Hot Liquor Tank
Above shows pictures of my hot liquor tank. I filter water going into the tank with an inline filter(see picture below). I usually brew 5 gallon batches but I fill the sparge tank to the top because inside it is a copper coil that is used to keep the mash at a certain temperature. Inside the tank is the copper coil, the drain tube, a heating element , and a thermocouple. The heating element is 240 volt 3500 watt element. It will heat up the water fairly quickly. The copper coil in the tank was purchased from Precision Brewery Systems for approximately $100. It is a 1/2" copper coil that is twisted like a spiral before it is formed into the coil, this creates more surface area which allows the coil to raise the temperature of the mash very quickly. The only problem that I have with this tank is keeping the the water at a constant temperature without always stirring the water. I have purchased an extra pump and will recirculate the water to keep the temperature constant and eliminate cold spots.