I wish I was handy and smart enough to post pics of my rig after it was done but, alas, that is not to be. I need help from some of the resident pros to figure how to wire this thing and precisely what parts I need.
So, I plan on a three vessel system with two 5500 watt elements - one in the brew kettle and the other in the HLT. I have a pump to circulate the wort in the mash through a copper coil in the HLT. I have a 50amp breaker, a spa box (gfci) for the 240v, and some romex wiring that I'll be installing that this weekend. That's about as far as I've gotten.
The plan is to order an auber pid (SYL-2352) and use 2 RTD sensors 1 in the HLT and 1 in the brew kettle (link http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_15&products_id=85 ) with a DPDT switch to toggle between the two. I've found a nice simple wiring diagram by P-J but I'd like to do things a little differently. Wiring diagram at https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/simple-eherms-following-pjs-diagram-w-only-1-pid-221403/
First of all, I see that diagram calls for a single ssr and I think I need to use 2 (one for each leg) to fully open the circuit, right?. I mean, if you only open one leg of the circuit via SSR the element is still on and heating (granted at 1/4 the wattage, but still).
The big complexity, and I can forego this if it is too much work and do it manually, is that I'd like to be able to use the pid to control the pump during chilling. My plan is to use the HLT as an ice bath and pump the wort through the coil until the set temp is reached. During the mash the pump will recirculate constantly so I need an easy way to switch what the pid is controlling. I have yet to buy the pump and was thinking chugger - can I run that or the march at 220? I think that would greatly simplify things.
I can solder and what not but I am far far far from an electrician and am definitely in over my head here. Help.
Sidebar: when shopping for SSRs, I've seen that on Auber's site a 40amp "contactor" is $18 but the 40amp SSR is about the same price. I thought contactors were a bit more heavy duty, is there a reason I should prefer one to the other?
contactor:
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_31&products_id=164
SSR
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=30
edited to say: I'm stupid. The element won't be hot (warm) with 1 ssr, it will just have a live wire. This seems like a non issue since I also would have the mechanical kill switch, right? I guess the other possibility is that the SSR would fail closed but since I'm always around watching this too is a non issue. Worst case scenario the temp in the HLT spirals out of control and I boil the mash, right?
So, I plan on a three vessel system with two 5500 watt elements - one in the brew kettle and the other in the HLT. I have a pump to circulate the wort in the mash through a copper coil in the HLT. I have a 50amp breaker, a spa box (gfci) for the 240v, and some romex wiring that I'll be installing that this weekend. That's about as far as I've gotten.
The plan is to order an auber pid (SYL-2352) and use 2 RTD sensors 1 in the HLT and 1 in the brew kettle (link http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_15&products_id=85 ) with a DPDT switch to toggle between the two. I've found a nice simple wiring diagram by P-J but I'd like to do things a little differently. Wiring diagram at https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/simple-eherms-following-pjs-diagram-w-only-1-pid-221403/
First of all, I see that diagram calls for a single ssr and I think I need to use 2 (one for each leg) to fully open the circuit, right?. I mean, if you only open one leg of the circuit via SSR the element is still on and heating (granted at 1/4 the wattage, but still).
The big complexity, and I can forego this if it is too much work and do it manually, is that I'd like to be able to use the pid to control the pump during chilling. My plan is to use the HLT as an ice bath and pump the wort through the coil until the set temp is reached. During the mash the pump will recirculate constantly so I need an easy way to switch what the pid is controlling. I have yet to buy the pump and was thinking chugger - can I run that or the march at 220? I think that would greatly simplify things.
I can solder and what not but I am far far far from an electrician and am definitely in over my head here. Help.
Sidebar: when shopping for SSRs, I've seen that on Auber's site a 40amp "contactor" is $18 but the 40amp SSR is about the same price. I thought contactors were a bit more heavy duty, is there a reason I should prefer one to the other?
contactor:
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_31&products_id=164
SSR
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=30
edited to say: I'm stupid. The element won't be hot (warm) with 1 ssr, it will just have a live wire. This seems like a non issue since I also would have the mechanical kill switch, right? I guess the other possibility is that the SSR would fail closed but since I'm always around watching this too is a non issue. Worst case scenario the temp in the HLT spirals out of control and I boil the mash, right?