Newby gas RIMS buld help

First of all...long time reader, first time poster. I'm finally ready to jump off the deep end and kick the extract beers to the curb and go all grain. I've read the threads on RIMS vs HERMS and think that RIMS is what I'll start with. I already have three kegs (lids cut out), but need help with the rest. I'm in the middle of E. Oregon and there isn't a homebrew club to help out, or a setup to look at.

I want to go gas (electricity makes me real nervous) and have everything on one level. I'm not too concerned about cost (within reason) and think two pumps will work. Usually I can follow build schematics, but I'm lost when folks post pics here. I read the RIMS for dummies thread, and while good, it was mostly for electric RIMS.

Anyway, I'm starting from scratch and any help would be most welcome.

how exactly would one create a rims system using gas? In my research the only way to do a rims system is using electric. Personally i think what you want is a gas fired herms system, this is what i did. There are plenty of guides on this site to create these systems. If you are looking for some sort of temperature control of your HLT and Mash Tun look into PID controlled Herms system. They are pretty easy to construct and require minimal electrical wiring.

There's no reason a gas RIMS couldn't be done, but I've never seen one. Kind of like the flash boilers some folks have made for steam mashing, but at a lower temp, maybe?

What i had envisioned was wort heated in the hlt then pumped over the grain in the mlt, then back to the hlt. Am i way off?

Sure, you can do a gas RIMS. Lots of people do. You just direct fire the mash tun. Probably the most famous example is Lonnie Mac's brutus 10.

Also, regarding your electricity phobia -- note that if you want your RIMS or HERMS system to maintain mash temperatures automatically, there's going to be electricity involved, even if it is gas fired. The only way to avoid electrical work altogether is to go without automation.

I currently have a completely manual direct-fired RIMS system and am in the process of upgrading to an automated system. So take my word for it that direct-fire RIMS is a bit of a pain in the ass without automation. You have to babysit the mash and make slight adjustments to the flame to maintain temperature. Get distracted doing something else and you can easily overshoot temps by 10 or 20 degrees -- aack!

Lonnie's brutus 10 design is automated -- here's that link. But note that in the original design there's the potential for the pilot to get blown out, which creates an extremely dangerous situation if you aren't keeping a close eye on things. So PLEASE check out this thread also, which uses a gas valve that automatically shuts down gas to the burner if the pilot goes out.

12PACFan said:

What i had envisioned was wort heated in the hlt then pumped over the grain in the mlt, then back to the hlt. Am i way off?

Click to expand...

If you're thinking of a copper coil in the HLT, this is starting to sound more like HERMS than RIMS. For direct fire RIMS you just apply heat to the bottom of the MLT. To prevent scorching, you need a full false bottom in the MLT and constant recirculation with a pump.