5-10 Gallon Single Tier Strut Build

For the last 5 years I've been an on-again/off-again all grain stovetop brewer. My system was ugly and tiny, restricted to a 3 gallon batch on the kitchen gas stove. Well, those days are done and I'm currently in the middle of purchasing the components for a single tier system. That's where you guys all (hopefully) come in.

I'm done saving up for a new system and I've settled on a 5 to 10 gallon gas-fired HERMS system sourced through Stout Kettles. With a 15 gallon vessel capacity I should (according to Brewsmith) be able to handle everything from a little 2.5% abv "barely beer" to a big 14% barley wine. My main concern was having a sufficiently large mash tun but once I priced everything out it made sense to upgrade the other two vessels to 15 gallons as well.

Here's a picture of the entire system minus the liquid and gas plumbing/tubing:


And the stand by itself:


The frame is pretty basic, consisting of five 10ft lengths of 12 gauge superstrut from Home Depot, all the necessary connectors, and two hurricane burners with 4" heat shields from Brewer's Hardware. As much as I'd love a welded unit I neither know any competent welders nor can shell out for a welding unit of of my own given all the other purchases going into this build.

I have the vessels, pumps, and burners in the mail right now but I have a question. Right now I have them designed with the flame bed 2.5" under the kettles. Brewer's Hardware mentions being able to fold over the back end of the shields to improve airflow so I'm planning to do so. This is the first system I've constructed so I'm pretty in the dark here, any advice on burner distance and/or shielding?

The whole setup has a footprint of 1.5 ft x 5 ft and stands 4.5 ft high. Given the nature of strut I should be able to add a control panel and automation on at a later date but so far buying a grain mill, conical, chest freezer, kegging system, stand, and vessels has set me back about $3k so automation will have to wait.

What do you guys think? Any modifications you would recommend?

Looks good to me except for trying to move it. Put it on casters. I'm in the process of building a new stand to replace a two vessel cart with a three vessel system. Mine is all electric but will be on a stand very similar to yours.

My only negative is the overall height of your stand and kettles, especially if you put it on wheels. I have found it easier to mash in with the top of the MLT lower so that I can stir it more easily. With only the burners, pumps and chiller mounted below the top of the stand you could possible lower it if you want.

I had a friend cut the strut for mine last week. I thought that I would put one or two sections together just to see how hard it was to assemble during a brew session last Saturday. I got the entire stand done except for casters and a couple of strut fittings that were back ordered during the mash and first part of the boil! Therefore no pictures during assembly.

If your design is done in sketch up, how about posting a link so that others can start from such a good design?

Thanks for your advice ChuckO. I've updated the design to simplified and (apparently) more standard Brutus model. It utilizes 4 5ft lengths of 1 5/8" strut and 17 1ft lengths of 1 5/8" strut, has had four 3" casters added, and I've also begun sourcing diamond plate to give the stand a 'floor' and help shield the mash tun from any stray heat.


As for uploading the models, I can certainly do so. Please check out my 3D Warehouse profile for this system as well as a few other pieces I've either made from scratch or modified for brewing.

A sample of the other stuff in there

1-1.5" Sanitary Ball Valve assembly with clamps and 1/2" hose barb:

Bucket-Mounted 3-roller Monster Mill w/ Handle and Extended Hopper (able to be broken down into component parts)

I'll be adding more in as I find need for it or make additional purchases. Thanks.

unless you just want to make it heavier, those additional top to bottom struts are not needed for support. I have a 60" frame also, have filled three keggles to the top and still couldnt get it to deflect.

bucfanmike said:

unless you just want to make it heavier, those additional top to bottom struts are not needed for support. I have a 60" frame also, have filled three keggles to the top and still couldnt get it to deflect.

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I agree with Bucfan, at 60" and the Keg resting on the outer two horizontal struts you should be able to handle over 1,300lbs in the center. Your not going to get anywhere close to that and even with 3 Kegs up there filled with fluid. Plus the outer two kegs are going to have column braces that will support some/most of that weight.

If you wanted to be uber safe and create mounting points for pumps etc then go for it!

I'll take your word on not needing the middle supports, it's not like it wouldn't be trivial to add them in if it looks like I need them later.

And this is why I post for feedback here on the forums. I'm now on redesign 4 and, at this point, I think all I've got left is to figure out a good way to provide anchor/support for some of my plumbing. Any suggestions on that?

BugHunter said:

I'll take your word on not needing the middle supports, it's not like it wouldn't be trivial to add them in if it looks like I need them later.

And this is why I post for feedback here on the forums. I'm now on redesign 4 and, at this point, I think all I've got left is to figure out a good way to provide anchor/support for some of my plumbing. Any suggestions on that?

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Are you mounting your strut upside down on the bottom? If so you could use some of these: http://www.strutchannelfittings.com/RIGID_c_42.html

I also am building a strut stand (my strut just shipped on Monday YAY!) however I do not plan on mounting it upside down due to the fact that I went with solid strut and wanted a cleaner look/finish. I am going to mount my 2 chugger pumps to the bottom cross section and at present don't plan on rigid plumbing for my set up. I would like to in the future but waiting to see what happens with my MLT, do I stay with a cooler design or swap out to a 3rd Keggle?

Daves69 said:

Are you mounting your strut upside down on the bottom? If so you could use some of these: http://www.strutchannelfittings.com/RIGID_c_42.html

(...)

I am going to mount my 2 chugger pumps to the bottom cross section and at present don't plan on rigid plumbing for my set up. I would like to in the future but waiting to see what happens with my MLT, do I stay with a cooler design or swap out to a 3rd Keggle?

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Thanks for the heads upon the pipe fittings but I went with a different setup since I don't plan on having the plumbing flush with the framing. I was originally planning to mount the bottom rails bottom up (as my attached image shows), but given the mounting fittings I'm going to be using to support the plumbing I may flip them back to bottom-down.

8 wings, 14 L-fittings, and 8 T-fittings. Add in the lock nuts and bolts for assembly and it's still not terribly expensive. I'm hoping to have the fittings on order tonight and purchase and chop the framing next week. I'll post pictures as I go.

My setup isn't entirely hard plumbing and hose connectors specifically so I can experiment with the system as I go. The valves and sight glass are mounted to the pumps, but all the connectors to the vessels are silicon tubing until I can figure out exact lengths. I'm actually not sure if I'll hard pipe the system past what's planned, to be honest.

BugHunter said:

Thanks for the heads upon the pipe fittings but I went with a different setup since I don't plan on having the plumbing flush with the framing. I was originally planning to mount the bottom rails bottom up (as my attached image shows), but given the mounting fittings I'm going to be using to support the plumbing I may flip them back to bottom-down. 8 wings, 14 L-fittings, and 8 T-fittings. Add in the lock nuts and bolts for assembly and it's still not terribly expensive. I'm hoping to have the fittings on order tonight and purchase and chop the framing next week. I'll post pictures as I go. My setup isn't entirely hard plumbing and hose connectors specifically so I can experiment with the system as I go. The valves and sight glass are mounted to the pumps, but all the connectors to the vessels are silicon tubing until I can figure out exact lengths. I'm actually not sure if I'll hard pipe the system past what's planned, to be honest.

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That's allot of tri-clover fittings! Any reason you choose them for the entire project instead of the cam locks? I can see using them for the sight glass but not so much the other sections.. Speaking of the sight glass, in that location are you going to be able to monitor the wort during the mash recirc?

Honest reason I went with tri-clover for the whole project? Visual continuity. I like the way they look and, if i ever do dial in the system completely and convert to hard piping, it'll be nice to have everything modular and same-system stable. As for the sight glass it's directly in line as the next element in the system after the mash outlet. Once I figure out how I'm hoping to actually draw in the tubing in my model, hopefully it'll be more obvious what goes where then.

Well there was a delay of a couple days but the strut has been purchased and fittings are ready for assembly. 4 5-ft lengths and 12 1-ft lengths and we'll be golden. I'm still leaning towards renting a cutoff saw from Home Depot; that's just a few too many cuts for a hacksaw for my tastes. ;-)

Hey Bughunter...could you possibly send me that SketchUp file? Save it down to SketchUp 8 if you are running a higher version.

Thanks!

I just cut my strut yesterday, I used a portaband took around 30 mins to make all the cuts. Very easy very clean and very quiet!

The stand is cut and built with a little modification, now I've just got to wait for the pumps, burners, and kettles to show up at the end of the month and I'll be good to go

Very nice! I am day dreaming of a build very similar to yours. I heard march pumps must be mounted vertically, I guess this isn't the same for chuggers which is good to note. I'd love if you could post your supply list, particularly if you have kept a tally of cost. Cheers on a great looking build.

I can certainly throw up a price/parts sheet though I've got to warn you the stand isn't that much (about $160) but the rest of the system (vessels, burners, pumps) ended up over $2k since I bought it all and kinda splurged on the vessels since they're "lifer" pieces. The wife knows that this isn't a cheap build and gave her blessings on the endeavor but I'm still not keen on giving her a cost number ;-)

Damn dude. You go gold plated Blichmann? I'm actually interested to see the rest of the goods now, too.

nosnhojm20 said:

Damn dude. You go gold plated Blichmann? I'm actually interested to see the rest of the goods now, too.

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I'm actually not a big fan of the Blichmann vessels from a microbial sanitation standpoint. For just a little more than the price point they're selling for I went with an electric-capable 15 gallon setup through Stout Kettles (about $1900 when you factor in $300 in shipping), plus 2 chugger steel pumps, additional tri-clamp connectors to regulate flow, and two burners. Short of an actual professional facility or system like the 3-bbl dream system in another post here on forum this is my for-life dream setup.

Ahhh I now see how you got that expensive. But you're right,nothing else to buy after that. I dream of something similar one day. I'd like to have the option of 5 or 10 gallon batches. Sorry to hijack.

nosnhojm20 said:

Damn dude. You go gold plated Blichmann? I'm actually interested to see the rest of the goods now, too.

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• Vessels and core fittings (Stout Kettles): $2066.66
• Burners, burner mounts, pumps & additional fittings (Brewer's Hardware): $1088.03
• Strut Material & Chopsaw rental (local): $85.31
• Strut Stand Fittings (strutchannelfittings.com): $92.27

Total (+ freight): $3,332.27 See the attached pdf for an sku breakdown. As you can see the frame is done but the rest of the system is purchased and en route for delivery by the end of the month. I'm hoping to have everything set up and ready to brew by my birthday the middle of November.

View attachment ProjectList.pdf

Nice build! I just built a two tier stand out of unistrut this weekend, and am starting to plumb it for water and gas. I'm looking forward to seeing how you mount your burners.

W300 said:

Nice build! I just built a two tier stand out of unistrut this weekend, and am starting to plumb it for water and gas. I'm looking forward to seeing how you mount your burners.

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You and I are in the same boat, well kinda I built a single tier this weekend out of strut. I had a three tier but wanted it all at the same height. I too am in the process of plumbing my gas lines etc. It has been a little more tricky then what I thought at first!

Daves69 said:

You and I are in the same boat, well kinda I built a single tier this weekend out of strut. I had a three tier but wanted it all at the same height. I too am in the process of plumbing my gas lines etc. It has been a little more tricky then what I thought at first!

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Would you guys mind throwing up some info/pics on how you're doing your gas plumbing? Right now I'm just planning to run both burners off independent propane tanks and haven't done much beyond put gas plumbing on my eventual to-do list.

I will be more then happy to post up some pics. At the moment my burners and housings are just kinda sitting in my stand. I plan on a single feed based on some things I have seen here. I will take some as soon as I get started later this week!

bump

ForestGroveBrewer said:

bump

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24 mins after the last reply?

The only way I know how to follow a thread. I'm interested in the answers

If you've got any questions or want any specific sketchup or build images let me know. I'm trying to document this from start to finish and while I'm waiting on parts delivery at the moment I can certainly answer any questions you have.

ForestGroveBrewer said:

The only way I know how to follow a thread. I'm interested in the answers

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LOL okay well in the future

Daves69 said:

LOL okay well in the future

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You Tech Saavy types and your screen shots............Harrrumph!

Stealthcruiser said:

You Tech Saavy types and your screen shots............Harrrumph!

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This put a smile on my face.....

On topic, is it bad that I now want to return all of my slotted angle steel and get this stuff? Damn you!

rgauthier20420 said:

This put a smile on my face..... On topic, is it bad that I now want to return all of my slotted angle steel and get this stuff? Damn you!

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Nah, i had the same reaction when designing my system. I was originally going for welded steel but lack of access to a welder, or a willingness to trust one of my friends to my steel piping, precluded anything but a strut stand. Finding this design type was a godsend.

One thing to keep in mind is the 'zinc' coating on the metal. I'm actually going to be stripping the coating off of the top cross beams for the HLT and kettle burners, as well as the first 14-16in of each end of the long top bar, so I don't have to worry about burning it off. A good soak in a bucket of muriatic acid (20-33% HCl) should do the trick. Strip the coating, rough with sandpaper, and a coating of spray-on header paint and it should be good to go.

BugHunter said:

Nah, i had the same reaction when designing my system. I was originally going for welded steel but lack of access to a welder, or a willingness to trust one of my friends to my steel piping, precluded anything but a strut stand. Finding this design type was a godsend.

One thing to keep in mind is the 'zinc' coating on the metal. I'm actually going to be stripping the coating off of the top cross beams for the HLT and kettle burners, as well as the first 14-16in of each end of the long top bar, so I don't have to worry about burning it off. A good soak in a bucket of muriatic acid (20-33% HCl) should do the trick. Strip the coating, rough with sandpaper, and a coating of spray-on header paint and it should be good to go.

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Yeah. I've made some good progress on the stand in the recent weeks, but I'm buying piece by piece almost so it's slow going. I won't be getting the burners and gas lines until about a month from now either. I brew in the garage, so I'll be able to roll the rig into the driveway and just burn off the zinc. Then I'll remove other stuff and paint it in BBQ paint. Not trying to thread jack, but here's a quick pic. Still some supports to put one, but like I said....piece by piece.

Well I just got my message from Stout letting me know that the vessels have all been shipped freight and should be to my house by next Thursday. I'll make sure to do a proper 'unveiling' as soon as I get them. Edit: I also just got confirmation that my Brewers Hardware order shipped and will be arriving on Thursday. Halloween should be good this year ;-)

I just got confirmation that both the tanks and Brewers Hardware orders have been delivered to my house. Tonight, after the family trick or treating, I should be able to let you all know how everything looks. I won't be able to get it all put together tonight (like an idiot I forgot to order any silicone tubing with my orders), but I should be able to rough everything into place over the weekend.

What size casters are you putting or have you put on your rig? I figure if all 3 vessels are full (15G HLT, 10G MLT, 15G BK, plus metals and stuff) and giving 8lbs per gallon and let's say 100lbs for rig and accessories we're looking at around 420lbs or so.

I'm looking at putting 2 3" 175lb test casters with brakes and then 2 3" 175lb test regular casters. That's a total of 700lbs of capacity. Not to mention there's never going to be a time when every single vessel of mine is going to be full. What are you thoughts?

Everything came in today and looks great. I'll be setting up most of the system this weekend and uploading a video hopefully some time tomorrow. There are a few loose ends I have to purchase yet (I forgot the silicon tubing... oops), but other than that everything's in order.

BugHunter said:

Everything came in today and looks great. I'll be setting up most of the system this weekend and uploading a video hopefully some time tomorrow. There are a few loose ends I have to purchase yet (I forgot the silicon tubing... oops), but other than that everything's in order.

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Shiney! Looks amazing, makes my rig look blah!

rgauthier20420 said:

What size casters are you putting or have you put on your rig? I figure if all 3 vessels are full (15G HLT, 10G MLT, 15G BK, plus metals and stuff) and giving 8lbs per gallon and let's say 100lbs for rig and accessories we're looking at around 420lbs or so. I'm looking at putting 2 3" 175lb test casters with brakes and then 2 3" 175lb test regular casters. That's a total of 700lbs of capacity. Not to mention there's never going to be a time when every single vessel of mine is going to be full. What are you thoughts?

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These are what I bought for my stand http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD1F6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Daves69 said:

These are what I bought for my stand http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD1F6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

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Those are pretty heavy duty. Nice!