Jester Brewing Build

So before I get to the picturey goodness, I want to throw down some concept for this brewery build. First of all I wanted to go electric because I live in northern MN and it's cold here most of the year. I have recently decided that 5 gallon batches are too big for my consumption habits so I decided to build a 3 gallon system but If I decide to go back up to 5 gallons I wanted a system where that could easily be done. I also live in an apartment so I didn't want a designated brew stand. We built a pretty cheap counter top in the kitchen soon after moving in because there was no counter space. So I have decided I was going to brew there but It needs to disassemble quickly and easily. I have been using a cooler to brew in for a while and have never gotten a cooler to hold temp well so I wanted a recirculating mash system. We also only have 110v in the kitchen so I will use that.

So with these parameters this is what I will be working on. I am constructing a box out of wood that will house my control panel, pump and outlets. I will set my mash tun on top of this box so I can gravity feed my pump. from the pump it will be fed into the HERMS coil in the eHLT sitting next to the box and then of course back into the mash. The boil kettle will be built much later since I can boil in my eHLT until I can secure the funds to properly build my BK.

So onto the pictures.

First here is my existing mash tun. Simple 5 gallon round cooler from HD. cpvc manifold, ball valve and thermowell.



Next we have my eHLT. 7.5 gallon aluminum turkey fryer pot with a 1500watt HWD element and ball valve again. Insulated with reflectix which I think really does help me reach temps quicker(speculative).




The HERMS coil is incorporated into the lid so It can double as an IC since my HLT and future BK are the same pot.



Alright now let's talk automation. I have an Auber PID and RTD on its way. Should be here tomorrow hopefully. This PID will control the element in the HLT while the wort is circulating through the HERMS coil in the HLT. Power to the PID and pump will be controller via switches on the control panel. here is the wiring schematic I will be using. Pretty easy and straight forward. Again like so many other P-J was awesome and drew it up for me. We are all seriously lucky to have him as a member of our community.


and here are some shots of work being done on the control panel.



here it is all drilled out


and here it is with switches and lights


I have all my wood cut up to begin building the box. here is a shot of me laying it all to test how it all fits.


I will be constructing the box tomorrow and hopefully my auber order shows up so I can complete this build tomorrow.

I put more together today but my auber order didn't come today so there is still a bunch more to do when that arrives. but here are some pics of the box and some of the wiring.




I need to wire up the ground for the element, pump and control panel. then install the auber with rtd panel mount and then I can do some test run. It's really starting to come along.

Looking good! It's nice to see a smaller, 'simpler' set up that can be used to the same end as some of the larger builds. I just ordered my PIDs and RTDs - anxious for the mailman!
-Kevin

Really looking forward to your finished project, I'm living in an apartment also. What part of Northern MN are you from ? I'm from Grand Forks ND

Good idea for a small system. I think though that I would be a little nervous about all the electricity you have living next to that pump. I know it will probably be covered up with some sort of face which will most likely be adequate, but from my experience I will almost guarantee you will get the area around that pump wet at some point. Be careful.

Hickeybrew said:

Really looking forward to your finished project, I'm living in an apartment also. What part of Northern MN are you from ? I'm from Grand Forks ND

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I'm over in Duluth. It's already snowed a couple times so more than half the year I wouldn;t want to be brewing outside.

mateomtb said:

Good idea for a small system. I think though that I would be a little nervous about all the electricity you have living next to that pump. I know it will probably be covered up with some sort of face which will most likely be adequate, but from my experience I will almost guarantee you will get the area around that pump wet at some point. Be careful.

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Good point. I had not thought of this. I will be putting a face over that so it will be covered. Maybe I will try to seal it up some how. I do like though that the pump fan will be moving air around the heat sink for the SSR though.

The mail man finally came today so I was able to get all my stuff put together and wired it up. I was able to turn it on and play a little bit. not much though as it wasn't all sealed up.


As you can see I think I need to set the input to RTD instead of a thermocouple. it's reading out 1,254 degrees F. haha

I'm hopefully finishing this whole project up tomorrow so I can do a real test run.

Interesting thread. I have a vacation place in Ely.
Cheers!

Finished the box this morning


and started testing the system.

Very nice and clean, have you done any batch with that setup ? How long dose it take to boil yur kettle ? I just brewed my 3rd 5g batch last night on my stove top, it took about 6-7 hrs from start to finish. I'm thinking about following your foot prints, if it can save me some times

Hey Tinga,

Really nice build man. Control panel looks very clean. Are you planning on using anything to stir the HLT water around the HERMS coil? I'm contemplating this step now in my build as i'd rather not buy 2 march pumps if I can help it. They certainly don't give those away.

smittygouv30 said:

Hey Tinga,

Really nice build man. Control panel looks very clean. Are you planning on using anything to stir the HLT water around the HERMS coil? I'm contemplating this step now in my build as i'd rather not buy 2 march pumps if I can help it. They certainly don't give those away.

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yeah I hear you. I currently don't have anything stirring the water in the HLT but I might look into one of those cheap little 12v pumps and plugging it into the same outlet the element is plugged into. I probably wont get there for a little while though.