Thinking of doing a partial boil inside tomorrow. Instead of topping off in the fermenter would it be Ok to top off in the boil pot then do the transfer? I have an 8 gallon pot with a valve and thought this might be easier as long as I know where my 5 gallon mark is in the kettle. In the past I have always topped off in the carboy after transfer.
Actually that is preferable. Add cold water from the fridge to help chill
A glass carboy will be shocked by hot wort. Cool the wort to at least room temperature for glass. A plastic fermentor like a BMB can handle up to 140°F, maybe. A plastic bucket may go with warmer temps before deforming.
Using an immersion chiller to take the wort down to fermentation temperature? Then a safe and okay process.
I always cool it first before transfer with an immersion chiller. Don’t know why I haven’t done it this way before, just never thought of it I guess. DUH. I haven’t done a partial boil in quite awhile and most of the time I can hit the 5 gallon mark pretty good with the full boils, but once in awhile have to add a little to top off to 5. Last time I did a partial I did not have a valve on my kettle which is why I probably topped off in the carboy and have been doing it that way ever since. One of those aha moments for me.
You can actually boil water in a foodsafe bucket, the melting point of the resin is way higher than 212°F. I understand that it’s fairly common in England to install an electric heating element in a bucket for brewing. Plus all the no-chill brewers pour boiling wort into those same materials. Not that I trust plastics leaching chemicals at those temps, but it’s possible…
And dont forget. It might crack the carboy. Me do full boil. And chill the wort before transfer. To the big mouth bubbler.
I had a plastic bucket with a heating element (from England) a long time ago. You could do a rolling boil in it no problem. I never detected any off flavors from it.
They still make them Bru Heat Thorne Electrim Mashing Bucket - Love Brewing
I have a heating element for my pot which I haven’t installed. I don’t really want to bring all that steam into my basement. I have alot of electronics and my records in the same area as my brewery. I started doing some mashing inside using electric coffee makers but still roll my brew pot into an adjacent garage to do my boil. Then back inside to chill. Of course I do alot of brewing in my outside brew kitchen in the spring and fall. The biggest part for me would setting up a suitable ventilation system the brewing part is the easy part