High Gravety Brew EBC III

I don't know enough about e-brewing yet to know if this is a good deal or not but it sure looks nice.

http://www.highgravitybrew.com/productcart/pc/EBC-III-with-Infinite-Power-Control-158p3858.htm

$799.00???

Wow. You could build your own with a lot more control capability for the same money or far less than that.

Just depends on what you want to do.

Just saying...

P-J said:

$799.00???

Wow. You could build your own with a lot more control capability for the same money or far less than that.

Just depends on what you want to do.

Just saying...

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I hear you, that's a lot of money, but I don't think I could wire up something myself.

You sure could explore your adventure and then decide later on instead of blowing the cash on something you will discard later on.

Wiring up a rig is no big deal. It is a learning adventure.

With the rig you linked, you still have a bunch of stuff you will need to do. (mounting elements - setting up your power feed - Hmmm.. lots more...)

I'm only suggesting that you explore other possibilities so that you are happy with your final results.

Sorry for the intrusion..

yeah, a friend of mine bought one of the EBC 2 units. I'm personally going the Auberins (Auber Instruments) + P-J diagram method for E-biab, which lots of people do, and it is less than a sixth of the price.

NoCornOrRice said:

yeah, a friend of mine bought one of the EBC 2 units. I'm personally going the Auberins (Auber Instruments) + P-J diagram method for E-biab, which lots of people do, and it is less than a sixth of the price.

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Yea the EBC 2 is more in line with my budget and to be honest I’m not really looking for all the bells and whistles. A way to control one element and my pump would be fine by me.

Thanks for the comments, I’ll take a look the Auberins + P-J diagram method but after making a couple of heat sticks I really don’t feel all that confident doing it myself.

Pardon me, I made an error. My friend has the EBC 2 Full HERMS package, not the standard EBC 2. So my pricing estimate applies to that only. The EBC 2 Standard edition appears to be about 2 times the price of my basic e-biab setup, although, the Auberins one I use is waaay more sophisticated.

One other thing to keep in mind, High Gravity is building these unit themselves. Personally if I were going to buy a complete package like this I would want something UL approved, with stringent quality control standards. The person building these may be very qualified, but without third part certifications that tell me their ability I would be cautious. There have been threads about wires coming loose and such, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/anyone-using-high-gravitys-ebc-ii-control-286565/.

Regardless if you build the system yourself or buy one of these I would have someone with electrical knowledge look things over.

brewhokie said:

One other thing to keep in mind, High Gravity is building these unit themselves. Personally if I were going to buy a complete package like this I would want something UL approved, with stringent quality control standards. The person building these may be very qualified, but without third part certifications that tell me their ability I would be cautious. There have been threads about wires coming loose and such, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/anyone-using-high-gravitys-ebc-ii-control-286565/.

Regardless if you build the system yourself or buy one of these I would have someone with electrical knowledge look things over.

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I bet half of the $800 goes to an insurance company...

So who can point me in the right direction to a complete, simple, safe and affordable panel that's detailed enough that someone with little to no electrical experience can put together?

kappclark said:

I bet half of the $800 goes to an insurance company...

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I have to give them credit for having the balls to sell an option that doesn't allow GFI protection (the 3 wire version). If it were me I'd have a HUGE disclosure requiring the buyer to use GFI protected circuits.

cswest, in regards to your question I'm not sure such a system exists. I have no beef with High Gravity and I applaud them for trying to fill a niche market. If anyone else has reviews of these systems I'd be very interested to hear them.

The braumiester is a well respected electric single vessel system, but thats big $$$. Honestly I have all the components for my electric BIAB system, including the same PID High Gravity uses, and an electric timer. I even have many of the same recepticals and RTD probe. By buying on ebay I have total around $350 in the panel, so it can be done much cheaper. I also didn't have alot of electrical experience, but there are so many good resources on HBT and at theelectricbrewery.com, that as along as you a careful it can be done properly and safely.

Does anyone have any more information on this? I was wanting to build something very similar to the EBC III, but don't really know where to start and $800 is wwwwaaaaayyyy out of my budget. Does P-J have a diagram that is a similar build to this configuration in previous threads? I like the idea of having two PID's to control the temp in the HLT and the MT....

VanBeer said:

Does anyone have any more information on this? I was wanting to build something very similar to the EBC III, but don't really know where to start and $800 is wwwwaaaaayyyy out of my budget. Does P-J have a diagram that is a similar build to this configuration in previous threads? I like the idea of having two PID's to control the temp in the HLT and the MT....

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Of course, I've made lots of diagrams.
Some questions for you:
What is your power feed?
Do you have GFCI protection?
You say 2 PIDs. If you will be running your controller on a 30A - 240V feed (dryer outlet circuit) you will only be able to heat one or the other at one time. Also if that is the case, you would only need a single PID and a single temperature probe.

Just another note: The EBC III is set up for a 30A - 240V power source.

Please let me know, I think I can help.

P-J

Thanks P-J for the quick response and offer to help! You probably here this a lot, but I am new to the world of electric brewing so I am unsure exactly what I need to do. I do not have anything set up yet as far a power coming from my breaker box in the garage because I wanted to do this all at the same time. The reason I thought I wanted 2 PID's was so that I could control the temp in the HLT and MT with a HERMS system. I realize I will only be able to heat one of the elements at a time so I can unplug the element from the HLT when I am done recirculating the mash and plug in the Boil Kettle.

VanBeer,

Here is a diagram that I think will fit your needs fairly well. It uses 1 PID and can be easily set up in an Auber Instruments project box. It is planned for a 30A 240V feed (dryer outlet) and gives you the ability to do what I understand as your mission. Please keep in mind that it is critical that you use GFCI protection for your brew panel. I also have diagrams to set that up using an inexpensive SPA Panel ($50) from HomeDepot if you need it.

As always - click on the image to see a full scale image that is printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Please let me know what you think.

Edit: As another thought for you. You only need a single temperature probe that would be placed in the HLT. You do not need (or want) a temp probe in the boil kettle. The Auber Instruments PID SYL-2352 has a 'manual mode' that allows you to control your boil rate there. It's a simple button press on the PID.

P-J

Pj was nice enough to help me with a wiring diagram as well as multiple emails back and forth. I too thought I was unable to wire up a panel and I was going to buy something and I said screw it I'll give it a try. I would never been able to do the wiring without the guidance and assistance of pj and this site. Pj's diagrams are very detailed and the recommendation of components for the panel were spot on. It was a fun ride to build mine i learned many new things. And the best part about building it is that if something goes wrong later on I will have the confidence to fix it and not just have to buy something new again. So cheers to your learning experience and cheers to Pj for his vast contribution to home brewing.

P-j was instrumental with my build as well. You really don't need a ton of electrical knowledge. All the hard part( the wiring diagram) was already done for you. You just need attention to detail, motivation, and some basic tools. When I was done I plugged it in and the moment of truth, everything works. Just double check your work and if you build it as diagramed it will work.

Greetings from Florida P-j,


That diagram is very similar to what I'm seeking. Can you please tweak it for the following scenario (and advise if the Auberins box is big enough, or what size box I need).

1-pid with SSr and heatsink to control/monitor 2 elements. element #1 is 5500watt 240 v mounted in 50 qt pot w/rtd installed.
element 2 is 1650w 120v heatstick that is portable.
Want a element selector switch to chose which element to use, an alarm switch for the pid ( with lighted alarm buzzer).
Want lighted indicators for each element when on.
Don't have one yet, but want a pump switch and indicator light for a pump.

So on the front panel I'm looking at 1 pid, 3 switches, and 4 lights.

was considereing having a locking masater on/off power switch with indicator light either on front or on top of box.

The power to the control box is a 240v 30 amp 4 wire gfi cord. Can the cord be hardwired in the box, or should it be a plug in attachment?
The cord will plug into a dryer outlet.

I'll need an outlet on one side of the box for the 240 v element, and an outlet on the other side for the pump and the 1650 w 120 v heatstick.

The SSR and heatsink will go on back or on top...depending on the room.

Am I forgetting anything?

thanks for any insight

P-J said:

VanBeer,

Here is a diagram that I think will fit your needs fairly well. It uses 1 PID and can be easily set up in an Auber Instruments project box. It is planned for a 30A 240V feed (dryer outlet) and gives you the ability to do what I understand as your mission. Please keep in mind that it is critical that you use GFCI protection for your brew panel. I also have diagrams to set that up using an inexpensive SPA Panel ($50) from HomeDepot if you need it.

As always - click on the image to see a full scale image that is printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Please let me know what you think.

Edit: As another thought for you. You only need a single temperature probe that would be placed in the HLT. You do not need (or want) a temp probe in the boil kettle. The Auber Instruments PID SYL-2352 has a 'manual mode' that allows you to control your boil rate there. It's a simple button press on the PID.

P-J

Click to expand...

Subbed... been thinking about automating for awhile now

I am resurrecting this thread because this setup is perfect for my circumstances. I just bought the spa panel from home depot and now looking for wire to reach where I brew. Will the 47 foot one here be substantial? I need about 35' feet of it I do have a four prong dryer outlet so I was wondering if this was compatible for my setup. Next question is should I set up the spa panel next to my dryer? Plug dryer line in -> foot line to box->line to brewery control. Or should the panel be mounted next the the brewery control panel?
Lastly will I be able to run both pumps and the heating element at the same time? I want to recirculate the hlt water while the herms pump is running (help keep even temps). Recommendation on the best place to put the temp probe?

I am very excited about this build. Thanks for everything.