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pilzner

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Thought I would show off my rig.

Details: 3 pump, BCS 460, 3 gas valve controls......and the whole thing is wireless.
I added a line that allows me to flush all my pumps with H20 from HLT. It means I have no loss of Wort in any lines.
Lots of quick disconnects to breakdown and clean/dry in minutes....some may be overkill....but hey...so is building a rig instead of buying beer at the store ;)

Thank you everyone at HBT....I couldn't have come up with all of this without the millions of posts and images you all posted!

UPDATE: Video below...

The system
5838-system.jpg


The Sketch
5841-beer-system-gsketch.jpg


The Brain
5834-bcs-460-all-electronics.jpg


The box that holds the brain
5835-brain-all-packaged-up.jpg


Honeywell valves
5836-honeywell-valves.jpg


Manual or Auto switch
5839-manual-switches-pumps-gas-valves.jpg


a couple of the 14 valves!....or is it 15...can't recall
5837-valves.jpg


Here is the burner the keggles sit on. It's got a cast iron top and works great. Bought it from a guy a while back....no idea if they exist anymore
5901-burners.jpg


The system after cleaning and broken down for storage. To clean I use the shop-vac to clean all the pipes, pumps etc....works like a charm.
5900-broken-down.jpg


UPDATE: Here is the link to a quick video
 
Last edited by a moderator:
KrazyDave,

I will make a little video to tonight. What's really cool is the breakdown after brewing. It was a part that I worked on a lot to make sure it could all be cleaned and stored quickly......after all, who the hell wants to spend time cleaning after a long day!
It's pretty much 'Clean in Place'. I use the Bobby method of the shop-vac so I don't even have to move the keggles.
 
hmmm....not sure why that is....I can see the images.....they are all in my album and I copied the link directly from there.
 
How about now? I changed the album name and of course the links hadn't.....changed it back and I believe it should now work.

Sorry about that.
 
Earthbound,

Each wiring diagram is pretty specific to the system you end up making. The wiring diagram I have was made by P-J.....he's on my profile as friend.
Best thing to do is to PM him and see if he can't help you out in customizing your system.
 
Yuppers...now there is brewing equipment PORN if I ever saw any! Nice setup!

glenn514:mug:
 
Pilzner,
Your system looks awesome. I'm in the process of putting together a 3 keggle system as well, and hope that it looks 1/2 as sweet. Can you please add some more details about what you mean by "I added a line that allows me to flush all my pumps with H20 from HLT. It means I have no loss of Wort in any lines." Is it the hard-plumbed horizontal pipe with the valves that you're talking about?

And when you say you have no loss of Wort, does that mean that you "push out the last of wort" with the HLT water, and just keep an eye on the color of the liquid in the hoses?

Thanks, Mort
 
hi Mort,

You got it right. It's hard plumbed and it allows me to flush all the lines. With the silicon tubing, I see when the tube goes clear.

There is a direct line to the MT and a direct one to the BK. That way I can flush a specific line without affecting the other.
 
Pilzner,
thanks for the quick response. I'm looking forward to seeing the video, and this system in action - I'm having a hard time following the plumbing sketch in the images you posted. Do you have a higher res version that you can post?
Thanks, Mort
 
That is pretty awesome. I can't wait to show mine. Control system is now 95% done. Sculpture also 95% done.:rockin:
 
Hey Mort,

I'll make sure to show it in the video....but for now here is a closer look at that plumbing:

5842-hlt-flush-bar.jpg
 
Thanks Kal,

You were a real inspiration!
I've thought about labels....but then it's rather easy with blue being the pumps and yellow being the burners.....HLT/MT/BK.
 
Definitely straight forward, I just find it gives a setup that nice finished look. They're about $1.50 so price is low. Probably cost you $20-30 at most. I'd go for 8: BOIL, MASH, HLT times two. And then one of each: PUMPS and BURNERS. You could stick some of the outlets of the black control box too if you like.

Either way nice work!

Kal
 
Kal,

Any suggestions as to where to go have them made?
 
Very nice setup! I've always thought a nice beer sculpture was like a piece of art and should be on display in the living room. :)

You could accomplish your pump and line flushing without the extra plumbing on the input side of the pumps. You can actually pump through your #2 & #3 pumps backwards to flush them out.
 
Definitely drool-worthy. I like the minimalist approach using the wire frame shelving unit. You might want to put a screw/machine bolt through the shelf corner sleeve and upright on the shelf that gets hot. I don't know if the plastic wedge would hold up when hot (if it does, I don't know). Good luck with the maiden run!
 
I would like to know how stable the wire shelving is when moving it around. I think this is a great idea. I move my wooden rig around the garage a LOT and I think I could transfer my system to a nice metal shelf rather effortlessly.

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk
 
I would like to know how stable the wire shelving is when moving it around. I think this is a great idea. I move my wooden rig around the garage a LOT and I think I could transfer my system to a nice metal shelf rather effortlessly.

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk

Kickrjason,
Wire shelves are great. Perfectly stable. To add a little oomph I added two pieces of angle iron that run the length of the main shelf. The burners sit on these. It helps distribute the weight. I also drilled a small hole through that main shelf's corners and put a nail through it to make sure they wouldn't slip down with the weight. I bought my shelf at home depot. I can't recall how much weight they can handle, but when I did the math it was more than enough.
 
Definitely drool-worthy. I like the minimalist approach using the wire frame shelving unit. You might want to put a screw/machine bolt through the shelf corner sleeve and upright on the shelf that gets hot. I don't know if the plastic wedge would hold up when hot (if it does, I don't know). Good luck with the maiden run!

Thanks Bobby,

The wire rack doesn't get hot at all....and yes I did put a nail through the corners.....just to make sure ;)

I've brewed 4 times with it.....it works like a dream.
 
Very nice setup! I've always thought a nice beer sculpture was like a piece of art and should be on display in the living room. :)

You could accomplish your pump and line flushing without the extra plumbing on the input side of the pumps. You can actually pump through your #2 & #3 pumps backwards to flush them out.

Jon,

I actually roll the entire thing into my office so that I can stare at it while i'm working :D

As far as the additional piping, I can flush the entire line including the pump. I was having issues with pumps seizing when the sugars got cold. With the quick flush, no issues with the pumps, and I get every little drop of liquid gold.
 
Definitely drool-worthy. I like the minimalist approach using the wire frame shelving unit. You might want to put a screw/machine bolt through the shelf corner sleeve and upright on the shelf that gets hot. I don't know if the plastic wedge would hold up when hot (if it does, I don't know). Good luck with the maiden run!

Bobby, I brew on a similar, but much less polished setup. My keggles sit atop the rack and the burners below. I thought for sure I would need to "pin" the plastic shelf shims with through bolts, but was amazed and the heat dissipation of the wire racks. NO worries on my rig however I only have two keggles on the unit as I still batch sparge in a extreme cooler on an adjacent table.

This is an awesome rig for sure!
 
What are your burners sitting in/on?

It's a burner that is in a box. I put a picture of it on the first page with all the others for you to look at.

I also added an image of the system when it's all broken down.
 
Pilzner,

I brew on the same type of rack, but have been reluctant to squeeze 3 keggles on the rack like you did. Not due to weight concern, but due to concerns about maintaining consistent mash temp with such proximity to the adjacent vessels.

Are you having any issues with your mash temp creeping as you fire either of the other vessels? Please advise. Thanks!
 
Pilzner,

I brew on the same type of rack, but have been reluctant to squeeze 3 keggles on the rack like you did. Not due to weight concern, but due to concerns about maintaining consistent mash temp with such proximity to the adjacent vessels.

Are you having any issues with your mash temp creeping as you fire either of the other vessels? Please advise. Thanks!

Never had any issues with that. After all, we're only talking about 212 (BK) versus 152 (MT), and only when I do back to back sessions. If anything I am always battling the loss of heat and with the other keggle so close it probably helps a little (but again, I've never noticed this to be of any measurable concern)
My BCS-460 fires when needed and the mash recirculates the whole time, so my temps are pretty spot on.
 
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