Basement brewroom with HERMS build

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diS

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I"ve been working on this for last two months and finally got some visible results.

Main idea is to build basement brewroom with workshop where I can build/repair and brew some beer.
Setup will be hybrid electric/gas HERMS (electric elements for HLT and gas burner for BK).

This is how it starts, a bit of creative mess:

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First thing to do was to bring water supply and drainage:

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move the shelves and plaster the walls:

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In meantime I started with keg to kettle conversion, more precisely with cutting keg top.
This is my "cut keg" jig, modified version of dutchoven"s jig:

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I used keg tap to center whole construction with threaded rod:

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and it was ready to start

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Cuts were pretty clean, and after half of hour it was done, I used brush to clean sharp spots on edge:

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For FB I made slots 0.08" wide, which makes 15% open area.
Minimum, but I sincerely hope that"ll work because if I intend to fill it with holes it will be pretty PITA without table drill.

It is still under construction and I"ll wait until I weld connections on keg before soldering it.

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I used part of keg valve with some copper reducers to seal center for dip tube, it should be fine.

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It took me couple of hours to cut slots with angle grinder. I used clamps to hold bottom in place and piece of wood batten to keep straight lines.

When cutting slots on SS it is good to cut layer by layer until we cut it out, this way the slots will be cleaner.
 
I love watching people build stuff, especially when they do quality work with straight lines and what not.

Can't wait to see how this all takes shape for you.
 
Thanks guys.
Currently I am in the middle of building HLT. It is plastic bucket since I have only 2 kegs that I"ll use for MLT and BK.
 
How are you going to boil all that water in a plastic bucket?

Bucket is made from food grade high density polyethylene (HDP) and it can withstand higher temperatures- 120 °C/ 248 °F for short periods, 110 °C /230 °F continuously.

I had one of these buckets in my previous setup and never had problem when boiling in it.

HLT is almost done, I screwed up trying to tighten lock nut on RTD sensor (M8 thread)- too much force and thread on sensor broken.. I was pissed off..
When I calmed down I got the idea, I am going to use 1/2"-1/4" reducer which fits perfectly, put sensor trough it and seal it with epoxy.. hope it will work.

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dIS, love the false bottom, and proof that you are extremely patient. That would have become a Frisbee in my hands.
 
There is thin line between perfection and obsession.. :)

But yeah, I got patience if nothing else..
Today I bought rotary tool (some copy of dremel), I think it will become monster in my hands.. or I"ll be come monster with it in my hands :)

Seems that epoxy on reducer/sensor combination is fine solution, one side is filled and it is already stable, I"ll do the other side too just to be sure.
pics soon..
 
I am pleased to say that I fixed broken thread with reducer and epoxy.

It is great solution for anyone who have probe without threads and want to add threads on it. On 2nd picture you can see M8 nut inside of reducer, I kept it for centering the probe.

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Thanks, I still have to drill holes and weld couplers on kegs to see how it works.

Walls in basement are painted, I laid pipes for water supply and drainage and also finished with installing kitchen elements (it is our old kitchen, luckily we kept it).

I already had hole for ventilation in one corner, so I am going to use it for ventilation. I have 65w inline fan and kitchen hood.

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One thing I added is valve on wall with quick disconnect, for water supply.

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Small progress update..
HLT and CFC are finished, I tested them on my last batch and I am satisfied with results. 4kw heaters heats up water pretty quickly and CFC scored decent time in chilling the wort (I am still mashing in cooler until I finish MLT and BK so there is no need for HEX jet).

Also, I started to build brew stand.. here is it drying after paint job..

CFC will be mounted under the table, so only the quick connectors will be visible.

Project enclosure for panel build just arrived today, I already have switches so I hope to start with that part of project soon..

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Thanks.
Table looks a little bit messy now, and there is still lot of work on it.. add top panels, mount corner batten (for frame) on them, mount CFC and pumps..
Just to add that I construct it from old wall shelf so it came out pretty cheap, and there is material left for two more. :)
 
Brewstand is finished.
I have to turn pumps in opposite direction because of low priming this way. I tested it yesterday (w/pumps flipped) and it works like a charm.

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Control panel box arrived.. I am still in doubt whether to put it vertically or horizontally.. there will also be main power switch on top of it.
I"ll think twice before drilling...

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I have to put main power switch above displays, like this:
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Also, it would be nice to save some space for possible devices in upper part..
One con of vertical is that displays are too close to each other, so I dont know how would that effect on box solidness.
 
I finally got some time to continue w/this project.

MLT and BK are finished (almost, since I have to weld nipple for output valve and NPT/BSP adapter for RTD probe on MLT).

Since FB is made from keg top I used keg coupler and copper reducers with some copper elbows (thanks to KCBrewer for idea!), but I didn't soldered it to coupler for easier removal. It is working great and so far there are no stuck sparges.
There is 1/2" space from copper pipe and bottom of MLT, so deadspace holds only 0.5 cups.

MLT
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FB
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BK
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Inside BK
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I am still testing BK input pipe, I am thinking to raise it and position it horizontally for better heat exchange during cooling.
 
You will have to keep the lights down low so those kegs don't blind you in the middle of your brew...:D nice job.
 
I"ll get sunglasses.
But just first few times.. I dont think they"ll be so shiny after couple of brews.
 
Kitchen hood with inline centrifugal fan.
Fan will be mounted between hood and exhaust output, on the other side of room is small window which will ensure fresh air and good recirculation.
 
All major parts are finally finished.
Still have to weld NPT coupler on MLT for RTD probe. I guess all that now is left is to enjoy and brew some beer :)

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Ventilation, kitchen hood with inline fan.
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Pumps are for washing machine(100watts), and they are doing great job for $20 each.
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Looks good! :tank: Just a heads-up on the ball valve/sightglass combo, you will need to plug the hole in the top of the sightglass to maintain a siphon on your diptube if you want to drain all the way to the bottom of your kettle.
 
everything looks fantastic, with the one glaring exception of the heating elements mounted into a plastic bucket... :confused:
 
Looks good! :tank: Just a heads-up on the ball valve/sightglass combo, you will need to plug the hole in the top of the sightglass to maintain a siphon on your diptube if you want to drain all the way to the bottom of your kettle.

I noticed that during system checking, I"ll use rubber plugs (ones that are shown on pumps) to clog sight glasses, they match perfectly.

@audger
I know, maybe someday I"ll upgrade it to keg.. since I couldn't ground it at plastic bucket I installed 0.03A FID switch in control panel. It should register any short circuit and brake power immediately.
 
everything looks fantastic, with the one glaring exception of the heating elements mounted into a plastic bucket... :confused:

How are you going to boil all that water in a plastic bucket?

Bucket is made from food grade high density polyethylene (HDP) and it can withstand higher temperatures- 120 °C/ 248 °F for short periods, 110 °C /230 °F continuously.

I had one of these buckets in my previous setup and never had problem when boiling in it.

I've used a lot of plastic hot water kettles and never seen one melt.

Looks like all the hard work paid off - great looking brew haus.

Cheers :mug:
 
No matter how much one puts into their setup, I always love the clean look! From a $10,000 setup to the $50 rig, the clean and organized ones always catch my eye. Nice job on that false bottom too.
 
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