BCS 462 , 4 element, 3 pump, 2 x 50amp circuits

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RazorUK

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So a little background into my mindset before we get going here......

I started brewing October/ November 2012. I had a Mr Beer kit in my house that I'd never taken the time to look at, so I read the instructions and put that together and started to research more on brewing and found this site......Before the Mr Beer was finished fermenting I had already bought myself some brewing gear on craigslist.....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f29/been-lurking-bit-368506/

It came with 5 kegs and I was thinking no way will I ever need that many, and thought of selling 2 or 3 of them..... I brewed my first extract batch and enjoyed the process, waited for it to ferment and tasted it and thought I'll never need to go all-grain - this is good enough for me!

Fast forward to March with another 3-4 extract batches under me and I decide I'm going to give all grain a try. I find Biermuncher's Cream of Three Crops recipe and make it, mash temps were all over the place, overshooting, over correcting and generally not having a clue what I am doing! Still I got a great tasting beer from that batch and I was hooked on all grain. I've probably done a dozen or more brews since and have my process down where I get good efficiency and am good with my mash now.

I've acquired more and more kegs, I have about 15 corny's now and I have built my keggle, round cooler mashtun, 2 pumps (soon to be 3), 50ft jamil style immersion chiller and the list goes on and on.




So that brings me to today and my new journey into electric brewing. I've gone through the - I just want to do a rims setup so I can better control the mash, to ooh I love Kal's electric brewery, to where I am at now - BCS462 controlled setup.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/show-us-your-panel-374580/index9.html#post5684154

So far I have purchased the ebrewsupply BCS 4 element 2 pump 50amp DIY kit and the BCS462

http://www.ebrewsupply.com/ebrew-kits/bcs-controlled/bcs-4-element-2-pumps-50a-kit.html

http://www.ebrewsupply.com/designs/50a-BCS-4-Electric.pdf

Now I could put it together like in the wiring schematic there, but before I actually start throwing it together I've been over-thinking ( I do this alot!) and I think I want to modify my setup before I build it as I only want to build this panel once, and not rejig it down the road.

So I stumbled upon this build which is probably as close to what I want to achieve as anything.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/bcs-4-element-build-coming-online-finally-352310/

I have to have my house upgraded from 100amp to a 200 amp service, so whilst I have the electrician coming out I am going to have 2 50 amp circuits put in near where I want the brewery to be in my garage.

In the meantime I want to come up with a wiring diagram that will take my purchased ebrewsupply kit (with some additional components no doubt!) and adapt it to power the following:

  • 3 110v pumps
  • 4 elements (2 elements on each 50amp service that can be powered independently)

I'm not currently going to be using all 4 elements, but want it there for as close to future proofing as I can get myself. What I envision is I plug in one of the 50amp circuits to the panel and I can power the panel, 2 elements and all 3 pumps from it. Then when I upgrade to bigger kettles in the future ( I know it's happening, no point lying to myself!) I'd just plug in the other 50 amp circuit and provide the power to the other 2 elements.

I'd also like to work out getting the BCS462 powered independently of the panel as I want it to control a freezer in the future, I'm not adverse to moving the BCS outside of the panel, but can't quite get my head around what that would entail yet.

I'm also planning on adding 2-3 of these just because I like the display on the panel

https://www.oscsys.com/store/product/188

based on the information from here:

http://wiki.embeddedcc.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Do_you_offer_a_display.3F


I'm hoping someone can help me work out the initial wiring so I can build my dream panel and document this build along the way!

Cheers
 
Just shot you a PM. I haven't had a chance to run browse HBT much, but this caught my eye.

Here's the panel built using a stainless steel box:
50a - 4 elements and more by electricbrewingsupply, on Flickr

So a little background into my mindset before we get going here......

I started brewing October/ November 2012. I had a Mr Beer kit in my house that I'd never taken the time to look at, so I read the instructions and put that together and started to research more on brewing and found this site......Before the Mr Beer was finished fermenting I had already bought myself some brewing gear on craigslist.....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f29/been-lurking-bit-368506/

It came with 5 kegs and I was thinking no way will I ever need that many, and thought of selling 2 or 3 of them..... I brewed my first extract batch and enjoyed the process, waited for it to ferment and tasted it and thought I'll never need to go all-grain - this is good enough for me!

Fast forward to March with another 3-4 extract batches under me and I decide I'm going to give all grain a try. I find Biermuncher's Cream of Three Crops recipe and make it, mash temps were all over the place, overshooting, over correcting and generally not having a clue what I am doing! Still I got a great tasting beer from that batch and I was hooked on all grain. I've probably done a dozen or more brews since and have my process down where I get good efficiency and am good with my mash now.

I've acquired more and more kegs, I have about 15 corny's now and I have built my keggle, round cooler mashtun, 2 pumps (soon to be 3), 50ft jamil style immersion chiller and the list goes on and on.




So that brings me to today and my new journey into electric brewing. I've gone through the - I just want to do a rims setup so I can better control the mash, to ooh I love Kal's electric brewery, to where I am at now - BCS462 controlled setup.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/show-us-your-panel-374580/index9.html#post5684154

So far I have purchased the ebrewsupply BCS 4 element 2 pump 50amp DIY kit and the BCS462

http://www.ebrewsupply.com/ebrew-kits/bcs-controlled/bcs-4-element-2-pumps-50a-kit.html

http://www.ebrewsupply.com/designs/50a-BCS-4-Electric.pdf

Now I could put it together like in the wiring schematic there, but before I actually start throwing it together I've been over-thinking ( I do this alot!) and I think I want to modify my setup before I build it as I only want to build this panel once, and not rejig it down the road.

So I stumbled upon this build which is probably as close to what I want to achieve as anything.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/bcs-4-element-build-coming-online-finally-352310/

I have to have my house upgraded from 100amp to a 200 amp service, so whilst I have the electrician coming out I am going to have 2 50 amp circuits put in near where I want the brewery to be in my garage.

In the meantime I want to come up with a wiring diagram that will take my purchased ebrewsupply kit (with some additional components no doubt!) and adapt it to power the following:

  • 3 110v pumps
  • 4 elements (2 elements on each 50amp service that can be powered independently)

I'm not currently going to be using all 4 elements, but want it there for as close to future proofing as I can get myself. What I envision is I plug in one of the 50amp circuits to the panel and I can power the panel, 2 elements and all 3 pumps from it. Then when I upgrade to bigger kettles in the future ( I know it's happening, no point lying to myself!) I'd just plug in the other 50 amp circuit and provide the power to the other 2 elements.

I'd also like to work out getting the BCS462 powered independently of the panel as I want it to control a freezer in the future, I'm not adverse to moving the BCS outside of the panel, but can't quite get my head around what that would entail yet.

I'm also planning on adding 2-3 of these just because I like the display on the panel

https://www.oscsys.com/store/product/188

based on the information from here:

http://wiki.embeddedcc.com/index.php?title=FAQ#Do_you_offer_a_display.3F


I'm hoping someone can help me work out the initial wiring so I can build my dream panel and document this build along the way!

Cheers
 
I'm always confused when I see three pumps. When does one need three liquid flows simultaneously? For that matter, when does one need 22,000 watts running at the same time? I've always figured on putting two 5500 elements into the HLT when you have a 50a service available because a simple selector switch and pair of cheap contactors can repurpose the extra amperage to the boil kettle element after the sparge water is hot. The one application for 22,000w simultaneous would be back to back batches, I suppose.
 
I agree with most of what you say Bobby. I probably don't need a third pump or all of the elements firing at once 9 out of 10 times I brew.

I just know my wife has been tolerant of my spending on this hobby, but that will run out one day. I have one chance to spend on this portion of my rig and I don't want to redo it later.

An electric rig that can fire all 4 elements and run 3 pumps isn't something I am ever going to outgrow. So whilst she is tolerant I am going to max out my design as I have told her once i am done with this upgrade, I won't need to upgrade anything outside of possibly my kettles and fermenters in the future.

There are also 4 of us that brew together, so having the ability to brew back to back batches is very appealing.

I also like that I can be heating water to clean up when I have the boil going. Hlt upgrade could offset this want I realize.

I'm borrowing some design elements from JonW's design.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/single-tier-3-pump-bcs-462-automated-rig-204705/

I love the simplicity around the water flow and the aesthetics of his design. Mine will be a similar design to his.
 
Well this is finally about to start getting real!

I have my electrician all scheduled to come out and run my 2 50 amp circuits to my garage. I have pretty much all the goodies from Ryan to build my panel, and I have picked up 2 of my 4 25 gallon pots at this time. Also thinking I will upscale my HLT in size before I get too far along......

Current work is ongoing to get the space I want to brew in prepared, that is taking a little bit longer than I anticipated due to waiting on my shed being installed until the 14th March to make room!

Not too much of a deal though as I am running 2 weeks later for my electrical work. Work on my panel won't start until I get my brew area sorted out though.
 
I am starting a very similar build, using 3 55gal SS barrels. Please keep us up to date!
 
If I had built like this the first time I could have saved a lot of $$$. Although I wouldn't have known how to use it. Look forward to seeing this.
 
Progress is slower than anticipated!

I have the area cleaned up, rough in electric work is complete, but too much other stuff going on for me to make the progress I want to!


A couple of pictures of the brew area

Before shed:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1396902073.710437.jpg

After shed:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1396902214.668713.jpg

Electric work:

200 amp service upgrade

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1396902246.780596.jpg

2 x 50 amp 240 outlets & dedicated brewery sub panel:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1396902322.476201.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1396902360.494553.jpg

I also have a couple of rough sketches of my control panel at home that I'll attach later!

Next work is insulation and dry walling, but I am probably a month or more out as SWMBO wants the outside of the house painted before I get too preoccupied in the brewery!
 
Subscribing to this! I am building a 50-amp 4 element bcs462 panel right now. I would like to eventually merge it into a dual 50-amp panel so that I could run back to back batches and bump up my kettle size to run back to back 1bbl batches.
 
So progress has pretty much stalled at the moment due to other priorities! Life getting in the way!

Here are my first sketches/ rough outline of my panel. You'll notice it now has pids as well which was a decision I made just to give me more options for the long term.

Way overkill I know, but that seems to be what I end up doing in pretty much all that I do!


ImageUploadedByTapatalk1400080819.478545.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1400080833.117214.jpg
 
I am in the process of building a BCS panel right now.

How did/is your project coming along?

-
Craig
 
I'm always confused when I see three pumps. When does one need three liquid flows simultaneously? For that matter, when does one need 22,000 watts running at the same time? I've always figured on putting two 5500 elements into the HLT when you have a 50a service available because a simple selector switch and pair of cheap contactors can repurpose the extra amperage to the boil kettle element after the sparge water is hot. The one application for 22,000w simultaneous would be back to back batches, I suppose.
The fatal flaw in your question is "need."

You have three vessels, you will move liquid product (water, wort) from kettle to kettle to fermentor. You should WANT three pumps to avoid having to change hoses during a brew day, or just for the BLING!!! :)
 
I am also struggling on the need for 3 pumps.
I have brewed for years with one pump.
But I also lifted and dumped heavy buckets of water and used the pump for chilling only.

I can easliy plan out the need for 2 pumps.
But 3 pumps? Even on back-to back batches, 2 should be enough?
I am planning my panel...
 
I use 3 pumps. I like continuous recirculation for both my HLT and MLT. With the addition of the BK pump, I can do my chilling and transfer of batch #1 while batch #2 is mashing.

Additionally, I think the 3 pumps helps simplify your plumbing and eliminate hose swaps (or additional automated valves).

The bottom line is that when you're building rigs of this complexity, a 3rd pump doesn't add a whole lot of cost in the whole scheme of things. If it helps for your setup and work flow, do it.
 
I am also struggling on the need for 3 pumps.
I have brewed for years with one pump.
But I also lifted and dumped heavy buckets of water and used the pump for chilling only.

I can easliy plan out the need for 2 pumps.
But 3 pumps? Even on back-to back batches, 2 should be enough?
I am planning my panel...

I second JonW's comment - having a pump dedicated to a vessel eliminates hose swaps (and associated sticky drips and spills) during a brew session, and it does reduce the number of electric valves required.

When I'm cleaning, I'll usually fill all three vessels about 1/2 to 2/3rds full of hot water and PBW, balance the valves for near-max flow, and turn on all three pumps and just let the system circulate for upwards of an hour [HLT->MT->BK->back to HLT] - or however long it takes me to clean everything else up.

A nice added benefit is that I always have that 3rd pump as a backup just in case one of the others decides to belly up in the middle of the session - adding a few hose swaps, of course.
 
Still stalled unfortunately, a kitchen remodel trumped my project...... Just about to finish that in the next couple of weeks and then I will be getting going on this bad boy!
 
Do you have a wiring diagram for your panel you could share? My brew days are infrequent, and when I get to brew, I usually do 2x10 gallon batches, sometimes 3. I have a 4 kettle rig with propane, and am eager to go electric. I have an electrician set to put 200 amps service into my garage. I am gathering the parts for a BCS 462 rig, and I also would like to be able to power a 5500w element in each vessel. I've searched P-J's diagrams, and don't see a diagram that does this. I did see in that thread that Namako is doing something similar. Could either of you share the wiring diagram for your panel with the two 50 amp inputs?
 
ThreeDogsNE, I ended up with four circuits in my garage - the one that came with the garage is a 120V/20A circuit w/GFCI in the breaker box. I had an electrician pull two additional 240V/30A circuits and an extra 120V/20A circuit to my brew area. The general circuit powers up the brewstand electronics - the BCS-462, 5V and 12V transformers, two relay boards, wireless bridge, three March pumps, and a Monster Mill that I built into the stand under the Mash Tun.

The additional 120V/20 circuit is dedicated to the RIMS (Rheem SP10868GL 2000W/120V LWD). The two 240V/30A circuits are dedicated to each of the Blichmann BoilCoils (5000W/240V).

I separated the BCS from the three circuits that drive the heater elements, because if I blew one of the breakers for whatever reason, I wouldn't lose power to the rest of the stand. I also know exactly what the maximum number of amps each of those circuits pull, since they only drive the heater elements.

The wiring schematic that I am now using (yes, this is still a work in progress) is attached.

View attachment 4 Circuit All-Electric Schematic 2.pdf
 
Finally getting back to this project after a long delay. Life got in the way, but I'm now working on putting this bad boy together.

I've simplified it since my last post and am back to the original BCS, 4 element, 3 pump with two 50 amp inputs.

Front of control panel started, just need to cut out the displays for the BCS now and the front is done.

IMG_1320.jpg
 
You should consider putting disconnects on those hoses, on the off chance you need to remove anything.
 
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