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4 head bottle filler for $275

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  • #31
    What kind of cleaning and sanitizing routine do you do with this setup?

    BTW Thanks for sharing all your creative, alternative ideas..

    Jim

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    • #32
      I boil 7.5 gallons of water and I pump it through the system slowly through all parts until every part of the bottling system that beer will touch is pasturized.
      John McKissack
      Texas Big Beer Brewery
      Newton County, Texas

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      • #33
        Update on our bottling yesterday.
        we got everything going pretty good and were bottling 336 bottles per hour.
        that is a bottle every 10 seconds.
        I was short handed. I had my son-in-law helping and a volunteer.
        We really need 4 people to keep up with the bottle filler.
        I was capping and putting the bottles in cases and I could not cap as fast as they were being filled.
        With 4 people, I believe we can fill 400 bottles per hour, but not sure if we can maintain it.

        Anyway, it was an awesome bottling day.
        At the speed we were bottling, we were filling a pallet of 64 cases of bomber bottles in 2.5 hours.

        I was going to make a 6 head filler, but we can't keep up with the 4 head filler
        John McKissack
        Texas Big Beer Brewery
        Newton County, Texas

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        • #34
          I built this!

          Here are some pictures of the system I put together based on this design.



          A couple things to note:

          I used PVC soffit board from Lowes. It cuts like wood and glues with PVC solvent. I recommend it over plywood. The other option is HDPE board from US Plastic sells sheets, #46039.

          Using 3/8" to 1/4" reducing tees is not advisable. When you turn on or off a head, the neighbors go faster or slower so I'm dicking with the relief valves too often. I am going to rebuild it to use a buffer tank/manifold. Foxx sells one, #04C03-404.

          I am also going to replace the straight out hose barbs that come with the MoreBeer fillers with elbows so the hoses go straight up and back rather than potentially interfere with their neighbors when swinging. Foxx part #04C03-133. I made the whole thing 42" wide, and with the elbows up, it can be narrower so the working area is more compact. It's a long way to grab a bottle from the sani when you're standing at the head farthest from it. Maybe 36"?

          I have to run the CO2 line-in to the filler through a double regulator with a jumper because it freezes up bad otherwise, even with a space heater pointed at it. I need to get some heating wire, but I think the double regulator with a jumper is a must-have.

          Today was the first day. Me on the filler and sanitizer and my guy on the manual capper and keeping the bottles queued up for the sanitizer. We did 10 barrels of 750 ml bottles in 5 hours. 750 mls is 25 ounces, so it's a little slower than bombers. I'm sure we'll go faster after a few thousand bottles practice.

          I'm going to finalize this filler and do an open source hardware design and offer pre-built fillers for those who don't want to build it. I think I'm in about $500 all told, and $350 of that is the MoreBeer fillers.
          Last edited by revnatscider; 12-02-2012, 10:45 PM.
          Nat West
          _____________________
          nat@reverendnatshardcider.com
          503-567-2221

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          • #35
            @revnatscider

            as far as liquid supply line goes, we run 1/2" line from the tank to to the fillers (x4) and split with 1/2" tees, then use 1/2" to 1/4" reducers right before entering the fillers.

            The main key for us was to run the main line between the four heads and split left and right to feed the heads. This way all four heads have the same flow/pressure of beer going into them, rather than being fed from one side in series.

            I can try to snap some photos tomorrow

            Love the HDPE boards idea
            Beejay
            Pipeworks Brewing Company

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            • #36
              Beejay, that's a good idea, splitting hoses like that versus one after the other like I've done. That could be a cheaper option than a manifold/buffer tank. You'd have to just make sure the lines are the same length.
              Nat West
              _____________________
              nat@reverendnatshardcider.com
              503-567-2221

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              • #37
                Just thought i'd throw a quick update out there. We have really dialed our system in, using the four head CP fillers we are averaging about 380 22oz bottles per hour. This is on a beer carbed to 2.6 volumes. On our lower carbed stout, which is around 2.3 volumes we hit 492 bottles in one hour. With some tweaking and an attentive crew it is possible to do some outstanding work with a little ingenuity on this little guy.
                Beejay
                Pipeworks Brewing Company

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                • #38
                  steady bottling now

                  We are still using the very first prototype I built. We bottled again just yesterday.
                  We have done 380 in an hour several times, but on average when we bottle 8 barrels it takes us about 5 hours.
                  When I say 5 hours it is within 10 minutes either way.
                  So, when we bottle it is within an 8 hour day and that includes sanatizing, set up, bottling and clean up, then out the door.
                  I was going to make a 6 head filler, but we will need more people on the capping, rinsing and packaging, because I can't cap as fast as they are filled on the 4 head system.
                  Thanks for the update.
                  John McKissack
                  Texas Big Beer Brewery
                  Newton County, Texas

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                  • #39
                    Thanks!

                    Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, especially johnnymax. Eye-opening.

                    David Allen

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                    • #40
                      Band of Brewing Brothers

                      David,

                      All of us together brewing, no matter how small are "American Craft Beer!"
                      We are a "Band of Brewing Brothers"
                      It is us against the world, and the world is just going to have to settle for second place.
                      John McKissack
                      Texas Big Beer Brewery
                      Newton County, Texas

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                      • #41
                        Just curious, those CP fillers, did you buy them from MoreBeer or actually build them yourselves? I'm currently pricing out the materials for this...it's proving to be a bit difficult.

                        Would you be willing to share a parts list? =]

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                        • #42
                          Filler

                          I actually purchased them from MoreBeer, it was a lot quicker and I was short on time.
                          They work great, but there is no reason you could not make your own, the key is use a pressure relief valve, not a needle valve.
                          Cheers,
                          John McKissack
                          Texas Big Beer Brewery
                          Newton County, Texas

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                          • #43
                            Originally posted by johnnymax View Post
                            I actually purchased them from MoreBeer, it was a lot quicker and I was short on time.
                            They work great, but there is no reason you could not make your own, the key is use a pressure relief valve, not a needle valve.
                            Cheers,
                            I kind of had a feeling that was the case. I actually looked into building one myself but after a lot of research, I couldn't find a decently priced SS 3 way valve that would make the DIY worth it...so i ended up buying one to test it out and see how i like it...should be here wednesday, can't wait!

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                            • #44
                              John,
                              This has been the best brewing read I've done in a while. This is what it is all about, and makes me proud to be a brewer. I have to build one of these. Currently there is no inexpensive bottling solution so this is the way. I may regret this, but I may get back into bottling! Thanks.
                              Cheers,
                              Tom
                              Tom Hennessy
                              www.coloradoboy.com
                              Author of The Brewery Operations Manual
                              Author of Colorado Boy Brewery Standard Operating Procedures (S.O.P.)

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                              • #45
                                A tip for those of you using the Morebeer fillers.

                                They do sell replacement 3-way valves for $25 a piece

                                They also sell the springs for the pressure valve, though you have to mail them about it as they are not listed.

                                If you use these things a lot, eventually you'll notice either gas or beer leaking. As in, when you shut the valve off one side or the other will keep going. We had sent one back, then ordered new valves for all four heads only to have them start leaking again immediately. I was on the verge of sending em back again when I noticed a way to fix em. If you remove the hose barbs, inside one of the valve bits you'll notice there is a small hex hole which tightens the gaskets around the ball itself. Snuggin this up every once in a while will help prevent gas or beer leaks. The gas leak is especially problematic as it will almost always foam your beer once you stop filling.

                                Hope this helps
                                Beejay
                                Pipeworks Brewing Company

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