Brewing System Assembly

Brewing System Assembly, Operating, Cleaning and Safety Procedures

Please read the following safety instructions and operating instructions carefully before you brew.

Always lock casters before each use.
Frequently check gas connections for leaks using soapy water.
Prior to lighting burners make sure that all flow valves are closed.
Never move the brewing system while it is in use, or while it contains hot liquids.
Never lift full kettles regardless of whether the water is hot or cold. This can lead to personal injury, product damage, scalding etc.
Always fill and clean kettles in position on the stand.
Do not operate with children present
Only operate around adults who have read and fully understood these safety and operating procedures
Work safer and smarter, not harder.

Getting Started

Before brewing with your new system, thoroughly clean all of the kettles, valves, tubing and other components. Use hot, soapy water to remove any dirt or oil left over from the manufacturing process. Scrub all of the kettles. Run hot, soapy water through all of the ball valves while toggling them. Recirculate the water through the kettles and valves using the pump. Rinse all components thoroughly.

Burner Lighting and Operating Procedure

Before lighting burners, ensure that all gas fittings are tight have been checked for leaks.
Prior to lighting burners, make sure that all flow valves are closed.
After closing all valves, begin the lighting procedure by completely opening the main gas source tank.
Open the adjustable regulator or main needle valve into the open position.
Using a long barbecue lighter, reach in through the lighting hole of the desired burner, place the flame so that it is touching the face of the burner orifice, and gently begin to open the burner’s individual needle valve until the burner ignites.
Once ignited, dial in the correct fuel to air ratio using the air control plate on the back of the burner. Start with the air shutter almost closed and slowly open the shutter plate to allow more air into the burner until a gentle blue frame is produced.

We recommend using a 10 -30 gallon propane tank. This size tank is not as likely to ice up during prolonged high BTU use, like some smaller 5 gallon tanks.

Installing the Boil Braid Strainer

Install the flared 1/2″ male pipe thread adapter. Insert the threaded side first into the front side of the sanitary fitting on the outside of the kettle. Do not use thread tape on any of these fittings, as it is unnecessary.
Locate the 1/2″ elbow and gently thread it onto the adapter and tighten 1-2 turns.
Turn the elbow so that it is facing up and thread the strainer into the elbow by tightening 1-2 turns.
Gently stretch the strainer out and then lay it down so that it contours the outside wall of the kettle.

Installing the Mash Tun False Bottom & Supporting Ring

Place the supporting ring with the flat surface facing upward and the wavy side facing downward on the bottom of the kettle. (This allows liquid to pass underneath the supporting ring.)
Place the false bottom into the kettle on top of the supporting ring.

Using Liquid Pumps

Always make sure liquid pumps are connected to a G.F.C.I box or outlet.
Pumps must be filled with liquid prior to turning on power to the pump. Pumps are not self-priming and must be filled with water at all times.
Slow down outlet flow of the pump for cooling, sparging, etc. by closing a valve on the outlet only side of the pump.
Always use a slight amount of outlet valve restriction when using the pump. (Opening the outlet valve on the pump all the way open can cause the pump to lose its prime and the liquid will fail to flow.)
Never restrict the inlet of the pump. It will cavitate (run dry) and ruin the pump!

Cleaning

Always clean your brewing system immediately after each use.
Back flush and clean your plate chiller and pump by reversing the hoses for the wort on your chiller so that the cleaning solution is flowing the opposite way that the hot wort entered. This will help to push out any hops, cold break or other materials that made their way into the chiller during cooling.
Open and close ball valves as cleaning solution is pumped through. This will help to clean out the seats of the valves.
After cleaning always flush the brewing system, pump and chiller with clean water to remove any cleaning agents that may corrode the wort chiller and pump.
Always store the system and its components in a clean, dry place.

Heat Exchanger Use & Care

The Synergy Brewing System features a heat exchanger made from 304 Stainless Steel that is brazed together with 99.9% pure copper in an oxygen-free furnace. The heat exchanger features small ripples up and down each plate. This creates more surface area for the wort to travel over and more time for the water to cool the wort. More importantly, the ripples on each plate create a turbulent flow, eliminating laminar flow to ensure the wort cools fast.

Plate style counter flow chillers use much less water than conventional immersion or counter flow chillers. They are a scaled down version of the heat exchangers used in almost all commercial breweries. These chillers have very low flow restriction, making them ideal for reducing the risk of plugging from hot break and hop fragments. Wort may be pumped or gravity fed through the chiller however more stable results come from using the constant pressure from a pump.

Cleaning and sanitizing a plate chiller is a bit more involved than a normal immersion chiller, due to the tiny pockets created by the channels in the plates. These pockets can harbor cold break material, hop remains, or any other solid, and if not removed can cause infection in subsequent batches. Cleaning and sanitizing instructions are as follows:

Recirculate a solution of hot or boiling water and cleaner of choice (such as PBW or One Step) through the chiller.
Back flush the solution through the chiller by pushing the cleaning solution into the “Wort Out” side and out of the “Wort In” side. This will remove any particles that may have gotten trapped by the ridges on the plates.
Circulate boiling water or preferred sanitizer through the unit to sanitize.
Control wort outlet and flow temperature by restricting the outlet of the pump.
Flow clean water through the unit to remove any cleaning agents prior to storage.

About the Heat Exchanger

Heat exchangers operate on the principle that there is a hot side and a cold side of the unit. Whichever side the incoming cooling water is plumbed into (usually the side that has the 3/4″ female garden hose fitting), is the same side that the cooled wort is to come out of and into the fermenter. The outgoing (and now heated) water is the same side that the incoming hot wort needs to be plumbed to, thus creating a hot and a cold side of the unit. The fluids are essentially touching each other through the plates and heat is transferred from the hot fluid to the cold fluid, but the fluids do not mix. In order to optimize the efficiency of the unit, make sure that the incoming and outgoing cooling water hoses are not kinked or restricted. If a multiple outlet water splitter is being used, it must be full port. Most types are not full port and have very small passages which will make the wort take a very long time to chill. Gilmour Hose and Water Products Company makes full port, multiple outlet adapters that work very well and allow for multiple hoses connected to one water inlet so a water filter, wash down sprayer, and wort chiller can all be hooked up to one water supply without having to constantly switch hoses for different tasks.

Plate heat exchangers have very good heat transfer rates because they use metal plates which have high heat conductivity rates, and the plates are extremely thin. The plate heat exchangers also achieve high amounts of heat transfer through convective forces with both working fluids. With large temperature differentials, great amounts of heat transfer can be achieved using a plate heat exchanger.

If you encounter a problem during assembly call or email us and we will be glad to help out with the issue.