Blichmann Top Tier Stand Mods??

Hey everyone!

I just got my Blichmann Top Tier stand and assembled and brewed on it and I love it. I am just curious as to what kind of mods owners of this system have done so please post here.

I know there are a lot of folks out there that would prefer to build their system and thats cool...but there are some of us that are not to type that build their system so add to this thread if you own or even if you're not an owner. What would you do?

Thanks!!
Walt

I don't know, but I am very jealous. Congratulations

I figured I'd tell you to go to my homebrewery index and sort by tiers (descending), but when I tried it I found that although there were plenty of 3-tier systems, nobody with a Blingman Top Tier has made a submission yet.

I hope all the Top Tier fans out there can help me fill this gaping hole in my database!

I've owned one for several months now and its great... as for mods I've automated with electric gas valves to light burners, temperature control, and automatic pump starting/stopping using a BCS-460.



Mine is built to be as close to a single tier as possible, and for future mods I am planning on making a permanent mount point for the counter-flow chiller and water filter, and hard plumbing a water line with multiple outs so I can have multiple water hook-ups nearby. Let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in.

Joe

Good lookin' setup RiverCity. By RiverCity, do you mean Wichita, KS? If so send me a message to waltmackenzie at gmail.com. I just moved to Wichita and would love to know more abour your setup.

I had the water piping in mind. My entire setup is VERY tall as I want it all gravity fed. The HLT is about 8 ft in the air (hey, I'm a risk taker) so to install a permanent water fixture would be nice.

RiverCity, what do you mean by electric gas valves?

Walt

Sorry, I'm in Ohio... a far piece from Kansas. By electric gas valves I mean that I use an ignition system (pilot light) and an controller to open and close the gas valves that I installed to each burner. This way I can control the temperature in the mash and HLT by means of a thermometer that reports back to the controller.

These are the valves:


This is the controller and electric distribution:

RiverCityBrewer said:

Sorry, I'm in Ohio... a far piece from Kansas. By electric gas valves I mean that I use an ignition system (pilot light) and an controller to open and close the gas valves that I installed to each burner. This way I can control the temperature in the mash and HLT by means of a thermometer that reports back to the controller.

These are the valves:

This is the controller and electric distribution:

Click to expand...

RiverCity I am very curious about the ignition system you use. How does it hook up to the Blichmann burners? Do you have a parts list?

Right now for the ignition system I use a standing pilot light... I think they are honeywell furnace pilots. I mounted them to the burner using safety wire and I have yet to have to make any changes to them. The only downside is that they are pretty loud and blow out rather easily, so I might be changing up to something different.

It would be cool to automate the burners but that might be a little over my know how.

RiverCityBrewer said:

I've owned one for several months now and its great... as for mods I've automated with electric gas valves to light burners, temperature control, and automatic pump starting/stopping using a BCS-460.

Mine is built to be as close to a single tier as possible, and for future mods I am planning on making a permanent mount point for the counter-flow chiller and water filter, and hard plumbing a water line with multiple outs so I can have multiple water hook-ups nearby. Let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in.

Joe

Click to expand...

This may be a really dumb question, but I am going to ask it anyways. Did you have to take apart your burner to get the fuel intake arm pointing in the right direction to have two tiers on the same level? I just got my gear and am going to set my stuff up the same way you have.

Nwalesmith said:

This may be a really dumb question, but I am going to ask it anyways. Did you have to take apart your burner to get the fuel intake arm pointing in the right direction to have two tiers on the same level? I just got my gear and am going to set my stuff up the same way you have.

Click to expand...

Also, what is the logic for having 2 pumps?

Thanks!

I'm not sure what you mean about taking the burner apart. You always want the arm to be closest to your gas supply manifold so the included supply hose will reach. As for having two pumps, I fly sparge and since everything is close to the same level I can't use gravity. I also use two pumps when chilling in the summer when the water temps are warmer... One to recirculate the wort and the other to pump ice water through the chiller.

RiverCityBrewer said:

I'm not sure what you mean about taking the burner apart. You always want the arm to be closest to your gas supply manifold so the included supply hose will reach.

Click to expand...

I just bought the floor burner to incorporate into my brutus build. what size hose (fitting) wise did you use. I was thinking on using the yellow gas hose to connect the burnner to my 1/2 black pipe gas distrobution.

My toptier burner came with about 3' of flexible SS gas hose to connect the burner to the manifold. If I didn't have that then I would use yellow flex gas line... in fact I do use it for my pilots.

RiverCityBrewer, any chance you could post your parts list for your Top Tier build? Especially the electric pilot/regulator automation. That is a sweet setup, nicely done!

RiverCityBrewer said:

I've owned one for several months now and its great... as for mods I've automated with electric gas valves to light burners, temperature control, and automatic pump starting/stopping using a BCS-460.

Mine is built to be as close to a single tier as possible, and for future mods I am planning on making a permanent mount point for the counter-flow chiller and water filter, and hard plumbing a water line with multiple outs so I can have multiple water hook-ups nearby. Let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in.

Joe

Click to expand...

Blichmann is coming out with a tempture controller for their burners. What I under stand it is pilot light system. They showed it off at NHC this year. They were calling it the tower of power.
They hope to have it out in sept.

I found some link the other week with a few pictures. I'll see if o can find it again.

Yeah I'll see if I can get a parts list together... however, I have gas valve automation, not pilot and regulator automation. Not sure if that is a big deal or not.

Nice setup. What is your brewday liquid flow pattern?

I am setting up a top tier, and like everything down low - similar to what you have. I have one pump and am trying to decide if I need two pumps. I guess it would save changing line-in / line-out pattern as often. If justified - & I decide to get another pump, I would like to mount it before I get everything installed in the slots above it.

RiverCityBrewer,

If you could help me with a parts list for automating my toptier burners i'd appreciate it. Are you still using the SS gas line with regulator in there somewhere? parts I have so far: honeywell standing pilot light valves, pilot light assembly, thermocoupler, and a 24v
70va transformer. I'm also getting a BCS-460 and SSRs. Am I close?

thanks

You can make it as complicated as you wish.

But to simplify it, going with the BCS route, you'll need the following:

1x 80-100VA transformer (for all 3 burners)
1x BCS-460

Then per Burner automated:

1x Smart Gas Valve - Standard Opening SKU: SV9501M2528 Brand: Honeywell
1x Pilot Burner for natural gas with a BCR-18 orifice (left single tip style, "C" mounting) SKU: Q3450C1185 Brand: Honeywell
1x 25a SSR "puck"
1x 1/4" x 5' Pilot Burner Tubing w/ Fittings SKU: 11-293 Brand: Robertshaw (or yellow gas line)
1x LP orifice for the pilot.

csbara said:

RiverCityBrewer,

If you could help me with a parts list for automating my toptier burners i'd appreciate it. Are you still using the SS gas line with regulator in there somewhere? parts I have so far: honeywell standing pilot light valves, pilot light assembly, thermocoupler, and a 24v
70va transformer. I'm also getting a BCS-460 and SSRs. Am I close?

thanks

Click to expand...

I don't have an exact parts list of what I have built in, but I can give you generic names for what I have and you should be able to source them easily.

So lets start at the propane tank > top tier regulator > gas manifold - this is simple enough.



From the manifold I tee off 4 valves, 2 for MLT (electric valve and pilot) and 2 for HLT (electric valve and pilot) and have a final nipple going to the boil burner (all manual). For the 2 pilots I use 2 Honeywell furnace pilots that I control with 2 needle valves from McMaster Carr. The needle valves are critical as full flow from the ball valve is too much and they blow out easily. The electric valves are 120VAC Viton seal gas valves from Valves4Projects on ebay. The valves are controlled by 2 solid state relays by the BCS460. As seen in the picture I have the stainless gas hose going to each burner, and I ran 2 other flex gas lines to the pilots. This allows me to revert to complete manual control (should I for some reason choose to) on the fly.

I can't really help you with the Honeywell valves as I have no experience with those and I run everything AC so I have no experience with AC/DC transformers in this instance either. Let me know if you have more questions or need more detailed pics of something.

thanks for the help. I would like to keep it as simple as possible. Luhrks, do you know if I can use the Honeywell Hot Surface Ignitor with 30" Leads and skip the pilot burner, LP orifice and burner tubing mentioned earlier? I believe it's a piezo spark rather than a flame?