yes, even at my age I lug 2 full bottles of water, climb the step ladder and fill my HLT. My next brewery stand will be horizontal.
I have no idea what the time difference is, I've never used preheated water.
If your house was built in 1962 I bet they used lead solder on the joints, I wouldn't use the hot water for anything but washing(laundry, dishes and occasionally yourself).
Lots of hot water heaters also collect sediment in the bottom. It could end up in the water as well (not fun). If I'm being really impatient, I use multiple burners on my stove to heat up water faster and then bring it all together for the full boil.
__________________
Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world. (I think I may have found her!)
Fermenting: None
bottled: Prototype Porter, ESB, cider experiments 1-7.
Secondary: Zip point squat
Kegged: Nada :( (unless you count lemonade)
Some of us see no value in washing cars.
And yes, even at my age I lug 2 full bottles of water, climb the step ladder and fill my HLT. My next brewery stand will be horizontal.
I have no idea what the time difference is, I've never used preheated water.
If your house was built in 1962 I bet they used lead solder on the joints, I wouldn't use the hot water for anything but washing(laundry, dishes and occasionally yourself).
Mine is a rustic version of a vertical stand. I see the advantage to a horizontal, and probably one day will make the change as well, but I really like to use gravity just for the sake of the homebrew part. So I'm going to make the switch to using cold water from the spigot with a hose. Now to just figure out if a filter on a garden hose will be suffice or do I need an RV hose with a filter.
And Malty, the water heater at the old house had that potential issue now that you mention it. The new house has a tankless "on demand" water heater. It sucks. Powers been out several times with the winter weather since moving in and let me tell you, there's no hope for hot water in that situation. Plus you can't get hot water without a certain amount of pressure.
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
Mine is a rustic version of a vertical stand. I see the advantage to a horizontal, and probably one day will make the change as well, but I really like to use gravity just for the sake of the homebrew part. So I'm going to make the switch to using cold water from the spigot with a hose. Now to just figure out if a filter on a garden hose will be suffice or do I need an RV hose with a filter.
And Malty, the water heater at the old house had that potential issue now that you mention it. The new house has a tankless "on demand" water heater. It sucks. Powers been out several times with the winter weather since moving in and let me tell you, there's no hope for hot water in that situation. Plus you can't get hot water without a certain amount of pressure.
When it does work, How hot does the water get mike? I bath in water that is about 125 degrees and i get sick of running out of hot water. We rarely have power outages and have good water pressure.
__________________
The mind is like a beer, it does the most good when it is opened.
When it does work, How hot does the water get mike? I bath in water that is about 125 degrees and i get sick of running out of hot water. We rarely have power outages and have good water pressure.
Well, it tops out at 120F for the highest setting. I can say I never put my skin under that though. It never runs out of hot water, no matter if there's laundry + dishwasher + whatever + shower so that's a plus. And there's no pilot flame so when it's not in use there's no waste. BUT, water pressure is a down side. I'm not referring to water pressure feeding the system from your well or municipal supply. I'm referring to how strong you have to draw water from the faucet in order for it to kick on. It only comes on if you open the faucet to a certain pressure. In other words, you have to have it on strong enough for the aerators to work and cause it to make the hissing sound. A slower, solid stream of water while rinsing dishes isn't enough pressure to turn the water heater on, so you have to "waste" water in order for it to get warm. Otherwise, it turns COLD because the water heater has shut down on you.
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
That sucks. Back home the water pressure is terrible too. As for hot water, we just replaced our tank because the old one no longer meets code! The idea of instant hot water is cool, but I'm sorry to hear about your woes. A couple of beers before a night shower might help solve some of it though!
__________________
Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world. (I think I may have found her!)
Fermenting: None
bottled: Prototype Porter, ESB, cider experiments 1-7.
Secondary: Zip point squat
Kegged: Nada :( (unless you count lemonade)
That sucks. Back home the water pressure is terrible too. As for hot water, we just replaced our tank because the old one no longer meets code! The idea of instant hot water is cool, but I'm sorry to hear about your woes. A couple of beers before a night shower might help solve some of it though!
LOL. It's not that bad. The water pressure is fine. Again... the problem with tankless water heaters is that they are turned on (giving you hot water) when you draw water from your faucet at a certain pressure. If you don't turn on your faucet high enough, the water won't get hot. The main point of these water heaters is to save you money from constantly paying to heat water in a tank that just sits there most of the day. I just wonder if the benefits of having to draw more pressure in order to get hot water outweighs that. Never running out of hot water is pretty sweet though. And you can program it to fill a bathtub with the same temp water every time. Kinda cool for kids.
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
I would never consider drinking anything from a normal hose anymore. As a kid I loved that funky rubberry/metallic taste but now that I hear about the nasty chemicals use to make garden hoses I'm done. Get an RV hose It doesn't have to get all the way to your brewery(they are damn expensive), but if you could cut your walk in half it will help. Or run a 1/2 inch PEX or CPVC line from the outdoor spigot to your brewery. Digging the trench will help work off some of those excessive beer calories and make you appreciate your beer more.
I would never consider drinking anything from a normal hose anymore. As a kid I loved that funky rubberry/metallic taste but now that I hear about the nasty chemicals use to make garden hoses I'm done. Get an RV hose It doesn't have to get all the way to your brewery(they are damn expensive), but if you could cut your walk in half it will help. Or run a 1/2 inch PEX or CPVC line from the outdoor spigot to your brewery. Digging the trench will help work off some of those excessive beer calories and make you appreciate your beer more.
Yeah, I hear you on the taste from a garden hose. RV hose is probably my best bet. I like the trench idea, but my spigot is in the back of a large concrete area. Tapping into the plumbing under the house might be an option, I'll have to look into that. This house is costing me a fortune in reno's so what's a few extra bucks for a nice hose to make it easy on me. I'm appreciating my beer more and more every day I've had to buy beer before I could brew again.
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
In my head I can just see you setting up some kind of crazy aqueduct for this! Pump all of the water into an elevated cistern and then open the valve at brew time as the water flows downhill around the house to the brew pot.
__________________
Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world. (I think I may have found her!)
Fermenting: None
bottled: Prototype Porter, ESB, cider experiments 1-7.
Secondary: Zip point squat
Kegged: Nada :( (unless you count lemonade)
In my head I can just see you setting up some kind of crazy aqueduct for this! Pump all of the water into an elevated cistern and then open the valve at brew time as the water flows downhill around the house to the brew pot.
Ha! Good idea! Today I found another spigot on the front side of the house behind a very overgrown bush. Yet another reason to keep it trimmed...
__________________
On Tap:
Bottled: 4 lonely KBS Clones from '09
Kegged:
Primary: American Pale Ale
Secondary:
Next brew: Something with Chico Yeast
I was considering the RV hose, and also maybe one of those RV water filters. I wonder if a filter on a garden hose would be sufficient? Never thought about the metals. The old house had all copper, but the new one I'm not 100% positive. 1962 build. How much longer does it take water to boil from 45-50F instead of 120F? I would need a 50ft hose if I were to use that with the outside spigot since I have to go around a screened in patio. One of my only complaints with this house is there is only one outside faucet on the backside. How did they ever wash their cars without a faucet?
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