One-pump, gravity, lumber: my first brew stand

I am in the planning process. Figured I'd put my thoughts on thread.
I'm thinking a two or three tier rig with one or two burners. I ordered a march 809 today. I have a home depot 10 gallon cooler mash tun I plan on using on the rig initially. I also have a keggle for the boil and a simple one flame turkey frier burner I have used in the past. I'm looking into buying a nice burner(or two) and a nice HLT. I'll come back with some sketchups and explanations of my plans tomorrow.
Mumbling devil's advocate Questions: I have never used a march pump before.
A) I've got 3/8" high temp tubing now. Do I need to go ahead and buy a couple yards of 1/2" and appropriate barbs to use with the march 809-pl-hs-C?
B) How does the pump handle grist and hop bits?
C) What size(gallons) should I look into for a HLT for 10 gallon batches?
D) Recirculating(rims or herms).... Is it the way to go? Or not at this point in brewing carreer? Does recirculating require automated valves and digital temp controllers? Or is there a practical approach to get started with it without creating more hassle then it's worth or brew day? Or..Is rigging up some extent of automation easier(and cheaper) than it seems?


Enough brainstorms from me for tonight. Any comments/ thoughts/ insults/ or suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

Cheers

A: You will want the 1/2" Tube for max flow and use quick disconnects instead of barbs as trust me you will need them.

B: You are not supposed to run anything other than liquid thru it, I would figure out a way to filter it out thru a false bottom or various other methods.

C: 15 Gallons as 5 gal head space is good. A 13.5 gallon euro keg will also work but you have to be more careful to avoid boil overs.

D: Rims, Herms, Direct fire, you will find arguments that support all 3. I am a direct fire guy myself and I have noticed downs and ups to the method. Like wise for my buddy who is a HERMS man. Every approach has its ups and downs.

proflow dynamics is the cheapest place ive seen for camlock fittings. $60-90 will outfit your whole rig depending on how you plumb it.

march pumps handle small particles fine. like pellet hops and small amounts of grain that gets thru the false bottom. you do want to limit the amount of solids going thru it though, and large pieces will get cloged.

for 10 gallons of end product, you will be looking at 12-14 gallons preboil, remember. half-keg kettles easily make 8 gallon batches. when im brewing 10 (meaning getting 13 or 14 to a boil) you have to be very careful during hot break because it can easily boil over.

i went HERMS because i had a pump anyway. or- i got a pump because i went HERMS. not sure exactly. i dont personally like RIMS because i dont like the idea of a heating element in direct contact with the wort. direct fire is simpler and sometimes cheaper, but you have to keep your eye on it more. its up to you to balance your budget, the degree of automation/accuracy you want, and what is practicle for you and your particular setup.

A) 1/2" is definitely preferable for much high flow rates, but not absolutely necesary. I second the reccomendation for QD's. Camlocks are cheap and work great.

B) A few small particles won't hurt anything, but you'll need to filter the majority of the debris out somehow.

C) I'd say the HLT should hold at a minimum the batch size, so at least 10 gal in your case. Another keggle would be ideal. If you batch sparge you can get away with a smaller HLT (5 gal), by using the BK to heat part of the sparge water, but it's a bit of a PITA.

D) Recirculating is worth it IMO, and if you have a pump there's no good reason not to. Automating the mash is nice, but not necessary. A simple HERMS would be the cheapest option if you're using a cooler for the MLT.

So construct is underway. Ive decided to go single tier. I ordered a couple of pumps, a sq-14, and an 11gallon bayou classic ss pot. I'm thinking I'll convert it to a herms tank / HLT. Thanks fellas for the input. More to come. Opinions much appreciated.
Cheers

Please keep us updated - I'm just starting to come up with my own stand and have all the same questions.

The sculpture is coming along nicely. I put in several orders yesterday for fittings and automation. The plan is herms coil in the HLT, one asco valve, one controller, one thermostat on the HLT ball valve. 2 pumps will recirculate wort and HLT water to keep temps where they should be during the mash. Asco valve($58 shipped off eBay) will hopefully do the trick with the bayou classic sq-14 and the controller. I don't know how to wire up electronics, but I guess I'll get some help from one of my electrician buds when the time comes. Here's what I'm thinking:
An action packer type dry box with maybe a flip-reversible lid, with the pumps mounted, so it can be weatherproof for outside storage. Inside it will have a control box with a few feet of cord that will all tuck inside for storage. This way I can keep all the circuitry away from the moist-during-rain patio, but pull it all out and be ready to brew in a couple minutes.
Any ideas on what/where I can find a box that could achieve something like that?

What are you using for the shelf material supporting the burners/kettles? That's a LOT of weight....unless you have some cross-bracing directly under the load-bearing points, I'd highly recommend using some cheap floor planking for extra strength - you don't want a lit burner AND 10+ gallons of boiling wort crashing towards you!

DarkBrood said:

What are you using for the shelf material supporting the burners/kettles? That's a LOT of weight....unless you have some cross-bracing directly under the load-bearing points, I'd highly recommend using some cheap floor planking for extra strength - you don't want a lit burner AND 10+ gallons of boiling wort crashing towards you!

Click to expand...

It's just sitting on sawhorses right now. I'll have it on 3" casters whenever they come in the mail. The burners will be on shelves with 5 2x4 studs under each for support, then 1/2" plywood, then sheet metal for heat protection.

Two pumps one box: fat 50 ammo can is complete and wired up. Gas lines will be plumbed soon. Sheet metal should be installed this weekend. Asco valve wiring and temp controller set-up will hopefully be done soon. I gotta read the manual before I start drinking if I'm ever gona get that pid figured out. Few more little things:
Mounting the pilot light to the sq-14
Windshield on the sq-14(I'm thinking sheet metal and rivets?)
Acquire and install a thermocouple for use with baso h19 safety pilot valve
Get a few propane plumbing fittings, as well as 2 needle valves( pilot & burner)
Throw some pipes and valves together and mount it
Leak test the gas lines
Install 50' copper coil inside 11gallon bayou classic pot(HERMS)
Mount therminator
Install quick disconnects on everything
Do a water test
Brew 1000000 gallons

Any questions or comments welcome. I think I've learned a lot in the process of throwing this thing together, but there's still a lot to do and surely a lot of unforeseen hang-ups between now and brewday.

I'll post some more pics of all this madness when I get home.

Cheers

Well I moved down the street to a new house. New house has detached garage. After much work, garage has become mancave/homebrewery. The old brewstand survived and appears happy in it's new environment, although sadly neglected. I have not brewed since moving(had a lot going on fixing up house and starting new job). But it is time to get cooking and hopefully get the pipeline rolling again. My question: what to brew? Its a new year, new house, new job, so whats a good new recipe? If you could point me in the direction of your favorite Pale Ale Recipe, I would greatly appreciate it.