Facelift for my control panel

Williams 728
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augiedoggy said:
these are the heating element connectors to the panel I wish I used..they are rated for 25a . I bought them for a recent build and they are pretty nice...(The ones I used from mouser are ok but not as nice as they come unplugged easily.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321514587280?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Click to expand...

I just received these based on your build(thank you), and I am struggling to connect 10ga. wire to the connectors. Am I missing a crimp connector or is my solder gun not cutting it?
 
Zincktank said:
I just received these based on your build(thank you), and I am struggling to connect 10ga. wire to the connectors. Am I missing a crimp connector or is my solder gun not cutting it?
Click to expand...
Did you "tin" (put solder on) both the wire nd the connector?
 
Looks like a bigger version of the XLR connectors I've soldered. It's a royal ***** unless you tin the pins there. Just lay a nice glob of solder, set your wire ontop and re-heat the solder. It liquifies and the wire will sink down into it.
 
Zincktank said:
I just received these based on your build(thank you), and I am struggling to connect 10ga. wire to the connectors. Am I missing a crimp connector or is my solder gun not cutting it?
Click to expand...
yes I had the same issue, I had an ancient huge soldering gun I pulled out and it made the job much easier since the tip was shot on my whimpy little guns and even with tinnig both ends it just wasnt happening... Had I known this at the time I posted the link I would have given a warning... sorry. the pins are pretty huge so it takes some juice to heat things up enough.
 
On a plus note I just learned I'm going to finally see my employers headquarters in December ...IN BELGIUM!! I'm pretty stoked..
 
augiedoggy said:
On a plus note I just learned I'm going to finally see my employers headquarters in December ...IN BELGIUM!! I'm pretty stoked..
Click to expand...
Just remind me not to have the surgery you just had!

Glad you get to see the kid peeing in the fountain, enjoy what should be a great experience!
 
Ok so I insulated my stout conical with 2 layers of "double bubble" foil faced insulation earlier this week (this suff) http://www.ebay.com/itm/251905118937?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

and I threw some foam around it that came with some solar panels I bought to convert my camper last year and I have to say it made a very huge different in holding temps and how often the compressor on my chiller runs... I'm holding a Vienna lager I brewed yesterday at 55 degrees now with no issues...the compressor stays off for what seems like hrs at a time now.
I just have to install my cooling coil or jacket on my new second conical and get my 4 port valve manifold done so I can add two more now :)

IMG_20150921_142959_599.jpg
 
So I am making the jump from extract to all grain and figured this would be a great time to also make the jump to an electric setup (especially since winter will soon be here). I have my 2 kegs (HLT and Boil) and all the fittings. Just put together my 10 gallon cooler mash tun today. I have been following this thread and glad it is here so that I can build this amazing control panel. I do plan on running this off my dryer outlet (~7ft away) which is 30amp 250v (lol, that is what the 3 prong outlet says). I will start out with one question and please forgive my ignorance in this matter. What is the difference between the REX-C100 and TD4-SNR
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PID...e-/291439079469?&_trksid=p2056016.m2516.l5255
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-PID-Te...main_0&hash=item19d0ff9dbb&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true

Trying to fly under the radar as much as I can as far as cost goes to not be in the dog house.
 
tommyboy_iceman said:
So I am making the jump from extract to all grain and figured this would be a great time to also make the jump to an electric setup (especially since winter will soon be here). I have my 2 kegs (HLT and Boil) and all the fittings. Just put together my 10 gallon cooler mash tun today. I have been following this thread and glad it is here so that I can build this amazing control panel. I do plan on running this off my dryer outlet (~7ft away) which is 30amp 250v (lol, that is what the 3 prong outlet says). I will start out with one question and please forgive my ignorance in this matter. What is the difference between the REX-C100 and TD4-SNR
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PID...e-/291439079469?&_trksid=p2056016.m2516.l5255
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-PID-Te...main_0&hash=item19d0ff9dbb&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true

Trying to fly under the radar as much as I can as far as cost goes to not be in the dog house.
Click to expand...

the first link has a 40 amp ssr, the second only has 25 amp. both will work for just about any element you can use but the 40 amp version is 'beefier' compared to the 25 amp, won't heat up as much and should last longer.

note the first one only has a 1 meter lead on the thermocouple. if you need something longer than that, you will need to use thermocouple extension wire, not any ol' copper. and it will need to match the thermocouple type, they make different extension wires for the different types. this one is type k so you would need that type of extension.

the second does not have a temp element at all so you would need to get that separately.
 
So I added so things to my setup... I bought one of these conicals (new not the banged up one sold currently) http://www.ebay.com/itm/291582018834 as well as a 7.3 gallon stout clone (not as nice as the stout but it works) for $225 on craigslist from a member here. I also got my manifold assembled and running with my $2 solenoid valves which do work pretty damn well.

I learned that you can just wrap this $10 discharge hose also avaliable from the home depot around any conical and make a very effective cooling jacket http://www.ebay.com/itm/330900552367?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT (i used two #8 1/2 rubber stoppers with a 2" long piece of 3/8" copper tubing stuck in it and held tight with a hose clamp around the discharge hose and stopper for bulkheads to connect the hose to my valves.

I also learned that thin walled 5/16" silicone tubing (like surgical tubing) works well for cooling these conicals as well.. I'm using this method on my smaller 7 gallon unit.

I also picked up this beer gun,
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-...-Free-shipping-by-ePACKAT-to/32294349177.html

The directions show these guys make them for some company in Australia. the directions are very good and the beer gun appears to be of excellent quality especially for $51 shipped.

I havent figured out how I'm going to address the cooling on the v vessel yet.
the heating strips and stc1000+ units are working well to keep temps within about a degree or so. The insulation made a huge difference.

I also replaced my boil kettle element with an all stainless one I ordered from Kals website... I used an element enclosure from Bobby at brewhardware this time around for service capability since my epoxied setup failed on me somehow and I couldnt acces the wiring at the element base due to it being filler with epoxy. One thing I noticed is this is the weakest 4500w element I've tried yet drawing only 17 amps at full power compared to the 17.4 that the old one drew and the 18.1amps my hlt element draws. no worries though its still plenty of power for brewing under 15 gallons. it also bends much easier than my old element.

IMG_20150927_191407_046.jpg


IMG_20150930_215715_845.jpg


IMG_20150930_215728_647.jpg


IMG_20151006_203621_297.jpg


IMG_20151006_234631_619.jpg


IMG_20151006_203647_638.jpg


IMG_20151006_234541_353.jpg
 
jcav said:
Amazing build and thread! Thanks for taking the time to post all the pics and info! :mug:

John
Click to expand...

Thank you :mug: Its still a work in progress.
brewed a 5 gallon batch of American lager today with my nephew/ godson... it was the first time he had seen an all grain brew session.

I got to test cooling on 2 of the 3 conicals at once and I have to say its working great... The only thing I wonder about is if I would get much faster response if I could get my glycol down past 39 degrees.(i didnt even need to add glycol at this point).. my chiller thermostat seems to top out here and I know I could easily wire up one of the many extra stc 1000 units I have instead of the analog thermostat but for now it has no issues bringing the beer down to like 42 degrees.
 
augiedoggy said:
here are some pics of my new $20 flow meter in action...I'm really happy with it so far . Used it for two brews. its cool to be able to see the color and huge clarity change during the recirculation of the mash... what starts out very cloudy is almost crystal clear by the end of the 60 minute mash.... as you can see in the pics of mondays blond ale brewing session and the cloudy irish red pic.
Click to expand...

Wow... It looks great and I love the price, but what kind of plastic is it made out of and should hot wort really be in contact for it over a 60 minute mash?


Adam
 
augiedoggy said:
Thank you :mug: Its still a work in progress.
brewed a 5 gallon batch of American lager today with my nephew/ godson... it was the first time he had seen an all grain brew session.

I got to test cooling on 2 of the 3 conicals at once and I have to say its working great... The only thing I wonder about is if I would get much faster response if I could get my glycol down past 39 degrees.(i didnt even need to add glycol at this point).. my chiller thermostat seems to top out here and I know I could easily wire up one of the many extra stc 1000 units I have instead of the analog thermostat but for now it has no issues bringing the beer down to like 42 degrees.
Click to expand...

That's great! Quality time with the nephew too that's awesome, way to introduce a potential new brewer someday!

John
 
I honestly don't know... it appears to be polycarbobate. Since it never sees any temps higher than 170 I'm not concerned. I thought I remember reading it was meant for food industry use when I bought it.
 
Augie,

How long of a continuous run time do you think the little pumps you use can handle? I've been thinking of doing some kettle souring for berliners. My idea is to run off into my kettle, let it cool or chill to about 100 degrees and then pitch the bugs. Then I could take one of the small DC pumps with cam lock fittings, attach to the drain valve and run a small section of tubing to my whirlpool port. Then set the pid for 100 and let the pump circulate for 12 hours or so.
I have 2 chuggers I use for my herms set up but I don't like the idea of one of them running for that length of time for some reason. Do you think the DC pumps would burn out with that much continuous use? I suppose for the price it would be OK to experiment without too much lost investment.
 
Thanks, well that parts solved. I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with my system running unattended for that long. Maybe I need to rethink this...
 
augiedoggy said:
some of these are old but to be clear Ive done a bit of rearranging with my new 15.5 gallon BK... MT is now in the canter and BK on left. last pic is a pumpkin spice ale I made last night through the flow meter while recirculating. everything worked perfect. I even forgot to turn the rims off and the flow switch did it for me this time :)

I ordered another 12.5 gallon stainless conical from ebay last night... $362 with shipping and even includes a butterfly valve :)
I've found my beers come out way better from the conical due to my ability to easily dump the dead yeast and the fact that I'm often too lazy to rack into a secondary with a carboy.
Click to expand...

Great setup and pics. I have a couple questions for you. First I see the 12/24v solar pumps. have you had good luck with them? I bought one that was supposed to be food grade and good to 100 deg C as a backup for my Chugger pump. It failed after 8-10 brew days. If you had good luck with this model, where did you get them?

Also, I am looking at some 3 way, T valves like what you have. I can kind of see how it is set up but would appreciate some clarification as to how it works. How many valves/types did you need and where did you place them? I use Kent Systems quick connects, which work well. But I would like to get away from swapping hoses all together during a brew day. I have an MT, RIMS, HLT, BK and Counterflow Chiller to contend with. I am trying to put a plumbing diagram together with two and three way valves and one pump, or two if necessary and I can find another cheap one.

Thanks,
Tim
 
tommyboy_iceman said:
So I am making the jump from extract to all grain and figured this would be a great time to also make the jump to an electric setup (especially since winter will soon be here). I have my 2 kegs (HLT and Boil) and all the fittings. Just put together my 10 gallon cooler mash tun today. I have been following this thread and glad it is here so that I can build this amazing control panel. I do plan on running this off my dryer outlet (~7ft away) which is 30amp 250v (lol, that is what the 3 prong outlet says). I will start out with one question and please forgive my ignorance in this matter. What is the difference between the REX-C100 and TD4-SNR
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PID...e-/291439079469?&_trksid=p2056016.m2516.l5255
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-PID-Te...main_0&hash=item19d0ff9dbb&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true

Trying to fly under the radar as much as I can as far as cost goes to not be in the dog house.
Click to expand...




I have 3 TD4 PIDs and they work well. There are different models, so be sure you know what you are ordering.

After the "TD" here is what the letters stand for in a model TD4-SNR:

4 = Din style4 = 48mmx48mm
First Letter "S" = SSR output for Out1 (can also be R-Relay, N-None)
Second Letter "N" = Out2/Alarm2 = N for none (can also be R-Relay, S=SSR)
Third Letter "R" = Alarm 1 output to Relay (can also be S=SSR, N=None)

So a TD4-SNR is a Din4 style with an SSR output 1, No Output2/Alarm2 and a Relay output for Alarm1.

I know you posted this a couple months ago but I hope it helps someone. I bought my first two and didn't realize that one didn't have an alarm 2 for a couple months. It wasn't a big deal at the time, but I replaced it and re-used it elsewhere once I bought another one that did.
 
Yes I have had no issues with my 12 or 24v pumps besides one that would stick but I was able to fix that by swapping guts from a 12v pump I dropped and cracked. Otherwise I have had great success with them. I am using the correct power with enough amps to reliably drive them. That seems to be the #1 cause of failures...Many People use whimpy wall wort power supplies that do not reliably produce enough amps. As far as the 3 way valves.. I got them from 2 sources.. Dudadiesel and also directly from china through eBay. As far as a functional diagram, I will try to see if I can mark up a photo in paint and post it. With the 3 pumps I have I do not need to mess with the hoses until the point I disconnect the one that I fill the conicals with after brewing. I posted links to the pumps I use but they are designed for food grade use and have pps coated magnets for that reason unlike the black solar pumps not designed for food grade use. They were developed for use in drinking fountains and such.
 
augiedoggy said:
Yes I have had no issues with my 12 or 24v pumps besides one that would stick but I was able to fix that by swapping guts from a 12v pump I dropped and cracked. Otherwise I have had great success with them. I am using the correct power with enough amps to reliably drive them. That seems to be the #1 cause of failures...Many People use whimpy wall wort power supplies that do not reliably produce enough amps. As far as the 3 way valves.. I got them from 2 sources.. Dudadiesel and also directly from china through eBay. As far as a functional diagram, I will try to see if I can mark up a photo in paint and post it. With the 3 pumps I have I do not need to mess with the hoses until the point I disconnect the one that I fill the conicals with after brewing. I posted links to the pumps I use but they are designed for food grade use and have pps coated magnets for that reason unlike the black solar pumps not designed for food grade use. They were developed for use in drinking fountains and such.
Click to expand...

The sticking pump is my issue too. It will go for a while, then stop. It seems to stick between magnets. It was a black solar pump and thinking back, I am not sure it is considered "Food Grade". It is supposed to be rated to 100 deg C. I just ordered one of the 12v tan food grade pumps today. I bought a 24v 1a power supply for the other one, now I need to find a 12v model. The specs say .7a draw and I haven't found one yet. I may get a 1a one and hope it doesn't blow the motor.

I think I'll get 2 or 3 T valves next. I have a plan in my brain I need to put on paper. Do you see any problem using copper pipe to get started? I know SS would be better but I need to start out low budget and could put the piping together in copper for the cost of 1 section of SS. I just bought a 12" x 1 1/4" SS nipple to replace 2 shorter ones in my RIMS and it cost $22. I could buy all the pipe and fittings in copper (no valves) for much less than that. Otherwise, I could just use hose and fittings. I have a bunch from when I replaced hose barbs with quick connects. Though I would like the sturdiness of pipe and am pretty good at sweating plumbing.
 
BitterSweetBrews said:
The sticking pump is my issue too. It will go for a while, then stop. It seems to stick between magnets. It was a black solar pump and thinking back, I am not sure it is considered "Food Grade". It is supposed to be rated to 100 deg C. I just ordered one of the 12v tan food grade pumps today. I bought a 24v 1a power supply for the other one, now I need to find a 12v model. The specs say .7a draw and I haven't found one yet. I may get a 1a one and hope it doesn't blow the motor.

I think I'll get 2 or 3 T valves next. I have a plan in my brain I need to put on paper. Do you see any problem using copper pipe to get started? I know SS would be better but I need to start out low budget and could put the piping together in copper for the cost of 1 section of SS. I just bought a 12" x 1 1/4" SS nipple to replace 2 shorter ones in my RIMS and it cost $22. I could buy all the pipe and fittings in copper (no valves) for much less than that. Otherwise, I could just use hose and fittings. I have a bunch from when I replaced hose barbs with quick connects. Though I would like the sturdiness of pipe and am pretty good at sweating plumbing.
Click to expand...
You really should have gotten the 24v version of the tan ones they are stronger and pump more....

As far as the power supply .8 amp is the MINIMUM amount of amps you want... your better to go bigger as I found they actually use more... a 1.5 amp or 2 amp supply would be better... The pump only draws what it needs. I power my pumps off of a 7 amp supply.

Copper would work but it would be a bare to keep clean as pbw or oxy would remove the protective layer which means you would end up with a lot of copper in your beer which is not really a great thing...
a little is ok but you should research why copper is not food grade and no longer legal to be sold for food grade use without being coated in tin or stainless where is has food contact.. It likely wont hurt you though... my first rims was made of copper.

I ordered my stainless piping on ebay and found it was fairly cheap there... not much more than 1" copper really
 
augiedoggy said:
copper is not food grade and no longer legal to be sold for food grade use without being coated in tin or stainless where is has food contact.. It likely wont hurt you though... my first rims was made of copper.
Click to expand...

Nit picking, but that's not entirely true.


(A) Except as specified in ¶ (B) of this section, copper and copper alloys such as brass may not be used in contact with a food that has a pH below 6 such as vinegar, fruit juice, or wine or for a fitting or tubing installed between a backflow prevention device and a carbonator.

(B) Copper and copper alloys may be used in contact with beer brewing ingredients that have a pH below 6 in the prefermentation and fermentation steps of a beer brewing operation such as a brewpub or microbrewery.
 
iijakii said:
Nit picking, but that's not entirely true.


(A) Except as specified in ¶ (B) of this section, copper and copper alloys such as brass may not be used in contact with a food that has a pH below 6 such as vinegar, fruit juice, or wine or for a fitting or tubing installed between a backflow prevention device and a carbonator.

(B) Copper and copper alloys may be used in contact with beer brewing ingredients that have a pH below 6 in the prefermentation and fermentation steps of a beer brewing operation such as a brewpub or microbrewery.
Click to expand...
Thanks for clarifying, I was going by sites that spoke of food and cooking in general. I didn't know beer was still the one exception, likely from all the old copper equipment still in use.

I suspected there was some sort of exception for unfermented beer because the yeast consume some of the copper. Keep this in mind though The article I read ob it stated It does effect flavor and breweries are all moving away for copper. All the modern copper mash tuns and tanks you see are stainless or tin lined now.. I just don't believe it's a good choice for acidic liquids that going to be consumed.
 
iijakii said:
Nit picking, but that's not entirely true.


(A) Except as specified in ¶ (B) of this section, copper and copper alloys such as brass may not be used in contact with a food that has a pH below 6 such as vinegar, fruit juice, or wine or for a fitting or tubing installed between a backflow prevention device and a carbonator.

(B) Copper and copper alloys may be used in contact with beer brewing ingredients that have a pH below 6 in the prefermentation and fermentation steps of a beer brewing operation such as a brewpub or microbrewery.
Click to expand...

CFR for the win!
 
itsnotrequired said:
code of federal regulations
Click to expand...
Gotcha... I wonder why is "Safe" for beer and not wine? both are acidic and fermenting with yeast right?? I have a feeling its more because of the huge amount of existing copper brewing equipment out there than it is about the actual health aspects... In any case I couldnt find one reference of a company that makes unlined copper brew tanks now so they will likely be phased out completely over time... many breweries have removed them from service and "upgraded" to stainless already.
 
Copper is also selling for about 10 times the price of stainless these days and you can't clean it the same way as stainless, so it's less popular. It is a far better heat conductor than stainless. I use it for my heat exchangers, nothing wrong with it.

Regarding contact with wine, wine is far more acidic than beer. Generally sits around pH 3.45 or even lower.
 
I thought I read something about a timer, but I can't find it again.

What do you use for a timer for your set-up?
There is an endless amount of good information in this thread, thank you!
 
stever1000 said:
I thought I read something about a timer, but I can't find it again.

What do you use for a timer for your set-up?
There is an endless amount of good information in this thread, thank you!
Click to expand...

sestos dual mode timer although the quad version may work better.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVV546/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

there are many versions but this brand is easy to use and adjust on the fly.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=sestos+timer
 
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