DIY ScrapHeap V2.1 All electric Brewery

[ScrapHeap2000]

I have only posted on the "New Member" area, so if I put this in the wrong area, I apologize.
Anyway, I started brewing about 10 years ago, brewed maybe 5 extract batches and left it alone until this past spring. My wife purchased her dad's kegorator and cornys and some misc. extract brewing stuff. So I decided to give it a try again because I wouldn't have to bottle, my least favorite thing ever. I brewed (5) 5 gallon extract batches and realized this wasn't cost effective. Being that I am an engineer at a custom metal fabricator, I dove in feet first with an all grain RIMS system. I re-taught myself about electricity/electronics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and about 10 other things I had forgotten since college. I read Mr. Palmer's book, and a couple others, scanned the web for design ideas, and basically tried to make the best system I could right out of the gate. In the end, Scrap Heap 2000 was torn down about 2 months ago after about (10) 10 gallon batches and I rebuilt it into the Scrap Heap V2.1. I am fairly pleased with the results. I hover around 80% efficiencies and have good control of my mashes and steps with my RIMS system. I am 3 batches in with the system shown below and have tweaks and things I want to add, but my basic system is what I wanted.

Please give it a look and let me know what you think and if you see something that may cause issues.


Basic Shot, my basement ceiling is too low to get a shot of it all in one go

Another Shot with my stupid coffee cup in it


My Rims and CFC and Piping


The Control Box for my HLT Fill and MLT Fill, it is controlled with Magnetic Reed Switches and some lock in relay wiring. Simple but effective. There is a magnetic float in the sight glass that triggers my zero PSI solenoid valves.


Better shot of my flow control, need to chase my wires, but I like the Frankenstein look!


My Fill Valve for my HLT, could be sexier, but it works.


Inside My Boil Kettle- 4500w ULWD element. Works awesome.


My Control Box.


Inside my MLT without the false bottom. I had to add a vortex breaker.


Inside again with the double false bottom and my sparge/recirc arm.

 

[ScrapHeap2000]

More Photos related to my system:


Here’s my Homemade Crusher. An old Millwright instructed me as to how to make a real barley crusher. 5.5” diameter smooth rollers, reduced as far as I could with a commercially available pulley. Works just awesome. 25+ Lbs of grain crushed to suit my system in about 2 minutes.


The Business end of my crusher. In the end, I spent a total of $35 for this beast.


The drive system
Please feel free to offer constructive criticism, I am looking to become a good brewer and any help would be appreciated.

 

[limulus]

I'm diggin it. I'm seeing a lot of that kind of brewing vessel lately. There is a good example on youtube posted by an Aussie. Just search for beermatic2000.

I also started brewing again last year after being away for at least 15yrs. I saved my two 10gal Coleman Beverage coolers, some of my valves and a brand new pump. I brewed a couple batches last year and this fall and winter, I hope to brew enough to last through the summer. The keg system will definitely be nice. I had lots of Cornie kegs and a built-in bar with a double tap in the old days, but I sold all of that and we have since moved. I'm using Tap A Draft kegs now.

 

[Maltose]

Looks like a clean system, I always love seeing the hard plumbing.

Is "Stainton" a nickname for "Staunton"? I'm in Harrisonburg.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Hah...hardly a scrapheap...mighty nice work!

 

[ScrapHeap2000]

Limulus, It's amazing how far things have progressed in the past 10 years since I was in it, 15 years is long enough, there's beer to be made and beer to drink!!! I made my HLT and MLT from scap sstl from work, square is not what I would do again, I think cylindrical vessels are much better, but these were free, just had to TIG them up.

Maltose, My first version had more flex plumbing, I was experimenting and decided on my design and plumbed it hard. And I mispelled Staunton. And I don't know how to fix it. Oh well.

Wilserbrewer, I literally scrounged and scavanged dumpsters from here to DC to NC, not to mention waiting on packages from China from Ebay Electronics. I am lucky that where I am employed has a huge variety of projects which allows me access to all sorts of stainless steel and mechanical parts. Plus I am SUPER CHEAP.

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

 

[KingKegII]

ScrapHeap2000, hard to tell from the pics, but is your sparge arm made of PVC or CPVC? For high temp applications like recirculating & sparging I believe you want to make sure you're going w/ CPVC.

Nice system BTW.

 

[Alemaker]

Here’s my Homemade Crusher. An old Millwright instructed me as to how to make a real barley crusher. 5.5” diameter smooth rollers, reduced as far as I could with a commercially available pulley. Works just awesome. 25+ Lbs of grain crushed to suit my system in about 2 minutes.

What is the reasoning behind the smooth rollers? All the commercially available mills I've seen have knurled rollers.

 

[ScrapHeap2000]

I don't want to open a can of worms, but I work a lot with this old English Millwright. He is an expert in all things Mill, water wheels, wind mills and all that goes along with it. When I was making my crain crusher, I asked his advice. I told him what he said flew in the face of all that I have read on the internet. He is 85, very good at what he does and an expert. He told me that I could listen to him or listen to the net. If I listend to the net, don't ever ask him another question. We just finished a retoration in Aldie, VA, inside are a nice set of turn of the century roller mills. He should me that if I were making flour, I would start with a knurled roller and work my way to smooth. Looking at the oat roller, the rolls were large diameter and smooth. He said the best match for what I was truing to do was an oat roller. He said the reason that the small comercial rollers are knurled is because they ar small diameter. You need large diameter rollers to do what you are supposed to be doing and draw the barley into the grist. SO.... I listend to him. He offered me a real barley crusher, from 1890, but it was solid cast iron with 18" rollers and would mill a ton of barley in the time it takes me to do 50lbs and weighed just over 1200lbs. I declined due to space and the need to either run line shafts to a steam engine or purchase a 5hp 3 phase motor. So I went with what I had on hand. 1/2" pillow block bearings and 5" schd. 40 pipe. I welded up a pair of rollers and turned them to clean up and the same diameter. One is driven and one is an idler. My Husks are perfectly preserved and my crush is just right. I can open it up or close it down depending on what I want to do.

In the end, to each their own. I like my set up.

 

[ScrapHeap2000]

ScrapHeap2000, hard to tell from the pics, but is your sparge arm made of PVC or CPVC? For high temp applications like recirculating & sparging I believe you want to make sure you're going w/ CPVC.

Nice system BTW.

Good points, I researched the failure temps of materials and it is PVC. I recirc at no more than 165 degrees and sparge at 180 degrees (no more mostly) in a fly sparge. I wouldn't want to run it under pressure, but it works, and was cheap. this is my test arm anyway and I will weld one up from stainless once I am sure this is what I want.

Thanks for commenting, for real.

 

[klyph]

I don't want to open a can of worms, but I work a lot with this old English Millwright. He is an expert in all things Mill, water wheels, wind mills and all that goes along with it. When I was making my crain crusher, I asked his advice. I told him what he said flew in the face of all that I have read on the internet. He is 85, very good at what he does and an expert. He told me that I could listen to him or listen to the net. If I listend to the net, don't ever ask him another question. We just finished a retoration in Aldie, VA, inside are a nice set of turn of the century roller mills. He should me that if I were making flour, I would start with a knurled roller and work my way to smooth. Looking at the oat roller, the rolls were large diameter and smooth. He said the best match for what I was truing to do was an oat roller. He said the reason that the small comercial rollers are knurled is because they ar small diameter. You need large diameter rollers to do what you are supposed to be doing and draw the barley into the grist. SO.... I listend to him. He offered me a real barley crusher, from 1890, but it was solid cast iron with 18" rollers and would mill a ton of barley in the time it takes me to do 50lbs and weighed just over 1200lbs. I declined due to space and the need to either run line shafts to a steam engine or purchase a 5hp 3 phase motor. So I went with what I had on hand. 1/2" pillow block bearings and 5" schd. 40 pipe. I welded up a pair of rollers and turned them to clean up and the same diameter. One is driven and one is an idler. My Husks are perfectly preserved and my crush is just right. I can open it up or close it down depending on what I want to do.

In the end, to each their own. I like my set up.

I'd love to see pictures of your setup. And yes, it does make sense that if you are trying to leave the husks intact, large smooth rollers make more sense.

 

[ScrapHeap2000]

I can remove my Hopper tanke better pics. I am brewing Monday and can take pics of my crush.

 

[Alemaker]

I don't want to open a can of worms, but I work a lot with this old English Millwright. He is an expert in all things Mill, water wheels, wind mills and all that goes along with it. When I was making my crain crusher, I asked his advice. I told him what he said flew in the face of all that I have read on the internet. He is 85, very good at what he does and an expert. He told me that I could listen to him or listen to the net. If I listend to the net, don't ever ask him another question. We just finished a retoration in Aldie, VA, inside are a nice set of turn of the century roller mills. He should me that if I were making flour, I would start with a knurled roller and work my way to smooth. Looking at the oat roller, the rolls were large diameter and smooth. He said the best match for what I was truing to do was an oat roller. He said the reason that the small comercial rollers are knurled is because they ar small diameter. You need large diameter rollers to do what you are supposed to be doing and draw the barley into the grist. SO.... I listend to him. He offered me a real barley crusher, from 1890, but it was solid cast iron with 18" rollers and would mill a ton of barley in the time it takes me to do 50lbs and weighed just over 1200lbs. I declined due to space and the need to either run line shafts to a steam engine or purchase a 5hp 3 phase motor. So I went with what I had on hand. 1/2" pillow block bearings and 5" schd. 40 pipe. I welded up a pair of rollers and turned them to clean up and the same diameter. One is driven and one is an idler. My Husks are perfectly preserved and my crush is just right. I can open it up or close it down depending on what I want to do.

In the end, to each their own. I like my set up.

Very interesting!

 

[klyph]

I can remove my Hopper tanke better pics. I am brewing Monday and can take pics of my crush.

I'd appreciate that.