TOPIC:

"ercanj":3746lxnj wrote: I'd be interested in a BIAB bag. But I'm wondering if anyone here has ever tried doing a 10 gallon BIAB batch. To avoid the problem of having to have arms of steel or a large pulley system how about the following method.

1. Get your mash going with an elevated boiler/bag.
2. When mashing is done empty the wort into another vessel or a couple of buckets.
3. Use a small pot to scoop the grains out of the bag until the bag is light enough to lift.
4. Transfer the wort back into the boiler using a large jug.
5. Continue as normal.

I'm aware that there's a lot of shovelling and scooping and transferring liquid but this method would avoid having to haul a 10 gallon batch of wet grain out of your boiler.

I imagine your bag would need to be fairly well constructed to avoid splitting but if it's already being custom made then maybe that's not a major problem. Any thoughts on this or reasons why it won't work?[/quote:3746lxnj]


I have a 75 litre boiler, I mashed in with 65l this weekend, not an issue.
It's a little heavy to lift out but far from impossible, it ends up about 17kg or so. I lifted it out into one of my 67l fermenters before draining and squeezing the bag. The Aussies recommend using a skyhook and pulley which would be ideal, but I do mine in the kitchen and can't hang a hook from the ceiling and pull by hand.
The bags are very well constructed so there is no issue with this amount of grain in it at all.

If you tried the mash as you suggest with the bag elevated you would have problems keeping at mash temperatures as you wouldn't be able to put the lid back on the mashtun/boiler.

haha - i walked into that one...

Cheers

Sorry, my post was maybe a bit misleading. By elevated I meant the entire boiler. It was pointless to even mention it since it's obvious enough that you're going to need to start with the thing higher than whatever you want to empty it into.

I was just a little worried regarding lifting a heavy bag and whether the bag would handle the load. But if it's not an issue then put me down for a bag.

"ercanj":22otih5z wrote: Sorry, my post was maybe a bit misleading. By elevated I meant the entire boiler. It was pointless to even mention it since it's obvious enough that you're going to need to start with the thing higher than whatever you want to empty it into.

I was just a little worried regarding lifting a heavy bag and whether the bag would handle the load. But if it's not an issue then put me down for a bag.[/quote:22otih5z]


Absolutely not an issue for me, If you can lift 17kg or so of weight then you can do it. I have to stand on my kitchen table up by the boiler and wouldn't say it's the safest thing I do...but it works and I've had no problems thusfar. The bag is not what you'd want to worry about, the material is very strong and durable and the stitching is all of a professional quality.

What are your vessel dimensions for the design?



This will be happening in about two weeks as the wife is away in UK for a while although some of them may be made while she is over there as she'll be in the mothers house anyway.

Eoin - just on a related note - the loops you put in the top of the bags - would they take the weight of the bag? (if one was to be lifting it with an overhead winch/hook)

Id say that its different to you lifting it out with your hands. Because with your hands, there are more areas in the bag to take the pressure (cos presumably you wind the neck a bit and pull it out).
With a sky hook, you would only have the four loops taking the pressure.
I suppose you could replicate the hands pulling it out - by wrapping the neck of the bag around your hook a bit before hooking it onto the loops on the bag.

(long term i'll be installing a winch in my shed - but the basic bag design will do me <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> )

&amp;quot;JamesM&amp;quot;:33l087m6 wrote: Eoin - just on a related note - the loops you put in the top of the bags - would they take the weight of the bag? (if one was to be lifting it with an overhead winch/hook)

Id say that its different to you lifting it out with your hands. Because with your hands, there are more areas in the bag to take the pressure (cos presumably you wind the neck a bit and pull it out).
With a sky hook, you would only have the four loops taking the pressure.
I suppose you could replicate the hands pulling it out - by wrapping the neck of the bag around your hook a bit before hooking it onto the loops on the bag.

(long term i'll be installing a winch in my shed - but the basic bag design will do me <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> )[/quote:33l087m6]

Hi James, the loops are an idea I have specifically for the gas burners and are not intended (in my head) to take the full weight of a wet laden bag. I'll discuss that with the wife when it gets that far. I can put loops in that will take the whole weight for a skyhook I don't think it would be an issue.

I'll talk to the maker about my design ideas and will put something up here before long.

I admit I haven't sat down with her yet and gone through it, but I don't see any problems with loops not taking weight. Obviously there are safety issues with the loops needing to take a lot of weight, you don't want 17KG of grain dropping from a height into your hot wort and causing splashes, so it will be carefully considered and assuredly strong if that is the way I go.