My almost finished new rig

Here are a couple of shots of my new rig getting ready to brew today. It is a BCS-460 controlled electric HERMS system that I designed to be fairly portable. The MLT is on the left and the HLT/BK on the right. My Android tablet controller on the far right. The march pump is mounted in the tool box on the lower shelf.

Brew rig front by sknnyftn

The box on the left contains the BCS, a wireless router, 4 120v plugs, and an SSR for the march pump. The HD spa panel is mounted on the right and also contains the SSR for the switched outlet the BK plugs into.

brew rig back by sknnyftn

I still have to make all the wires look pretty and add another switched outlet so I can overlap 2 batches and shorten a brew day. Looking forward to some feedback and answering any questions.

That's pretty sweet.

What are your impressions of the BCS? I was just looking at them yesterday and considering a similalar setup, only propane fired (electric would require a multi-thousand dollar upgrade to the electrical service from the street to my house. ain't gonna happen in a rental...)

Not terribly concerned about automatic control, but I do like the idea of being able to monitor the system from my laptop/tablet/phone if I happen to walk away for a few minutes. Would be extremely handy during the nasty winters we have around here.

So far I love the bcs. I am just using it in manual mode right now. I haven't taken the time to program it yet. Like you said, it is nice being able to leave the area and still monitor temps. About 6 weeks ago, my buddies and I spent the majority of the brew day in the pool.
You couldn't use the dryer or range plug in your rental as is?

skinny said:

You couldn't use the dryer or range plug in your rental as is?

Click to expand...

I wish. Gas stove and gas dryer.

The only 220V circuit in the house is for the A/C, but tapping into that would be iffy as well. As it is we already have to refrain from using the microwave or dishwasher when the A/C is on.

I've looked at the breaker panel and it's already maxed out to capacity. It's an old house that was apparently wired to the grid back when people basically just had the lights and a tv as far as electrical use. The landlord is talking about upgrading the service to the house, but he's having money problems right now so it'll be awhile. (Which is why he's renting it to us (cheap, btw), he can't afford the mortgage payments so the only way for him to not lose the house was to move in with family and rent it out until he's back on his feet.)