Dual 120v 2000w recirculating EBIAB Build

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tyfernandez

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Okay I think I've read enough of this forum to finally start my own build.

I've modified one of PJ's diagrams(hope that's okay PJ) to my likings. My goal is to fit everything into the Auber 1/16 Din Case. I'm going for compactness and ease of transport. This will be stored in a closet in my condo when not used. so space is at a premium.



Here is the diagram. Originally there were two switches and two contactors between the SSR and Elements. I simply removed one of each and used one contactor to switch both of the loads. I believe I've "wired" this correctly. Please chime in if I haven't

I wish I could go down to one SSR, but i don't believe that is possible with two separate 120v circuits I looked at SSRD's but couldn't find one with a reasonable price.

I'm planning on getting the 44qt Bayou Classic Stockpot with basket. I think this should be sufficient for 5 gallon and 2.5 gallon batches. I don't see my self making anything larger as I simply don't have the space to store it.

I'll continue to update this throughout the build but hopefully making the bulk of the purchase in the next week or so. I'm going to try and document the build as best as possible. Hopefully someone else can benefit from any mistake I'll probably end up making. :)

Thanks everyone!

Ty
 
Something looks off to me about the Contactor ill. power button and the element #2 wiring.

Also why not go with only one SSR? Use the both elements to get up to mash temperature, then just turn off element 2 (which would be at 100%), using element 1 with the PID and pump for maintaining mash temp. To go from Mash to boil, again turn on element 2 until boil is reached. Then use element 1 in manual mode to maintain the boil.
 
Your neutral wire only goes between element #2 and the LED. Not completing the circuit.

As I'm new to this and not an electrician I could be wrong.

Chris
 
goybar said:
Something looks off to me about the Contactor ill. power button and the element #2 wiring.

Also why not go with only one SSR? Use the both elements to get up to mash temperature, then just turn off element 2 (which would be at 100%), using element 1 with the PID and pump for maintaining mash temp. To go from Mash to boil, again turn on element 2 until boil is reached. Then use element 1 in manual mode to maintain the boil.
Click to expand...

Yea I'm really not sure about wiring the contactor, hopefully someone with some electrical experience can chime in.

I'd rather have both elements under control of the PID. Also I don't think one element can sustain a good rolling boil so I would need to constantly switch the second element on and off. I currently have an e kettle with two elements without a control panel and this is the case.
 
I think it should be wired like this:

120v_ebiab-57872.jpg


Chris
 
That seems to make sense. I updated the diagram with the change.



Also is it worthwhile to have a fuse for the pump? Would a 2-amp slow burning fuse be sufficient for a march/chugger?


Ty
 
Well after it seems like forever I was able to complete my control box. I'm kind of amazed that everything powered on fine. I personally will be happy to never see a unibit or hole punch ever again!

I think if i had to do it all again I would have gotten a plastic enclosure just to make cutting easier. I butchered my box, it's a good thing I'm not judged on the aesthetics. I'm hoping to finish up my pot tomorrow.

Here's the box. I ended up mounting the heat sinks on top to save space for everything else. There are a few similar builds to this floating around the forum but mine differs slightly with the heat sink placement, the powercon connectors and I only am using one contactor to switch both loads.



I went with toggle switches and pilot lights. The top switch is the PID power, then Heat, then pump.



Here is the outlet for the pump. I'm using a pump similar to the greatbreweh pumps.



Here is where the power comes in and goes out, as well as the RTD plug. You can also see my butchering with the dremel. :) I originally was going to use speak on connectors for everything but ended up using the powercon connectors. So far they seem great. They twist to lock and there separate plugs and receptacles for power in and power out.


I wish I could personally thank everyone in this forum as I never would have even thought about this or thought I could put this together without all of you. So cheers to you! :mug:

I'll post more pics once i finish up the pot.
 
Here is the pot. I just finished it up and auto tuned. I cannot wait to brew now.



I wrapped the silicone tubing in some anti kink coil as the tube seemed to keep collapsing on itself near the top. It seems to help, but probably not the best solution. It was only a couple bucks though so probably not a bad investment.

I potted the elements in deep one gang boxes and put the element through the face plate. I noticed that the Powercon connectors fit almost perfectly through the holes (3/4 inch) in the box, so one less hole for me to punch.



Here is the profile shot. I first though these would be too big as I orginally had them in extension boxes, but barely have noticed them so far.

 
Nice build! A very uncanny resemblance to mine :) How hot do your heatsinks get? I had to add a fan to mine, otherwise they were getting very hot.
 
I haven't tried brewing yet with them, but during the auto tune and just general playing with the system they would get warm to the touch. I could easily keep my hands right on them the entire time and I don't think it would ever burn me.

I seem to just be having problems getting my pump to prime well. Any tricks?
 
tyfernandez said:
I seem to just be having problems getting my pump to prime well. Any tricks?
Click to expand...
Ditto. What worked for me was moving the hose below the pump level into a separate container. Once the liquid starts to flow, I put the hose back on and start the pump.
 
russki said:
Ditto. What worked for me was moving the hose below the pump level into a separate container. Once the liquid starts to flow, I put the hose back on and start the pump.
Click to expand...

That seems to be the only way for me to get it to work as well. I tried a few other things like holding the hose at certain heights while opening valves, and changing when I open valves but nothing seemed to do the trick.

I'm thinking air is getting trapped in the dip tube and because the way the pump input and outputs are shaped that the air cannot escape. Then the rushing of water forces the air out.

I'm wondering if a bleeder valve would work? I'm hesitant on adding more hardware to just be connected with the cam lock though.
 
Had my first brew session with this rig today. Wow. It was so easy. I can't imagine ever doing it any other way. I didn't take any pictures as I was trying to multitask a bit too much. I hoping to brew again next week so hopefully more pictures will happen then.

Overall I couldn't be happier. It was easy to run and I think it shorten my brew day a bit. I can only imagine it should get shorter. I got around a 70% efficiency.

Thanks again to everyone on this forum for all the help.
 
tyfernandez said:
Had my first brew session with this rig today. Wow. It was so easy. I can't imagine ever doing it any other way. I didn't take any pictures as I was trying to multitask a bit too much. I hoping to brew again next week so hopefully more pictures will happen then.

Overall I couldn't be happier. It was easy to run and I think it shorten my brew day a bit. I can only imagine it should get shorter. I got around a 70% efficiency.

Thanks again to everyone on this forum for all the help.
Click to expand...

Congrats on your first electric brewday! Did you do a mash-out, or straight BIAB?
 
I did mash out. I didn't squeeze the bag at all, just let it drain over the pot while I was getting the wort up to temp.

I brew on my kitchen counter so it was hard to get the leverage to lift the basket high enough out of the pot to slip the grill grate in between it and the pot. I just jumped up on the counter so I could actually lift the darn thing! I'm going to think about a stand perhaps to lower the pot and make this easier. I just really don't have the storage for it. Damn city living.
 
Sweet build. Looking to do something similar in the (near?) future. What was the approximate cost?
 
I didn't keep a tally. Ignorance is bliss. :D I ended having to buy a lot of tools in the process between drills and knockout punches so I'm sure I spent quite a bit more than most. At first I was trying to get the best price on everything so I was ordering 1 piece from one supplier and 1 from another, in retrospect I probably spent more on shipping that what I saved. I also made the mistake of forgetting to order certain things so I got dinged for shipping twice. I also had most of the fittings from my previous kettle

Here is a rough estimate
Kettle $100 Amazon.com
PID, Enclosure & Temp sensor $110 Auberins.com
Switches & indicators $23 Ebay
SSRs $13 Ebay
Contactor $10 Ebay
Pump $80 Ebay
Camlocks & Misc $80 Brewhardware.com
BIAB bag $35 biab-brewing
Powercon Connectors $26 Ebay
Wire & misc $50-$75 Home Depot (guessing here)

If you tacked on the $50-$100 of stuff I already had you be around $600

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Looking back I would have waited and bought Crydom SSRs I've seen then on ebay new for the same price or a little more than mine. They seem to be highly recommended. Also I basically got the same switches, indicators, and contactor that Auberins sells, based on what the model numbers are at least, for a lot less. If you're okay without customer service I'd go that route. I'd also use a plastic enclosure. It's just much easier to cut, I wouldn't have had to spend the money on most of the tools then either.

You could definitely go cheaper and still have a rig that functions basically the same. For example using good toggle switches instead of the switches, indicators and contactor would save some cash.

Best of luck to you. Make sure to read every post in this board and you'll be fine.
 
I hope I can ask this question so that you can understand it.
How did you fasten the faceplate to the box after you had the element through it?
What do you mean when you say you potted the element in the box?
I really like the idea of putting the switchcraft connectors in the 3/4" hole in the box, but it looks like you would have to screw the faceplate to the box after the element was already attached to the kettle. Shirley I'm missing something.
 
Yep. That makes sense.

I actually did a few things different on the element than what seems to be the norm. After putting the hole in the face plate I put the element through the hole backwards, so the nut and the threads were on the outside of the face plate, and only the connection point was on the inside. I then used JB weld to hold this in place and seal it from liquid.

Once that was set I simply fed the wire through the back hole of the junction box and made the connections to both the element and the PowerCon connectors. I ended up using them instead of the standard switchcraft connectors. Both should work the same though. The only thing that might matter is the diameter of the switchcraft assembly, if it would fit through the hole on the back of the junction box. After everything was wired I used nuts and bolts to secure the Powercon connector, then screwed the face plate on.

After it was completely assembled I just fit it through the whole on on my kettle with a washer and O ring similar to the Kal method on the outside and the locknut on the inside.

Let me know if that make sense.
 
tyfernandez said:
I didn't keep a tally. Ignorance is bliss. :D I ended having to buy a lot of tools in the process between drills and knockout punches so I'm sure I spent quite a bit more than most. At first I was trying to get the best price on everything so I was ordering 1 piece from one supplier and 1 from another, in retrospect I probably spent more on shipping that what I saved. I also made the mistake of forgetting to order certain things so I got dinged for shipping twice. I also had most of the fittings from my previous kettle

Here is a rough estimate
Kettle $100 Amazon.com
PID, Enclosure & Temp sensor $110 Auberins.com
Switches & indicators $23 Ebay
SSRs $13 Ebay
Contactor $10 Ebay
Pump $80 Ebay
Camlocks & Misc $80 Brewhardware.com
BIAB bag $35 biab-brewing
Powercon Connectors $26 Ebay
Wire & misc $50-$75 Home Depot (guessing here)

If you tacked on the $50-$100 of stuff I already had you be around $600

I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Looking back I would have waited and bought Crydom SSRs I've seen then on ebay new for the same price or a little more than mine. They seem to be highly recommended. Also I basically got the same switches, indicators, and contactor that Auberins sells, based on what the model numbers are at least, for a lot less. If you're okay without customer service I'd go that route. I'd also use a plastic enclosure. It's just much easier to cut, I wouldn't have had to spend the money on most of the tools then either.

You could definitely go cheaper and still have a rig that functions basically the same. For example using good toggle switches instead of the switches, indicators and contactor would save some cash.

Best of luck to you. Make sure to read every post in this board and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

YOU ROCK! THANKS!.
Trying to read everything on here on ebiab builds. I have some experience with dc builds installing lights and sirens on my car, but dealing with AC is a whole different ballgame. Thanks for helping a guy out! Now I gotta convince SWMBO that it's worth the expense...
 
You are welcome. Just read, read, and read again. I think I was a little disappointed once I had it all built because it was quite an experience. I lucked out and did quite well in my fantasy football leagues this year so the SWMBO conversation wasn't too bad. The threads I read the most were probably these three.

How to build a 5 gal, 110v eBIAB kettle

110v Recirculating eBIAB 2.5 gallon batches

My Official E-BiaB Build Thread

I also lucked out that fellow board member Russki was building a fairly similar setup about the same time as mine so it was nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. His thread is here

I also used Kal's build for reference sake when I had any basic questions I couldn't find the answers too elsewhere.
 
tyfernandez said:
Here is the profile shot. I first though these would be too big as I orginally had them in extension boxes, but barely have noticed them so far.

Click to expand...

Is that the Auber waterproof thermo mounted directly? So did you just use 1/2" washer, kettle wall, red oring, 1/2" NPS locknut? Thanks!
 
r8odecay said:
Is that the Auber waterproof thermo mounted directly? So did you just use 1/2" washer, kettle wall, red oring, 1/2" NPS locknut? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes. I originally wasn't sure if I was going to place it in a T on by the ball valve so I went with the 1/2 NPT RTD. I ended up mounting it directly.

You almost got it right, I also have a silicone wash in between the SS washer and the kettle wall. Leaked at first as I over tightened it but after I fixed that it's been perfect.
 
Thanks, that's awesome. I"m copying that... I'm basically copying your entire build, so thanks +100!
 
Nice. Good Luck. Be sure to check out Russki's build as well. We both built ours right about the same time. They're basically the same with some slight differences.

I also linked some other helpful builds a few posts ago.
 
So I got a new toy in the mail today. I've been wanting to get a removable whirlpool arm similar to this. My dilemma was I don't own a torch or anything else that could sweat the copper fittings together. So before buying a torch I was curious how much it would cost to fabricate one out of stainless tubing. Stainless Brewing quoted me at 25+ shipping. I doubt I could leave home depot spending that on the copper fittings and torch, so I decided to go with it.

Here's what I ended up getting
20130321211229.jpg


The only problem is the weight balance is bit off so when I hang it on the edge of the kettle it wants to twist. I solved it temporarily by shoving some cardboard to make it snug. :)

20130321211253aqdytc.jpg


Here's what it looks like on the inside

20130321211302.jpg


I tested it out as well. It by no means creates a big whirlpool, but it definitely moves the liquid around. I'm using it mainly to cut down on my cooling time. If it happens to create a trub cone that'd be great, but i'm not counting on it.

Ty
 

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