Sanity check

Ok, so I'm in the process of putting together plans for my first and all new electric indoor brewery. I plan on doing a two-vessel RIMS no sparge setup. I will run a cooler mt/lt and keggle BK. The plan is to have a single pump and cam lock hoses to move liquid. So far I've got a brand new copper in copper cfc that I just built and a march 809. I also have a line on a new legal keg. Before I start I wanted to check a few things, though.

1) I wanted to weld the dump on to the bottom of the kettle, then weld legs to the skirt. Is there any reason not to weld the legs on? For safety's sake I would rather go this route than have the thing on a stand.

2) I plan on running a 1 1/2" rims tube and would like to be capable of doing 10 gal batches with this setup, although I'm starting at 5 gal batches (limited by the no-sparge an 10 gal round cooler). What size element would be a good fit? I'm going to be on a 30A 240 4 wire circuit. The plan for the BK is a 5500W ULD. As far as RIMS I'd like to be able to step/ramp mash effectively on 5 gal, so I guess I can go up to 5500W, but that seems way overkill.

3) If instead of a 10 gal round cooler I go with a second keg (legs and bottom dump like the BK) and insulate it, will a RIMS keep up with temps efficiently or will I be constantly heating it? I'm seriously considering this route, but I really don't want to be burning a truck load of coal every time I do a beer.

trigger said:

Ok, so I'm in the process of putting together plans for my first and all new electric indoor brewery. I plan on doing a two-vessel RIMS no sparge setup. I will run a cooler mt/lt and keggle BK. The plan is to have a single pump and cam lock hoses to move liquid. So far I've got a brand new copper in copper cfc that I just built and a march 809. I also have a line on a new legal keg. Before I start I wanted to check a few things, though.

1) I wanted to weld the dump on to the bottom of the kettle, then weld legs to the skirt. Is there any reason not to weld the legs on? For safety's sake I would rather go this route than have the thing on legs...plus it's easier to clean/transport. Stands can be pretty dang sturdy, but to each his own. You could wreck the keg if you're not careful. But, for the drain, you should flip the keg over and cut out the bottom. The top sanke flange fits a 2" triclover :rockin:

2) I plan on running a 1 1/2" rims tube and would like to be capable of doing 10 gal batches with this setup, although I'm starting at 5 gal batches (limited by the no-sparge an 10 gal round cooler). What size element would be a good fit? I'm going to be on a 30A 240 4 wire circuit. The plan for the BK is a 5500W ULD. As far as RIMS I'd like to be able to step/ramp mash effectively on 5 gal, so I guess I can go up to 5500W, but that seems way overkill. I used 5500W for both because I wanted to heat on-demand strike/sparge water. If you don't want that, you can go with a 3500-4500w and still have plenty of power. But I like to know that if an element fails, I have interchangeability if necessary.

3) If instead of a 10 gal round cooler I go with a second keg (legs and bottom dump like the BK) and insulate it, will a RIMS keep up with temps efficiently or will I be constantly heating it? I'm seriously considering this route, but I really don't want to be burning a truck load of coal every time I do a beer. It should, if you keep your lines short and your flow adequate. Put your PID probe at the output of the RIMS and it'll help keep you from overdoing it

Click to expand...

There's lots of ways to do it.

I'm really liking the idea of on demand strike/sparge water, and I'm also thinking that 2 kegs would be the way to go. Thanks for the input SS.

I'm reconsideing welding the legs on. I'm leaning toward drilling the top/bottom skirts and bolting the legs on. I could make them removable if I want to go to a more permanent setup or stand later. My problem is I don't have anywhere to setup a stand permanently, and since I don't have a garage either, it's got to be stored in my shed or laundry room, then carried out to the patio or kitchen to brew.

I would also like to integrate the pump, CFC, and control box into a single unit. I coiled the CFC around a corney, so it's relatively compact. My concern is heat, since all 3 will radiate significant quantities. I'm looking for ideas on this one. I have seen the toolbox builds, and they're pretty slick, but I was hoping for some way to include the RIMS and CFC. I was considering mounting the pump and RIMS vertically to the MT/LT legs, the CFC horizontally under the BK to the legs, and then have the control box be a separate unit. Can anyone foresee any issues with this or come up with a more creative and clean way to integrate everything? I suppose I could just build a garage...(joke)!

Don't weld the legs onto the kegs. You will regret it. Just bolt them in place through the top and bottom rims. Don't over tighten the bolts and use locking nuts to keep them in place. The legs in the picture are salvaged desk legs.

P-J: Thank you, that's almost exactly what I was envisioning. How is stability with your setup? I'm pretty tall, but my current burner/keggle setup puts the top of the keg at about armpit height and it's not good, but since I gravity drain that's where it's got to be. Part of why I'm thinking bolt on legs would be good. I can always change them out for longer or shorter legs if I change my mind or shrink

In jkarp's Countertop Brutus 20 he put his CFC and pump in a bucket. This would be handy if you need to take stuff in and out of a closet or something.

I plan on a 2 keg RIMS with on-demand strike/sparge water as well. Mine will all fit on a 2'x3' cart with pump and CFC mounted on a shelf under the kegs. It could be done on one of those plastic utility carts or a nicer chrome kitchen cart as well.

If you have room for a cart to fit where you will store, I'd go that way. If not and you need to take it all apart and stack your system up to save space, putting your CFC and pump in a bucket and your control stuff in a plastic toolbox would make it easy to stack and save space when not brewing.

trigger said:

P-J: Thank you, that's almost exactly what I was envisioning. How is stability with your setup? I'm pretty tall, but my current burner/keggle setup puts the top of the keg at about armpit height and it's not good, but since I gravity drain that's where it's got to be. Part of why I'm thinking bolt on legs would be good. I can always change them out for longer or shorter legs if I change my mind or shrink

Click to expand...

The top of the kegs are 36" off the floor (desk height). Please note that the system has a single pump, therefore no gravity feed. Also pictured is a copper in copper CFC for chilling (still: only one pump).

An added benefit of the setup is that once you complete cleanup, you can stack the vessels upside down in a single pile. The legs interlock and prevent the stack from tipping or sliding apart, thus it is very neat and stable for storage.

P-J said:

The top of the kegs are 36" off the floor (desk height).
An added benefit of the setup is that once you complete cleanup, you can stack the vessels upside down in a single pile. The legs interlock and prevent the stack from tipping or sliding apart, thus it is very neat and stable for storage.

Click to expand...

That was exactly my goal for the system, as I have a perfect spot in my laundry closet between the dryer and the water heater.

I'm working on a wiring diagram now before I go ahead and start spending money I shouldn't on components. Any recommendations on free software that will run on a mac to do this with?

On a side note, I know a lot more about the physics behind why everything works than actually designing the system, so bear with me once I get it up...

Ok, I drew up a basic wiring diagram in open office, now how do I upload it for critique? I have a bunch of questions but without the picture it seems kind of dumb to start asking them.

trigger said:

Ok, I drew up a basic wiring diagram in open office, now how do I upload it for critique? I have a bunch of questions but without the picture it seems kind of dumb to start asking them.

Click to expand...

1. Open a www.photobucket.com account

2. Upload your photos to your photobucket account

3. Copy and paste the image URL to your HBT post


It's all free.

TB

EDIT: must first save your diagram as a .jpg

So, here's where I'm starting on the diagram. Like I said before, I know the physics behind why these components work a whole lot better than I know how they are actually implemented in a system, but I am comfortable with electricity. Any and all input is greatly appreciated, and please bear with me on the questions. The BK and RIMS elements are going to be 5.5k each, and I'll be supplying power from the $50 home depot spa panel I think.

First off, the parts:
SC-E2-110VAC - here
WMZS2C30 - here
WMZS1C01 - here
WMZS1D02 - here
Estop - here
3-pos - here
SYL-2352 - here
RS1A40D40 - here
CN-PBC302-120V - here

I would also like to include an alarm like this but I don't know how/where it would be wired in to let me know if I overshoot/undershoot temps.

Also, I wanted to wire in one of these on each of the two element contactors, to indicate which one has power. Do they go in parallel to the contactor or in series before/after the contactor?

I didn't include grounds in my wiring plan for simplicity, but I WILL be grounding everything. I also didn't include the pump switch, but I will have one in series on the hot leg after the disconnect and before the pump. I also didn't include recepticles for the same reasons, but I plan on running the twist locks on the two elements and standard 3 prong for the pump.

Do I need to include resistors anywhere? I was thinking that with the indicators they may be necessary, but I really am not sure.

Finally, I was going to add a timer but haven't selected one yet. I like the Auber timer, but I was also thinking that a $8 one from ebay like this would work just as well since it will just be powering a second buzzer/indicator. If I wire this in with the 2 PID's then use the timer's relay outputs to power the buzzer do I need to up the amperage on that leg's disconnect?

Please forgive my lack of proper symbols/conventions on the diagram, I'm a chemist not a EE.

trigger said:

Any and all input is greatly appreciated, ...

Click to expand...

It looks reasonable to me.

I would also like to include an alarm like this but I don't know how/where it would be wired in to let me know if I overshoot/undershoot temps.

Click to expand...

The PIDs have alarm outputs that you can use. They are described in the manual which you can download from Auber.

Also, I wanted to wire in one of these on each of the two element contactors, to indicate which one has power. Do they go in parallel to the contactor or in series before/after the contactor?

Click to expand...

They go in parallel with the contactor coil. It is a good idea to have these.

Do I need to include resistors anywhere? I was thinking that with the indicators they may be necessary, but I really am not sure.

Click to expand...

No resistors. The indicators have built-in resistors, or other current limiting devices, so all you have to do is to pick the correct voltage, and you did.

Finally, I was going to add a timer but haven't selected one yet. I like the Auber timer, but I was also thinking that a $8 one from ebay like this would work just as well since it will just be powering a second buzzer/indicator. If I wire this in with the 2 PID's then use the timer's relay outputs to power the buzzer do I need to up the amperage on that leg's disconnect?

Click to expand...

No, it will draw 0.042A at most so you can use the same breaker. Have you considered a combination cooking timer/thermometer? I use it to time the various steps in the brewing and also to monitor a temperature here and there. They stick on with magnets, and there is nothing to build.

By the way, there's something wrong with your first link.

Ok, a couple updates:

I placed orders for all the stainless/plumbing parts from various vendors and have a couple new kegs inbound, so the physical side of things should get started soon. I'm starting from scratch on this system, since my old stuff would be a hassel to convert and wouldn't be exactly what I want anyway. Here's the parts breakdown so far:

Item Supplier Cost ea. Number S&H Total
2” Tri-Clover x .5” NPT KLG Stainless (ebay) $11.95 2 $4.95 $28.85
2” Tri-Clover clamp Brewershardware.com $7.00 2 $4.95 $18.95
2” Tri-Clover gasket PTFE Brewershardware.com $2.50 2 $5.00
False Bottom Midwest Supplies $39.00 1 $9.10 $48.10
1/2”NPT SS 3-piece ball valve bargainfittings.com $19.99 3 $5.00 $64.97
1/2” SS Camlock F bargainfittings.com $3.95 7 $27.65
1/2” SS Camlock A bargainfittings.com $3.75 2 $7.50
1/2” SS Camlock C bargainfittings.com $6.10 6 $36.60
1/2” SS Camlock B bargainfittings.com $5.75 1 $5.75
1/2” silicone tube bargainfittings.com $2.20 20 $44.00
1/2” SS NPT coupling bargainfittings.com $4.00 2 $8.00
1/2” SS NPT street 90 bargainfittings.com $5.50 4 $22.00
3” face thermometer 6” stem bargainfittings.com $26.00 1 $26.00
Welded Thermometer sight gauge bargainfittings.com $24.00 2 $48.00
1/2” NPT x 1/2” hose barb bargainfittings.com $6.50 2 $13.00
1” NPS Locknut bargainfittings.com $0.00
2” NPT tee buyfittingsonline.com $21.59 2 $10.70 $53.88
2” x 10” NPT nipple buyfittingsonline.com $31.37 1 $31.37
2” x 1” NPT hex bushing buyfittingsonline.com $11.78 1 $11.78
2” x 1/2” NPT hex bushing buyfittingsonline.com $11.78 3 $35.34



I've also changed plans, and am going to install a 50A spa disconnect and receptacle to power the system right outside my back door. This should let me use a 50A 4-wire range cord 10' long to set up on the patio in the summer and in the kitchen in the winter.

I am in the process of reworking the wiring diagram to include a hi/low (240/120) switch on the RIMS element. I would like to be able to run it at the full 5.5k for strike/sparge water and at 120V for mash recirc to prevent scorching.

Here's the new diagram, stick with me please:


I basically added the indicators in and put in a second 3-pos to switch the rims element between 110 and 220. I am a bit worried that the indicators on the element selection portion should be wired differently. I was thinking that maybe I should have them on the coil side on the contactors. Not sure about that.

On a side note I ordered: enclosure and the 50A contactor for the estop. I actually bought the enclosure after a few many homebrews, when I thought the clear lid would look really cool. Now I realize that I'm going to have to do a really slick job wiring it oud laying it out since I'll constantly be reminded of every little mistake if I screw it up.

Now, as far as wiring... I'm planning to run a 50 A 10' 4-wire range cord permanently wired into the panel to the 50A contactor, then to the first contact blocks, which splits off to the e-stop and the 3 breakers. Because the e-stop only draws what the contactor coil draws, can I run smaller wire for this circuit despite it being before the breaker? I was also thinking of putting a small fuse in that leg, like a 250 mA or something.

For simplicity's sake I was going to run 8 AWG for both legs coming out of the 30A breaker all the way to the elements. I was going to run 18 AWG throughout for the rest of the enclosure. Is there anything wrong with this?

As far as the plugs go is there anything wrong with these? I would run one for each element and then the complementary 120V version for the pump. Finally, what should I be looking at the make the element cords out of?

Here's a re-done wiring diagram for critique. I'm sorry that it's screenshots, I'm a mac guys, so had to borrow a 'puter that could run a demo version of TINA, and it's not letting me save or export the actual work. I guess I just won't be able to close it down or I'll lose everything...



and here's the lower part:



I haven't included grounds again, but they obviously will be wired in. Also, I've omitted the plugs/receptacles for ease of viewing. My main areas of concern are the power on circuit and the e-stop. I wasn't going to include a power off button, I was going to use the e-stop for that, as I only ever plan on powering off once brewing is done or in an emergency. Also, I've included a lockout circuit like the one Kal just implemented. I am pretty sure I got it right, but I didn't include wires to the element selector and pump switches, but they will wired in series with the power on button through NC contact blocks. That way the power on button only functions when the pump is off and the RIMS/off/BK selector is in the off position.

I welcome any and all feedback.

Having your diagram in one piece would help a great deal.

This might help others to evaluate the diagram:




However, (from my point of view) the diagram is still difficult to follow as components are not represented as they really are. For example the SSR's are shown as physical relays. The 2 "500mA" component in your power up / e-stop circuit are what exactly? There are more Qs but I'll leave it there.

P-J,

Thank you, I appreciate you piecing it together. It totally skipped my mind...

Yea, I used electromechanical symbols for the the SSR's because there weren't any SSR's in the demo of TINA. Also, the 500 mA are 0.5A C curve breakers, the 1A is a 1A C curve breaker, the 3A is a D curve breaker, and the two 30A are meant to represent a 30A C curve double pole breaker.

I really appreciate any help the community can give me. If there's another format or any information that you guys need or would prefer let me know and I'll happily get it done.

it might look childish, but I've found that using pictures of the actual items tends to make the diagrams MUCH more readable.

I've been helping a few people work through the designs of systems vie email, and trying to teach them along the way, and, trust me...

a picture like the one below makes it very easy for anyone to understand.

P-J said:

Having your diagram in one piece would help a great deal.

This might help others to evaluate the diagram:

Click to expand...

Yes, thanks P-J, that helps a lot.

Trigger, most of the circuit makes sense. I recognize the 500mA devices as fuses, but most of us would use circuit breakers instead.

It is around RL2 that I don't understand your intentions. I think RL2 is not needed. Are the two switches labeled "Pump" part of a DPST switch? I think they are. I think you want one of those in parallel with the "Elem" switch, and then put that parallel combination in series with the E-stop. This way the contactor RL1 is activated either when you need the pump or the elements. Replace the RL2 contacts with the Power push button. RL1 should drop out when both "Pump" and "Elem" are off. At least that is how I think you intended this to work.

The high/off/low switch only controls the RIMS element. That's fine. RL3 and RL4 need to be rated at 30A at least, but they could be combined into one SPDT relay. That would also alleviate a concern I have that both RL3 and RL4 could be on at the same time, temporarily, causing a short circuit.

Quaffer said:

I recognize the 500mA devices as fuses, but most of us would use circuit breakers instead.

Yes, I was planning on using breakers, like this. I will use the same style breakers where the fuses appear in the schematic, it was just that the program I used didn't contain breaker symbols.

It is around RL2 that I don't understand your intentions. The intention was to add a safe start interlock like Kal did here. I think RL2 is not needed. Are the two switches labeled "Pump" part of a DPST switch? Both of the "pump" switches are the same switch, the part in the power on circuit is a NC and the part on the pump power leg is a NO. The switch labeled "Elem" is a pair on NC contact blocks on the "RIMS/off/BK" element. I made them separate in the diagram because they are separate contact blocks on the same switches. I'm sorry for the confusion. The goal with the circuit was to make it impossible to power on the control panel when either the pump was on or either the RIMS or BK elements were selected. I would, however, like to be able to have power to the system with both elements off and the pump off. That is why I included RL2. I may have diagramed it wrong, but I was thinking that the way it's drawn, RL2 is there to "latch" RL1, providing power to the system. This is only possible if both the element selector and the pump switches are in the off position. I think they are. I think you want one of those in parallel with the "Elem" switch, and then put that parallel combination in series with the E-stop. This way the contactor RL1 is activated either when you need the pump or the elements. Replace the RL2 contacts with the Power push button. RL1 should drop out when both "Pump" and "Elem" are off. At least that is how I think you intended this to work. I would like the system to be on with no power flowing to pump or elements, for things like PID programming, or incase there's a hiccup with the brew process that doesn't need a total shutdown from the e-stop. On that note, I figured that the e-stop should be included as close (wiring wise, not location) to RL1 as possible.

The high/off/low switch only controls the RIMS element. That's fine. RL3 and RL4 need to be rated at 30A at least, but they could be combined into one SPDT relay. The high/low/off switch is actually a 3 position switch, with 2 NO contact blocks (again, demo version of the software didn't have a symbol for this). The blocks are connected to two separate SPST relays rated at 30A each. I figured that having a single 3 pos. switch requiring a throw through "off" would eliminate the possibility that both were switched at the same time. If not I'll swap them out for a SPDT. That would also alleviate a concern I have that both RL3 and RL4 could be on at the same time, temporarily, causing a short circuit.

Click to expand...

Quaffer, thank you for the feedback, I hope my reply makes sense. Please keep the questions and suggestions coming!

trigger said:

Quaffer, thank you for the feedback, I hope my reply makes sense. Please keep the questions and suggestions coming!

Click to expand...

OK, I think I see what you want now. I think RL2 is still not needed. I'd remove it and make a connection from the start button to the E-stop.

Normally closed switches should be drawn in the closed position. That will eliminate some confusion.

If you pause just a litle when switching high/off/low, then you'd be OK. If you flip that switch quickly there is a chance that the one relay that is activated does not deactivate before the other one is activated. It is up to you if you want to remove that possibility or not.

I think the lower 500mA c.b. can be eliminated. Can't you just use the 1A?

The pump c.b. is 3A, right? Not 38A.

Ok, here's a re-done schematic:



Quaffer, after looking it over I'm pretty sure you're right, that RL1 will latch without the second relay in the power circuit. Also, I've renamed the NC switches in the power circuit to correspond with their same names in the other branches.

The pump breaker is in fact a 3A D curve. I've tried to clean up the labels a bit in this version so they're easier to read.

Another changes is that I've gone to DPST relays for both the hi/off/low switch and the RIMS/off/BK switch. These are all 40A relays like this. I did this after reading a few other threads and agreeing that when a switch is off, neither leg of the element power should be hot. Also, RL1 is a 50A DPST contactor.

One more question. Right now I am thinking I will probably go with a GFCI cable as Kal did in his ebrewery rather than putting in a spa disconnect. I have an unused 30A breaker in my panel right now from the old furnace. The wires were pulled from the wall, but the breaker is still in there (I'm pretty sure the previous owner of my house was DIY challenged). It would be very easy for me to pop out a 4 wire receptacle to run off this breaker (I have to get an electrical inspection anyway for another project). Is there a good argument to be made for putting in the 50A GFCI spa disconnect with my current system? I plan on only ever running one 5500 W element and the pump at a time. I guess what I'm wondering is what is the max instant draw of the pump at startup? If I have the RIMS on high and kick the pump on will it exceed 30A? I know that the pump draws 1.4 sustained, but I can't find what it pulls at startup.

Quaffer - thanks for that awesome writeup on soldering the 1" nut to a keg. I'm going to use that thread a LOT when it comes time to build out my kegs. I'm a whole lot more confident in my ability to solder than I am in my or anyone I know's welding skills.

trigger said:

Ok, here's a re-done schematic:

Quaffer, after looking it over I'm pretty sure you're right, that RL1 will latch without the second relay in the power circuit. Also, I've renamed the NC switches in the power circuit to correspond with their same names in the other branches.

The pump breaker is in fact a 3A D curve. I've tried to clean up the labels a bit in this version so they're easier to read.

Another changes is that I've gone to DPST relays for both the hi/off/low switch and the RIMS/off/BK switch. These are all 40A relays like this. I did this after reading a few other threads and agreeing that when a switch is off, neither leg of the element power should be hot. Also, RL1 is a 50A DPST contactor.

Click to expand...

You got it. If you can make the selector switches work like you planned, then this will work.

One more question. Right now I am thinking I will probably go with a GFCI cable as Kal did in his ebrewery rather than putting in a spa disconnect. I have an unused 30A breaker in my panel right now from the old furnace. The wires were pulled from the wall, but the breaker is still in there (I'm pretty sure the previous owner of my house was DIY challenged). It would be very easy for me to pop out a 4 wire receptacle to run off this breaker (I have to get an electrical inspection anyway for another project). Is there a good argument to be made for putting in the 50A GFCI spa disconnect with my current system? I plan on only ever running one 5500 W element and the pump at a time. I guess what I'm wondering is what is the max instant draw of the pump at startup? If I have the RIMS on high and kick the pump on will it exceed 30A? I know that the pump draws 1.4 sustained, but I can't find what it pulls at startup.

Click to expand...

The only reason to get the spa disconnect over the GFI cable is that it is cheaper. The cable has, well, cable, and a plug which will offset the price difference a bit. I had already bought a cable so I chose the spa disconnect.

You should have no problem tripping a 30A breaker. The startup current is brief so even if total current would exceed 30A a little, which I doubt, it would not trip the breaker.

Yea, adding up prices, I'll need to get a 4 prong receptacle either way, the same amount of conduit and a box. The 50A circuit will cost a bit more in terms of the wire, and the price difference between the GFCI cord and a standard 4 wire 10' dryer cord is about equal to the price of the spa disconnect. All signs point to making this a 30A rig on the existing breaker. One thing I really like about going this route is that I'll be able to take it to my parents place and plug in to the 30A receptacle in their garage, or to group brews where a 30A outlet is available. Also, the 17' GFCI cable gives a lot more flexibility in placement versus a 10' cable. Anyone else think of any down sides to going this route?

Got my fittings today from Bargain Fittings. I went all camlock, with the exception of the bottom dump upside down keggles using 2" tri-clovers to 1/2"NPT adapters. I have to say that Bargain Fittings gets a HUGE thumbs up from me. It came fast, was an awesome price, and was extremely well packaged. Also, the inclusion of silicone o-rings for everything was great. It's the little things like this that will make me a loyal customer.

I also go my box from Auber with the PID's, RTD's and timer. I'm just waiting on the kegs and the rims tube parts to get here and I'll be able to assemble the plumbing while I keep working on the wiring diagram.

Progress report:

I picked up my new kegs today and had to cut into them:


Then I decided to make a lid like bobby_m:


The lid got the polish treatment, then I brazed on the washers and the screw for to hold the handle on. I had to put handle on because I'm using the sankey fitting to mate to a 2" triclover bottom dump setup. This first lid was a trial run, it came out well enough to see my face in it, but I'm not super happy. I'm sure that the other one will be better, and the kegs as well. The plan is to cover them in reflectix, so the polish may seem unnecessary, but the physicist in me says that everything that's shiny holds heat better.

I've been getting deliveries daily, so things are coming along. One issue is the main power contactor I ordered is HUGE. It's also a 3PST, not what I thought I was getting. I can't decide whether to use it or scrap it and order a DPST 40A from auber...

Ok, new question:

Where can I get closed cell foam peel and stick insulation? I want the 212 rated stuff so I can cover both vessels. This came about because I went and looked at reflectix at HD yesterday and decided that I wasn't impressed. I know a lot of guys successfully use it, but it just seemed too fragile for me. I'm sure I'll be pulling it off and recoating in no time.

Maybe this stuff? Is only .065" thick (about 1/5 of the Reflectix). It's not peel and stick I don't think, but might still work for what you need.

So what do you do after finals are over? Build a brewery!
Here's the element box, haven't wired cause keg had to pass wet test. Thanks TB on the how not to have it leak bit. Drilled the box 1/8" over the thread diameter, then put the gasket on the element after box. Good electrical connection between the element base and the box, and so far leak free.

Here's the soldering on the BK locknut. Thanks Quaffer on the "it can be done" The first time it leaked a bit, so I drained, drenched everything in flux, then just re-heated and the solder flowed in perfectly. No leaks at all, and solid as a rock. I went so far as to beat on it pretty good with a soft faced mallet to make sure that it wasn't going anywhere.

I found a 20" tall work stand at HD for $35 then cut out the bars on either end. It holds 225lbs and folds up nice and small. No legs on the kegs, but it's still highly portable and storable.

And here's the money shot. Both the BK and MT/LT are full to the top fitting with water. I'm going to leave them overnight and check again in the morning for leaks. You can see that the MT/LT on the right got the wire brush treatment, while the BK is still waiting it's turn. I got a SS wire brush for a 4" grinder at Harbor freight for about $6. It does a damn fine job of taking off the paint and prepping for polish, but I think I asked a bit too much from it tonight.


Tomorrow I'm going to polish both kegs, assuming they are still leak free, then I'm going to build the RIMS and pump toolbox and wire up the elements/RTD's. If I have any time left I'll get started on the control panel. More pics to follow. This build should go quick, seeing as I've got 3 weeks off of school and all the parts siting here...

So I built out the toolbox sans wiring yesterday, but didn't get any pictures. I'll put one up when I wire it in tomorrow.

Today I cut up my enclosure, made a back plate, and mounted a few components.

A word of advice: don't buy an enclosure with a clear front. That stuff scratches like nobody's business, and it's a beast to cut through since it's so thick. It just melts. Go with a metal box.

trigger said:

Today I cut up my enclosure, made a back plate, and mounted a few components.

A word of advice: don't buy an enclosure with a clear front. That stuff scratches like nobody's business, and it's a beast to cut through since it's so thick. It just melts. Go with a metal box.

Click to expand...

Looking good!

That clear front is intriguing for us who want to see how stuff works.

The PIDs seem to gobble up a lot of space behind the panel. Will you be able to mount stuff on the back plate underneath them?

My enclosure is taking its sweet time to arrive. Maybe next week.

Quaffer, yes the PID's are pretty deep, and the enclosure I got isn't, but with some creative arranging there's about 1/2" of clearance between the bottom of the PIDs and the terminal blocks. Now way they'd clear the relays.

Here's some pics. The wiring is completely done, and I ran continuity checks on everything. I'm going to think about it for a while, replumb my RIMS, wire in the BK element, and generally do anything I can to avoid turning it on. I'm just nervous as hell, even though I'm confident that everything will be fine. Something about powering up $400 for the first time...







I didn't shield the RTD wires inside the panel, but then I saw TB's post about doing it after I'd wired them in. Is this really necessary? I'm thinking of giving it a whirl without shielding first and seeing how it goes.

As promised, here's some pics of my RIMS toolbox. I put the pump in the lid so I can use the full bottom space for storage, and the pump cord winds back inside. I should be able to get the RTD cords in there, along with a lot of odds and ends hardware wise that I may need on brewday.




Finally, I had some issues getting the sleeving over the powercords for the elements. It wanted to hang up and fray and generally be disagreeable. I found that wrapping a bunch of electrical tape into a cone on the insertion end made the whole thing super easy.

So I Finished the plumbing and cut my hoses. I need to get one FTPxbarb fitting, and a bunch of hose clamps and I'll be ready to run a full water test cycle. Oh, when I finally worked up the courage to hit the power button nothing happened. My heart sank. I pulled out the multimeter and ran continuity tests on EVERYthing again, and it all looked great. After about 45 minutes of head scratching I realized that I had all the breakers in the off position... Not cool, but once I flipped them everything worked perfectly.

Congratulations! I am really impressed how fast you got your brewery together. It looks like you are just about ready for the inaugural brew. Well done, man!

I like your CFC coil. Did you make it yourself? Mine is made out of an old garden hose and does not look anywhere near as good. I will be hiding it under a shelf.

You made good use of the space in your panel. It is packed.

I just had a big setback. A power surge last night killed my computer with all my plans and CAD files, literally weeks of work. And it was supposedly protected by a surge strip. The strip has the "Protected" light still on, but the computer hangs during boot, fan howling.

I wish you good luck on your first brew. It's going to be great!

Quaffer, thanks for the compliments. The panel is packed, it was a bit of a challenge finding a way to get the wires from the bottom to the lid without pinching them. It happened fast because I'm single and in college. I just finished up finals last week and I had been collecting all the pieces, so it was just a matter of building it all once finals were over.

I did DIY the CFC. It's 3/8" inside 5/8" and 25' long. I had a 15' before with 1/2" inside a 3/4" garden hose. That one was OK, but not very efficient. When the incoming water was 50F I had to run it full blast to get the wort down to 65F, and the output water was about 100F. I found that there just wasn't enough surface area for a good heat transfer, so I made the new one smaller and longer. I tested this on a couple batches using gravity to drain through the CFC. I had to throttle back the cooling water to a trickle to keep the wort at 65F, and the water coming out was about 180F, perfect for cleanup. I went with copper in copper so I could run boiling wort through to sanitize, rather than dealing with loading it full of starsan.

I'm really sorry to hear about your computer. Hopefully the drive is still good. Since the fan is ripping it sounds like it's the motherboard that got cooked. Have you tried contacting the power strip manufacturer? They usually have a guarantee of some sort. If I were you I would get one of these. Pull your hard drive out, stick it in there and you should be able to plug it into another computer and boot from it to access your data. I hope that helps. It's only $10 plus shipping. I'd be willing to risk that to try to recover all my lost files.

Right now I'm running a PBW cycle through the brewery. I've found a lot of leaking fittings, which was a bit disappointing. It was all leak free at room temp, but once it got hot that changed. I'm headed to the LHBS later today to pick up a couple batches of ingredients and to HD to get some insulation. I'll fix the leaks this evening and run a couple more hot water tests, but hopefully I'll have picks of popping her cherry tomorrow or Thursday.

I can't decide what I want to brew first, though. I'm thinking of doing a batch of my RPA, but seeing as how it's the shakedown brew I'm not too sure about having 3.5lbs of rye in there. I'd hate to start out with a stuck mash...

The IDE to USB gizmo is a great idea! And cheap. Thanks. I just remembered another trick to try that helped me out a couple years ago on the same computer (DELL XPS410). I need to find the jumper to reset the CMOS chip. Perhaps it got corrupted.

I have a few pounds of rolled rye looking for a brew to end up in. If you're putting in 3.5 lbs it must be a 10 gallon batch, right? I have not seen a confidence-inspiring recipe yet so I was just going to bastardize a regular IPA and see what happens.

I veered a bit off topic here. Your CFC sounds very efficient. Mine has 20’ of 3/8” copper in an old, stiff garden hose. It chills 5.5 gal to 65-70 degrees in about 20 minutes with water running at about ¼ full speed, gravity fed into fermenter. Chill water output is only lukewarm, but I have plenty of 50-60F water so not a big deal. I should have convoluted the copper with a wire to improve efficiency. I have used Iodophor so far, but I will subject it to hot sanitation like your all-copper one. If it holds it holds. There will be no pressure on the hose while it is hot, and only a little while chilling. If it breaks I will be building an all-copper one myself.

I would surely try the CMOS reset first, save some money and time if it works. I hope that it does.

That's actually in a 5.5 gal batch. I really like rye, but everyone that tries it likes it too.
8# two-row
3# malted rye
0.5# crystal rye
2.0 oz glacier 5.0% 60min
1.0 oz glacier 5.0% 10min
1.0 oz glacier 5.0% 0min

The spicy glaciers are so nice with the rye bite. I used 1469 for the last batch, but I think any British strain will make a nice beer.

The word of the day is CMOS. There was no jumper, it must have been an older system I remembered, but there was a battery of course. I popped it out, shorted the terminals with a pair of tweezers, went to pour a home brew, came back and put it back in and, voila! It is back up again. I had to screw around with a few BIOS settings, but I believe it is back to normal now. Phew. One of these days I will back up my data. Not today.

I will try your recipe, but of course I have NONE of the ingredients. I have a couple of sacks of Pale malt and it is close enough to 2-row. Freezer full of hop pellets, but no glacier. I think I will have to take liberties the first time to move my stock. I'm guessing that you can use so much rye because it is malted. Mine isn't so I will scale back a little. I love rye bread so I bet this will be a winner. Now if I only had a brewery put together.