Re-Purposing Homebrew Equipment in an Emergency
It’s good to be prepared in case of emergency. You never know when inclement weather, other conditions or what-not will cause problems. This post is about pointing out ways we can re-purpose our homebrew gear and supplies in the event of an emergency.
- Kegs – can be used to collect water – thoroughly clean and sanitize prior to use
- Fermenters – can be used to collect water – thoroughly clean and sanitize prior to use
- Some already use things like Aqua-Tainers sorts of things to collect brew day water and filtered RO water. Those, of course, can be used to store emergency water. Search Amazon for “emergency water container”
- Propane Burners can be used to sanitize water and heat food.
- Do not use Propane Indoors for heat unless you’re using a device specifically designed and approved for that use. Search Amazon for “mr heater indoor propane heater” for some ideas. Those sorts of heaters can also be handy in colder climates on brew day. Again… follow directions and manufacturer ratings.
- First Aid Kit – In my opinion, you should have one or more of these on hand in and around your home brewery. Search Amazon for “first aid kit”
- Vacuum Sealers – beyond being awesome at preserving hops, these can be used to preserve shelf stable staples to be used in the event of an emergency. Amazon Best Sellers in Vacuum Sealers
- Some beer and wine making ingredients are… food. Honey, oats, extracts, brewing sugars.
- Homebrewed Beer and Wine are… calories and liquid. Not suggesting these are a staple, but they are calories and offer some amount or nutrition.
- Batteries – you probably have a stock of batteries around your home brewery to run do-dads. Those can also run flashlights and radios. Search Amazon for “AmazonBasics Batteries” for some potential deals
- Buckets can be used for lots of things including water collection and food storage. If a bucket has scratches, personally, I’d skip using that for drinking water.
- Coolers. We’re usually pretty well set up on coolers. If ice is available, pull that false bottom out and use keep food items cool in case of power loss.
- Flashlights – one of my first Amazon Finds on Homebrew Finds was a flashlight. My homebrewery v1 was dark and I used a high powered flashlight to look in kegs to make sure they were clean. I have a flashlight around my homebrewery to this day. Those are handy for.. lighting things up. Search Amazon for “led flashlight”
- I’ve long been a proponent of fixing things when possible. Along those lines,
- I like to keep an assortment of hardware on hand at the ready to help fix and build things around the brewery – some Amazon searches – “screw assortment”, “clamp assortment”, “electrical nut assortment”, “heat shrink assortment”, “hardware assortment kit”. Having some hardware on hand means you have a better chance to fix things when they break. That’s handy if things are our of stock or if it’s hard to get to a store.
- Chest freezers that have been converted to kegerators can be… converted back to deep freezes for food storage.
- PBW and Star San can be used to clean and sanitize all sorts of things outside of your brewery. Using Star San in a Spray Bottle helps make it last a long time.
Do you have more ideas for re-purposing homebrew gear? Submit a Tip and let us know so we can share
For more on emergency preparedness visit ready.gov
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Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application. Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application. Always read and follow manufacturer directions.
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