Designing a rims - no automation

I am working on details for a rims build. I have a temperature controlled 8 gal mash tun, a 10 gal stainless steel brew kettle and just a 5 gal Stainless pot to use for heating strike water/sparge water. THe only pot that has a valve is the mash tun. What i want to do is add a valve to my water pot but i was thinking that 5 gallons is probably too small for all grain. Before i go put a valve on the pot do you think i should get a pigger pot? Is there any issue with going with aluminum here to save a few bucks???

Here is my over all plan: add valve to water pot (current 5 gal SS or new 8-10 gal alum). use a march pump with a high temp hose with quick disconnect. Have other QDs on outlet of water pot and mash tun - that way i just unplug the hose qd from the water pot and attach to mash tun for recircing mash.

eventually i may get to more automation, but for now i slowly want to work my way into it. It took me a year to go from extract to AG and had a blast upgrading my equipment along the way.

A 5 gallon HLT would probably work for most 5 gallon batches, but it depends on how you actually brew. If you do 10 gallon batches or use large grain bills, you'll want something bigger.

Aluminum or stainless? I'd go for stainless. You're going to be dropping some serious $ on those quick-connects you mentioned (if you haven't priced them yet, be prepared for some sticker shock!), so why get cheap and use an aluminum pot instead of stainless?

How are you going to control the heat in the RIMS?

yeah i saw the price on the quick connect, about the cheapest is McMasterCarr. but they're brass and i imagine get pretty hot. i was thinking about the Poly QDs but at 15-22 a pair , yikes.

electric turkey fryer, 2 batches and perfect holding temps

McMaster's sells stainless ones, too. It's like $50 or something for a set. CRAY-ZEE.

Advice from someone who has used the pump for hot water and such.... If you're going to go with QD's, get the ones that have a shut-off valve built into the coupling. I'm using brass garden hose connectors myself. Not super-quick, but quick-enough for me, and the price is great. But... if you go with "real" QD's and don't have a shut-off valve in the coupling, they are going to have the same problem as my garden hose connectors...

when you disconnect them, they are going to be full to hot liquid, which WILL get on your hands and burn you.

Also, no matter what they are made of, they are going to be hot. REALLY hot. You'll need gloves.

I saw a great trick at my local brewday recently. The brewer used hemostats on the tube when changing the hoses around.

That's a pretty good idea! I don't have any hemostats, but I've got some small vice-grips.

what's a hemostat

kegtoe said:

what's a hemostat

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Those locking scissor looking things that surgeons always call out for to clamp off veins and whatnot.

kegtoe said:

I have a temperature controlled 8 gal mash tun, a 10 gal stainless steel brew kettle and just a 5 gal Stainless pot to use for heating strike water/sparge water.

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Kegtoe,

If you have a temperature controlled mash tun there is really no advantage for you using a RIMS heat exchanger. Simply recirculate using a pump. The idea of a RIMS is to regulate the temperature of the mash tun while recirculating. Since you already temperature control the mash tun a RIMS Hex is reduntant.

I think you jumped to the same conclusion that I did. RIMS, taken just based on what the acronym stands for, is exactly what he has. You don't need a steel tube with a heating element in it for RIMS if you take the acronym literally.

He has a Recirculating Infusion Mash System as sure as I have a nose on my face.

Walker said:

I think you jumped to the same conclusion that I did. RIMS, taken just based on what the acronym stands for, is exactly what he has. You don't need a steel tube with a heating element in it for RIMS if you take the acronym literally.

He has a Recirculating Infusion Mash System as sure as I have a nose on my face.

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I guess I did. Literally he has a RIMS without the HEX. Most people refer to thier RIMS system as having a RIMS HEX. We both fell for it. :cross:

I'm curious about the "no automation" part though. Most HERMS and RIMS system only automate the heat source... which he already has built into that turkey fryer deal, so..... it's as automated as most others, isn't it?

i guess when i meant automated i meant more like a PID and controlling valves, water, etc.

Sawdustguy, thanks for your reply. That was the intent of this post in the first place. So you don't think i would need a recircing method if i use the fryer???

My thought about using the pump to recirc would be much the same as the heat stick in a traditional rims. The pump would be used so the same wort isnt always setting against the heating element. i still have a quasi-false bottom so the grains don't burn on the heating element, however, this causes a portion of the water/wort to not be in contact with the grains. I thought reircing would allow constant passing of wort over the element.

kegtoe said:

i guess when i meant automated i meant more like a PID and controlling valves, water, etc.

Sawdustguy, thanks for your reply. That was the intent of this post in the first place. So you don't think i would need a recircing method if i use the fryer???

My thought about using the pump to recirc would be much the same as the heat stick in a traditional rims. The pump would be used so the same wort isnt always setting against the heating element. i still have a quasi-false bottom so the grains don't burn on the heating element, however, this causes a portion of the water/wort to not be in contact with the grains. I thought reircing would allow constant passing of wort over the element.

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I think that recirculation is a good thing. It will help clear the wort. Part of RIMS is keeping the Mash Tun at a constant temperature which you already have. The other part is recirculating wihich by adding a pump you will accomplish. I thought at first that you were looking at adding a RIMS Heat exchanger. What you are planning will work just fine.

Walker said:

He has a Recirculating Infusion Mash System as sure as I have a nose on my face.

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And what a LOVELY nose it is. HAHAHA!!!!!

Minky said:

And what a LOVELY nose it is. HAHAHA!!!!!

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Thanks, but it's actually a prosthesis. Syphilis ate my real nose off years ago.

Just dumped 250 on NB to get a pump, fittings, hose, QDs, etc

Sawdustguy said:

Kegtoe,

If you have a temperature controlled mash tun there is really no advantage for you using a RIMS heat exchanger. Simply recirculate using a pump. The idea of a RIMS is to regulate the temperature of the mash tun while recirculating. Since you already temperature control the mash tun a RIMS Hex is reduntant.

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I thought the point of HEX RIMS was to gently and lovingly keep the temp, and so it is superior to the quick bursts of heat associated with a regular RIMS (burner or electric)?

alcibiades said:

I thought the point of HEX RIMS was to gently and lovingly keep the temp, and so it is superior to the quick bursts of heat associated with a regular RIMS (burner or electric)?

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I think it is but the OP has elected to do it by temperature controlling his MLT. While that is not the way I would do it. I use a RIMS Hex in my brewery. I am not going to criticize him for utilizing something he is comfortable with and does work. If you remember from the first post, he will eventually use automation when he feels more comfortable.

i think ill still try the recircing as i dont wnat the same wort alway sitting at the heating element