My "sort of" budget 240v Ebiab build

[rpolzin25]

So I have been bitten by the electric brewing bug and now I am on a mission to build my own system over buying a pre-built put together system. I pretty much plan on making a system very similar to Brau supply's unibrau. Currently I use a 10 gallon cooler mash tun and my trusty 11 gallon Bayou Classic kettle which works great but automation would be so nice. Plus, this spring we are going to be breaking ground on a new house so the plan is to having a brewing room in the basement.

So I started by making a spreadsheet of all the parts I needed to buy before deciding if I wanted to buy a kit to put together like that from ebrew supply or just search ebay, amazon, and such to put together what I want. Probably the biggest reason I decided to go not go w/ ebrewsupply's kit is the fact that I really wanted to use the EZboil from auberins which doesn't come w/ ebrewsupply's kit. So off to building my own and sourcing all the parts myself!!!

So the cost of the build of my will be about $250 (not including the internal wiring and paint as my father actually had all the supplies for me...can't beat free!!!). I ended up getting all my controller supplies through Ebay, Amazon, and Auberins. Probably my biggest regret to this point is not buying a larger enclosure as I actually bought Auberins scratch/dent single controller panel and was really struggling to figure out fitting my plan into the panel and ended up having to go to DIN rail contactors to get everything to fit. Unfortunately I did not have a good experience w/ Auberins customer service as I actually asked prior to buying the box whether it would be big enough to do what I wanted to do, I got an answer of yes only to suddenly be told I probably wouldn't be able to fit everything I wanted after received the panel. Lets just say I made a concerted effort to make sure I didn't buy any more supplies through them after that interaction and leave it at that.

So my system will be 240v system w/ 1 pump for recirculation and a 5500 watt element.

So the parts list for my control panel:
1 Green illuminated 2 position switch - system power - $5.88
1 blue illuminated 2 position switch - pump power - $6.68
1 yellow illuminated 2 position switch - element power - $6.68
1 white 240v indicator light - element power status - $0.78
EZboil DSPR120 - $46.95
Scratch/dent single controller w/ cutout for controller and 40 amp heatsink - $46
40 amp SSR - $6.35
temp sensor - $12.98
XLR male panel mount - $4.85
XLR female plug - $4.70
Outlet for pump - $2
Element Outlet - $10.96
2 63 amp DIN rail mount 2 pole contactors w/ 110v coil - $37.24
4 wire dryer cord - $12.98 (haven't ordered yet, might go w/ 10 ft cable)
3/4" strain relief connector for power cable - $3.19
6 amp single pole DIN breaker - $4.99
DIN rail block kit - $16.88 (this seller was great and actually customized this to fit what I was going to do)
Auberins Shipping - $19.45

Now I say "sort of" budget build since I know I could save more if I hadn't gone the DIN stuff on the inside but I figure it will just make it a little easier for me and make things look just a little cleaner on the inside.

 

[rpolzin25]

So far all I have all the parts for my controller aside from the 4 wire dryer cord and I have drilled the holes for the front of the panel. I have yet to do the bottom of the panel as I was waiting for the pump outlet to arrive in the mail which actually did yesterday. Plus my dad is bringing me something to help cut the square hole for the outlet. Here are pictures of the dry fit for the front panel (I plan to paint it flat black) and a picture of the rail for the inside (sorry its a little dark).

 

[rpolzin25]

And here are the parts I plan to use to put together the kettle portion of the system. I actually haven't bought any of this yet so if anyone has suggestions or somewhere w/ better pricing I am more than happy to hear it.

24v pump - $16.48
24v power supply - $11.95
Camlock type D - pump inlet - $5.65
2x Camlock type F - for ball valve outlets - $8
2x Camlock Big C - for hose ends - $15
3 piece ball valve - $17.99
weldless bulkead w/ diptube - $19.00
Gasket/nut for weldless install of temp sensor - $7
5500 watt ripple element and weldless TC fitting - $109
False bottom - $28.99
Drill bit for install of weldless TC - $26
Mesh bag - $3.39
4 ft of 1/2" silicone tubing - $8.76

Total projected cost (not including the rest of the wiring needed for powering the element) - $277

Currently the total system cost is right about $530 which doesn't include the kettle since I already had that.

 

[Jorb]

Looks good. I just helped a friend put together a two PID build in a scratch-and-dent Auberins box. We used a hard-wired oven cord for power. It worked really well with a rubber grommet through the box wall.

 

[rpolzin25]

Figured I would post an update. Got the paint job done today and installed the switches to see how it looks. Next up... Wiring... Shall be interesting.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I would scratch just about everything on the kettle portion.
5500w element with an E hardware enclosure and temp probe going to control box is all you need. scratch the false bottom go BIAB single vessel and suck up every bit of break material into the fermenter...you did say budget build...sorta...It will work..ask me how I know

 

[rpolzin25]

I would scratch just about everything on the kettle portion.
5500w element with an E hardware enclosure and temp probe going to control box is all you need. scratch the false bottom go BIAB single vessel and suck up every bit of break material into the fermenter...you did say budget build...sorta...It will work..ask me how I know

I am well aware I can make things cheaper but I want to use a ripple element and the only way I can fit that my current kettle is to add the tc fitting. If I used a straight 5500 watt element I could fit that pretty easily and then wouldn't need the weldless tc port. Like I said it is a sort of budget build as I wanted a few more features than I would get if I went with a pure budget build to put the cheapest thing I could possibly put together.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I am well aware I can make things cheaper but I want to use a ripple element and the only way I can fit that my current kettle is to add the tc fitting. If I used a straight 5500 watt element I could fit that pretty easily and then wouldn't need the weldless tc port. Like I said it is a sort of budget build as I wanted a few more features than I would get if I went with a pure budget build to put the cheapest thing I could possibly put together.

Sounds like a plan..out of curiosity how wide is your pot that wont fit a ripple element.

 

[rpolzin25]

Sounds like a plan..out of curiosity how wide is your pot that wont fit a ripple element.

It's an 11 gallon bayou classic. And it's about 13.8 inches. Just about every 5500 watt ripple element I have seen is 14 inches long.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

My 5500w is exactly 13 1/4" from the pot wall to the end of the element.I would think you could make it work if you changed you mind. I have a larger pot though, not sure if the tighter curve of your pot would bring out the element a bit.
Either way,good luck with the build

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I see the cheapie mesh bag in your kettle list and looks like you're going with Bobby's BIAB false bottom/screen...If you plan on doing BIAB I highly recommend you upgrade your bag to something like a Wilserbrew bag.

 

[rpolzin25]

My 5500w is exactly 13 1/4" from the pot wall to the end of the element.I would think you could make it work if you changed you mind. I have a larger pot though, not sure if the tighter curve of your pot would bring out the element a bit.
Either way,good luck with the build

Do you have a ripple style element or a one of the straight fold over elements? I as planning on the ripple as it seems like the best choice to prevent scorching and is the lowest watt density.

 

[rpolzin25]

I see the cheapie mesh bag in your kettle list and looks like you're going with Bobby's BIAB false bottom/screen...If you plan on doing BIAB I highly recommend you upgrade your bag to something like a Wilserbrew bag.

Yea I have been debating on doing the wilserbrew bag but I also like giving local places business and ritebrew is only like a 25 minute drive for me. Plus I thought it might be worth trying for the price.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I just got my Wilserbrew order in yesterday and the quality is amazing! I've been using one of those exact Ritebrew bags for a few brews and it just can't hold up. The mesh is not fine enough so you end up with a lot of grain material in the kettle. Well worth the upgrade, he's local to HBT, and his customer service is excellent.

 

[Jorb]

I second the Wilser bag. Great quality. I also bought his heavy duty pulley for my eBIAB setup.

 

[rpolzin25]

Might have to upgrade to the wilserbrewer bag then. I didn't realize there was going to be that big of difference. I am also contemplating upgrading the pump I have to the mark II that williams brewing sells. Would be nice to get one w/ a stainless head at a decent price.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Do you have a ripple style element or a one of the straight fold over elements? I as planning on the ripple as it seems like the best choice to prevent scorching and is the lowest watt density.

This is the exact element I bought
And the nut and O ring. The and Brewers hardware enclosure for around $20 is all you need on the pot side if you choose

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BPG4LI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GXF5EO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[rpolzin25]

So just thought I would update. Going to be moving into the new house in a couple weeks and getting closer to having my brew rig competed. Not so much a budget build anymore as I plan on getting the riptide pump and I ended up getting a new kettle from Bobby at brewhardware.com with all my stuff pre installed since I felt like being a little lazy.