The Thrifty Gadgeteer

By Phil Internicola

The art of gadgeteering doesn't always mean fabricating contraptions from scrounged parts and materials. Sometimes I am forced to make due by converting some reasonably cheap commercial product from its original intended purpose for use in slightly unconventional ways. Of course, this means that I actually have to (shudder!) buy a commercial product on occasion, but I stay true to my principles by keeping it cheap and getting more out of it than the manufacturer's claims might lead one to expect. One such example is the lowly under-the-sink cartridge type water filter.

Now, I have seen advertised, in several nationally circulated beer publications, a beer filtration "system" that goes for what I consider to be a rather usurious sum of eighty dollars, plus shipping charges and the ever present sales tax. This supposed beer-specific product is nothing more than a common under-the-sink water filter with a 0.5 micron pleated polypropylene filter cartridge. With it, the ad suggests, you can remove bacteria, yeast sediment, and chill haze from your finished beer. I suggest that removing bacteria from finished beer is like closing the barn door after the horse has got loose. Believe me, if there are any bacteria in your finished beer worthy of the effort to remove them, they have already spoiled your beer and you will end up with nice, crystal clear vinegar or some other less palatable swill. I also suggest that, while 0.5 microns will indeed remove yeast sediment and chill haze, it will also very effectively strip your beer of that which you labored mightily to produce-- its body. If you are troubled by chill haze you should look to correct the brewing problems that cause the haze rather than trying to remove it after the fact.

It may sound as if I am against the whole concept of filtering finished beer. Not so! There is true virtue in removing yeast sediment, because yeast will, over time, affect the flavor of your beer, and can give an unpleasant cloudy appearance. I just think that using a 0.5 micron filter is overkill, because you can effectively remove the yeast without robbing your beer of its body, by using a five micron filter (that's right, ten times bigger than 0.5) instead. I also think the suggested use for the commercial beer filter "system" is rather short sighted, because you can convert the filter for use as a brewing water purifier as well, by simply changing the filter element to a carbon type that will remove chlorine and many nasty tasting and potentially harmful organic compounds.

So, where does gadgeteering come into the picture? Well, I bought the basic filter housing--an AMETEK Model US-550--at a local hardware store for a whopping $12.95, plus the legalized robbery commonly referred to as sales tax. The carbon filter elements--Model C1-- cost about $9.00 for a package of two, and the five micron spun poly elements--Model P5--cost about $7.00 for a two pack. Add to this about $10.00 for "conversion" hardware and you have the complete "system" as advertised, plus water purification capability, for a grand total of less than forty two bucks, including the #@!& % sales tax! All you need to do is install some standard plumbing hardware to convert the inlet and outlet ports on the filter housing from standard 3/8" pipe to 1/4" flare fittings. If you read and followed-up on Thrifty's article in the last issue of GLBN, then you already have the accessories (transfer tubes and gas valve) you will need in order to connect the filter to your beer kegs and control the liquid flow rate. If not, contact GLBN and get a copy of last issue!

OK, let's get started. First, here's the stuff you'll need in addition to the filter housing and cartridges: Two Brass 3/8" MNPT X 1/4" FNPT Reducer Bushings, three Brass 1/4" MNPT X 1/4" Male Flare Adapters, Teflon Tape, one Brass 1/2" MNPT X 1/4" FNPT Reducer Bushing, one 1/2" FNPT X Female Garden Hose Adapter, two adjustable crescent wrenches, one Phillips screwdriver. I assume that, like myself, you will be drawing your brewing water from the tap on a laundry tub or some other tap threaded to accept garden hose. If not, you may need to get other adapters than those listed--the object is to adapt from whatever thread is at the end of the tap to a 1/4" FNPT fitting that will be mated to one of the 1/4" MNPT X 1/4" Male Flare Adapter assemblies.

Assembly is pretty simple. First, apply two or three turns of Teflon tape to the Male threads of all fittings. Next, securely thread the Male pipe thread end of a 1/4"MNPT X 1/4" Male Flare Adapter into the 1/4" FNPT end of each Reducer Bushing. Now thread the 3/8" MNPT ends of the two 3/8" Pipe X 1/4" Flare assemblies into the inlet and outlet ports of the filter housing and carefully tighten until snug; do not over-tighten, the filter housing is plastic and you could strip the threads if you are not careful. Next, securely thread the 1/2" MNPT end of the 1/2" Pipe X 1/4" Flare assembly into the 1/2" FNPT end of the Garden Hose Adapter (or whatever other adapter you ended up with for the tap connection).

We'll also need to attach the mounting bracket that comes with the filter. The bracket is provided so the filter can be attached to the wall or cabinet under the sink, however, we will not be using the bracket for its intended purpose, so our attachment will be a little different from the manufacturer's instructions. There are four mounting holes in the bracket that match up to four screw holes in the top of the filter. Instead of matching up all four holes, match the two holes farthest from the bend in the bracket to one pair of screw holes on the filter, with the bend pointing down toward the filter (see illustrations). Secure the bracket to the filter with two of the Phillips Head screws provided for that purpose. Attached in this way, the bracket can be used to hang the filter from the rubber hand grip rim at the top of a Cornelius keg.

Instructions for using the filter for finished beer were given last issue, but we'll go over the preliminaries again here. Start by sterilizing the filter housing, cartridge, and transfer tubes. The filter housing (disassembled) and transfer tubes can be sterilized by soaking in a chlorine bleach solution (about one tablespoon in a gallon of water will do it) for about fifteen minutes, then rinse thoroughly with hot tap water. Do not use the bleach solution to sterilize the filter cartridge, because the chlorine will not rinse out completely and it will ruin your beer. First, make sure you have the five micron sediment filter cartridge, not the carbon cartridge, for filtering beer (the carbon filter will ruin your beer by removing the alcohol and just about everything else that makes beer what it is, leaving you with not much more than water). You can sterilize the sediment filter by immersing it in boiling water for five minutes, then cool it down by immersing in some chilled pre-sterilized water. Shake out excess water before installing. As an alternative, you could soak the sediment filter in grain alcohol for several hours, but that will be expensive and will make a possibly unwanted contribution to the alcohol content of your beer. After sterilizing, install the filter cartridge and assemble the filter housing, then attach transfer tubes to the flare fittings at the inlet and outlet ports. Refer to last issue's article for the actual transfer & filtration flow control procedure (the key to successful filtration is to go s l o w l y, it should take at least twenty minutes to filter five gallons).

When you have finished filtering, disconnect the transfer tubes from the keg connectors, but leave them attached to the filter ports. Attach the OUTLET side transfer tube to the tap adapter assembly and connect to the water tap. Position the INLET side transfer tube to discharge into the sink, then turn on the cold water and backflush the filter for about five minutes. This will remove most of the yeast that was trapped by the filter. Next, disassemble the filter, remove the cartridge and shake out as much water as possible, then store the cartridge in a zip-lock plastic bag. You should be able to use the cartridge several dozen times before you have to replace it.

To use the filter to purify brewing water, install a carbon filter cartridge. It is not necessary to sterilize the carbon filter cartridge, but you may want to sterilize the housing and transfer tubes before installing the cartridge. Next, attach the INLET side transfer tube to the tap adapter assembly and connect to the water tap. Position the OUTLET side transfer tube to discharge into your brewpot or holding tank, then turn on the cold water. When finished, remove the filter cartridge, shake out as much water as possible, then store the cartridge in a zip-lock plastic bag. You should be able to use the cartridge to purify several hundred gallons of water before you have to replace it.

See, that didn't hurt a bit, did it? We didn't spend much, we didn't have to work very hard or very long, and we at least partially outsmarted the retailers once again. This calls for a celebration, I think I'll have a nice, cool, CLEAR homebrew. Cheers!

The Thrifty Gadgeteer

Copyright 1997, Great Lakes Brewing News. No material herein may be reprinted without permission of the Great Lakes Brewing News Distributed On the W3 For personal, non-commercial enjoyment and use only. Cheers!