110v Recirculating eBIAB 2.5 gallon batches

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jrb03

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First off a little background. I have brewed several 5 gallon extract kits, and recently have done 3 Brooklyn Brew Shop 1 gallon all grain kits. I love all grain and am ready to switch. Having brewed 5 and 1 gallon batches, I know that 2.5 gallon is the perfect size for me. I'm the only beer drinker in the house, and like to brew often.

Thank you for the great wealth of knowledge, I have spent ALOT of time on these forums researching what it is I want in my setup. I'm looking to build a eBIAB kettle with recirculating pump, running on 110v 1650 watt element. I already have the 6 gallon ss kettle with strainer basket, and a greatbreweh 12v pump is on the way. I'm going to add a weldless bulkhead with valve to attach the pump to. The pump will be used to recirculate during the mash, and to pump through a plate chiller after the boil.

Now on to the part I need help! I want to have a small control panel with PID for controlling mash temp, and have a switch for the pump and heat and probably main power. I plan on getting all the parts from Auber, including their small project box, illuminated press button switches, and PID with rtd sensor. I have not seen many 110v control panel builds, and none like what I have envisioned. If someone can point me in the right direction for a wiring diagram that would be great. I have a pretty good understanding of how this stuff works, but when it comes to wiring I really need a diagram. Any help/pointers/suggestions is really appreciated!
 
jrb03,

I see that you have been a member here for several years and I'm honored to be able to answer your first post.

I spent a few hours this morning drawing a diagram that should fit your needs.
The entire build should fit in the Auber Instruments Project Box.

I suggest that you also order their External Mount Heat Sink for the SSR.
The RTD temp probe could be the Deluxe version of Liquid Tight RTD Sensor. It is well worth the extra $9 for it.

I'm not sure how you plan on supplying the 12V power to your pump. I show a 120V outlet that can be used to plug in a transformer. (Edit: I did a search on greatbreweh and found their pumps. They ship with a 12V plug in transformer so the diagram is good to go for that as well.)

I hope this is of some help to you.


As always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Wishing you the best.

P-J
 
Wow P-J, I am truly grateful that you took the time to draw that for me. I have studied many of your drawings trying to figure out how to convert them to 110v and auber switches. This is absolutely perfect. I have studied your drawing and have everything ordered from Auber now! I will make a trip to the hardware store this weekend to pickup the wire and terminals. What size wire do I need to use? Does it all need to be low gauge?

Thanks again for the great drawing. I will make sure to document my build here in case it can be of help to someone in the future.
 
Wow P-J, I am truly grateful that you took the time to draw that for me. I have studied many of your drawings trying to figure out how to convert them to 110v and auber switches. This is absolutely perfect. I have studied your drawing and have everything ordered from Auber now! I will make a trip to the hardware store this weekend to pickup the wire and terminals. What size wire do I need to use? Does it all need to be low gauge?

Thanks again for the great drawing. I will make sure to document my build here in case it can be of help to someone in the future.
It pleases me a great deal that I could help you in your adventure.

Regarding the wire: You will need #12 wire for the power being delivered to the SSR and the heating element. The pump outlet wire should be #14. All of the balance of the wiring can done with much smaller wire gauge as the current draw is very small.

Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have.

Oh: Another benefit of this set up is that it can very easily be converted to a 240V BIAB setup. Think about that and if you would like a plan for that for your future adventures, Please let me know.

Wishing you great success.

P-J
 
Well all the parts for my build have come in over the last couple weeks. This morning I finally found a few hours to work on the brew pot. I decided to try and use my old turkey fryer pot and basket, mainly because I like the dimensions for my needs and can't find anything like it.

I couldn't find any markings on the pot, so I did a fill test and it seems to be 6 gallons. Perfect. Im using a 1650 watt element from grainier. The bulkhead, valve, sight glass, and camlocks all came from brewhardware.com. I'm very happy with the quality. I drilled the holes with a step bit, making sure to go slow and dip in oil often. Super easy.

IMG_5449.jpg

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Next Im going to scrub the pot a little more, install all the hardware firm, and do an overnight leak test. Hopefully later this week I can start on the control panel. Goal is to have the inaugural brew ready for opening night kickoff!
 
This info is great thanks for posting it i only have one question can i add a other heating element. I would like to have 2 elements.


jrb03,

I see that you have been a member here for several years and I'm honored to be able to answer your first post.

I spent a few hours this morning drawing a diagram that should fit your needs.
The entire build should fit in the Auber Instruments Project Box.

I suggest that you also order their External Mount Heat Sink for the SSR.
The RTD temp probe could be the Deluxe version of Liquid Tight RTD Sensor. It is well wort the extra $9 for it.

I'm not sure how you plan on supplying the 12V power to your pump. I show a 120V outlet that can be used to plug in a transformer. (Edit: I did a search on greatbreweh and found their pumps. They ship with a 12V plug in transformer so the diagram is good to go for that as well.)

I hope this is of some help to you.


As always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Wishing you the best.

P-J
 
This info is great thanks for posting it i only have one question can i add a other heating element. I would like to have 2 elements.

You would need to modify the first diagram to add another power input circuit that is independently fed on another circuit breaker. Something like this:

And - as always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Hope this help you.
 
Going to take this diagram a figure out how to add a 2nd element. Like the one pump and the buzzer
jrb03,

I see that you have been a member here for several years and I'm honored to be able to answer your first post.

I spent a few hours this morning drawing a diagram that should fit your needs.
The entire build should fit in the Auber Instruments Project Box.

I suggest that you also order their External Mount Heat Sink for the SSR.
The RTD temp probe could be the Deluxe version of Liquid Tight RTD Sensor. It is well wort the extra $9 for it.

I'm not sure how you plan on supplying the 12V power to your pump. I show a 120V outlet that can be used to plug in a transformer. (Edit: I did a search on greatbreweh and found their pumps. They ship with a 12V plug in transformer so the diagram is good to go for that as well.)

I hope this is of some help to you.


As always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Wishing you the best.

P-J
 
I was able to work on this a few hours today. First I wanted to remove the zinc coating from the water heater element. I read on here somewhere that soaking the element in star san does a good job, thank you to whoever shared that, can't find it now. Here is the element after an hour soak.

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So I soaked the entire element a couple hours and then a scrub with a green scotchbrite pad brings it down to copper.


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I got all the fittings for the pot and pump installed and have it full of water for an overnight leak test. I also got all the switches and various electronic components fitted and installed in the project box. Pretty happy with the layout and how it's looking, I also found a handle at lowes that seems perfect.

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I also did some quick testing with the greatbreweh pump. Seemed to work ok after some tweaking. It wasnt running consistently when plugged in, most of the time it just sat there and wouldnt run, as if it was not plugged in. I messed with it a while and realized the housing bolts seemed to be the issue. I had to loosen them a little and that seemed to loosen up the pump and allow it to run. Hopefully no more pump issues. Hopefully I have time to finish all the wiring tomorrow.
 
Looks great. I also have a smaller all electric compact unit I use when I dont feel like firing up the propane or to do pilot batches. Keep up the good work!
 
Looks great. I also have a smaller all electric compact unit I use when I dont feel like firing up the propane or to do pilot batches. Keep up the good work!
Thanks! Can't wait to brew with it.
Do you happen to have a parts list for the one element one pump set up
I don't have one written up, I'll see if I can get one made.

I got the control panel wired up today, glad that is over. Now I need to figure out how I'm going to wire the element and protect it. Not sure I like the jb weld method.
 
This should be most of it. I'll update



Element - http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/EMERSON-APPLIANCE-SOLUTIONS-Electric-Replacement-2E754?Pid=search

Pump - http://greatbreweh.com/Beer_Pump.html

Auber instruments - electronics
Project box - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_34&products_id=143
PID - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3
SSR - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=30
Heat sink - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=244
Contactor - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_31&products_id=129
E-stop - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_32&products_id=259
Push button switch x3 - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_32&products_id=223
Buzzer alarm - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_33&products_id=215
Alarm switch - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_32&products_id=236
Rtd sensor w deluxe cable - http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_15&products_id=107

Brew hardware.com
Weldless sight glass - probe installs here - http://www.brewhardware.com/wlsightglass/61-wlstnt
Weldless bulkhead w street elbow addon - http://www.brewhardware.com/valves/59-weldless-bulkhead
Ball valve - http://www.brewhardware.com/valves/69-ball-valve
Camlocks and silicone tubing for my needs
1" locknut and silicone gasket for element

eBay
Fuse housing - fast blow fuses - capacitors - few bucks shipped from hong kong

Amazon
Terminal block - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00144CK7W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Lowes
12g Extension cord to hack up
14g wire
Crimp terminals
Male and female plug ends
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well I got everything completed and first brew done! I want to give PJ a big thank you for the drawing, it's exactly what I wanted. It was a true joy to brew on this system.

First, I got the element wired up. I decided to try using this 1 1/4" rubber coupling. Other than the weird smell, it seems to work great. I stole this idea somewhere on this forum. I found a male adapter that fits perfect in the coupling. I like the light at the female end of the extension cord I hacked up. Let's me see when the element is on.

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I decided to try BM's Cream of Three Crops for my first brew, sounds perfect for football season. Here is the system setup for mash in.

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The recirculation works great, I overshot my og because I planned for 70% efficiency but got 79%. I also used my ugly junk corona mill for the first time.

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After a 10 min mashout at 170 it took 20 mins to get to a hard rolling boil. I left the PID at 100% manual mode and liked the boil strength for the 3.5 gallons. I boiled off .75 gallon an hour like in my water test last night. I think the 10" diameter pot is keeping the boil off rate low.

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I forgot to take a pic of my plate chiller setup. It took about 10 mins to get from boiling down to 89' which is the ground water temp right now. I pumped into the better bottle and put it away in the ferm freezer to chill down.

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I checked it after 4 hours and I was down to 65'. Pitched half a pouch of US-05.

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Can't wait to brew again!
 
Well I got everything completed and first brew done! I want to give PJ a big thank you for the drawing, it's exactly what I wanted. It was a true joy to brew on this system.

...
You did a fantastic job making your controller. It looks really nice and neat.

It pleases me a great deal to see your success in the adventure. I'm glad that I was of some help in your plan.

Congrats.

P-J
 
Back to back brew days! Today I brewed up Wayne's Blue Moon clone. This just gets more fun each time! Took some lessons learned yesterday and pretty much nailed my volumes and gravities. A few pics from today.

Get a real nice hot break.
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This is my chiller setup. Can only get down to 89' with the summer temps, took 8 mins.
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Going into ferm chest to chill down to pitching temp.
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Chilled for a couple hours and time to pitch yeast.
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Shot of the ferm chest, cream of three crops from yesterday really took off fast.
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I guess this will conclude my build thread. I really love this system, it's perfect for my needs. One more thank you P-J!
 
...
I guess this will conclude my build thread. I really love this system, it's perfect for my needs. One more thank you P-J!
You cannot quit this thread. No Fair.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to keep this old man's mind jumping. I do the drawings with great interest. They allow me to do mind jumps and figure out 'stuff' that will work for us (you).

Please keep us updated on your brewing successes. You are doing great so far.

Paul
P-J
 
great build thread!

My friend and I are both planning to build this and have already ordered all the parts.

Any chance you could post some more pics of the project box - specially the completed wiring and plugs?
 
great build thread!

My friend and I are both planning to build this and have already ordered all the parts.

Any chance you could post some more pics of the project box - specially the completed wiring and plugs?

Awesome! It's great to hear someone found this useful. I won't be able to take pics until Monday, but I will get that for you.
 
great build thread!

My friend and I are both planning to build this and have already ordered all the parts.

Any chance you could post some more pics of the project box - specially the completed wiring and plugs?

I'm sorry, my box is pretty sloppy, I'm not sure if these pics will help. It's pretty cramped and I made the mistake of using solid core wire, use stranded wire!

Here is a shot of the back and how I used a 12 gauge extension cord for all of the plugs.

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And here are some shots of the sloppy wiring job.

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Hope this helps some. Let me know if you have any questions!
 
And while I had the rig out taking pics I decided what the heck, brew day! I still have a few Brooklyn brew shop one gallon kits, perfect to test the viability of a one gallon batch on this setup.

It worked great! Mash and boil temps were reached really quick. I still boiled off .5 gallon in 60 minutes. The dimensions of my pot are what make a one gallon batch work. Most pots are wider and shorter. My tall skinny pot is important for my needs. Here are a few shots from my one gallon test brew, Summer Wheat.

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jrb - you're a great help and an inspiration. the pictures are just what I needed!

I enjoyed the bonus brew session pics. that's pretty cool you can do 1 gallon batches. What a fantastic way to develop a recipe!

My stuff should be shipping out as early as today hopefully. I look forward to getting started when the parts show up.

cheers!
jackson


PS: P-J, I want to thank you as well for the excellent wiring diagram!
 
jrb - you're a great help and an inspiration. the pictures are just what I needed!

I enjoyed the bonus brew session pics. that's pretty cool you can do 1 gallon batches. What a fantastic way to develop a recipe!

My stuff should be shipping out as early as today hopefully. I look forward to getting started when the parts show up.

cheers!
jackson


PS: P-J, I want to thank you as well for the excellent wiring diagram!

Can't wait to see your rig, good luck!
 
Very cool info. Makes me wanna try it :). Does anyone know if this element http://m.grainger.com/mobile/details/?R=15A569 would work? Looks like it draws the same volts and amps, but I am definitely not anyone you want playing with electricity.

3000w seems pretty high for 120v. I'm not an electrician either, but I think that would need a 30 amp breaker! 2000w is the highest I've seen used on 120v. Maybe someone else can chime in.
 
3000w seems pretty high for 120v. I'm not an electrician either, but I think that would need a 30 amp breaker! 2000w is the highest I've seen used on 120v. Maybe someone else can chime in.
You are absolutely correct. A 3000W element on 120V will draw 25A all by itself and requires a 30 amp feed.. A 2000W element on 120V will draw 17A and therefore requires a 20A 120V breaker.
 
I have had several requests for the first diagram (page 1 on this thread) to have an added 2nd element for a 120V system.

So I spent some time making a drawing for that setup. Power is being fed from 2 seperate 20A 120V GFCI outlets. It includes E-Stop that will trip both GFCI outlets at once.

I hope this is of help to thedude00 and others that have requested it.

As always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Wishing all the best.

P-J
 
Just out of curiosity (and the fact my wife and daughter hate when I brew in the kitchen) what would a single element system like this cost to put together? This would make brewing in my garage a much or realistic possibility. Unfortunately a propane burner isn't really an option for me.
 
I have had several requests for the first diagram (page 1 on this thread) to have an added 2nd element for a 120V system.

So I spent some time making a drawing for that setup. Power is being fed from 2 seperate 20A 120V GFCI outlets. It includes E-Stop that will trip both GFCI outlets at once.

I hope this is of help to thedude00 and others that have requested it.

As always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Wishing all the best.

P-J

:off:

I apologize if I am off topic for this thread but I have a few questions about the switches in the wiring diagram from the previous post. I am also sorry if these questions are a little remedial.

1. I assume that switches 1 and 2 are designed to manually turn on the elements that are wired to each switch. If this is true will switches 1 and 2 turn on the elements even if switch 4, the PID switch, is off?

2. From what I understand about PID control each of them generally has a manual mode. If the PID switch is on but the PID is not in manual mode would switches 1 and 2 control the elements?

3. If the PID switch is off will both of the elements be off regardless of the position of switches 1 and 2?


Thanks in advance for your advice. I am learning so much from these threads and I am getting really close to pinning down exactly what I will want in my upcoming control panel.
 
...

1. I assume that switches 1 and 2 are designed to manually turn on the elements that are wired to each switch. If this is true will switches 1 and 2 turn on the elements even if switch 4, the PID switch, is off?

2. From what I understand about PID control each of them generally has a manual mode. If the PID switch is on but the PID is not in manual mode would switches 1 and 2 control the elements?

3. If the PID switch is off will both of the elements be off regardless of the position of switches 1 and 2?


Thanks in advance for your advice. I am learning so much from these threads and I am getting really close to pinning down exactly what I will want in my upcoming control panel.

Answers:
1) The switches are there to isolate the power being delivered to the kettle. The design is such that very minimal rewiring would be needed to convert the controller to a 240V system. No, it does not turn the element on. The PID controls the power being delivered to the element.

2) The PID controls the power to the element in manual mode & in temperature control mode.

3) Yes they will be off. However, keep in mind that if this controller is converted to 240V power, 120V of the power will be present at the elements even with the PID shut off unless switches 1 & 2 are turned off.

Hope this helps.

P-J
 
Thanks for the bonus drawing P-J! That will definitely help someone, maybe even me if/when I get the urge to upgrade.

Just out of curiosity (and the fact my wife and daughter hate when I brew in the kitchen) what would a single element system like this cost to put together? This would make brewing in my garage a much or realistic possibility. Unfortunately a propane burner isn't really an option for me.

That's the exact reason I built this system, wife and daughter weren't big fans of the house smelling like brew as often as it was. Plus I like to hang out on my back porch. I haven't kept a tally of how much I spent on this, mainly because I don't want to know or the wife to find out! It's not cheap. I would say I have ~ $500 in my system. But I built it with everything I wanted from the beginning rather than upgrading later. You could save a lot going simpler, and a lot of people biab without a pump.
 
Just out of curiosity (and the fact my wife and daughter hate when I brew in the kitchen) what would a single element system like this cost to put together? This would make brewing in my garage a much or realistic possibility. Unfortunately a propane burner isn't really an option for me.

I was planning on building the one element rig I priced out everything kettle,pump,controller so on and it came to around 650 bucks that's with some extra things. With P-J posting the diagram for the 2 element system i am going to build that one. I am expecting the cost will be a bit higher because of the extra stuff need for the second element. Once I figure out the add gear for the controller ill post the price. I also have a break down of all of the prices will post when i get home. (jrb03 dont mean to high jack you thread just want to help out Krieger)
 
I have had several requests for the first diagram (page 1 on this thread) to have an added 2nd element for a 120V system.

So I spent some time making a drawing for that setup. Power is being fed from 2 seperate 20A 120V GFCI outlets. It includes E-Stop that will trip both GFCI outlets at once.

I hope this is of help to thedude00 and others that have requested it.

As always - Click on the image to see a full scale diagram printable on Tabloid paper (11" x 17")



Wishing all the best.

P-J

P-J Thanks bro I appreciate you taking the time to make up the diagram
 
I was planning on building the one element rig I priced out everything kettle,pump,controller so on and it came to around 650 bucks that's with some extra things. With P-J posting the diagram for the 2 element system i am going to build that one. I am expecting the cost will be a bit higher because of the extra stuff need for the second element. Once I figure out the add gear for the controller ill post the price. I also have a break down of all of the prices will post when i get home. (jrb03 dont mean to high jack you thread just want to help out Krieger)

Great info, not a hijack at all. I want to help everyone too. Good luck with your build!
 
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