New Diamond Plated Herms! HOTT PICS!

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The Pol

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Well, after a couple week wait, my FREE diamond plate (1/8" thick) showed up on my front step today. A little cutting with a carbide tipped circular saw and deburring and here it is folks. OOOH shiney!

SWMBO LOVES IT!
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Looks sweet, should make cleanup a breeze, and nice table space is definitely a plus.
 
Much nicer than the old particle board that was on there... and it was free.
 
And then what, only brew when it is cloudy? Id be blinded!!!
 
QUOTE"And then what, only brew when it is cloudy? Id be blinded!!! "

Pol, I can see you have no idea what is the right thing to do..... Function doesn't matter, it's all about the Bling!!!!!!:cross::cross:
 
Ha ha there will be car accidents out front when I am brewing in the driveway! :mug:
 
What was your source for the diamond plate? I'm currently in the middle of building my new rig and was just about to pull the trigger on some plate myself.....

I've found a few suppliers online, but getting it custom cut isn't going to be cheap. I guess it beats messing with it in my garage :D
 
My neighbor was my supplier for the diamond plate... anything I want in aluminum or stainless I can get through his company. He just throws it into thier orders for thier jobs, my quantities are SMALL beans, so I get hooked up for free.
I cut it myself with a carbide tipped circular saw... cut like butta!

Pretty sweet for a metrosexual prima donna!
 
Bummer. I knew it had to be some kind of hookup :D Well, I've managed to price my plate at a few places and it'll be around $90..which isn't TOO bad. I'm having them cut it because it'll look way more professional than me using my jigsaw. Man, that diamond plate is sweet.
 
I had to do something, as my mash and liquor tanks were filled, and my boil kettle as well, the particle board shelves were sagging. Not to mention you cannot clean it if it gets wet. This stuff will be plenty sturdy and easy to clean.
I am really lucky to have the neighbor that I have, he enjoys seeing my brew setup grow... and for him the extra materials are pennies when his average "job" is about $300k. If I add in the "potential" cost of the diamond plate, I am up to about $1050.00 on my system today.
 
I am new to brewing, and have looked at how the brutus 10 works on youtube. How exactly does a herms setup work? Any links for info? I try to follow the lines , but not really sure on what is going on.
 
HERMS is quite simple. Your HLT becomes a heat exchanger by the addition of a copper coil, which your wort from your MLT gets pumped through, then returned to the MLT.

MLT (mash water)-----PUMP-----Copper coil immersed in hot water in HLT----MLT.

My system controls temp by the use of a temperature controller which regulates the temp in the HLT for the copper coil heat exchanger. This allows me to hold my mash temp within .5F of any temp that I desire. Also, a quick push of the button on my temp controller will increase the HLT temp to 175F. This will raise my mash temp to mashout, as well as heat my HLT water to 175F to use as sparge water.
 
what efficiency do you hit with this system? im looking at doing one with three kegs but i like the insulation in the coolers.
 
HERMS is quite simple. Your HLT becomes a heat exchanger by the addition of a copper coil, which your wort from your MLT gets pumped through, then returned to the MLT.

MLT (mash water)-----PUMP-----Copper coil immersed in hot water in HLT----MLT.

My system controls temp by the use of a temperature controller which regulates the temp in the HLT for the copper coil heat exchanger. This allows me to hold my mash temp within .5F of any temp that I desire. Also, a quick push of the button on my temp controller will increase the HLT temp to 175F. This will raise my mash temp to mashout, as well as heat my HLT water to 175F to use as sparge water.


Ok now I get the picture. Can you say schmoke and a pancake? That sounds like something I would do in the future for sure. I have the pump, and the same temp control as you. So what setup are you running to heat the HLT besides the controller ( I am guessing electric?) ? Also do you just strike at whatever temp you would normally and then fine tune?

So what is the electrical part that is at the top of your HLT?
 
what efficiency do you hit with this system? im looking at doing one with three kegs but i like the insulation in the coolers.

I can get 78% with a good crush... currently my crush blows, so I get 70%
 
Ok now I get the picture. Can you say schmoke and a pancake? That sounds like something I would do in the future for sure. I have the pump, and the same temp control as you. So what setup are you running to heat the HLT besides the controller ( I am guessing electric?) ? Also do you just strike at whatever temp you would normally and then fine tune?

So what is the electrical part that is at the top of your HLT?

I have an electric water heater element secured into the bottom of the HLT. I also have a mixer, so that there are not cold spots around the HERMS coil, the water needs to be mixed thoroughly during this process.
I heat my water in my HLT (9.5 gal) to strike temp +10F... this allows me to pump the water over into my MLT and preheat it. When my MLT thermometer reads my strike temp, I mash in. Say 172F, cooled to 162F in my MLT, to rest at 152F after mash in.

So now I have about 6 gallons of 172F water left in my HLT that I need to get down to 155F so that I can recirculate... problem? No. See I need more than 6 gallons to sparge with, so I created a program that will calculate result of adding 1.5 gallons of water (to meet my sparge requirement) to the HLT to cool it to 155F precisely. The volumes can be swapped around, say 9 gallons to start, 5.5 left, adding 2.0 to cool it down to recirc temp...etc. This is all computer calculated.

So I add my 1.5 gallons at 68F to the HLT through a small hole in the lid where my thermowell is inserted with a stopper, my HLT cools to 155F, I open the valves and it runs like that for an hour. (155F because there is a 3F differential in my system between the HLT temp and the desired MLT temp)

The wort is crystal clear within 20 minutes, temps are precise... it is very wasy to brew this way.

Clear as mud? The electrical part at the top of the HLT is the mixer motor probaby, and my A419 thermowell is inserted through the center of the lid.

Here is a breakdown of a typical mash, water temps and volumes.

9.5 gallons in the HLT heated to 172F
3 gallons transferred to MLT at 172F
3 gallons in MLT cools to 162F (mash in)
Add 1.5 gallons of 68F water to the MLT to cool the water to 155F
Start recirc...
After 60 minutes, turn A419 up to 175F
Mash heats to 168F
After 20 mins, begin to sparge with 175F water and collect runnings
Collect 7.5 gallons, boil 90 mins, 5.4 gallons post boil
 
do you ever have problems with that Braided hose getting weak and soft. I'm using the same stuff on my herms and if I do a mash out it gets so soft it kins on me.

Im looking for an alternative clear hose that can withstand the temps.
 
do you ever have problems with that Braided hose getting weak and soft. I'm using the same stuff on my herms and if I do a mash out it gets so soft it kins on me.

Im looking for an alternative clear hose that can withstand the temps.

When I mash out, I only reach 175F... so no, I have never experienced it getting so soft that it kinks. What temps are you pumping through there? Also, if you want to have no worries, you can buy silicone tubing, it is mucho $$$ compared to the PVC type, but it is the best of the best.

I am hoping to have a webcam up and running in Dec so that I can broadcast an entire brew session to demonsrate how it runs.
 
3-4 gallons, 5 gallon batches obviously. I have detailed brew sessions posted all over here depicting temps, volumes etc.
 
Lookin sweet, The Pol!!! Love it!

If I see any weird flashing lights in the sky from the East, now I'll know what's causing them ;)
 
Hrmmm, strobe lights to indicate when the HLT is heating and when it is not... GREAT IDEA! McMaster Carr, here I come!
 
Heh, I meant from the reflections off of the d-plate - but hey! The more bling the bettah, right? :p
 
Strobe lights, diamind plate... it will be like a stage on which brewing takes place LOL
 
Well if you're going to do that, might as well get a fog machine going, turn the brew tunes up...
 
Dammit! Steelin' my ideas! I was just about to post that, at flame-out, a fog machine is SO mandatory. Then, I figured, "Man, I shouldn't waste a senseless post on fog machines" ... I was so wrong! :p
 
FOG machine! What a great idea fellas... I can have a RED light flashing when the HLT heating element is powered, and a GREEN light indicating the mash is recirculating in the HERMS.... and the fog machine can start at flame out!

Sweet...
 
FOG machine! What a great idea fellas... I can have a RED light flashing when the HLT heating element is powered, and a GREEN light indicating the mash is recirculating in the HERMS.... and the fog machine can start at flame out!

Sweet...

Don't forget the taxi lights too, you need those for moving the brewstand around. :D
 
True true!! I need some red and green position lights too!
 
Pol, can you grab a shot of it parked in the driveway at some fairly-dark time? I'm gonna have to do some Photoshopping, methinks! :p

I'll get the fog machine in, I promise.
 
I can do that, I think.... I cant wait to see what you do Chriso....
 
How can you have strobes and fog and NOT have an audio clip from when Willy Wonka was making the everlasting gobstopper when you recirculate?
 
Ha ha guys... cmon... isnt the diamond plate enough? I would like the strobes though, for real.
 
Stop by radiosmack (or pep boys- they have a three gauge cluster I stole the switches from for in my Jeep) and get the toggle switches with the covers on- MISSILES ARMED! Commence brew cycle!
 

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