Need RIMS build help!

erikrocks said:

i'm about to celebrate my 1 year brewing anniversary by building a rims tube/controller. I've read the rims for dummies, electrical primer, and a variety of other rims-flavored threads.

Here's what i have:

110v/1500w ld element
rtd 2" probe
25a ssr w/heatsink
pid is auber syl-2362

i'm pretty well versed in normal household electrical wiring, but i've never done this stuff. Here are some questions:

1. I have a decent amount of 12g wire around. I understand it's overkill, but can i just use normal 12g throughout the enclosure (element to ssr, ssr to pid) and bypass the need for fuses, or do i need to get some sort of special wire and use fuses between gauges? Is the 12g just to thick to use with the smaller pid/ssr screws?

is it stranded wire or romex? It was recommended to me to use stranded wire. You'll probably want to use about 16 gauge machine wire (stranded) for the low voltage stuff like the pid to ssr. It's just a lot easier to work with.. i would recommend a fuse to protect the pid. See below for ssr to element.

2. I'm plugging this into a 20a gfi and use a 20a plug. I use 12g wire when running into 20a. Why am i reading that people are using 10g cord to plug into 20a outlets?

i use a 12 gauge power cord to my control box and from the ssr to the element and it works fine.

3. What are people using to protect the electrical connection on the element screws? I've only seen a couple of pictures of this covered with a pvc cap+silicone/jb weld. Any other ideas?

i think sawdust guy used liquid electrical tape with good results. I used the spray on rubber insulation. Others pot the connections in low dielectric epoxy.

i know i have more questions, and i plan on documenting my build for other newbies after i gather enough info to actually put this thing together. Thanks for all the great info i've already accumulated!

Click to expand...

erikrocks said:

I'm about to celebrate my 1 year brewing anniversary by building a RIMS tube/controller. I've read the RIMS For Dummies, Electrical Primer, and a variety of other RIMS-flavored threads.

Here's what I have:

110v/1500w LD element
RTD 2" probe
25A SSR w/heatsink
PID is Auber SYL-2362

I'm pretty well versed in normal household electrical wiring, but I've never done this stuff. Here are some questions:

1. I have a decent amount of 12g wire around. I understand it's overkill, but can I just use normal 12g throughout the enclosure (element to SSR, SSR to PID) and bypass the need for fuses, or do I need to get some sort of special wire and use fuses between gauges? Is the 12g just to thick to use with the smaller PID/SSR screws?

2. I'm plugging this into a 20a GFI and use a 20a plug. I use 12g wire when running into 20a. Why am I reading that people are using 10g cord to plug into 20a outlets?

3. What are people using to protect the electrical connection on the element screws? I've only seen a couple of pictures of this covered with a PVC cap+silicone/JB Weld. Any other ideas?

I know I have more questions, and I plan on documenting my build for other newbies after I gather enough info to actually put this thing together. Thanks for all the great info I've already accumulated!

Click to expand...

erikrocks said:

Yeah, it's 12g romex. Heavy stuff to work with.

So I should go 12g cord to element and ssr. From ssr to .25a fuse to 16g stranded to pid?

I would use a terminal block and run your power cord to there. Then from there you could use 16 gauge with a fuse for sure. The PID draws essentially no amps. My box is a little different, I have 12vdc power supply for the switches, lights, and pump relay input. I don't know if you can see it well enough, but here is a picture of the terminal blocks I was describing. I think Walker on here had a source for the blocks that was really cheap.


I do remember reading sawdust guy used liquid electrical tape. I'll try that on the end of the element.

Thanks for the help.

Click to expand...