Aww for fun! Measuring, double checking stuff for fitment…
Makes me wanna build another brew sculpture… Sneezles61
I’ll continue my Single Vessel build as described above. Meanwhile I’m looking ahead now on how to control mash temperature during recirculation (RIMS) using my 120VAC version Blichmann Hop Rocket. I initially thought about manual control but I’ve been warned away from that (wort scorching). I see a lot of discussion about PID controllers. If anyone has done this I could use some suggestions on a quality and cost-effective PID controller, if there is such a thing. I think from what I’ve read that a Johnson controller is too slow. If there is another technology that works well I am all ears. Thanks!
looking good
Mine is not a PID controlled unit… It’s an SCR… Only once did I scorch a brew… Contained alot of rye… I’ve got many brews through this system… Did I say many? I’m content with what I’ve got… If I was going to build again, I wouldn’t think twice about copying…
I think I paid 20.00 for the SCR… If you look at an old stick welder… You’ll see the voltage controller is SCR… Sneezles61
If I understand the technology correctly, and that’s a big IF, PID allows you to create a temperature setpoint, like 152, where SCR is a matter of percentage of power? If/when I go electric I’ll want a PID on my MT for RIMS type system and step mashes and a SCR on the HLT to just crank out hot water…right?
Yes, PID is able to be set and monitor a temp… Which it needs a probe…
SCR shows you the amount of power being delivered to the element… So you have to adjust how much power to get/maintain the desired temp…
For example… My mash temps I can hold with 12% power… And once I get up to a boil… I can back the power down to 55% and maintain a boil…
So, I do have to be actively involved through out my brew day, as opposed to a PID which you can set the temp and walk away until your next step…
Was it Aburn electronics? where you can look at some really simple or technical PID and SSR’s… I don’t think they had SCR stuff. Sneezles61
Edit: Auberins.com. They have it all
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Cool. I am able to learn, and occasionally remember…haha.
What’s the difference in a SCR and SSR?
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SCR is a silicone controlled resistor… It’ll take the heat better than it’s counter part VCR, voltage controlled rheostat…
SSR is a solid state relay… When the PID’s parameter is reached, I believe it sends out like 24 volts to the SSR which then makes a connection for the high voltage side… You’ll hear a definite click when it engages and disengages… These 2, PID and SSR work together… Sneezles61
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Sneezles61 - if I understand you correctly your current setup is a modified beer keg, cut off just below the rim leaving the handles, and you have a SS mesh basket about the size of a 5 gallon bucket. A standard beer keg is ~15.5" diameter, and a standard 5 gallon bucket is ~12" in diameter and 15" high, which is very close to the dimensions I am working with. You therefore have dead space around the outside of your basket, and below it. Could you please confirm this? I ask because I want to know how well this is working for you. Do you have any problems with mash consistency being too thick, hindering wort flow through it? I believe you recirculate by returning wort to the top of your grain bed, correct? I plan to recirculate via a vertical pipe down into the grain bed…….are you doing that as well?
That WAS my original setup. It worked well. I used the full volume of water that going to go into my fermenter… So my mash was litterly soup… contained in the basket… In fact, it worked so well, I built a knew brewery and that’s when I switched to the electric element… And I had Spike customize a 20 gallon kettle to my specs… And a new basket from biodiesel that is say… 15 gallons capacity…
Both those BIAB set ups pretty much would be at 80% efficiency… That is how I design all my brews…
I now use my original basket as a hop basket…and that helps keeping some of the trub amount down. Sneezles61
Ok thanks Sneezles61. So your current setup’s basket fits tightly into the kettle, right? Why did you change from your original setup to the current one, WRT the basket/kettle part? Do you recirculate onto the top of the grain, or into it with a vertical return pipe with holes. Thanks, and Cheers.
I use a piece of silicone tubing to pump wort on top of the grains… Thought about SS pipe with holes… but talked myself out of it… This way works fine… It’s not clogged like I think the pipe would…
I switched because I wanted to do 10 gallon batches… And with some creative thinking you can create 2 different from one … Sneezles61
Look at Electric kettle build up started… You’ll see some pictures… Sneezles61
FYI
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Thank you Noob! You know I’m not digitally capable!! Sneezles61
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OK as I said I am continuing with my redesign and modifications of my original 3 vessel rig to a single vessel one. Here is my progress with the frame and burner mods, and the addition of a hoist. Here are some descriptions of the images. Sorry about possible duplicate pics, and the order is random.
I loaded my reassembled brew rig into my truck to take it home and finish (rust busting, painting, reassembly.) Next you can see I added some plates above the burner, in the front, to block the heat that has been an issue. My design vents heat primarily to the rear. Worked good, should work better now. At home I disassembled the rig, spent several hours removing rust, and next I will paint the frame. Then I’ll reassemble everything and move on to details of my keggle, grain basket, and recirculation as related to the keggle. More pics as I progress, assuming there is interest.
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Looks like it will turn into a great system!
On a side note, do I see a pool in the background? If so have you ever considered using a pump to chill through your wort heat exchanger? Get free water and the return water heats the pool. WIN WIN.
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Thanks Loopie_beer, I appreciate the positive sentiment. I’ll keep this thread updated with my progress. Yes I have been using my pool water to chill beer for years. I use the same submersible pump to circulate pool water through my plate chiller as I use for draining the pool periodically for maintenance.
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What a cool build! It’ll be interesting to see where this ends up.
Prime it for now… Assemble it and do a mock brew… You may need to add something to your sculpture… Be a shame to have it painted and then realize you need to weld somethings on…
Keep the pictures coming… Sneezles61
