CIP Spray Ball.

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Gday Fellow Brewers I'm looking to make my clean up on brew day more streamlined with a Clean In Place spray ball mounted over head inside my brew kettle.

I've been looking around and found one or two that have me thinking will my MK2 pump give these adequate spinnage will it generate enough flow to get a good decent spray flow happening?

I know one or two of you use these what do you think about them?
Waste of time and money?

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There's this type with the slots or
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The first one rekons low flow needed...
I'm thinking of also mounting this on my bucket blaster for better effect.
 
Ben, these both look cool. Manufacturer should give flow rate, I don't know the MK2 pump but I'm pretty sure the Bucket Blaster would spin it up pretty fair.

Mount overhead in brew kettle?
 
I've got one attached by copper tubing to a sump pump and I use it probably twice a year to clean all my kegs. With you not having winter I imagine it would work all the time.
 
Ben, these both look cool. Manufacturer should give flow rate, I don't know the MK2 pump but I'm pretty sure the Bucket Blaster would spin it up pretty fair.

Mount overhead in brew kettle?
Yeah thats were the micro brewers mount them under the lid.
I won't be able too I've got a glass lid but I'm thinking of attaching to my return port maybe a bit of threaded pipe and a 90 then attach the ball in like that.
Even use maybe a camlock fitting so I can switch out my return with the CIP ball for cleaning
It's more so I don't have to faf about at the end of brew day tipping my kettle out.
I want to install a bottom drain valve as well in bottom of the keg.
I will drain out everything then.
 
I am interested to see what you come up with!
 
Just make sure you have a pump that can drive the ball correctly. Most homebrewer pumps don't develop enough pressure to drive them properly. They should spray hard enough to be noisy in a keg/kettle.
 
I have a home made version of the Bottle Blaster using a Fountain Pump. A Harbour Freight special at 730 gph. It will paint the ceiling if I plug it in before placing the keg/carboy 1st. It was $45 USD.
Either one of those heads would work fine for me but I'm pushing a lot more water with the Fountain Pump than my Chugger.
I use the Chugger to CIP the Kettle, Hoses, Pump & Chiller with hot PBW & then Star San for about half an hour each at 150 F.
 
I have a home made version of the Bottle Blaster using a Fountain Pump. A Harbour Freight special at 730 gph. It will paint the ceiling if I plug it in before placing the keg/carboy 1st. It was $45 USD.
Either one of those heads would work fine for me but I'm pushing a lot more water with the Fountain Pump than my Chugger.
I use the Chugger to CIP the Kettle, Hoses, Pump & Chiller with hot PBW & then Star San for about half an hour each at 150 F.
Thanks.
You finding this gets it clean?
If my MK2 pump don't have the goods I'll rig up my submersible in a bucket I think.
 
My pump is standard chugger and it sprays and spins just fine.
 
My pump is standard chugger and it sprays and spins just fine.
Cheers JA that's what I was hoping.
you finding you get pretty good clean from the CIP or you still need to get in there with a cloth and get some build up off?
 
For my fermenters, I tend to rinse with a hose and scour the krausen ring off whenever I empty it so when I go to do the hot PBW spray, there's not so much to worry about. I've done half-barrel kegs, though and inspecting with a mirror shows everything to be nice and clean. Another way that I've used the ball is hooked to the garden hose for rinsing. Way plenty of pressure there and that definitely knocks the sludge off. :)
 
@Trialben so, what are the dimensions of the Spinning Ball. I would use it to clean my carboys. They are plastic so the necks are bigger than glass carboys.
I'm figuring to put a male adapter on the Blaster & thread the ball on it. Should work great on the Kegs as well.
 
@Trialben so, what are the dimensions of the Spinning Ball. I would use it to clean my carboys. They are plastic so the necks are bigger than glass carboys.
I'm figuring to put a male adapter on the Blaster & thread the ball on it. Should work great on the Kegs as well.
1/2 inch thread it looks like and the ball doesn't look much bigger I'd say an inch round by looking at it.
I've not purchased one yet I thought I'd put it out there and see if anyone is using one and what they thought of them before going a head and rigging one up.
Yes I want to try one on the bucket blaster too I think this should be easy enough to rig up.
 
I bought 2, the first one was way to big. The second looks about 1" or so in diameter.
 
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Also checking these out thinking about trying it for mashing...
 
View attachment 14818
Also checking these out thinking about trying it for mashing...
At first I thought, that's cool, but I started thinking about cleaning it. Maybe it would be easy, bit I fing the screens I have are a little tedious to clean.
 
True that.
Food for thought.
What you get lots of grains caught in the screen?
 

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