My Weldless Build Using Strut

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Not only is it for beer its also like a huge erector set for adults.

I was thinking about welding one up, but since I am not a welder, I would have to get some one to make one up and it would cost about 4 or 5 hundred dollars for the stand alone. Now I dont have to worry about it, I can just make my own.

Now I have to read through the whole thing, Very KOOL!:ban:
 
johns said:
Not only is it for beer its also like a huge erection set for adults.
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Now we just need wood blocks shaped like Legos and even the electric set ups will be an easy creation, haha
 
Lowes is currently closing out 10' sections of electro galvanized superstrut. The regular price was $18.69. Closeout price was $11.21.

I found a store in Huntsville that had 12 left and told them I wanted 8 @ $11.21 then talked them into throwing in the other 4 for nothing to close out their inventory. That ended up in a cost of $7.47 per 10' section.

I don't know if any lowes stores in your areas still have this but if they do, it's a good deal. Item number is 167125.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_167125-53911-ZA12HS10EG_0
 
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Still waiting on casters and jet burners to show up in the mail, but I'm getting close. I've still gotta tap into the home natural gas line too.
 
bobbrewedit said:
Still waiting on casters and jet burners to show up in the mail, but I'm getting close. I've still gotta tap into the home natural gas line too.
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Looks great, make sure you have the proper btu rating by the time you hit your burners. But I did the gravity fed design.
 
This thread inspired me to build my own two tier weldless brewstand with strut, and thought I'd share my creation.

I purchased a majority of the components from another local brewer on Craigslist for $500, which was a steal considering I got all three keggles, three propane 23 tip jet burners, two March 809 pumps, and most all of the thermometers.

I took that setup and rebuilt the frame using galvanized strut, rewired and cleaned up the electrical to be GFCI, replaced the 1/2" black gas piping, added whirlpool fittings and all new stainless pickups, all stainless quick connects and silicon tubing, converted the HLT to a HERMS system with 50-ft of 1/2-in 316 SS tubing, a Blichmann Therminator, and countless other SS fittings.

I based a lot of my build off of Kals Electric Brewery. His book was an incredibly valuable resource for my build. Next step is automating the HERMS system with a PID controller setup.

I brewed two 10-gal batches last weekend and loved it!

Cheers!

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JonesSoda6 said:
Looks great, make sure you have the proper btu rating by the time you hit your burners. But I did the gravity fed design.
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I'm actually a little concerned about this. I've got 1/2" pipe into my laundry room that I'm going to tie into. I'm guessing that worse case, I'll have to make sure the dryer is off while brewing, but hard to tell without firing it up, right?
 
bobbrewedit said:
I'm actually a little concerned about this. I've got 1/2" pipe into my laundry room that I'm going to tie into. I'm guessing that worse case, I'll have to make sure the dryer is off while brewing, but hard to tell without firing it up, right?
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Easy actually. Search for btu natural gas charts. Figure out length and diameter of pipes and appliance load. Improper load can starve your furnace and shorten its lifespan
 
heypeterman4531 - I love your build! I'm strongly considering a two tier build myself, just haven't decided on whether to keep the mash tun and HLT on the same level or the kettle and HLT on the same level. I guess, looking at a build like yours, it probably makes sense getting a little extra height for the Kettle/Tun tier and keeping the HLT up by its lonesome.

Two questions though:
1) How did you accurately get the 45 degree angle cuts for your kettle supports and what kind of strut fittings did you use to mount them (ok, maybe that's two and not one?)?

2) Why two pumps for a two tier? Is it simply to save time from changing the connections in between operations, or are there certain operations where you need to have both pumps firing at once using this rig?
 
stratslinger said:
Two questions though:
1) How did you accurately get the 45 degree angle cuts for your kettle supports and what kind of strut fittings did you use to mount them (ok, maybe that's two and not one?)?

2) Why two pumps for a two tier? Is it simply to save time from changing the connections in between operations, or are there certain operations where you need to have both pumps firing at once using this rig?
Click to expand...

The 45 degree cuts I made using a borrowed metal chop saw which had the ability to do the angled cuts for me. The first one I made I measured and cut a few times to get it right then used as a template for all the others. I wasn't really sure at first how I was going to mount the angled pieces, but ended up just attaching them using the standard 2-hole strut fitting and it's rock solid! Here's a photo of the connection:

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As far as using two pumps, the biggest reason I have two is because the stand I bought on Craigslist had two. But I've found two useful for a few reasons: 1. During the mash recirc with the Herms setup I obviously use one pump to movs the wort through the herms coil, but the second pump is useful to keep the HLT water flowing across the HERMS coil for better heat transfer, and a more accurate temp reading on my thermometer. 2. I found the second pump also useful (but not necessary) during the whirlpool. I hooked the pumps together in series to double the head and get a stronger whirlpool going. I hadn't expected that to be needed but it definitely was nice.
 
sweetcell said:
does anyone have a Google SketchUp file for their single-tier build that they would be willing to share?

i'm just starting the planning phase of my rig and was hoping to take inspiration for others' work. still learning sketchup, so far so good...

thanks!
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Sorry it took me so long to post pictures, but here you go. Tried uploading my SketchUp files, but HBT won't allow the file type. So if you want them, just PM me your email address.

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These are the THK-227-L & THK-227-R fittings that some people wanted to see

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aegis61 said:
Lowes is currently closing out 10' sections of electro galvanized superstrut. The regular price was $18.69. Closeout price was $11.21.

I found a store in Huntsville that had 12 left and told them I wanted 8 @ $11.21 then talked them into throwing in the other 4 for nothing to close out their inventory. That ended up in a cost of $7.47 per 10' section.

I don't know if any lowes stores in your areas still have this but if they do, it's a good deal. Item number is 167125.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_167125-53911-ZA12HS10EG_0
Click to expand...

According to the manager at my Lowe's, they're NOT closing this out. :(
 
your brutus clone looks sweet. The addition of the movable lcd panal give it a nice touch. Can I ask why in some places there is only one corner bolt in that side of the corner? Also what kind of controlers will you have on your rig?
 
johns said:
your brutus clone looks sweet. The addition of the movable lcd panal give it a nice touch. Can I ask why in some places there is only one corner bolt in that side of the corner? Also what kind of controlers will you have on your rig?
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The reason why the THK-227-L & THK-227-R fittings don't have a bolt in each hole is, you can't. As you can see I had to drill holes on the side of the strut and with the way the holes line up, the nuts are too big to fit in each spot, they run into each other. I hope that makes sense.

The panel is "The Electric Brewery 50A Back to Back Kit", so the controlers are the same PIDs that they use.
 
I'm trying to figure out the base height for my stand design. I'm using 2 NG jet burners. I'm thinking that my base without wheels will be 18 inches high. The burners will be positioned 4-5 inches below the brewpots. I'm planning on running 1/2" black iron pipe for the gas lines with shutoffs. This will give me a clearance of about 11-12 inches from the bottom of the burners to the ground/pipe.

Will this work? My concern is that my burners may be too close the the gas pipe.

Also, how much heat do these burners generate below? I'm considering a heat shield using some aluminum. I place my current burners on a piece of cement board because I have rubber flooring in my garage.
 
b-boy said:
OK - this thread is starting to drive me nuts. It's been 3-weeks and I haven't ordered anything besides a pump. :mug:
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Oh yeah... I keep checking back to see what's up. I have some Lowe's Gift Cards to burn up and I am building a stand! I need to get some #"s together before I buy... and then figure out how I'm going to get 10ft'ers home.
 
JonesSoda6 said:
All I had available locally was the galv. SS.
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I am not sure I have ever heard of Galvanized Stainless Steel. In fact, water proofing stainless steel is kind of pointless. Did you get galvanized steel (Not stainless)?

How is the rig holding up for you guys that are using galvanized steel? I know, in theory, you can "burn off" the zinc but are you really sure more isn't going to burn off and release the toxic fumes when you are using the stand while brewing?

Also, once the zinc is burned off, it no longer has any water resistant property. Are you worried about rust at all with all that liquid/steam on brew stand? Particles have a tendency to migrate and I am paranoid about using something that isn't stainless on my rig. Is the idea to replace parts that have rusted on a regular cycle?

Just interested how galvanized steel is holding up so I can take it into account when I build my rig in the coming weeks?
 
TerraNova said:
I am not sure I have ever heard of Galvanized Stainless Steel. In fact, water proofing stainless steel is kind of pointless. Did you get galvanized steel (Not stainless)?

How is the rig holding up for you guys that are using galvanized steel? I know, in theory, you can "burn off" the zinc but are you really sure more isn't going to burn off and release the toxic fumes when you are using the stand while brewing?

Also, once the zinc is burned off, it no longer has any water resistant property. Are you worried about rust at all with all that liquid/steam on brew stand? Particles have a tendency to migrate and I am paranoid about using something that isn't stainless on my rig. Is the idea to replace parts that have rusted on a regular cycle?

Just interested how galvanized steel is holding up so I can take it into account when I build my rig in the coming weeks?
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Since I haven't brewed on mine yet, I can't really say, but since mine is all electric, I'm not really worried.
 
LiquidFlame said:
Since I haven't brewed on mine yet, I can't really say, but since mine is all electric, I'm not really worried.
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But thats my question... how is it holding up in USE and for those who use burners (i.e. any worry about rust once the zinc is gone) and any worry about fumes once the zinc is supposedly gone?
 
Brewed on mine twice now. The zinc will burn off and flake away and honestly its 12 gauge steel. I don't suspect that the steel will weaken to the point of being a concern for many years. The first time you use it give yourself some good ventilation and you should be fine.
 
A friend at work says he has "conditioned" galvanized by heating it multiple times with a torch (wear a respirator) allowing it to cool in between heating. He claims it takes a good looking patina without getting the nasty burned look later on. I was thinking I'll "condition" the pieces I use for the upper portion of my stand before assembling it so the entire top section of my frame looks the same.
Don't know if he's completely sane (we're emt's after all) but he has been welding and metalworking for quite some time.
Anyone know if this sounds right? I could have heard him incorrectly too.
 
JonesSoda6 said:
Brewed on mine twice now. The zinc will burn off and flake away and honestly its 12 gauge steel. I don't suspect that the steel will weaken to the point of being a concern for many years. The first time you use it give yourself some good ventilation and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about the steel giving way. Strut is perfect for this application structurally speaking.

But I think you helped me make a decision on this. The last thing I want is something flaking away on rig that can migrate into the brew. That and the fact that once the zinc has flaked off the bare metal is prone to rust (lots of liquid and steam around) which can also migrate into the brew.

Having said that, this stuff is EASY to replace if it becomes a problem.

Great rigs all around.
 
TerraNova said:
I'm not worried about the steel giving way. Strut is perfect for this application structurally speaking.

But I think you helped me make a decision on this. The last thing I want is something flaking away on rig that can migrate into the brew. That and the fact that once the zinc has flaked off the bare metal is prone to rust (lots of liquid and steam around) which can also migrate into the brew.

Having said that, this stuff is EASY to replace if it becomes a problem.

Great rigs all around.
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I just got my order and will be building this weekend. I ended up getting stainless for the part of the rig exposed to flames. I got strut and fittings. cost me about $200 more. kinda pricey, but I won some fantasy football money so I splurged.
 
TerraNova said:
Where did you get the stainless strut from? Good price?
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http://www.strutchannelfittings.com/316-Stainless-Steel_c_49.html

They had free shipping, the best selection, and decent prices. I ordered 4-foot strut sections. The longer you go, the more they cost. It's 14 gauge.

The shipping was great. Got everything in 3 days. I'd order from them again in a heartbeat.

I'm using SS to build the top. I also got stainless bolts, washers, and fittings as well. The SS fittings are the killer. Some of them are ridiculously priced. I made a few adjustments to my design to keep the costs down.

The bottom part of the build will be regular galvinized. It will be a 2-tier system. If I do this right I think I can keep the flames away from all the galvinized sections. I still may need to order a few more SS bits and pieces if I run into problems.

The SS is probably overkill, but I'm weird that way. If something needs 2 nails I'll use 10. I pity anyone who has to take apart something I've built.:D
 
bobbrewedit said:
I'm actually a little concerned about this. I've got 1/2" pipe into my laundry room that I'm going to tie into. I'm guessing that worse case, I'll have to make sure the dryer is off while brewing, but hard to tell without firing it up, right?
Click to expand...

If you search back through I detailed pretty well how I did it, and I think it's a pretty robust setup. I too have a 1/2" NG line right inside my garage, in the laundry room. I do not have a dryer hooked up to it (ours is electric) so perfect to use for the rig. I got the good NG QD fittings ($$) but wanted to have real solid shutoff QDs for when I unhook and hook everything up. I went with simple PVC rubber air hose which has no reaction to NG (do not get butyl rubber, not compatible at all). My theory is that I'm always with in a few steps of my rig when gas is going to it, so as long as you have good QDs with a solid hose that is compatible with the gas there should be no issues. It's only hooked up to the gas maybe 3 hours every few weeks. Cheap, flexible, tough, and works great. I went with 1/2" ID hose, and I can run two 10-tip burners, but that is the max. I would guess you would not want the dryer on when you're brewing.
 
Wow, can't believe how big this thread has grown! I knew others would take to it because after building my stand with this material it just seemed so simple and had a lot of advantages over a welded stand. I'm just glad so many are benefiting from it.
 
gifty74 said:
If you search back through I detailed pretty well how I did it, and I think it's a pretty robust setup. I too have a 1/2" NG line right inside my garage, in the laundry room. I do not have a dryer hooked up to it (ours is electric) so perfect to use for the rig. I got the good NG QD fittings ($$) but wanted to have real solid shutoff QDs for when I unhook and hook everything up. I went with simple PVC rubber air hose which has no reaction to NG (do not get butyl rubber, not compatible at all). My theory is that I'm always with in a few steps of my rig when gas is going to it, so as long as you have good QDs with a solid hose that is compatible with the gas there should be no issues. It's only hooked up to the gas maybe 3 hours every few weeks. Cheap, flexible, tough, and works great. I went with 1/2" ID hose, and I can run two 10-tip burners, but that is the max. I would guess you would not want the dryer on when you're brewing.
Click to expand...

I've got a 1/2" dia hose coming along with a quick disconnect. I've got two 23 tip burners but would really only have to run one at a time. The only gas appliance that could come on without my control is the water heater, so I'm thinking it'll be okay.
 
Very cool - thanks for sharing that! I still like the idea though, of either using the powder coated strut, or the SS strut for those parts of the structure most closely exposed to the flames. Not so much due to zinc-oxide exposure now, but more because I figure that way you'd be most likely to keep those parts protected from rust long-term.
 
stratslinger said:
Very cool - thanks for sharing that! I still like the idea though, of either using the powder coated strut, or the SS strut for those parts of the structure most closely exposed to the flames. Not so much due to zinc-oxide exposure now, but more because I figure that way you'd be most likely to keep those parts protected from rust long-term.
Click to expand...

I agree. If I was using a gas system, I would probably do that, but since mine is going to be electric, I'm not worried any more about rust or zinc-oxide.

Also have to give credit to SuckaMooHudda, they posted that link in another thread.
 
stratslinger said:
Very cool - thanks for sharing that! I still like the idea though, of either using the powder coated strut, or the SS strut for those parts of the structure most closely exposed to the flames. Not so much due to zinc-oxide exposure now, but more because I figure that way you'd be most likely to keep those parts protected from rust long-term.
Click to expand...

Once my build is done I'll post back on how well the SS vs. galvanized parts are holding up over time. The SS is a little pricey, but I've seen what has happened to both my burners with relatively little use. Once the paint layer burns off they start to rust pretty quickly. I know the rust probably won't effect the overall structure though. It's more cosmetic.
 

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