Would this Ghetto HERMS Work?

I've been brewing all grain now for a couple months and i LOVE using my coleman xtreme and batch sparge method. I would like to recirculate my mash and thought of this design that would make use of my current setup. My only question is, would this work?

Basically the idea is to pump the mash through a copper heat exchange that is submerged into a pot filled with water. the pot sits on top of a standard electric burner that is plugged into a temp controller with the temp probe inside the MLT. I have created a fantastic (not really) illustration. My concern is that this setup wouldn't regulate heat well enough but i'm honestly not sure. I would have to build some type of adjustable arm to distribute the wort evenly back into the MLT but aside from that i'm assuming this is a fairly simple turnkey setup.

Thanks in advance for anyone who replies, I know i came to the right place!

This is a similar concept to what I use except I use water heater elements rather than a burner. Instead of placing the temp probe in the mash tun, get a tee fitting so that you can measure the liquid as it exits the copper heat exchanger. I'm currently rebuilding my system (custom brew stand) so some of the info is out of date, but you can take a look at my blog if you like and see how I had my system set up. http://www.microbusbrewery.org/2009/03/herms-design.html

Oh and you need a pump somewhere there as well

This is a similar concept to what I use except I use water heater elements rather than a burner. Instead of placing the temp probe in the mash tun, get a tee fitting so that you can measure the liquid as it exits the copper heat exchanger.

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i use the exact same thing, it works well. i agree you should measure the temperature of the wort exiting the HEX instead of the mash itself.

having the HEX heated by a hot plate instead of a water heater element wont be as efficient but it will work just the same.

audger said:

i use the exact same thing, it works well. i agree you should measure the temperature of the wort exiting the HEX instead of the mash itself.

having the HEX heated by a hot plate instead of a water heater element wont be as efficient but it will work just the same.

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Thanks so much, that is very helpful. I was also wondering if i can use something instead of water in the pot to balance the inefficiency of the heat plate.

the only thing more efficient than water at transfering heat would be a liquid metal like mercury or wood's metal or something like that. this is not something that you would want to play with 'ghetto"-style.

the only decently easy way to make it more efficient would be to get the heating element as close to in-direct-contact with the water as possible. when using a hot plate, you have an air zone between the heater and the bottom of the pot. this air zone leeches a lot of energy away from the coil and pot. this is the reason water heater elements are submerged in water. no energy is lost to the air. you can get efficiencies in the high-90% range from them. with a hot plate setup like you have, 50-80% energy efficiency would be normal. it would be much lower in a stong wind.

you could try putting the whole thing in an insulated container to try to prevent heat from escaping perhaps...

It would work, but it would be really easy (and cheap) to just make the design a little better.

Drill a hole in the bottom of the pot you have, and mount a water heater element. 1500W 120V elements draw about 12amps, and cost about $9. Then plug that into your temp controller.

That's it, now you have a much more direct heat source. Then measure your wort temps as they exit the coil in the 'heat exchanger'. You also need a March or Chugger pump.

Out of curiosity, do you have a temp controller in mind?

scottland said:

It would work, but it would be really easy (and cheap) to just make the design a little better.

Drill a hole in the bottom of the pot you have, and mount a water heater element. 1500W 120V elements draw about 12amps, and cost about $9. Then plug that into your temp controller.

That's it, now you have a much more direct heat source. Then measure your wort temps as they exit the coil in the 'heat exchanger'. You also need a March or Chugger pump.

Out of curiosity, do you have a temp controller in mind?

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Your right, that doesn't seem all that difficult. I just wanted to make use of the hotplate i already had but after discovering how cheap the heating element is, totally worth doing it right. I don't have a temp controller in mind, was actually just about to order one from Northern Brewer (http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewi...on-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html). Any recommendations?

StoneHedgeBrewers said:

Your right, that doesn't seem all that difficult. I just wanted to make use of the hotplate i already had but after discovering how cheap the heating element is, totally worth doing it right. I don't have a temp controller in mind, was actually just about to order one from Northern Brewer (http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewi...on-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html). Any recommendations?

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I have the same controller on my rig and it works very well. With the electric mash paddle running I can maintain +-1 degree.

I use something similar to the STC-1000 detailed in this thread-

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

Dual stage, digital, and much cheaper than other controllers. It does require a little bit of wiring though.

JuanMoore said:

I use something similar to the STC-1000 detailed in this thread-

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ebay-aquarium-temp-controller-build-163849/

Dual stage, digital, and much cheaper than other controllers. It does require a little bit of wiring though.

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Thanks for the tip Juan, I think i have enough info to get me moving in the right direction. This truly is the best site on the internet!! Thanks everyone for your help