Another Electric Build - Morgan Dollar Brewery

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jcwalsh

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
40
Reaction score
0
Location
Shawnee
Hello All,

I have been putting parts together for the last 6 weeks and started cutting holes in my control panel yesterday. Hopefully I will be able to paint it today and get everything installed. This is a Kal clone and it would not have been possible without his detailed instructions and documentation. Thanks Kal.

This is going to be a long drawn out build as we have new twin girls and both sleep and spare time have been sparse.

In addition to the control panel I am using 2 modified Sanke kegs for the HLT and MLT. I am lucky enough to have welders at work that are going to weld on the tri-clamp ferrules for the BK and HLT. I bought the tri-clamp element adapters from Brewers Hardware. They are slick and I can not wait to get them running.

I know that in the coming weeks I am going to need some help from those that have completed the process, so thanks in advance.

Jeff

2011-07-10_05-55-33_935.jpg


2011-07-10_05-58-07_450.jpg
 
The Welder at work installed the ferrules today and I did the elements and temp probe cables last night. I am going to coil the ss recirc tubing and install in the HWT tomorrow.

2011-07-15_17-17-52_111.jpg

2011-07-15_17-18-04_68.jpg

2011-07-15_17-19-07_814.jpg

2011-07-15_17-19-49_3401.jpg
 
Nice to know someone is from the area. I have only been here for a few years and am amazed how many people brew in the KC area.

More pics.

2011-07-15_19-15-38_523.jpg

2011-07-15_19-16-25_983.jpg
 
Got some more stuff completed today.

Everything is mounted to the interior control panel tray, control panel cover is painted and relays are mounted to the "Super Jumbo" heatsink.

I will see if I can drill the holes to mount the heatsink so I can paint the rest of the control panel box tonight.

I ordered all of the tags this week and hopefully they will arrive sometime next week.

IMG_20110716_181754.jpg

IMG_20110716_181647.jpg

IMG_20110716_181556.jpg
 
I started wiring the interior of the panel today. I gave the box and door a final coat of paint last night and am now just waiting for the tags to arrive. I went a different route and bought the tags that surround the switches so until they arrive I am on hold. I have to say that I was shocked at the cost of the outlets and plugs. I filled a basket at Home Depot and could not bring myself to drop the $230 total. Back to eBay to see if I can save some money....
2011-07-21_06-36-16_543.jpg
 
Completed some more wiring on the control panel and installed the tray in the box. I also wired up the relays and installed the heat sink. I hope the tags come today as I am traveling most of next week. I also scored a nice (free) sheet of aluminum diamond plate that is going to be the top and bottom tray of the stand.
IMG_2213.jpg

IMG_2211.jpg

IMG_2216.jpg
 
Nice panel. Where did you get the disconnect switch? I have been looking for one, but I have been scared of the price.
 
The disconnect switch was already installed on the used panel I bought on E-bay. I ended up laying out everything else around that switch and the one light that was already there. Same reason the heat sink is on the side. The carry handle was already installed on top and it is great for carrying it around.
 
Yes 1.5" ferrule, installed on both the boil kettle and Sanke HLT. The MLT is a upside down Sanke with a 2" Tri-Clamp to 1.5" reducer.

I found a old GreenLee 1.5" panel punch on e-bay and it cut the perfect hole for the OD of the ferrules. If anyone needs it just let me know and I will send it to you, just pay for shipping.

I really like this setup as I will be able to remove the elements and be able to give the boil kettle a good scrubbing. It also lets me put the elements and cords away when not in use and reduce the chance of damaging something.
 
The temp sensors will be mounted following Kal's plans. Both the MLT and HLT are installed into 1/2 FPT Ts and the wort and water flow constantly across them. The BK is permanently installed into the side.

I have all the parts but have not installed them. I am trying to finish the control panel and then finish building the stand w/ pumps & CF chiller. It has been very hot here the last few weeks so I have been doing as much as I can in the house.

I have tried two different ways of coiling the 1/2 SS tubing for the HLT and have kinked it both ways. Out of everything this has been the biggest PITA.
 
How are the TC heater elements working out? Did everything assemble easily? I have been eyeing these for the e build I am planning. Any chance of getting a few details pics of the interior with the cap removed?

Thanks!
 
I will post some pics when I get home. They were a breeze to put together. It took 5-10 minutes total and they really look great. You just have to be willing to drop the $$$.
 
jcwalsh said:
As requested here are some pics of the Tri-Clamp element.

Awesome. Thanks for posting those. That is pretty. I guess I will have to build it into my budget...

This gets expensive quickly, doesn't it?
 
Someone asked if I was keeping a list of what I had spent so far. "Hell NO" or I would have been forcibly stopped long ago. One box of outlets for the control box arrived yesterday and my Wife lost it. She said she is throwing the next package that comes for me away.
 
Tinga said:
.... $85 for a pretty ball valve? woof

Not pretty, but easily disassembled with no tools for cleaning. No wrenches and nuts and bolts like three pieces, just a tri clamp in the middle, rinse it off and you're good. That's the advantage of any TC: no threads, easy disassembly for cleaning.
 
Not pretty, but easily disassembled with no tools for cleaning. No wrenches and nuts and bolts like three pieces, just a tri clamp in the middle, rinse it off and you're good. That's the advantage of any TC: no threads, easy disassembly for cleaning.

sounds like you've already got your justification right there.
 
great build man!

One questions, how does the element stay tight (water tight) inside the brewers hardware enclosure? it looks like it just sits in there, which would worry me since there is nothing stopping it from leaking.
 
It has to thread in to a female threaded portion. No doubt about it.
 
It is threaded in and bumps up against a hi-temp rubber washer. Teflon tape on the threads. I think it is much more secure than some of the home engineered ones people have built. No offense to the very talented home engineers.
 
Ah, thanks for the answer. I was assuming that the female threaded portion was the case but couldn't tell from any of the pictures. Cheers!
 
As requested here are some pics of the Tri-Clamp element.

IMG_2231.jpg

A homebrewer on Kal's site was using these adapters and saying that they weren't waterproof, and a PITA to remove and undo the grounding screw. Have you had a test run with the element to see how waterproof they are?
 
Well we returned from Chicago this week and I finally got some more done on the panel. The biggest PITA so far was cutting the holes in the control panel for the outlets. I literally split it into two nights and used about 3oz of cutting oil. I only used the removable piece and there was not enough room for the temp outlets. I ended up putting them on the side of the box. I was able to get a bunch of scrap Stainless tubing from work and hopefully I will have time to break out the welder tomorrow and start building the stand. The march pumps and CF chiller arrived this week so I do not need much more to finish.

During our visit to Chicago I picked up the conical I bought on the classified here a couple of months ago and now I am motivated to get everything done to do the first batch.

IMG_2236.jpg

IMG_2237.jpg

IMG_2235.jpg

IMG_2239.jpg

IMG_2244.jpg

IMG_2243.jpg

IMG_2246.jpg

IMG_2247.jpg

IMG_2248.jpg
 
I finally got started on the stand today. I got a bunch of stainless tubing that had already been welded and used those to design a basic stand. My oldest Son was helping me cut the pieces. I had never welded stainless before but having not welded for several years I was pleased with how it turned out. I will be cutting the aluminum tomorrow so it will be on the top and the shelf. I will post pics once I have the pumps and CF chiller installed. Hopefully next weekend.

The last picture is why you where boots and not running shoes when working with steel that is heavy. I had welded the sides and had everything put together to ensure it was square when the side fell over and landed perfectly on my big toe.

IMG_2422.jpg

IMG_2424.jpg

IMG_2427.jpg

IMG_2429.jpg

IMG_2434.jpg

IMG_2436.jpg

IMG_2437.jpg

IMG_2431.jpg
 
That triclamp heating element looks awesome! I have to agree that having one of those on the boil kettle would be far easier for clean up. I might consider upgrading one of these days. I think it would be worth the extra cost to be able to just undo a TC and pull out the whole element so I can drag the pot to the sink for clean up.
 
Love the way the element looks with the tc. Can I ask where you got all the parts to do that??
 
Back
Top