Brewtools Steam Condenser Boil Off Rate

[GMason]

While the Brewtools B80 pro has been a very reliable system so far, I ran into some issues after I used the steam condenser. It seems quite clear that way less water evaporates from the wort during the boil and I missed my density. I would like to adapt the profile on brewfather. Has anyone already calculated the boil off rate?

 

[McMullan]

That steam condenser is just a collection of TC pipes, fittings and spray nozzle from China. I bought the parts for my own design and saved a fortune. You can't really control the condenser as such. The nozzle is a fixed, in terms of spray, once at working pressure. You'll find the power input is what actually determines the boil-off rate. You need to tweak it to suit your conditions. Determine empirically what works best for your system in your brewing environment, that is. Once boil is reached on my system (Braumeister), I dial down the power to about 40% to get a nice controlled 'simmer' balanced with the condenser for a steam-free boil.You might be able to go lower, because your heating elements are OTT for home brewing, why they're notorious for scorching on the BT B80.

 

[GMason]

Thanks for your reply. Do you suggest that the evaporation is correlated to the power of the heating element? I had a strong boil a about 20 - 21 %.

 

[McMullan]

Then your options are dial it down further if possible, lower the maximum current to 10 or 13 amps and/or unplug one of the elements.

 

[DuncB]

Agree with above I use a homemade condenser on my Guten 70.
Dial the power back to a simmer is all you need. Do a test boil with water to work out your rate.
Mine is 0.7 litres per hour at 24% power to 3000W element.

 

[McMullan]

I haven’t installed an amp meter on my DIY power controller. I just eyeball boil activity and adjust accordingly. It reads about ‘40%’ on the printed dial, but I doubt it’s a true reflection of the power being used. Just in case anyone was going to set to real 40% then walk away. Ts&Cs apply

 

[IslandLizard]

Mine is 0.7 litres per hour [at 24% power to 3000W element].

That's a very low boil off! Is it enough?
I know the 2 reasons for boil off are to a) remove DMS and b) concentrate the wort.
It may be sufficient to do a), but not much for b).

I've always been aiming at the old school boil off of around 1 US gallon (3.8 liters) per hour. That's with 5 to 10 gallon batches, without a steam condensor.
Once the wort gets to a boil, the 3500W induction plate is turned down to around 35% ("1200W") giving me a mere simmer (surface rippling).

 

[DuncB]

@IslandLizard
Agreed it's a low figure. It is boiling though at a simmer, plus the temp probes calibrated show boiling temperatures. I can smell some DMS during the boil phase and have not had an issue with residual DMS.
Brewclub taste most of my beers and they are quite critical and haven't mentioned it. Not been mentioned in competition entries either.
It certainly hardly affects the concentration in a 23 litre batch.
I've had to adjust my profile for this.
My condenser does have a copper pipe that supplies the water to the spray nozzle and I do wonder if the copper reacts with DMS as it passes by as well. Any Copper reaction would be faster at around 100C.