Yet another HERMS build, by Stinkynathan

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stinkynathan

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As if there aren't already a lot of these on HBT, I thought I'd post pictures, parts list, log, etc. of the HERMs build that I'm beginning.

My brewery (no name yet) will be very much based on both Tiber_Brew's and Kal's HERMs breweries. I am by no means a rich person, so I intend to cut some corners where safe and possible.....this will be a relatively low-bling build. I will however be posting my low-bling and (hopefully) "low" cost parts list for all to see so that other may also be able to get into the electric brewery game.

So...some specs. This will be a single-tier, two pump system. I have ordered three Bayou Classic 1060, 60-quart kettles from Amazon. The third one was delayed by the storm and should be here within a day or two. I will be heating with two 5500w ULWD elements, wired such that only one can be active at a time so that I can run everything on a single 30a circuit in the basement.

Without further adieu, here is a very preliminary parts list. As far as I can tell, my plumbing is pretty much knocked out and will be ordered tomorrow or Monday.
parts.png


Edit: Wasn't really ready to hit "Submit" there, but apparently did anyway.

Questions and comments are certainly welcome. I've done a TON of reading on this, but by no means do I know everything I need for this project. I'm sure I will have questions about the build as time progresses and I get more parts.

Thanks in advance.
 
Bad form to respond to your own thread, but I thought I'd explain something about my plumbing list before someone asks.

I have 8 weldless bulkhead setups listed. It seems overkill, I know. It would be very easy to dangle tubing over the top of each kettle to return whatever liquid to it from the pump, but I'm not a big fan of "dangling tubing." My thought is that it's more safe and "correct" (whatever that means) to return liquid to the top of each kettle by way of a "return" or "whirlpool" bulkhead fitting. For the time being I will probably rig something out of copper to have some sort of whirlpool (or sparge tubing in the MLT) and will eventually replace those with "real" whirlpool fittings.

Also:

Why SS bulkheads from Bargain Fittings instead of brass ones put together from Mcmaster-Carr and local suppliers? Well, it turns out that you can't beat the Bargain Fittings price ESPECIALLY when you factor in your time spent researching and once you start adding a ball valve on every bulkhead.

Also, the price difference between the McMaster QDs and ProFlowDynamics camlocks is really not that great ($6 for this build) EXCEPT if you want to put an elbow on your female QDs. The prices were within a few dollars of one another for the total number of QDs I would need, except to add an NPT elbow to each female QD would add quite a bit of cost.

If the 90 degree female QDs aren't really necessary, then I'll definitely go for the cam-locks as they are essentially the same price.

By the by...is there such a thing as a "valved" female QD that would work within the kind of budgets that we homebrewers maintain?

Enough rambling from me. Again, comments and questions are certainly appreciated.
 
I think you should get a 40A SSR instead of the 25A. I think 25A is cutting it close with your 5500 watt element.

That's probably true. I haven't really spent much time with the electrical side at this point. I'm not sure why, but I decided to do the plumbing first.

Electric stuff is going to be this week's project. Thanks!
 
absolutely is a strong word... there is no reason that the ssr would fail because it's being used at it's rated capacity, that's just crazy talk. sure maybe it won't last quite as long, but these are industrial products, with lifecycles that will most likely last for as long as you need it.
 
absolutely is a strong word... there is no reason that the ssr would fail because it's being used at it's rated capacity, that's just crazy talk. sure maybe it won't last quite as long, but these are industrial products, with lifecycles that will most likely last for as long as you need it.

I did have a 25 amp ssr fail and almost caused a fire. I was told the
5500 watt pulled too many amps, I think 23, so it should have been fine I have a 40 amp now and it works great. I guess I could have had a faulty ssr and sorry for using absolutely but It did freak me out a little. I still think the 25 amp gets too hot with that element and I feel much safer with the 40.
 
So I'm finally getting around to ordering my plumbing stuff, but I have a couple questions for everyone.

Now that they seem to be in stock, any opinions on Bargain Fittings' new soldered weldless bulkhead kits vs. their standard ones?

How much silicon tubing is really necessary? I figured I'd need 5 quick disconnect hoses when fly sparging. Is 25 feet going to be enough? I'm trying to get everything from each retailer at one time to avoid getting nailed with shipping multiple times.

Do I really NEED elbows on my QD hoses? I've never handled silicon tubing before. Does that stuff kink easy enough when it's full that not having elbows will cause problems?

Also, am I correct in the assumption that there are no valved female QDs within the home brewer's price range?
 
Now that they seem to be in stock, any opinions on Bargain Fittings' new soldered weldless bulkhead kits vs. their standard ones?
Not sure. He came out with those right after I finished my build. I'm willing to bet they work really well.

How much silicon tubing is really necessary? I figured I'd need 5 quick disconnect hoses when fly sparging. Is 25 feet going to be enough? I'm trying to get everything from each retailer at one time to avoid getting nailed with shipping multiple times.

I used about 35+ ft for mine. I ordered 25 ft at first, but found I needed a bit more once I got the rig dialed in.

Do I really NEED elbows on my QD hoses? I've never handled silicon tubing before. Does that stuff kink easy enough when it's full that not having elbows will cause problems?

Some of my connections don't have an elbow, and they're fine. I do prefer the elbow, but it might not necessary for you. The silicone tubing is pretty tough stuff, but might kink a bit if it's hot enough and you apply enough perpendicular force.

I'm glad you found my build somewhat useful. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

Cheers,
TB
 
Not sure. He came out with those right after I finished my build.

I'm willing to bet they work really well.
I used about 35+ ft for mine. I ordered 25 ft at first, but found I needed a bit more once I got the rig dialed in.

Some of my connections don't have an elbow, and they're fine. I do prefer the elbow, but it might not necessary for you. The silicone tubing is pretty tough stuff, but might kink a bit if it's hot enough and you apply enough perpendicular force.

I'm glad you found my build somewhat useful. Let me know if I can help with anything else.

Cheers,
TB

I guess I'll go with 35'. It will probably be nice to have extra if I don't use it all. I'll probably hold off on the QD elbows. If I see that I need them later, I can always add them.

Yes, your build has been pretty useful so far. I may even just copy your electrical side verbatim. As much as I'd love the extra electrical bling that Kal has, I don't really need it or have the cash for it.
 
You might end up with a couple spare feet of tubing, but that's far better than being short, right?

My panel essentially functions like Kal's, but his doesn't use both elements at once. His also displays current and voltage (nice feature but not necessary), and monitors MLT temp w/ a PID instead of a Blichmann dial thermometer. His certainly does have the bling, but you will get by just fine copying mine (or one similar).

TB
 
elbows are important if the turn is tight. silicone tubing at wort temperatures is extremely flexible... you can route your tubing so it doesn't kink over, but elbows are really a cheap solution...
 
silicone tubing at wort temperatures is extremely flexible...

No it's not. It gets more flexible than at room temp, but nothing like vinyl tubing at all.

Like I said, most of my connections have elbows, but about 2 of them don't, and they're fine. Just don't put a lot of perpendicular force on the hose, especially when warmed up. Unless you got 15 feet of hose dangling from a connection w/ hot fluids and no elbow, you'll be just fine. Give yourself some slack, but don't leave excessive lengths. I would still recommend elbows, but if you insist on saving that money, then take a little precaution and you won't have problems.

TB
 
Lest you guys think that I'm not actually going through with this, I have a picture for you.
starting.jpg

I had to delay my order a couple times because I was still trying to map out what I needed and I wanted to make sure I got everything in one order to save on shipping. I got my last box of parts from Bargain Fittings this afternoon. All of my quick disconnects and a few other things came from McMaster on Friday. I now have (almost) all of my plumbing stuff. Once I get some copper for my HEX coil and dip/whirlpool fittings and my heating element parts, I should be able to start putting this all together.

So, I cleared off my workbench in the garage and very slowly started to lay a few things out. I'm sure I'll have some layout questions once I get a little bit more time to spend on it this weekend.
 
Yes, I'm still plugging away at this build. Work has been getting busy and I seem to be working farther away more than I'd like to be. Business is good, though, especially for a down economy. I shouldn't complain.

I spent a few weekends drilling, bending, soldering, swearing, etc and got all of the major plumbing tasks done.


I'm pretty embarrassed by how horribly the Hex coil turned out, but I've decided I'm going to leave it until I see how it performs. My 3 gallon carboy was the perfect diameter...but I didn't notice that wrapping around it was kinking the tubing until it was too late. I'm also not sure how well that manifold is going to work, but I will run a test brew or five before I commit to buying a false bottom.

I've been kicking around ideas in my head for my brew stand. I'm thinking something in either oak or birch with either a plywood or slatted bottom for storage. All will be stained and varnished. The countertops for it have been sitting out in the garage since last fall and I REALLY can't wait to get them out of there.

I've been finalizing some orders today and have been stressing about two things:

First, is there a consensus on the best location for the RTD for the HLT PID? Do I just mount my dial therm low on the MLT and maintain temperatures by knowing my temp offset? Or is it better to mount the RTD on the HEX output? I do have a 4" probe, dial therm to use somewhere, but I've been holding off on mounting it until I figure out what to do about the RTD.

Finally, I was about ready to pull the trigger on my AutomationDirect order and realized that Tiber_brew's panel is the only one I've seen with breakers internal to the control panel. Why so? The Electric Brewery isn't running breakers as far as I can tell. Are these really necessary if I'm protected by a GFCI breaker upstream? The more I think about it, the more I feel they are unnecessary. However...I'm no EE or electrician and I'm ready to be proven wrong. Thoughts?
 
I read deeper into Tiber_Brew's build and realized the error in my thinking. AutomationDirect order is on its way. SSRs are on their way from China. 16x16x8 box is on its way. I will finalize my Auber order when I get back from out of town on Tuesday or Wednesday. I should have almost everything by that point.
 
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