The goal is to get all of the fitting and instruments installed to look like the image of the stacked brewhouse. The assembly is broken into five sections: The mash tun, boil kettle, electrical element, pump and chiller. Once the parts are together, assembly goes quickly. To save time, wrap all threads with pipe tape and organize the parts by component.
Required Tools
- Two adjustable wrenches
- Flat head or hex screwdriver
- Chassis bit, 13/16 inch
- Chassis bit, 1-1/4 inch
- Pipe tape
- Beer
- 30-60 minutes
- A congratulatory beer
Assembling the Mash Tun
Mash Tun Recirculation Port – Interior
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the kettle wall:
- Grooved lock nut
- Close nipple, 1/2 inch x 2 inch
- 90º street elbow
- Quick disconnect, male – female threads
Mash Tun Recirculation Port – Exterior
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the kettle wall:
- Close nipple, 1/2 inch x 2 inch (through the kettle wall)
- O-ring
- Washer
- 2-piece ball valve
- Quick disconnect, male – male threads
Mash Tun Drain Port – Interior (to false bottom)
This system uses a generic 12 inch ‘econo’ false bottom. It works perfectly well and the only time it failed was due to human error. If you have a different kit, make sure you have the right fittings to adapt it to the valve. Install it with your kit’s instructions. To adapt this kit, attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the kettle wall:
- Close nipple (through the kettle wall)
- O-ring
- Grooved lock nut
- Ferrule
Mash Tun Drain Port – Exterior
This piece is like heavy machinery compared to the recirculation port. A good shortcut is to connect the smaller components to each other and then assemble the larger components from there, finally passing it through the kettle wall to the false bottom.
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the kettle wall:
- Close nipple (through the kettle wall)
- 3-piece ball valve
- 90º Street elbow
- Quick disconnect, male – male threads
Assembling the Boil Kettle
Boil Kettle Drain Exterior
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the kettle wall:
- Close nipple (through the kettle wall)
- 3-piece ball valve
- Close nipple
- Tee fitting plus control panel sensor
- Quick disconnect, male – male threads
- Hose assembly
Boil Kettle Drain Interior
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the kettle wall:
- Close nipple (through kettle wall)
- O-ring
- Grooved lock nut
- Side pickup tube
Installing the Electrical Element
I purchased this from theelectricbrewery.com and used Kal’s instructions to install it. If you have not yet sourced an element kit, alternates are listed on the parts page. That said, I am really happy with the product durability as well as Kal’s customer service.
This kit installs in the following order, working inward from the outside of the kettle:
- Conduit box with element
- Washer
- O-ring
- Grooved lock nut (inside the kettle)
Assembling the Pump
Pump Inlet
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the pump’s inlet:
- Reducing coupler
- Quick disconnect, male – male threads
- Hose assembly
Pump Outlet
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the pump’s outlet:
- 90º street elbow
- 3-piece ball valve
- Quick disconnect, male – male threads
- Hose assembly
Pump Electrical
- Attach the NEMA L5-15P locking plug adapter to the pump’s electrical cable
Assembling the Chiller
Attach the fittings so that they are in the following order, working outward from the chiller:
- 90º Street elbow
- Quick disconnect, male – male threads
- Optional: garden hose quick disconnects (seen here)
Next Step – Brew Something
Congratulations on putting it all together! Grab your favourite recipe and see the operating instructions to start brewing!