Need to Plumb my new Single Tier (Brutus 10 Style) ANY SUGGESTIONS?

BrewVegas · 10-17-2008, 01:50 AM

I have framed up my single tier out of 1.5" square tubing. I want to phase into a full blown control panel setup with all the bells and whistles. But, I want to make sure I plumb the gas right the first time.

I have (3) 55,000 BTU burners and have yet to weld into place the cross bars to support the kegs and burner brackets. I want to eventually have a control panel on the right side of the stand with all three gas burner controls underneath it.

I would like to add an auto starting feature to the burner (thermostat + ignitor?), but don't know where to start. How do I incorporate a temperature control that would start/stop each burner once set to a specefic temp?

You can see my previous attempt in the background. I tried to save money and make a stand out of fence tubing from Lowe's. I intended to paint over the galvanized steel to prevent the fumes from burning the galvanized steel (welders cough). It was a lost cause so I abandoned ship. It was good practice tube notching, but a waste of money.

cdburg · 10-17-2008, 01:25 PM

If it helps, there are a lot of pictures available for my Brutus/MoreBeer 1100 clone build in this thread. I didn't use external plumbing for all of it, but it should give you some ideas.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/brutus-more-beer-1100-hybrid-stand-complete-73169/

You can find a little more information about how I wired the gas valve and temp controllers in this thread. I got some help from others in the forums to fix something I couldn't figure out.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/help-wiring-honeywell-y8610u-gas-control-valve-pilot-burner-72295/

Hopefully some of that helps.

**eccsynd** · 10-17-2008, 02:09 PM

Nice work on the stand. I wish I had your welding skills.

If you want to add a BCS-460 controller instead of a Ranco, the wiring is very similar to cdburgs wiring, just substitute BCS-460 + SSR instead of the Ranco to switch the 24vac to the valves.

BrewVegas · 10-24-2008, 03:40 AM

I need a basic explanation of what I should do to control all three (or two)burners from a control panel. I've gathered that I need a Love controller 110v, but now what?

It's hard to put together a parts list when I don't quite understand exactly what each part does. Can someone expalin how a gas valve, thermostat, pilot valve (auto shutoff) and Love controller go together?

I'm sure it goes without saying that I'm trying to use a digital controller (Love) to send gas to the burners to regulate the temperature in the 3 kettles, but I don't know what parts I need and how they go together.

Thanks!

Willy Boner · 10-24-2008, 04:07 AM

Call Joe the plumber.

cdburg · 10-24-2008, 01:33 PM

I built my system to be more like a MoreBeer 1100. The honeywell gas valve controls the flow of gas to the HLT low pressure burner. It also handles the pilot light for that burner. One of the Ranco units controls that gas valve. I set the control unit to a specific temperature, which is monitors through a thermowell in the HLT. The control unit then tells the gas valve to light the pilot burner and then turn on the gas flow to the burner. When the water reaches the temperature I set, the control unit sends a signal telling the the gas valve to turn off the pilot and stop the gas flow.

To control the mash temp, I don't use direct heat. I use a normal high pressure, lit manually, to heat the strike water near temperature. I then recirculate wort through a copper heat exchanger in the HLT to raise the temperature as needed. I set the control panel's other Ranco control unit to the mash temp. The Ranco then turns a pump on, when needed, to raise the temperature of the mash. I can keep the temperature of the mash at exactly the temperature I need without heating the kettle directly. I prefer that, since it eliminates the risk of any scorching or burning.

If you haven't already looked at the Brutus 10 article in BYO, I'd recommend you do so. Lonnie described how he set up and wired his stand using the Love controllers and Asco valves.

**Poobah58** · 10-24-2008, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willy Boner

Call Joe the plumber.

ROTF & LMAO

BrewVegas · 10-29-2008, 10:32 PM

Thanks for the explanation cdburg. I have already purchased (3) high pressure burners from Bayou Classic. I've noticed that many people have a lower pressure burner. Should I switch one out?

Also, why do many people choose not to have a controller on the boiler kettle. I'm going to purchase a LOVE digital controller, but an unsure if I should buy two or three.

Thanks...

cdburg · 10-29-2008, 10:50 PM

For me, it was easier, to install a pilot light with the low pressure burner. You can run the pilot into the middle of the burner instead of having to rig up something that suspends it near the side of a high pressure burner. The low pressure burner set up looks cooler too.

I think that you'll want a little more manual control over your boil kettle than an automated set up can give you. A boil over can happen easily enough if you're watching. If you try to set it up with some type of temperature regulated deal, you could be risking making a mess or worse. For me, it's not worth the risk and definitely not worth the added money it would take for the set up.

BrewVegas · 10-31-2008, 05:26 PM

I'm still trying to understand the process of controlling the temperature with a digital controller. I assume there is some kind of probe that monitors the temperature of the inside of the kettle.

Where is this located and how is it mounted?

Can someone provide examples/brands?

Thanks!