Aluminum Cart based Boil/Extract Brew system- Phase 1 of 2

[Kbar]

Hey all. Finally finished my Boil Cart - Extract Cart. This is really phase 1 of 2 of my all grain brewery. Next is the 24"x48" all grain RIMS/HERMS system cart.

This is based on an Aluminum 24"x36" cart. All fittings and valves are stainless. Most connections have Stainless Quick Disconnects. All tubing is FDA approved for cold water applications. The wort hoses are Teflon Core with Stainless Braid, -100F to 450F capable and FDA approved. Filter is carbon and fine particulate, for pot fill and has a dedicated valve/hose to fill downstream to the all grain cart. Pump is enclosed in an Aluminum splash box - not sealed. Heat exchanger is a 30 plate 1/2" pipe port based counter-flow style. Burner is a 210,000 BTU Cajun with brass fittings and QD. Pot is a Stainless 10 Gallon with temp and valve ports.

Will be brewing soon!! I am interested in trying the brew in a bag technique, since it is going to be 6 months to get the all grain cart built. Got a great deal on the cart for $85, which drove the direction of this project. I looked at welded stainless frames (DIY and Bought), NSF carts, etc. This is the most portable and cost effective technique I could find, and frankly, got tired of planning and want to brew.

See schematic (pictorial) attached as well. Thanks all!

Happy Brewing.

[aleguy]

Looks like you're off to a nice start! All that stuff is a little too pricey for me. I'd rather spend my money on ingredients. I started with just a Cajun cooker and a 7.5 gallon pot. A grain bag for partial mashing and a 5-quart pot for sparge water. It worked fine for a long time. I ventured into 10-gallon all-grain batches with the addition of two converted scrapyard kegs and a 48-quart cooler with a slotted-pipe manifold. It works alright, but there's a lot of lifting involved because of the single burner, and putting 35 lbs of grain in the cooler means I have many batch sparges to acheive my boil volume.
Now I'm building a three-burner stand out of discarded bedframes. (Hey, the steel is FREE!) Using 170,000 BTU cast iron rose burners from Agri-supply. I'm still in the early stages of collecting all the various parts I need for a complete RIMS, but it's coming along nicely, and I can still brew with my old system in the meanwhile. (Sore back the next day though.)
Anyway. I would encourage you to look around and see what other homebrewers are building. Now that you have a basic system, you can afford to spend a little time deciding what system will best fit your needs. Most importantly, learn from other brewers (sometimes very expensive) mistakes and avoid them in your own system.

[Kbar]

Good stuff Aleguy. Lets just say I get a good deal on the stainless components. Yes, have been looking at AG systemns for 3 years now. Just need to get the time and $ together to make the next cart, meantime, can do extract/PM recipes.

Take care!