lavinjj

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I just picked one up from the local Wal-Mart. It would be perfect for doing the small batches I want to do at competition time, 1 - 2 Gallons. However, I'm going to need to replace the temperature controller or hack it to get the type of temperature control I want.

Right now it looks as if I can only have one temperature for the mash and that is 150 degrees F. It took 20 minutes to bring 4 gallons of water to temp which for me is perfect for a small batch.

The next step up is 170 degrees F which is fine for Mash Out, but It's not going to be good enough for the various recipes I want to brew. I want a range from 110-175 degrees, anything over that is pretty much inconsequential to me since, boiling would be the next logical step in the process.

The other thing I noticed is the temperature differential is about 5 degrees before the unit kicks back on. This needs to be tightened up quite a bit for what I want.

Overall, I think with a little hacking of the Temperature Controller or by replacing it totally I think it will make a really nice mini-biab vessel with the addition of a pump to recirculate the wort to even out the temperature across the batch during mashing.

So, it looks like I got a little work to do over the next week or so to get it to where I want it.

Jim Lavin
http://otakubrewing.com

lavinjj

Recipes 

I tore apart the temp controller housing last night and found that it would not be too hard to mod this out and use a different controller to manage the temperatures.

There are basically three sets of wires that run to the controller board; 12VAC, RTD Inputs and the Relay Control wires.

These would be pretty easy to extend out of the controller housing and run to a separate control box that could then control the heating element based on the RTD readings.

I'm going to do some more work on it tonight, but hope to have a control circuit on a breadboard by the end of the week that will allow me to set a temperature profile and drive the heating element based on the RTD readings.

I'll be posting my changes on my brewing blog, for anyone interested and keep this post up to date with my progress.

Later!

Jim Lavin
http://otakubrewing.com

Zoltanar

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Great project!
I have question about mashing. Is there any problem leaving the grain in the vessel while the heat is on? I also thought about using it instead of my mash tun, but was afraid of altering the grain by doing so.
Let me know how your little electric project turns out - i'm quite interested. I am just wondering though if the problem is the sensor, or the thermostat. Good chance it is the thermostat, but you never know.
Good luck anyway.

lavinjj

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A lot of people have heated mash tuns and heating the mash will not be problematic as long as you control the temperature and don't let it go too high during the heating process.

As for the issue with the Fryer's controller, I'm pretty sure that the issue is with the controller and not the thermistor. The controller was pre-programmed for a given set of temperatures and a temp range. I've spent an hour or so playing with the thermistor and it has a pretty high resolution.

I should have the basic control circuits finished this weekend and I hope to take it out for a spin using a breadboard version of the circuit to see how it works.

Zoltanar

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Great news - both : the thermistor, and your project

wilserbrewer

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I would be sure to constantly stir a mash in contact with an active powered electric element...thinner the mash the better as well, or you will risk scorching the grain.

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rhamilton

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I just finished my first BIAB with a 1650w fryer -- take a look at this insulation thread. It greatly improved the performance of the fryer and it took care of a 5.75 gallon mash/boil with no problems. It'll also hold your mash temp for over an hour without having to reheat. Also, if you are BIAB - you shouldn't have to worry about scorching as the bag insulates the grain from direct contact with the element.

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lavinjj

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Great hint about insulating the fryer to reduce heat loss. I will have to pick up some this weekend and insulate the inside of the fryer's outer container.

I'm also planning on extending the hole where the door is to the top of the fryer's outer container so I can add an upper bulkhead fitting for recirculating the mash.

I was hoping to be able to use the basket that came with the fryer to help keep the grain bag off of the heating element, but I think I'll have to wait til I get the controller finished to see if it's needed or not.

Thanks for the tips!

Jim Lavin - Otaku Brewer
http://otakubrewing.com

Oracle

Recipes 

For what it's worth, I have a similar setup (see link posted above by geeze). I bought mine used (return) from an eBay seller. Supposed to have been "new", but returned. Actual unit had clearly been used (oil/batter residue on the heating element), but more importantly, the digital controller was cracked and did not work. I tore it apart, wired the element directly to the power cord and am controlling it by an external PID-style unit I cobbled together from a Eurotherm controller (eBay again) paired with solid state
relays and type K thermocouples. I replaced the glass lid (I actually ruined it by trying to drill a hole in the tempered glass - silly me) with a re-purposed aluminum pot lid. I also added several layers of insulation to the turkey fryer aluminum pot, basically filling the space between the pot and the outer case. This definitely helped with the heat-up and stability of the temperatures. Even with the insulation, the 1650 watt element takes a while from room temps. I am including an early graph (before the full
insulation upgrade) showing the heat-up time for 5 gallons along with the chill time using the CFC I constructed. 5 gallons works fine, but I have gone up to 6 gallons with similar success, just remember to remove the lid when you go to boil or expect a mess (experience talking).

I like the idea of preheating some of the water on the stove to shorten the heat-up time. This would save having to use a higher wattage element (or two). As mentioned above, it is easy to overload a circuit when this is going full blast and the CFC is running too. Having access to separate circuits is helpful (or a dedicated circuit with a 20 amp breaker).

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lavinjj

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So I picked up all the parts to make the new Temperature Controller today at a local Electronics shop. Now All I need to do is spend the rest of the day breadboarding the circuits and getting the code written for the Netduino Plus Controller I'm going to use.

Hopefully I'll have some pics and results to share soon.

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Jim Lavin - Otaku Brewer
http://otakubrewing.com