BACKGROUND:
I currently infusion mash in a round cooler and batch sparge, 5.5 gallon batches (up to 7 gallons pre-boil). Efficiency is great, beer is excellent, but I'm getting tired of carrying pots of hot water to the top of the cooler to mash, mashout, and sparge. So a pump would seem to be the next step.
But getting a pump opens up doing a RIMs (or maybe a HERMs system, not sure yet). It'd be nice to be able to do mash out without adding water.
I'd probably have a hybrid (boil would be gas) system. No problems with the electric part (I'm an EE with controls background). But I don't fully get the sparging process possibilites once a pump and perhaps automated valves are added. I'm assuming I'd have a PID to control the RIMs heater, but may just use the existing burner/boil pot rather than have a separate HLT.
SPARGING QUESTIONS:
1. How does one go about sparging with a RIMs system? I've seen posts saying just the same as before (fly, batch), but can't I get rid of vorlaufing using the pump?
2. How and when do you add the sparge water to the system? Do you fully drain the MLT, shut off the pump and drain valve, then move the pump to move the sparge water in?
3. Is it feasible (or smart) to add sparge water while draining the initial mash?
4. If I have to have a separate HLT anyway, is it smarter to go HERMs?
Actually, I'm not certain exactly what to ask. I don't want to do an extreme system with alot of automation, but am trying to figure out a good balance between where I now am and fully automated. Although I can program and design and build circuits, I want to brew beer rather than taking forever building and/or laying out cash for a pre-built system.
Rich
I currently infusion mash in a round cooler and batch sparge, 5.5 gallon batches (up to 7 gallons pre-boil). Efficiency is great, beer is excellent, but I'm getting tired of carrying pots of hot water to the top of the cooler to mash, mashout, and sparge. So a pump would seem to be the next step.
But getting a pump opens up doing a RIMs (or maybe a HERMs system, not sure yet). It'd be nice to be able to do mash out without adding water.
I'd probably have a hybrid (boil would be gas) system. No problems with the electric part (I'm an EE with controls background). But I don't fully get the sparging process possibilites once a pump and perhaps automated valves are added. I'm assuming I'd have a PID to control the RIMs heater, but may just use the existing burner/boil pot rather than have a separate HLT.
SPARGING QUESTIONS:
1. How does one go about sparging with a RIMs system? I've seen posts saying just the same as before (fly, batch), but can't I get rid of vorlaufing using the pump?
2. How and when do you add the sparge water to the system? Do you fully drain the MLT, shut off the pump and drain valve, then move the pump to move the sparge water in?
3. Is it feasible (or smart) to add sparge water while draining the initial mash?
4. If I have to have a separate HLT anyway, is it smarter to go HERMs?
Actually, I'm not certain exactly what to ask. I don't want to do an extreme system with alot of automation, but am trying to figure out a good balance between where I now am and fully automated. Although I can program and design and build circuits, I want to brew beer rather than taking forever building and/or laying out cash for a pre-built system.
Rich