Electric Brewery Kit

[Vesteroid]

I just ordered one of Kals kits. Went with all the stuff, the controls, the elements, the sensors, herm coil, etc.

I have one blichman 10 gallon and two Mega pot 10s. I already have the boil kettle set up with a whirlpool arm and have the mash tun set up with a top inlet, so I just have to punch for the elements and the sensors I guess.

Should be a fun project as winter is approaching. I just could not see myself dragging all the burners outside and standing there 5 hours, and wanted to keep brewing.

Luckily I can run the wiring no problem for the 30 amp panel and suppose I can follow directions to assemble all the kits.

We will see

 

[BrianMac]

Subscribed. Photos as you move along?

 

[Vesteroid]

Sure,

The lead time is pretty long currently. he sent me an email saying 3-4 weeks to shipping.

Thats fine with me as I am not in any big rush, and will keep using my burners.

Only part that sucks will be figuring out if I will even use a vent hood as its in my garage, and then of course selling off all the burners etc.

 

[AkBrew907]

Subbed. Looking forward to seeing this progress

 

[phishheadmi]

Nice, interested to see your progress, thanks for posting.

 

[kal]

Let me know if you have any questions during the build, and good luck!

Kal

 

[dmcman73]

Kal's instructions (at least on his website) are really easy to follow, I built one from scratch by sourcing all the parts myself and I had no issues.

Good luck on your build!

 

[Vesteroid]

i have been buying misc stuff while waiting for the kit. I went with brewers hardware for all the fittings and pumps, as they were almost 200 cheaper on the pumps than morebeer.

I am heading to a restaurant supply store tomorrow to find a table, and have found a sink and rinse faucet on amazon I think will work.

I am going to do this in my garage in NV so I am still undecided about ventilation. I may forgo it until I see how much condensation actually collects in my desert environment.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I brew in the garage in so az and I don't have problems. Some condensation on the garage door above the bk after a while but it is gone in about 5 minutes once I stop boiling.

Electric Brewing is great! Enjoy the new rig!

 

[Vesteroid]

Tables and laundry sink set up. I found a flat roll of 1.5 inch drain hose and found a 1.5" nipple for the bottom of th sink fitting. I can drain the sink directly out the garage door to the street.

Is using the hot water heater faucet really all that bad for brewing water? I know I could wash up with it, but want to fill my brew lots too if possible. I really don't want to call a plumber back to tee into my main line.

 

[Hello]

So exciting! Can't wait to see pics.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Are you going to carbon filter the water? Probably want to do that at room temp vs out of the hot water heater.

 

[kal]

I am going to do this in my garage in NV so I am still undecided about ventilation. I may forgo it until I see how much condensation actually collects in my desert environment.

You'll probably be fine. I brewed for a season in my garage and it gets really humid here in the summer. As long as I left the garage doors open and used an oscillating fan to keep the steam from condensing over the boil kettle I was fine.

Is using the hot water heater faucet really all that bad for brewing water? I know I could wash up with it, but want to fill my brew lots too if possible. I really don't want to call a plumber back to tee into my main line.

While a newer hot water tank may be fine, an older one that has not been properly maintained may introduce a 'minerally' taste to the water. In some cases there may also be higher levels of lead in the water (unlikely in newer houses). If you're unsure, I recommend that you follow the advice of the EPA who recommend that hot tap water not be used for cooking or drinking - brewing is both. See: http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/lead/index.cfm

If you use tap water to brew, it's best to use cold tap water that comes straight from your city's water supply.

Kal

 

[Vesteroid]

Actually I have several problems. All my water passes through a sediment filter, a carbon, filter then a softener prior to entering the house (this includes the hose bibs outside). The only water that does. It run through those filters is the irrigation.

So if I cannot use hot water, or softeners water that means I have to tee in between the 1" eps line coming out of the slab, and the filter inlet. I don't have one of those clamp tools for pex and I have read bad things about the shark bite fittings for main lines.

Still not sure what I am going to do. I really want to get water chemistry into my breiwing now (I have been just using what I have). So I am reluctant to buy bottled water as I would like to have a constant baseline, not to mention the time and expense to get said water.

 

[kal]

Don't use water that's been through a water softener for brewing beer.

A water softener replaces minerals like calcium and magnesium that we want in our beer (to varying degrees) with sodium which, while we do need a bit, we want to limit in our beer as too much gives it an unpleasant metallic/bitter aftertaste.

If all your water is this way, buy 5 gallon jugs of RO water and build it up to whatever you want from that.

Kal

 

[Vesteroid]

Yeah, worked on this today, not going to tee that line. I am going to use the hose bib for the chiller and use bottled water for now.

After buying all the associate parts and a monster mill pro 2 I am tapped out. I have to recover now for Christmas

 

[Vesteroid]

Hooked up a 50 am spa panel inside my garage today. I am lucky that in NV for some reason the house panel is outside on the garage. I simply drilled through the panel back, used some 6/3 that I had left over from my spa hook up, and used another 50 amp spa panel inside. Home Depot has silly low prices on these panels, MUCH less than a 50 a GFCI breaker.

So I now have a GFCI panel inside and a 50 a plug waiting for my brewery.

I believe I have everything ordered, just waiting on stuff to arrive.

i did have to go back to Kal today and upgrade from the 30a to the 50a back to back panel and cord. I figured if I was going to run electrical, I may as well go ahead and run the higher end.

 

[kal]

Yup - gives you the option to do back to back batches if you like, without changing how you'd do normal batches. Many go for the 50A control panel that drives 4 heating elements too as it gives them room to upgrade if they ever decide to double the number of elements by going to larger kettles.

Kal

 

[BigFloppy]

Are you going to carbon filter the water? Probably want to do that at room temp vs out of the hot water heater.

Fully agree with carbon filtering BUT hot water heater water isn't considered potable therefore shouldn't be used to brew beer

 

[BigFloppy]

So I now have a GFCI panel inside and a 50 a plug waiting for my brewery.

I believe I have everything ordered, just waiting on stuff to arrive.

i did have to go back to Kal today and upgrade from the 30a to the 50a back to back panel and cord. I figured if I was going to run electrical, I may as well go ahead and run the higher end.

You won't regret having the ability to do back-to-back... congrats on deciding bigger sometimes really is better

 

[Vesteroid]

Kit finally shipped minus the heat sink.

I have my plumbing done, and did go with a tee after the carbon and sediment filter, but before my softener.

I am going to rig two hoses, one to attach to the new t for cold water and one to attach to my hot water heater for clean up.

The sink was rigged with a flat folding drain Hose I can run out of the garage door and down to the street. Just have to watch grains going through that.

I have done all I can to my pots but still need to do all the punching for,the elements, temp control, and herms.

Should get building on this next week when the parts arrive.

May actually be brewing by November