My build

[Roadie]

Where did you get the stainless table and sink and do you remember which ones you got? I have been looking at a ton of online places to get them but some of them just tear you a new one on shipping. Would love to know where you got em.

BTW very nice build. I have been following it as well as my project is much like yours. You are much farther on your basement then I am. I'm really having problems planning out all out. So much work to do.

I got this table, this sink and this spray faucet. I didn't notice when I ordered but the sink is taller than the table which I wanted the same size but was overwhelmed with all the stuff to order and missed that measurement. We are glad the table isn't taller though as at 6' I can just look into kettles without tiptoes or a stool. My sons at 6'2" and 6'3" don't have the same issue as me. If the table was a couple of inches taller I'd have to stand on my tiptoes to look in. I just ordered another table from them so I knew it would match the one previously ordered and we'll put the new table along the adjoining wall to form an L shape and give us some work surface. Prima Supply has free delivery as you're right sometimes the shipping charge practically eclipses the item you're ordering.

It is a lot of work and I wish you luck in getting it all planned out. This is the last room in the basement that wasn't finished. We have a tv room, a pool table room and now the brewery room.

 

[Roadie]

Hi Roadie
Awesome setup, I'm goning for something similar but 3 x 100l pots and I'm gona tier them so no need for pumps. The guy who I'm vying the equipment off sells gas burners for the pots but I'd rather use electric, on your setup do you have the element under a false bottom to prevent it coming into contact with the grain? I'm brand new to this all I've done is the beer kits but now want to start AG brewing, gratefull for any help matey. View attachment 173778 this is the setup I'm gona buy but like I said want to install elements under the false bottoms, cheers

Thanks Rob. As salty pointed out above I only have 2 heating elements for 3 kettles, with elements in the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) and the Boil Kettle (BK). For mashing the grain I get water heated up in the HLT and transfer over a given amount to the mash tun (MLT) then I dump the grain in and stir to avoid clumps/air pockets/etc. While mashing I recirculate the mash out the bottom of the MLT into a stainless steel coil sitting inside the HLT which then based on the temperature of the HLT either maintains, heats, or lets it cool down. The liquid wort is then pumped back to the top of the MLT to filter through the grain bed. Using this method no element in the MLT is required.

The false bottom in my MLT is so grain doesn't get through during the recirculating process mentioned above, and also when transferring over to the BK.

Let me know if this all makes sense.

 

[MrSaLTy]

Awesome! Thanks for the info Roadie. Although it may not be the easiest, you could lower the sink by cutting down the legs a bit with a hacksaw. Might be more work if you have the faucet already mounted to the wall but it is doable. Speaking of the sink.... does the sink come with a waste drain or just a plain ol hole in the bottom?

 

[Roadie]

It comes with a strainer and gasket. I thought about cutting the legs down but have been hesitant to do so as they have leveling feet on them and my basement floor is not 100% flat.

 

[MrSaLTy]

I can understand not wanting to 'f' anything up. If the legs go in sockets with screw posts to secure them like most of the tables do you could take the legs off and cut the top ends to make sure the bottoms stay straight. Just cut the same amount on each leg. Just throwing out some ideas, don't do it if your not comfortable doing it. If its already mounted you'd have to cut down the drain stem and move the mounting for the faucet etc.

 

[Roadie]

Yes it would be a lot of work but I'm still debating as the faucet is not mounted to the wall yet.

 

[RobJ]

Cheers Roadie, I've got the concept of the HLT to get your water to temp then transferring it into MLT, I understand the mashing process but thought u just let it sit for in an insulated pot (MLT) and I understand the BK process, it's the recirculating from MLT to HLT, how do you do this and why, great advise so would appreciate any help guys, I thought I had it cracked, ha ha,cheers

 

[Roadie]

Cheers Roadie, I've got the concept of the HLT to get your water to temp then transferring it into MLT, I understand the mashing process but thought u just let it sit for in an insulated pot (MLT) and I understand the BK process, it's the recirculating from MLT to HLT, how do you do this and why, great advise so would appreciate any help guys, I thought I had it cracked, ha ha,cheers

There are a lot of concepts for the beginner to grasp so don't feel bad about still having questions on the process. Again most electric systems utilize a HERMS (Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System) coil to help keep/maintain/change the MLT temperature based on what step you are in with the mash and what you are trying to accomplish. You have the concept of heating water to a certain strike temperature so you can mash at a given temp, for example say the water from your HLT is 154 F and when you mix it with some grain in a cold MLT the temp maybe drops to 148 F or so which we'll say is your desired mash temperature. Without a HERMS coil your would wrap your MLT up with the lid on for 60 or 90 minutes. If you need to raise/lower your temp in the MLT then you have to add hot/cold water to adjust the temp. With a HERMS coil you use a pump to recirculate the wort through the coil which is submerged at least partially in the HLT and by raising the temp of the HLT you can control the temp of the mash. Same for doing a mash out at at given temp. If your mash out is supposed to be 168 you simply raise the temp of the HLT to 168 (or 169/170 to speed things up) and recirculate the wort until it hits the mash out temp. Then you sparge and by moving some hoses around you push hot water through the coil again maintaining the sparge temp and cleaning the coil out.

Check out these pages for a step by step guide to what and more importantly WHY you do things in an electric system with HERMS coil. This explains it a lot better than I can and includes drawings on some of the pages at the bottom. In the drawings the color blue is for water only and yellow is wort (water after it's been rinsed through the grain and has picked up some of the grain's sugars). That may help you understand it more than anything I've typed here.

 

[MrSaLTy]

Not to threadjack from Roadie's excellent build but in an effort the help Rob with some of these concepts I'll throw out a link I have to my blog. This post walks you through the workings of a HERMS setup and how I plan to use it.

Hope this helps

http://rottensebrewery.blogspot.com/2013/06/documenting-my-brewery-build.html

 

[RobJ]

Listen thanks to yous both, you have helped me massively, saved me wasting money but looks like I'm gona have to spend more to get the results I'm after, I'm goin to study both links tonight and try and seer where I can source the equipment in the uk without spending crazy money, I want to build most of it myself but that control box looks scarey, does that control the 2 elements and pumps? Surely it must do more than that, cheers again guys, love it!!!

 

[Roadie]

My link in the step by step brewing is for the guy who came up with that panel. He walks you through building a copy of his setup. He has another company send out kits and completed panels to fill orders. It controls 2 pumps, 2 heating elements, monitors the temp in all 3 kettles and does the dishes on Wednesday nights.

 

[RobJ]

Ha ha, the dishes has me sold, just ready through it now salty, looks spot on, cheers again, I'll let you know how I'm getting on matey

 

[RobJ]

Hey roadie
Are you using 5.5kw elements on your setup? I can easily get 4kw was just wondering if this would be ok for 10 gallon batches? Cheers mate

 

[Roadie]

Hey roadie
Are you using 5.5kw elements on your setup? I can easily get 4kw was just wondering if this would be ok for 10 gallon batches? Cheers mate

Yes, I'm using the 5.5kw ripple elements from brewmation.com. I believe that your 4kw will do the job though.

 

[RobJ]

Champion mate,
I'm going to build the switch box first, had a good look and read through the link salty posted and it's pretty strate forward wen u get ur head past the maze of wires, looks class tho, not saying it's gona b easy but I love a challenge, ordering some pumps and valves then I should be on my way. Got my head around the recirculating coil and using the pumps to even out the temps, all makes sense ( I think), cheers for your help bud hope I'm on the right track, will have a look for the bigger elements but seem to be struggling in the UK, Is it easy to source in the US?

 

[Roadie]

Yes, very easy.

 

[Roadie]

It's been a little while since I've done a status update. Correct faucet is now in and I've figured out how to plumb a tee off my drain line for my RO discharge water and the furnace humidifier so those drain lines don't just sit in the sink. Will finish plumbing this weekend so drywall can proceed.

Some of my couplings came in and I've connected them to the kettles and pump. Using camlocks and the hose barb ones have an inside diameter of .50". Ran out of thread tape so went out at lunch today for another roll. I discovered that I forgot about the tri-clamps and gaskets for the temperature probes and I need gaskets for the tri-clamp filter as well so got that ordered in addition to some more silicone tubing. I need a couple pieces of garden hose for the plate chiller so will order that tonight. I saw potable water hoses only 10' in length so that would be perfect; I'll need two.

Ordered a second SS table to have some work surface area and that is in and assembled.

Couple of pictures.

 

[hunter306]

Once again, coming together nicely! That second table will be really nice for additional workspace. My brother (co-brewer) wants me to add some additional stainless surfaces as well, so I need to figure out how I'm going to shoehorn those into my build.

PS. Everytime I see your kettles I get jealous. So nice.

 

[Roadie]

Once again, coming together nicely! That second table will be really nice for additional workspace. My brother (co-brewer) wants me to add some additional stainless surfaces as well, so I need to figure out how I'm going to shoehorn those into my build.

PS. Everytime I see your kettles I get jealous. So nice.

Thanks man. Definitely need a work area but I too am working in a smaller space so trying to shoehorn everything in. Trying to finish plumbing this weekend so drywall can go up. You are WAY ahead of me and everything looks great.

 

[RobJ]

Hey guys, my pots and pumps etc are being delivered late this week, can't wait, like I said before I'm new to this. I've been ready a book, Dave Line 'big book of brewing' great book to learn the ins and outs. He has the set up of equipment very basic (not like yours) and when he sparges he uses a lot of water, he doesn't mash with very much, he says that you sparge with the same amount of water as you want to finish with beer? Was wondering on your set up how do you sparge? Be gratefull for any help guys, cheers

 

[RobJ]

Also was thinking how do you get the grain out of the MLT once you done, do you use mashing bags or a mesh basket, cheers

 

[Roadie]

I will be fly sparging and slowly pumping water from the HLT into the top of the MLT out the bottom of the MLT into the BK. When I reach the volume I want in the BK I stop. Process takes around 60 minutes.

 

[Roadie]

Also was thinking how do you get the grain out of the MLT once you done, do you use mashing bags or a mesh basket, cheers

I'll probably use a bowl to scoop it out.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

The wet/dry vacuum bucket top works well for getting out the spent grains. And it's easy to spray out the bucket when you're done.

Like this: http://t.homedepot.com/p/Bucket-Head-Wet-Dry-Vac-BH0100/202017218

 

[RobJ]

Cheers roadie, is it bet to use a watering can head attachment onto the end of the hose which is pumping from the HLT to MLT and I suppose you keep the 2 pumps running at a slow speed? Cheers for your help again.
I'll see if there's anything available in the uk choc, cheers bud

 

[Roadie]

Cheers roadie, is it bet to use a watering can head attachment onto the end of the hose which is pumping from the HLT to MLT and I suppose you keep the 2 pumps running at a slow speed? Cheers for your help again.
I'll see if there's anything available in the uk choc, cheers bud

I'm just putting a short hose there laying on top of the grain. I'll maintain an inch or so of water above the grain bed until finished sparging.

 

[RobJ]

Ahh a see, cheers bud, another thing that that book has puzzled me about, I've made an insulated cupboard 3ft high x 2ft deep x 6ft long, with an electric heater and a room thermostat do I can maintain 24deg C for when I'm fermenting, I've done it for about a year now and seem to get good results but the guy in that book said not to use airing cupboard (a cupboard with a boiler or heating pipes in), so it's got me thinking how you guys ferment and keep the right temps? Just spoke to the guy and my pots pumps n fitting are getting posted tomoz so I'll have them Friday...... Yee haa

 

[Roadie]

Ahh a see, cheers bud, another thing that that book has puzzled me about, I've made an insulated cupboard 3ft high x 2ft deep x 6ft long, with an electric heater and a room thermostat do I can maintain 24deg C for when I'm fermenting, I've done it for about a year now and seem to get good results but the guy in that book said not to use airing cupboard (a cupboard with a boiler or heating pipes in), so it's got me thinking how you guys ferment and keep the right temps? Just spoke to the guy and my pots pumps n fitting are getting posted tomoz so I'll have them Friday...... Yee haa

Maybe they are worried about you setting the cupboard on fire? Some people use very small heaters inside an old fridge, some use light bulbs in coffee cans, some put aquarium heaters in water inside fridge. You get the idea, SMALL heat source in a confined space.

For cooling, I, like a lot of others use an old fridge on a temperature controller.
I have a single stage Ranco but others use the Johnson controller with good results.

Congrats on the stuff about to come in. It's just like Christmas all over again!

 

[RobJ]

Champion, I've managed to keep the temps spot on this way so I'll crack on with it. Can't wait for Friday, not as glad as yours, it's me first one so onwards and upwards. I'm a builder so have salvaged a kitchen we took out put the extractor up yesterday and vented it, electrics are getting done today, it's only in my shed so when I build a garage next year the real brewery will be planned.

 

[RobJ]

Control box is underway

 

[Roadie]

Drywall is up. Fired up the kettles tonight and finished plumbing. Some tiling to go and need to mount the control panel. Will be brewing soon!

 

[HerkDriver]

Your build looks great! I'm thoroughly jealous of your dedicated space. I've been setting up a list of materials for a build that's almost identical to yours (stout kettles, Kal EHERMS controller, etc). I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

-Why did you go with camlock and TC attachments for your hose fittings vice sticking to TC? I feel like adding the camlocks on might make hose changes quicker but increases the amount of gear to sanitize.

-For your electrical heating element, did you leave the wire bent back into the port or did you find an alternate fit/bend?

-I'm trying to make my setup work on one table. Do you think the brew stand table you chose has enough stability to weld the controller onto a SS extension arm that would be attached to the table?

I can't wait to hear how the brewing goes. I'll be taking notes for my own plans.

 

[hunter306]

You'll have to post some pictures of the space now that the walls are getting finished up. Firing the elements for the first time is awesome. Give you a little taste of the system.

Won't be too long now hopefully before you're running a batch!

 

[Roadie]

Your build looks great! I'm thoroughly jealous of your dedicated space. I've been setting up a list of materials for a build that's almost identical to yours (stout kettles, Kal EHERMS controller, etc). I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

-Why did you go with camlock and TC attachments for your hose fittings vice sticking to TC? I feel like adding the camlocks on might make hose changes quicker but increases the amount of gear to sanitize.

-For your electrical heating element, did you leave the wire bent back into the port or did you find an alternate fit/bend?

-I'm trying to make my setup work on one table. Do you think the brew stand table you chose has enough stability to weld the controller onto a SS extension arm that would be attached to the table?

I can't wait to hear how the brewing goes. I'll be taking notes for my own plans.

Thanks. Camlocks are faster than pure TC and you don't have to wear protective mitts like quick disconnects. Don't know why it would take any longer to sanitize than anything else. Only hose I'd spend extra time on is the one transferring cooled wort to fermenter.

I shifted the elements around to wear they don't touch anything. It's close but they don't actually touch the side/bottom or the kettles. If I were ordering fresh I'd ask about making the "1" NSP adapter for electric element" shorter than 1", even 1/4" shorter would help.

The table is pretty sturdy so if I had to *guess* I'd say you would be ok. I ordered a flat screen tv mount from Amazon that articulates and plan on mounting it to the wall but haven't done that yet.

Bought the grain and yeast tonight and was planning on making starter but my son text me saying he cannot brew on Saturday now due to a prior commitment so we are shifting the brew day to Sunday. First brew is only a 5g batch of the Electric Brewery Pale Ale. The room is still a disaster to look at but everything functions so it ain't pretty but should work ok.

The crush I got from my LHBS tonight is pretty damn fine and I'm a little gun shy after reading the post from Hunter's first attempt on the new system. Crossing fingers everything goes without a hitch.

 

[Roadie]

You'll have to post some pictures of the space now that the walls are getting finished up. Firing the elements for the first time is awesome. Give you a little taste of the system.

Won't be too long now hopefully before you're running a batch!

After the kettle wall is tiled I'll post some pictures as it *should* look kick ass (unless I totally F up the tile installation). We fired up everything last week. I had multiple plumbing leaks in various connectors and pumps but retaped/tightened everything so that is all good. Was happy with the heating times and the way everything performed. Small snafu with the BK as the panel was on manual and we didn't know why it wasn't firing. Took all electrical connections for BK off and redid them only to discover it was a panel setting. Checked our panel temps vs our Thermoworks device and temps proved to be accurate.

First small batch is on Sunday - God willing and the river don't rise.

 

[Roadie]

Ok actually brewed today...what a cluster F. First time to only brew 5 gallons and this was the first brew on the new system. Made a pale ale that actually turned into an IPA. Major problem when using 1.25 qt/lb as the level wasn't up to my temp sensor on MLT. Had to check mash temp multiple times with thermoworks device. 90 minute mash; 60 minute boil. 2 of my 3 new hop containers decided to open up in the BK. Hop sludge all over. Plate chiller took wort down to 52 degrees in one pass when I wanted 65. Worst part is I only got like 3 gallons out of BK when I started with 7. WTF. Wort is really bitter now. Missed OG which was supposed to be 1.056 and I hit 1.0535. Not a great first experience and bummed that temp sensor is so high on mash tun. Waiting on wort to warm up but may try again tomorrow.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

Sorry you had a bad experience the first go around, but it will get better.

BTW where is your temp probe for the mash? You may have better results measuring temps in the plumbing (like Kal) if you're recirculating.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[augiedoggy]

Sorry you had a bad experience the first go around, but it will get better.

BTW where is your temp probe for the mash? You may have better results measuring temps in the plumbing (like Kal) if you're recirculating.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Ditto...

And You adjust the temp output from the plate chiller by adjusting the flow rate of either the cooling water or wort...

 

[Roadie]

Ditto...



And You adjust the temp output from the plate chiller by adjusting the flow rate of either the cooling water or wort...

Yes needed to slow water WAY down but no time to actually do it.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

 

[augiedoggy]

Yes needed to slow water WAY down but no time to actually do it.


Almost Famous Brewing Company

if your faucet is too far a ball valve at the water input on the chiller would help.
I put a tee with a thermometer probe built in to measure exiting wort temp. I made a lot of changes in my procedures in my first few electric brews.