Got to test out the Tower of Power last night

A friend and I both work for a home brew shop and we got a Tower of Power in and were told to test it out. Can't post pics yet because we're not sure what Blichmann wants with that, but I can tell you it's pretty sweet. Installed into the burner in all of about 15 minutes. The sparker is very effective at lighting the burner and the propane valve worked like a charm. Seemed like a bit of a delay to kill the burner as I warmed the probe in my hand, but it WAS a wild temperature swing and it did kill the burner within 10 seconds after hitting the target. Other than that, it hit temps perfectly and was able to relight the burner as needed.

Overall, it is a very good temperature automation system that's very easy to integrate into pretty much any system. I don't believe they've set retail pricing yet, but it will be expensive. Much more than the Arduino system I'm working on.

I'll post pics as soon as I can.

OK one pic probably won't hurt.

Did you get a chance to test out the plumbing part? I'm definitely interested in using the control with the pump for recirculation during mashing.

Well it looks like it's just a switched outlet on the back of the box. The propane valve just has a standard plug that when powered, it's open. You could certainly just plug a pump into it and it would turn the pump on and off to maintain a mash temp.

I'm not sure that the ability to set the temp to the tenth of a degree is necessary as it's 10 button presses for 1 degree, but you can hold it and it starts going faster.

My understanding from the tower-of-power demo Blichmann did last summer (https://fhsteinbart.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/nhc-2011-day-one/) was it was meant to provide automated RIMS, they included the two controllers (what you have pictured) and a dedicated set of valves. Customer supplies the pump.

Look at the picture on the blichmann page:

http://www.blichmannengineering.com/TOWER_of_POWER/photos/Tower_plumbing.jpg

I should say that we didn't get the actual "Tower" part of the Tower of Power... so I guess we're just playing with Power.

The control box is clearly the brains of this whole thing. Not sure how my friend plans to mount/use the control box.

They showed it on the utility shelf on the Top Tier, but if folks already have their own stand, that'll be a plumbing challenge since you need access to the controller for control. Definitely would be interesting to see what non-Top Tier integration looks like.

We are putting this on my friend's brewery which is NOT a Top Tier. The only installation is wires going to the gas solenoid and a wire to the sparker for ignition. Also the temp probe that can just screw into a stainless T before a ball valve. As far as automating a pump and all that, you'll probably already have a pump mounted and this control box will automate whatever is plugged into it. The tower stand they show is cool and if you had no other way to mount it, it would work well, however you could certainly come up with your own mounting solution for that control box.

I'd sure like to hear what the pricing is like. I have been looking at this since NHC last year, but we're approaching a year later and still no official release...

Based solely off what our cost is at the store, we're estimating somewhere around $500 - $550. I'm assuming that's just for the control box like what we've got right now. It IS expensive, but for someone who's just looking for a very easy way to automate a burner/pump, anyone can install this and have it running in a matter of a few minutes.

mpcluever said:

Based solely off what our cost is at the store, we're estimating somewhere around $500 - $550. I'm assuming that's just for the control box like what we've got right now. It IS expensive, but for someone who's just looking for a very easy way to automate a burner/pump, anyone can install this and have it running in a matter of a few minutes.

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that sounds cheap to me considering that i don't have the time or the skills needed to build something like this on my own.

Can you post some pics of the valve and igniter assembly?

eastoak said:

that sounds cheap to me considering that i don't have the time or the skills needed to build something like this on my own.

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Someone will be along shortly to call that overpriced

I'll see if I can post some more pics. The manual has some pics on page 11 and 12.

Tower of Power Manual

The valve and sparker were VERY easy to install as the valve just goes inline right before it goes into the burner and the sparker was just 2 holes (one for the whole probe to go through the shield around the burner and another for the screw to secure it)

I guess I wouldn't call it overpriced per se... It's more than I would pay, but I'm pretty good with building DIY stuff. Again, this would be GREAT for someone who just wants a turn-key automation system without having to source parts and build a system. It appears to be very well built and is super easy to install and use. That alone is worth quite a bit. Also, the parts they're using are not cheap as I'm looking at what it would take to build a similar system.

Ah hope we get more information soon.

That is a creative way to package a 120V direct spark ignition module and a pid controller, hope it has a UL 508 sticker inside, or it is not a product that can be sold in some states which require a UL or other recognized testing company documentation. The BOM for that could range between a low as $150, up to $250 depending on ignition module used and enclosure fabrication price.

So I FINALLY had a chance to work with this last night. Overall it worked very well. We did a direct fire mash with the temp sensor mounted on the return hose as we continually recirculated. It was able to ramp the temperature very effectively and didn't overshoot too much. It wasn't my batch and I was brewing myself so I didn't really see how far it would overshoot as it first hit the target temp, but as it progressed, it was pretty accurate.

There were a few issues. Not sure why, but at one point we saw the temp had jumped about 20 degrees in less than a minute and we panicked for a sec, but then realized it was a malfunction and it corrected itself right away. Also, since it gives out a LOUD long beep before it lights every time, I had visions of smashing it just so I didn't have to hear it anymore. It gets really annoying when it's maintaining temperature and lighting every minute or so. You could probably void your warranty and break into it and disconnect the speaker. I know I would... It's just frustrating because it's solely driven by liability because someone would burn themselves monkeying with it while it's running so now I have to listen to BEEEEP BEEEEP.

One thing we weren't able to test was using the data port on the back to log data. We'll do some tests on that without the pressures of trying to brew.

Overall my opinion of it remains that for someone who isn't much of a DIY person, this is a very easy solution to automate heating your brewery. I'm curious what the retail pricing will be on it.

Look forward to hearing about more about how your future batches go.

Also, when we were testing it without a kettle on it, there was a lot of propane escaping before it would light. That didn't seem to be an issue with the kettle on it. I wasn't expecting it to still be an issue, but thought I'd mention it.

Dude... Call them now and get permission to post those pics

Gonna be released first week of june, local brew store just posted they will have them in

I just ordered a Tower of Power stand and 1 module from Northern Brewer. The Delivery date is July 3rd. I am going to use a 10 gallon brew kettle with a false bottom that I already have for my mashtun, Hopefuly this works ok, trying to save some money from buying a Blichmann kettle and burner for now.

Not sure what I'm doing wrong, the system worked for the first batch a wheat beer at 150 with a mash out of 168. So I made an IPA, not so good. The system would kick on and then off without hitting the target temp (it shuts off low and though it cycles the temp keeps dropping). Had to play with the controller and had some problems with running up the temp. Since the system is circulating the wort (I have an autosparge and tower) I thought the system would be more efficient. Because the returning wort spins around the outside of the mash - I wonder if my wort was taking the path of least resistance, causing my efficiency to be lower (64%). Next time I will stir the mash toward the end. The recirculation is hard to throttle to a trickle. I'm going to play with the system this weekend using just water to get this thing down.

I think once the bugs are worked out, I should improve my brewing.

gwfrankpsu said:

Not sure what I'm doing wrong, the system worked for the first batch a wheat beer at 150 with a mash out of 168. So I made an IPA, not so good. The system would kick on and then off without hitting the target temp (it shuts off low and though it cycles the temp keeps dropping). Had to play with the controller and had some problems with running up the temp. Since the system is circulating the wort (I have an autosparge and tower) I thought the system would be more efficient. Because the returning wort spins around the outside of the mash - I wonder if my wort was taking the path of least resistance, causing my efficiency to be lower (64%). Next time I will stir the mash toward the end. The recirculation is hard to throttle to a trickle. I'm going to play with the system this weekend using just water to get this thing down.

I think once the bugs are worked out, I should improve my brewing.

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You shouldn't be recirculating at a trickle. The TOP manual specifies a MIN flow rate. Faster is better if your mash can handle it without sticking. Keeping the mash recirculating at a good speed should result in more even temps and eliminate your cycling problem.

One of the things I noticed is that around the outside of the mash was worn (best way to describe) down with a mound in the middle. My old spray head gave me a flat mash and I had efficiencies from 75 to 85%. I may make a spray head to work with the autosparge to aviod this in the future. The autosparge worked well and I'm really happy with it.

I assembled my TOP today, After getiing a flow with water, I ran in to a problem, the digital display works until I go to the On or Reset mode than it trips the GFCI instanly, I Plugged the solenoid in to an another outlet and I could hear it activate. I hope it is not a problem with the control module. I called Northern Brewer, but they don't have any experience with the control module yet . I guess they will probably call Blichmann for help.



View attachment 67558

Blichmann is sending a replacement controller to me today. Blichmann's suspects that there is a wiring short in the unit. Northern Brewer customer support was great to deal with.

Can someone do me a favor and post the dimensions for the mounting holes at the bottom of the control unit? Just want to know how far apart the holes are.

If you plan to use two, Blichmann has a mounting plate that's predrilled, but I don't see one for single units and am curious to know what the dimensions are for making my own plate.

Thanks!

pfgonzo said:

can someone do me a favor and post the dimensions for the mounting holes at the bottom of the control unit? Just want to know how far apart the holes are.

If you plan to use two, blichmann has a mounting plate that's predrilled, but i don't see one for single units and am curious to know what the dimensions are for making my own plate.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

4"x3"

Ahoffy said:

4"x3"

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You don't need a plate with one controler. Here are photos of the tower and the controller

Thanks Ahofy! I don't care for the Blichmann TOP-stand, and was going to attach an arm to my actual brewstand (still in concept), to mount the control unit on. Needed the specs for the holes.

'Preciate it! I assume that's 4x3" exactly?

Installed the repacement controller and did a test run with water to check it out. Going to do a Belgian Wit experimental batch on Satuday.

I brewed the Belgian Wit yesteday. I should of brewed something with out flaked oats and flaked wheat for my first batch with the Tower of power. I had trouble keeping the mash from fluctuations of the recirculation temperature. I had trouble keeping a steady flow at 154 over the 60 min mash. will try a recipe with just grain next time.

What swings were you getting ?

4-5 degrees at one time it was still climbing when I put the controler in reset mode to get it back to 154. I tried to keep the flow at 1 gpm, probally should open it up more. Also I think the Autosparge could of been resisting the flow from the RTD. I will try again soon with a Pale Ale recipe.

I'd like to just buy the flow meter. Does anyone know where jt can be purchased and have a part number?

I am having problems with the ignition system on mine.It currently does not light the burner 100 % of the time. there is good spark and and gas is flowing yet it will not light the burner off.it's driving me nuts

Fat_Bastard said:

I am having problems with the ignition system on mine.It currently does not light the burner 100 % of the time. there is good spark and and gas is flowing yet it will not light the burner off.it's driving me nuts

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Hmm, sounds like there might not be enough oxygen present to ignite... try playing with the air damper some and see if you can find the sweet spot to get the air-fuel mixture correct. Also, try playing with the spark gap (make it a touch longer) and see if that helps.