Building A 2 bbl system-want some ideas

Well after years of dreamin and schemin think I'm finally going to do it. I have spent the last few years compiling major components for an 80 gallon system. I have been looking into all the various necessities and I think its time to build.

Here is what I have as of right now:

1. 1 plain 80 gallon 316 ss tank. This would be used as the MLT
2. 2 80 gallon ss tanks with heats exchangers built in. These would be used for a kettle and or a fermenter.
3. A commercial tankles water heater rated for 185 degrees at a flow of 6 GPM. THis would be for both the mash water and the strike water
4. Materials for a small glycol chiller i/e pump, radiator and stuff.

Basically my plan is to cut the domed top off of the shortest tank/MLT and use it as a base for the kettle. This way I can also install a false bottom.
for sparging, and then i will have to pump it into the kettle. I dont know much about pumps but I know that a few of you out there can figure it out.


I plan on directly firing with a 300,000 btu burner under the kettle, and using the heat exchanger inside the kettle in conjunction with the glycol chiller to cool it down.

Here is where i'm not exactly sure what to do. I don't know how well the other tank would work as a fermenter because of the heat exchanger inside. I am worried there would be too many nooks and crannies for stuff to hide. Another idea I had was to just cool the wort down inside the kettle, then seal it up and ferment right inside of the kettle. The kettle would be sterile because of the temp and this would save me from having to transfer it. It would also provide me with a way to control the fermentation temp via the glycolchiller/heat exchanger combo. Make sense?

Here are some pics of the tanks I'm using. I just figured tossing this out there for all to see would be a good source of info/inspiration. I look forward to hearing your ideas. Hopefully i've given yall enough of an idea to understand my plan.

wow, definitely jealous!

BUMP!

I would totally go electric with those tanks. That would be stellar!

I hadnt though of the electric idea. hmmmm...

onthekeg said:

I would totally go electric with those tanks. That would be stellar!

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I agree. If you went direct fired with gas you could have a problem with the tanks being so tall and skinny.

I started poking around the electric brewing threads and trying to figure out how much juice it would take to get these things to a rolling boil. It does look like electric is the way to go, but far from easy.

I've gotta say that seeing some of those RIMS systems has got me a little intimidated.
I'm just a gravity/burner/old fashioned kind of brewer. All the pumps and wiring and control box buildups and stuff is pretty daunting.

I'm sure i could figure it out though. I have a few friends that are pretty good at this stuff, I guess i would have to start lookin at some costs too.

if you got time, you can build one. i started with nothing more than some rudimentary electrical knowlege, and build an electric, you can keep it simple too. doesn't have to be as fancy as others. good luck

It looks like i would need at least 3 electric elements to get it going though and that would be a lot of electricity.

This thread doesn't seem to generating much attention so i think i'll throw it out there on the electric brewing spot and see if i can attract some sparkys.

you have a 220/240 line accessable? Seriously lowers the amp requirements of your heaters.

I have a shop i'm currently (no pun intended) running electicity to. It is completely wired and would be no big deal for me to just up the wire size and breaker size into my plans. I just need to know how much current i need to draw to the shop.

Its actually a good time to get the electrical stuff figured out because i can do it all in one shot.

rambler said:

I have a shop i'm currently (no pun intended) running electicity to. It is completely wired and would be no big deal for me to just up the wire size and breaker size into my plans. I just need to know how much current i need to draw to the shop.

Its actually a good time to get the electrical stuff figured out because i can do it all in one shot.

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I AM NOT AN ELECTRICIAN! EVERYTHING I SAY SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A LIE.

Okay, now that that's out of the way.

From what I've read a lot of guys around here are pulling just below 40 amps from their big setups. I don't know if that is 220 or 110, but most people don't have anything but 110 unless you are talking about electric stoves but that is often a single plug you cannot access easily. Albeit brewers aren't "most people."

I have a go big or go home mentality. I have welders and compressors that run off 220 (220 compressors cycle so freaking fast its amazing) so we have a single line. If I were to brew a lot like you I would probably look into having another line to augment what I already have because 2bbl is a LOT of water to bring up to boiling.

My suggestion would be to have a couple 220 lines with 40 amp breakers to run it.

Again, I haven't done it. I am not experienced. I have only read stuff on the internet about this.

Yeh, i've got the GBOGH attitude too (hence the 2 bbl setup). I just figure what the hell, give it a shot. I may get licensed and sell it someday.

Thanks for the info. I too have done a ton of reading but have never done it. I love to learn but electricity demands respect and i want it done right and safely.

agree with the saftery and respect of lectricity, take your time, i was the same way, i did weeks of testing verifying stuff was wired correctly, of course the first thing i did was buy a new fire extiguisher, abc rated, then i started working on the wiring. I went electric because i got tired of freezing my keester off brewing when it was -10 outside

Electric is the way to go, no questions asked. From what I have read, heating water is not a linear scale so I'm guessing three elements would be the way to go.

I am sure there is a way, and its not going to be using parts for a home, post this in the electric brewing forum and i am sure someone will know what you need.