My new brew system, a brutus 10 with some nice modifications

Started my parts aquisition today...

Anyone looking to use the Honeywell VR8200A2124 might want to check out PexUniverse

http://www.pexuniverse.com/honeywell-vr8200a2124-gas-valve

You get that valve and a thermocouple for $68.95 (as of 5/5/11)

First off I love it and it is exactly what I want to do...Though I would like to add a remote device so one could track the temperatures and information much like the brew magic. Any Ideas???

After reading the entire thread and looking at your schematic a couple different times I noticed that the third burner is all by its self. Is is controlled by any switch or do you just manually fire it? In all truth a switch could be put in place that allows one of your PId temp controls to receive info from a third probe on the third burner to allow for temp readings and adjustment of temp at boil could it not?

Thanks
Caleb

Hey does anyone have a fully completed .skp model with all the brackets in place to share?

Since boil aggression tends to vary, I adjust the third one manually with the valve.

--
Josh

Any reason why most Brutus have the HLT on the right, and the BK on the left? I mean we read left to right... right? Is it just because the original was setup that way?

Thanks.

BigJefe said:

Any reason why most Brutus have the HLT on the right, and the BK on the left? I mean we read left to right... right? Is it just because the original was setup that way?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Takes advantage of the Coriolis effect to increase efficiency.

Mine is the opposite, I work left to right.

Thanks to Josh for starting this tread and letting me shamelessly pilfer some of his great ideas. Instead of gas I went the all electric route. But the concept is the same

The sea trial of my new system went great. I just have a few tweeks to make to it and I'll be ready to start my first brew with it in a couple of week. I didn't do a photo essay but here are a couple of pics.



Here it is heating up the HLT. I'm using a counter flow chiller as a pseudo HERMS heat exchanger.



Of coarse, here it is in storage mode.

Blane said:

Thanks to Josh for starting this tread and letting me shamelessly pilfer some of his great ideas. Instead of gas I went the all electric route. But the concept is the same

The sea trial of my new system went great. I just have a few tweeks to make to it and I'll be ready to start my first brew with it in a couple of week. I didn't do a photo essay but here are a couple of pics.

Of coarse, here it is in storage mode.

Click to expand...

Wow Blane, that looks very nice! Good work. I like to come back to this thread and drool over the nice pics. I'm slowly gathering the Keg(s) <--- have one and working on the next two--- people are mental where I'm from and want at least $10 more for an empty keg then it cost for one that is full of beer (deposit is $50 and ppl are aking $60-$90 for an empty keg). Once I get the kegs ready then I'll go ape-**** on buying the rest of the equipment. I'll be going the gas route because the price of electricty is nucking futs here, unless I brew at midnight!

Killercal said:

Wow Blane, that looks very nice! Good work. I like to come back to this thread and drool over the nice pics. I'm slowly gathering the Keg(s) <--- have one and working on the next two--- people are mental where I'm from and want at least $10 more for an empty keg then it cost for one that is full of beer (deposit is $50 and ppl are aking $60-$90 for an empty keg). Once I get the kegs ready then I'll go ape-**** on buying the rest of the equipment. I'll be going the gas route because the price of electricty is nucking futs here, unless I brew at midnight!

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People are asking more for an empty keg because buying beer and keeping the keg is considered theft (even if you paid for a deposit.)

The deposit is meant to be a detterent, and cover the cost of the scrap metal - breweries lose quite a bit of money every time they need to replace a keg they didn't get back. They would charge full price for the keg as a deposit if they could, but it would make it MUCH harder to sell kegged beer if people had to put that much money down.

Of course, the law is very difficult to enforce, and I'm not going to tell you that you can't - I don't exactly always follow the law myself. So ultimately it depends on whether or not you're okay with ripping off the brewery (or breweries) that owns the kegs.

emjay said:

People are asking more for an empty keg because buying beer and keeping the keg is considered theft (even if you paid for a deposit.)

Of course, the law is very difficult to enforce, and I'm not going to tell you that you can't - I don't exactly always follow the law myself. So ultimately it depends on whether or not you're okay with ripping off the brewery (or breweries) that owns the kegs.

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Is that really the case in Ontario? (I'm asking as I'm not sure) I've approached breweries and the Brewers Retail and asked how I could get kegs and they keep sending me in loops. All the Breweries said that they don't own the kegs and I need to contact the Brewers Retail. When talking to Brewers Retail they tell me I have to get them from the Breweries. I did the loop 3 times before I gave up. I did find one brewery that would sell me the kegs for $50 a piece and I'm thinking of taking that offer!

Killercal said:

Is that really the case in Ontario? (I'm asking as I'm not sure) I've approached breweries and the Brewers Retail and asked how I could get kegs and they keep sending me in loops. All the Breweries said that they don't own the kegs and I need to contact the Brewers Retail. When talking to Brewers Retail they tell me I have to get them from the Breweries. I did the loop 3 times before I gave up. I did find one brewery that would sell me the kegs for $50 a piece and I'm thinking of taking that offer!

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Nice! I've had a heck of a time finding kegs in Ontario as well. I would love to get in on that as well, if you wouldn't mind PMing me the info.

Hey Josh (or others running Brutuses) -

I ordered 4" RTD probes planning on running them directly into the keggles, but now I'm realizing that for cleaning etc, that this might not be such a great idea.

Should I just make an "extended tee" allowing for the extra length? Is there a QD that I could mount on the keggle will allow the probe to pass through (cam lock?) Any thoughts, or should I just exchange the RTDs for shorter ones?

Cheers,
Jeff

It's your call. I used Lonnie's idea for the QD tees and I'm pleased with them.

--
Josh

I bought three sight glasses with T's at the base where my probes go in from here http://www.brewhardware.com/. They are great!

EDIT ...
Nevermind, I see they are known as "bushings"... derrr.




Where do you find the plugs to put a 1/4" NPT RTD Probe into a 1/2" NPT Tee? Did you tap a plug, or do they make the one with the 1/4" NPT inside?

Thanks,
Jeff

Home Depot has some adapters.

jlandin,

awesome work! I'm thoroughly impressed with the storage abilities of your system. I have a question about your honeywells and banjo burners though. The banjos have an output of 210K btu's right? I looked up the specific model of honeywell valve you used, because I'm going to build a direct fired rims as well, and the model has a max output of 130K btu's right? This is taken right from that product's page: Capacity @ 1 in. p.d.: 130,000 BTU/hr; 20,000 BTU/hr minimum. I'm no hvac guy by any means, so it's possible I'm missing something.

The reason I ask is that my rig will have 3 x 200K jet burners, with 75, 65, and 65 gallon vessels. So, I'm going to use every bit of that 200K btu's. So wouldn't I need a honeywell valve with a greater capacity than yours? Here's one with a 200K capacity: http://customer.honeywell.com/honeywell/ProductInfo.aspx/VR8300A4516

Josh,

Can you please tell me what part you used for the 24 volt outputs on your control box for the Honeywell valves? Also what part did you use to connect to these outputs? I would really appreciate a reply as I want to be able to also disconnect everything from my control box. I am stuck at this point and this part is holding up my build progress. Thanks for your time.............

John

Hey John,

I just went out and took some pictures to help explain...

I ran a piece of conduit along the gas manifold (ziptied to it) and have both the pump power and valve power wires going through it.



Then where they all come out, I ziptied them together to make them into a "bundle".



That all stays with the stand, and when it's brew time, I plug them into the control panel.

For the valve power connectors I used DC power jacks like these:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103614
along with corresponding female panel-mounts like these:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102486

The wires are connected to the solenoid valves with spade connectors and heat shrink.



Here's a picture of the panel-mounts for the valve power, next to the RTD panel-mount connections:


--
Josh

rtockst said:

So wouldn't I need a honeywell valve with a greater capacity than yours?

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Yes. If you want to squeeze every drop of BTUs from your banjos, you probably want to use the 3/4" Honeywell that you linked to (VR8300). I plumbed everything with 1/2" so I used the VR8200 valves.

--
Josh

jlandin said:

Hey John,

I just went out and took some pictures to help explain...

I ran a piece of conduit along the gas manifold (ziptied to it) and have both the pump power and valve power wires going through it.

Then where they all come out, I ziptied them together to make them into a "bundle".

That all stays with the stand, and when it's brew time, I plug them into the control panel.

For the valve power connectors I used DC power jacks like these:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103614
along with corresponding female panel-mounts like these:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102486

The wires are connected to the solenoid valves with spade connectors and heat shrink.

Here's a picture of the panel-mounts for the valve power, next to the RTD panel-mount connections:

--
Josh

Click to expand...

Josh, thanks so much for responding and taking the time to add photos and link parts! You really helped me out a lot on this (and my other prior questions) and I really appreciate it.

I was stumped on this part, I'm not electronically savy, and I was racking my brain on what to use as disconnects. I will now be able to continue my build and get her done hopefully soon. You have really inspired me and have been very helpful and I can't thank you enough. It's so frustrating trying to make something you've never made before and getting stuck on a part or way to do something, with no clear answer in sight.

I do not belong to a homebrew club as the nearest one is in Tampa and is a little far to travel. Who knows maybe I can start one around here in Pasco County! If I ever get in your neck of the woods I might pm you and see if it's ok to stop by and see your ingenius creation in person.

Thanks again brother for your help!


John

Morning Josh. This thread has been extremely helpful for me and I am totally ripping off most of your design! (I'll give you credit)

I have a quick question about the windscreens for your burners. Did you make them yourself? If not, where did you buy them? I didn't see this mentioned, sorry if I missed it.

I'm glad this project has helped you out! I made the windscreens out of sheet aluminum. Bent around a keg, clamped to the right size, drilled, and then riveted.

--
Josh

Thanks for getting back so quickly. I think I'll do the same..... This build is a lot of fun. I can't wait to finish it and get to brewin!

Wow, that's all I can say, WOW. This has to be one of the best write-ups for a build that I have ever seen. Ive been looking for a good design the past few months. You kick ass! I am gonna build it, thank you for sharing all your hard work, details, and knowledge!

I have a couple questions after reading through the thread:

1) Are there any changes you would make to it after having used it for awhile? (I saw this question has been asked a few times before, not in awhile, but feel free to skip if you feel its getting old...)

2) I am 6', I was thinking one way to lower it a bit would be to put the castors on a hinge or something so that when you move it to where you want it to brew with you could sort of fold the castors out from under the base and it would sit on the base of the sculpture itself, or possibly fab up some levelers to sit on. Lowering it a few inches and the ability to level it may be nice. Any drawbacks to having it immobile during the actual brew day? Do you find yourself moving it around in the middle of the brew process with full keggles on it?

3) How much does the sculpture itself weigh, without the keggles on top or in it?

4) Have you thought about making it so that it comes apart for making it easier to take places (moving, taking to a buddies house, storage, etc...)? I was thinking it might be a nice mod to have the base and the top come apart from the legs or something. Any thoughts about that?

5) I saw you answered this question before but I'm still a little confused. Why didn't you plump in the third burner like the other two, so you can control all 3 of them from the panel? I know you said you liked having manual control of that 3rd one, is that the main reason?

6) Do you think there would be big disadvantages to only having one pump and plumbing it so that it could still pump to to each keggle using valves in front of and behind the pump? Do you ever find yourself running both pumps at the same time?

Thanks again for sharing all your experience in this build and taking the time to respond to the forum, it's inspiring man! :rockin:

MTNiner said:

1) Are there any changes you would make to it after having used it for awhile?

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I would put in manual electric spark ignitors, like you have on a grill. I still plan to do that.

MTNiner said:

2) I am 6', I was thinking one way to lower it a bit would be to put the castors on a hinge or something so that when you move it to where you want it to brew with you could sort of fold the castors out from under the base and it would sit on the base of the sculpture itself, or possibly fab up some levelers to sit on. Lowering it a few inches and the ability to level it may be nice. Any drawbacks to having it immobile during the actual brew day? Do you find yourself moving it around in the middle of the brew process with full keggles on it?

Click to expand...

I lock the castors on brew day (they are double locking, meaning they lock the wheel and the swivel) and don't move it at all. "Folding" castors seems impractical just to gain 4 inches. You're plenty tall for this design trust me.

MTNiner said:

3) How much does the sculpture itself weigh, without the keggles on top or in it?

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Well, it's not light! I'm not sure but with the burners are heavy, and the steel is heavy. It's liftable, but heavy.

MTNiner said:

4) Have you thought about making it so that it comes apart for making it easier to take places (moving, taking to a buddies house, storage, etc...)? I was thinking it might be a nice mod to have the base and the top come apart from the legs or something. Any thoughts about that?

Click to expand...

I do travel with it (like Big Brew day, etc) and the dimensions are quite intentional in that regard. I built two ramps (out of 2x6) and I wheel it up into my wife's minivan (with the seats out).

MTNiner said:

5) I saw you answered this question before but I'm still a little confused. Why didn't you plump in the third burner like the other two, so you can control all 3 of them from the panel? I know you said you liked having manual control of that 3rd one, is that the main reason?

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The leftmost burner is for boiling wort, nothing more. So at most, I pinch it back from wide open at hot break. I can't see why I'd want to control that from the panel.

MTNiner said:

6) Do you think there would be big disadvantages to only having one pump and plumbing it so that it could still pump to to each keggle using valves in front of and behind the pump? Do you ever find yourself running both pumps at the same time?

Click to expand...

Yes! During the chilling process I recirculate ice-water from the HLT using one pump, and recirculate the hot wort with the other. Also, when I do back to back batches (that's right, a nice 20 gallon day with one cleanup!) I use both pumps.

Thanks for the kind words! That's definitely the point of this project thread, to help others. Enjoy your build.

--
Josh

Thanks again for your help, I will be starting my build soon.

Josh,

Forgive me if this has already been addressed, but where did you get the HOA switches? Are they true HOA switches? Everything I have found is SUPER expensive!!!

Nice work BTW!!!

James

jsw585 said:

Forgive me if this has already been addressed, but where did you get the HOA switches? Are they true HOA switches? Everything I have found is SUPER expensive!!! Nice work BTW!!!

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Thanks James. You can get the switches at Radioshack or any other electronics store. They are "Single Pole Double Throw" (SPDT) switches. It just means that there is a single voltage source coming IN, and two possible voltage sources going OUT. Just make sure that the switch you pick is rated for the voltage you plan to run through it. In my case, I was switching 24V. Cheers,

--
Josh

What size couplings did you go with for your transfer hose?

Awesome build by far the best i've seen

Really cool build! So I am going to build this stand now, only with one huge difference, I am in Germany. Half of the parts are not available here and I have had to order them to be imported via my family in the States. I have ordered my SS, most electronics, small parts etc.. One big thing here is that not many of these brew stands are available around here, so this should be interesting. Although beer is cheap here, it is still fun to brew yourself.

lotwookie said:

What size couplings did you go with for your transfer hose? Awesome build by far the best i've seen

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I used the high-flow coolant couplings from McMaster Carr. Here’s the catalog page: http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/117/286

Awesome Josh! Thanks! I got my PIDs in the mail yesterday, Along with the temp probes. Now i just need to learn to weld! I hope to be up and running before Christmas.

I am so glad i came across your build, you really did a nice job upgrading the electronics and burners.

Thanks again for your help!

James

Josh - perhaps an obvious answer, but did you just solder the 24V honeywell wires together in the DC power jacks? I picked up the same jacks from Radio shack. Thanks!

Each of the wires is soldered to a different lead on the jacks. Red goes to the center lead, black to the outer lead.

What wire gauge did you use and how many feet? Also if I have a few HOA switches laying around but they are DPDT. Could I wire the same as a SPDT switch with the same voltage source coming in? I don't imagine it would but does your control panel generate any heat when operating?

The panel doesn't generate any noticeable heat. The 24V wire was probably 10guage or so. I bought a roll and used what was needed (not sure how many feet). Just measure your distance and go buy some wire. Not rocket science. ;-) You'd have to consult with someone else to wire the DPDT, I can't help.

The pilot light copper tube, did you build that yourself or order it somewhere. I guess I missed that when I was ordering parts. If you made it yourself any tips on the part sizes? I am building this system in Germany, so it's a bit different for me in that I must either find it here or order from the U.S., so any tips about sizes would be great.

I think I just answered my own question: My guess is that you simply added some copper tubing with the supplied parts from both the pilot burner and the valve.

laizure said:

I think I just answered my own question: My guess is that you simply added some copper tubing with the supplied parts from both the pilot burner and the valve.

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That's exactly correct. Just some soft copper tubing and a tubing bender.