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Got home from my eye exam, went from 20/400 to 20/10-20/15 in three months after PRK surgery, and picking up broadheads for archery, and it was like Christmas at my house. I think six packages were at the front door from Automation Direct, Bargain Fittings, Auber Instruments, etc.

Waiting on Brewer's Hardware and Grainger packages to arrive and I need to decide on a control box and it will be go time.
 
Grainger was delivered at work on Friday and my heating elements are here from Bob's Home and Hardware. Just need my stuff from Brewer's Hardware and I need to get a step bit and drilling done so I can drop stuff off at the welder.
 
Still waiting on some things from Brewer's Hardware and an enclosure, so no progress at this point.

What's the best/most effective way to drill/cut a 1.5" hole in a stainless steel keg to then weld a triclamp ferrule into?
 
I tried step bits but ultimately used hole saws. Whatever method you use, be sure to go very slow, use lots of pressure, and use plenty of oil. If you go to fast, even for a short period of time, you WILL work harden the area to be drilled and you're f***ed!
 
Finally got all my parts in. Just need to get the right wire to do the enclosure, which I'm waiting on an inventory update to purchase.

Hopefully over the next few weeks I can get my holes cut/drilled and drop everything off with the welder.
 
The element adapters from Brewer's Hardware don't work with the Cameco 2963 Ripple elements. They don't fit through due to the curves. So, those are going up in the classifieds and I'm searching for ultra low watt density straight elements.
 
Would a knockout punch set work since I need to do 1/4", 1/2", and 1 1/2" holes rather than buying hole saws for all those sizes?
 
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Are there any benefits to the wavy looking ones, or do a lot of people get those for aesthetic reasons? $25 prime eligible for a 5500W ULWD is nice.
 
jtkratzer said:
Still waiting on some things from Brewer's Hardware and an enclosure, so no progress at this point.

What's the best/most effective way to drill/cut a 1.5" hole in a stainless steel keg to then weld a triclamp ferrule into?
Click to expand...

I use the 22.5mm panel punch that I got for switches to also do holes for 1/2" NPT couplers and 1" Tri-clover fittings..


I use a 1.5" hole saw for 1.5" ferrules and 1" NPT half-couplings, but a 1.5" or 38mm panel punch would work nicer..

Cheap ones are automation direct panel punches:
1" conduit is actually 1.362" $27.75
1-1/4" conduit punch is next size up but is too big.. 1.6875" $33.00

I would say if you cannot find a deal on a true 1.5" punch, use the 1" conduit punch, then maybe use some meaty steel pieces to make a dimple-die to pull a 1.5" piece through the opening, creating a dimple for strength...
 
The ultra low watt density sticks help protect against dry firing. It doesn't matter if they are in contact with the wort or not, scorching is not the issue. The wavy sticks are designed that way to increase the amount of surface area over which the heat is dispersed. Again this helps protect against incidences of dry firing. The element may not blow if accidentally dry fired.
 
These just saw a price increase, they used to be $17 and change:
Camco 2963 5500W 240V Ripple Foldback Water Heater Element - Plumbing & Heating - Plumbing Appliances & Accessories - Water Heater Repair

Not sure on the shipped price, but if you don't have Amazon Prime, they might be cheaper. I love having Prime for the free 2-day shipping.

I bought a used Greenlee 7238SB knockout set on eBay pretty cheap that goes all the way up to 2". Looks like the 1/2" punch will be perfect for the 22.5mm holes for switches.

I'm dropping off the kettles for cutting/welding tomorrow and now it's time to get going on finding a panel and doing the electrical work.
 
So...it's been a minute. Some more active duty time with a 1.5 hour one way drive, found out we're pregnant with baby 2, holidays, getting off active duty and back to the business, etc has kept me busy and I haven't done much with the brewery since accumulating everything I need expect the enclosure. Sold the wavy elements and bought straight as the wavy don't fit through the element housings I bought.

I pulled the remaining original plumbing, RIMS tube, and pump/PID housing off the frame. Got all the burners but the BK burner off (that will need cut off) as well.

Going to get refreshed on everything I had intended to do with this thing and get back after it. Progress probably won't go from zero to light speed as I still have a small remodeling project to do upstairs for my daughter's bedroom so the nursery room is open for baby 2.

Still didn't get the holes/welding done, but I'll get there. I'm going to be busy most of next weekend and the following I have some landscaping projects going on, but by the end of April, I'm planning on having all the measurements done and an enclosure purchased so I can start the wiring. I really want to have this thing together and running before the baby is born and it should be doable as the due date is toward the end of July.
 
I want to get the enclosure ordered today or tomorrow, and looking at Kal's site, he's recommending at least a 16x16x8 enclosure. Looking at the number of components, PIDs, monitors, buttons, and switches on his (http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/control-panel-part-1), compared to mine (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/brew-magic-electric-270319/index8.html#post3363007), I'm thinking I should be able to get away with a smaller enclosure. I'm thinking a 12x12x8 will work, but I'd like to get some opinions of those who have put one together before ordering.
 
Enclosure will be here on Thursday, but I'll be out of town from Thursday to Sunday. Maybe I'll get started on the layout and placement of the components on Sunday during the Flyers/Pens game.
 
Enclosure showed up right before I left for a drill weekend. So, I'm stitting here with all my electrical stuff and working on layout. The 16x12x8 is going to be plenty big enough.

Also have the spa panel to work on here as well.

Go Flyers.
 
I don't have CAD or CAD skills, but I have Power Point and it was enough to get a drawing together and tweak the concept of what I was originally working with.

Here it is, with a legend...

BrewMagiceHERMS.jpg


The gray ellipses are the false bottoms, the parabolas are the heating elements, and the rest should be relatively self expalantory.

The pump will more than likely be mounted on the lower shelf to help gravity-feed the pump for priming. I didn't bother drawing the mounts for the heating elements or depicting the tri clover connections for the dip tubes, etc.

Image depicting the control panel is just a place holder.

Only the BK and HLT are going to need welding. BK is going to need a 1.5" hole for the tri clover ferrule to mount the heating element and the 1/4" half coupling for the temp probe. HLT needs the 1.5" hold for the element and two holes for the 1/2" couplings for the HERMS coil.


After spending some time with the enclosure yesterday, that seems like the part that's going to take the most time. I need recommendations on what wire to use throughout the box. I'm going to check out Kal's site and see what's listed over there. Looked at their site (http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/control-panel-part-2?page=6)...and it's looking like 10, 14, and 22 gauge wire and they're using four colors for different uses on the wiring to keep it straight. I certainly don't need 50' rolls of each color for 10 and 14 gauge. Amazon looks like decent prices and free shipping with Prime, but I wasn't looking to spend another $175-$200 for wire.

Suggestions?
 
I apologize for what appears to be a lot of internal dialogue, but some of this is me talking myself back through something that was planned and worked out 6 months ago and I've done more reading about the wiring and how everything works, which has raised some new questions. I've made a few minor changes to the equipment as well.

Looks like I bought a pair of 30A outlets that are the wrong ones.

Just so I have this straight...I'm running a 4 wire service from the breaker to a 4 wire outlet mounted to the wall in my garage near where I'm going to brew.

A four prong plug is going to be wired into the spa panel that plugs into the previously mentioned outlet. A 4 wire socket is going to be installed/mounted in the spa panel. A four-prong plug is going to be wired into my control box, which will plug into the outlet in the spa panel. Basically, wiring the outlet and powering the spa panel through the outlet, and duplicating that outlet in the spa panel after the GFCI breaker makes the system essentially portable. If I move, the only thing I'd have to do is run a 30A 4 wire service to an outlet I install in the new place, plug the panel in, plug the control box into the panel and I'm good to go, right?

Next thing to confirm...I have 2 30A 6' long cords. I need to get the correct 3 plug outlets to match them, and those outlets will be mounted on the side of the control box which will supply power to the heater elements.

So, at this point, I need to buy a pair of 4-prong outlets, a pair of 4 prong cords, and return the two incorrect 3 prong dryer outlets.

I have a pair of these cords to power the elements:
http://www.needapplianceparts.com/wx9x4.aspx

And they don't fit with these plugs:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002NATH/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That all seems to make sense to me...however, it's not what P-J has the parts list for me or the wiring diagram. Diagram appears to have a 4-wire supply to the terminal blocks and it goes from there.
http://www.pjmuth.org/beerstuff/images/Auberin-wiring1-a11a-RM-SYL-2352-5500w.jpg

Anyone have some insight?
 
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These elements from Brewer's Hardware are pretty sweet! Just thread the element into the housing, attach wires, close it up, clamp it to the ferrule. Ferrules need to be welded onto the kegs, but here's a look:
BrewersHardwareelement.jpg
 
Measured out the enclosure into thirds as I may add to the enclosure later, but here's where I threw things just to get a look. Blue push buttons are for the PIDs/elements and the greens are for pumps. I only have one pump right now, but I'm looking to get another. The green buttons will actually provide power to a standard 110V household outlet. For now, one button will control the pump, the other will control the stir motor for the HLT. I've seen a couple setups where a pump is used to recirculate the HLT water during the mash instead of a stir motor. Red switch was cannibalized from the Brew Magic control box as a central power switch. Forgot to picture the e-stop.

Enclosurelayout.jpg


Can't think of anything else I would want to add other than an alarm or timer, but those won't take up significant space. Any other ideas? I have no interest in any of the gauges that measure amps/volts, etc.
 
Ordered a 4 ft 4 wire 50 amp wire and a 6 footer along with 2 recepticles. Heatsinks are ordered for the SSRs, as are the terminal blocks and jumpers. Heading to Lowe's and/or Home Depot tomorrow to pick up lengths of wire for the rest of the box and hitting Harbor Freight to look at angle grinders and wire wheels to clean up the stand.

Any favorites for mounting hardware to attach everything to the back plate?
 
Back from Lowe's and Home Depot (had returns at one and a gift card for the other) with 70 ft of 6/3 wire (only charged for 55 ft), 5 foot lengths of 10 and 14 gauge wire, a recepticle box and cover for the 50 amp recepticle going on the wall, and an angle grinder and wire cup brush.

Grinder took the rust off the brew stand very nicely. I'm going to sand it a bit further and then paint over those areas.
 
I wired this knowing I'll be taking it apart when the 50 amp plug gets here, but I wanted to make sure I was doing this correctly as the diagram on the Spa Panel for Dummies thread was for a 3 wire, 30 amp plug.
SpaPanel1.jpg
 
jtkratzer said:
I wired this knowing I'll be taking it apart when the 50 amp plug gets here, but I wanted to make sure I was doing this correctly as the diagram on the Spa Panel for Dummies thread was for a 3 wire, 30 amp plug.
SpaPanel1.jpg
Click to expand...

Subscribed. Looks good to me.

This series is awesome, I hope it goes the distance!
 
kpr121 said:
Subscribed. Looks good to me.

This series is awesome, I hope it goes the distance!
Click to expand...

I took it apart to wire the 6' cord that's supposed to be there...and I hope they do handshakes tomorrow, no offense. But at least they got back to hockey and quit the football scores.




Been doing more reading on the capabilities/limitations of the 50 amp service...I understand that two 5500W 240V elements are going to push the 50 amp service almost to the max and I should run both at the same time for long, if at all. I'd like to be able to heat strike water and the water for the HLT/HERMS coil at the same time. If the elements aren't both running at 100% at the same time, am I going to be alright?

If not, do I just need to bump up to 60 amp breakers in the subpanel and spa panel as 6/3 wire should be fine?
 
jtkratzer said:
Been doing more reading on the capabilities/limitations of the 50 amp service...I understand that two 5500W 240V elements are going to push the 50 amp service almost to the max and I should run both at the same time for long, if at all. I'd like to be able to heat strike water and the water for the HLT/HERMS coil at the same time. If the elements aren't both running at 100% at the same time, am I going to be alright?
Click to expand...

No, it isn't alright. As I understand it, even if you are driving your BK at 50%, since it is PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), the element will either be ON or OFF. This cycles (thus the PWM), and you will be drawing (on that element) either 23 AMPS (5500/240) or nothing for that fraction of a second.

So, you can't drive two elements (even using PWM on one of them) with a 50 AMP circuit.

You could bump it up to 60 AMP, another alternative is to do two 30-AMP circuits (one to each element), which could be downstream (with breakers) from a 60 AMP feed line.
 
Not sure which is the right way to calculate it (220 vs 240) but:

11,000W / 240V = 45.83 amps
11,000W / 220V = 50.0 amps

So, if you err on the side of caution and use 220 in the calculation, you are right at the threshold of the breaker. I would say that is fine if you absolutely needed all the power, but now you are talking about using a new circuit for all the rest of your system (pumps/PID/timers/lights/music/etc).

Why dont you go with a 4500w element in the BK? You will hardly miss that extra 1000watts, since most of the time your PID is going to be running manually at 60-70% during the boil anyhow.

Then you will have an extra 5 amps (either as a safety precaution or to run your aux power uses)
 
kpr121 said:
Not sure which is the right way to calculate it (220 vs 240) but:

11,000W / 240V = 45.83 amps
11,000W / 220V = 50.0 amps
...
Click to expand...
That's not really accurate. The calc needs to be base on the resistance of the element to determine the amp draw. A 240V element powered with 220V will draw less current.

It's all about Ohm's Law.
 
P-J said:
That's not right. Two 5500W elements will draw 45.83 amps on a 240V feed which is a single outlet circuit.

No problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks P-J. I did the 5500/240 = 22.92 AMPS, but didn't do so well with my basic math (22.92*2 = 45.83)! So much for posting at 1am. (I for some strange reason thought he had a 30 AMP setup.) Thanks for correcting.
 
I do have 240 service at my subpanel where the breaker is going. I haven't measured it at the control box as the 6/3 wire and new breaker aren't installed yet. I plan on running the wire today, but the receptacle won't be here until Tuesday to connect everything. By Tuesday or Wednesday, I should have everything out to the outlet in the spa panel done.

I read a post by Bobby_M that talked about how the 80% rule is really applicable on 15 or 20 amp circuits in your house where you have multiple outlets that could have lights, TVs, computers etc all on at the same time.

This 50 amp service is dedicated solely to the brewery. Nothing other than the control panel will be on it (2 elements, 2 PIDs, and a pump...eventually a second pump is likely). I have other places for music and the lights are on separate circuits.

5500w x 2 / 240v = 45.83 amps. Since both elements will only be on simultaneously during the time I'm heating strike water in the BK and the water in the HLT for the HERMS coil, I should be ok. Am I correct in my assumption that a dedicated service, as long as the loads don't draw more than 50 amps total, I'll be fine?

If I run into trouble, I could supplement the strike water heating with a propane burner the way my stand is built.

I have tri clover caps that I could leave the element out of the BK and seal the opening while the water heats on a propane burner, pump the strike water into the MLT, and then move the empty BK to the brew stand and insert the element for the boil.
 
P-J said:
That's not really accurate. The calc needs to be base on the resistance of the element to determine the amp draw. A 240V element powered with 220V will draw less current.

It's all about Ohm's Law.
Click to expand...

I understand Ohm's Law. I am just unsure of the voltage at which the element produces the maximum power, in this case 5500 watts.

So these elements are rated 5500W at 240V?

Thanks for the info.
 

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