which pid/ssr for my herms?

[atonofhops]

I make 5 gallon batches but some day will upgrade to 10 gallon batches, I am building a brewery that is partially electric, its going to be a herms and my heat exchange will be a copper coil in a pot of water with an electric hot plate heating the pot of water. I looked at the johnson controls a419 for $80 then say the byo article on heated mash and they use a pid/ssr to turn a pump on/off, could I use this same setup to turn my hot plate on and off? and if so which one should I buy a quick look at the internet offer about 25 diffrent ones and I dont know which to look at. I am interested saving money the a419 is $80 but these pid/ssr I see are $25 to $35.
thanks

 

[Bensiff]

Visit the electric brewery website...Kal does a really nice job breaking everything down so you can understand the gist of what is going on. I warn you though, after looking at it you will probably want to rethink your plans.

 

[atonofhops]

why is that?

 

[alien]

Because you look at his stuff, drool, and then spend more money

 

[atonofhops]

no not me.......I dont have any money to start with lol! I looked through his stuff, looks like the voltage for my hot plate might be too high and I will need the a419

 

[Bensiff]

no not me.......I dont have any money to start with lol! I looked through his stuff, looks like the voltage for my hot plate might be too high and I will need the a419

You can pick up an auber pid...same model as Kal he uses so you can use his wiring work up to aid you and then get an SSR for the amperage you are working with on that hot plate.

 

[atonofhops]

For the pid and 30-40 amp ssr I guess I would be better off getting the johnson controls a419 it comes out to be $10 cheaper after shipping.......bummer......

 

[P-J]

For the pid and 30-40 amp ssr I guess I would be better off getting the johnson controls a419 it comes out to be $10 cheaper after shipping.......bummer......

I believe you would be making a mistake with that decision. Later on as your brew process grows and changes, the Johnson a419 becomes a throw away item.

Just saying. Please think it through.

 

[jeffmeh]

What are the specs on your electric hot plate? Do you have a good sense of how quickly you can get to mash temp?

 

[Sideways]

I use a PID/SSR and it works great. I was thinking of something similar to your idea of using a hotplate but eventually went with a 5 gallon round igloo cooler with a water heater element installed through the side. I also put a cheap submersible pump in the cooler I got from Harbor Freight for like 10 bucks. It helps to evenly distribute the temperature so you get precise results and no hot/cold spots. Recircultate theough the HERMS coil during the entire mash.

 

[atonofhops]

What are the specs on your electric hot plate? Do you have a good sense of how quickly you can get to mash temp?

its 110v 40 amp My mash will start at my target temp, I will run a coil recurculating the mash through the coil in the pot which the hot plate is heating, so I was going to fill the pot with leftover strike water from the hlt there should not be much varriation in initial temp, but I also want to try step mashes too, I have no idea how long it will take to heat up I am still in the planning and gathering stages of building my brewery.

I am also still a bit confused on how to wire this I have read a ton of info but as for where each wire goes I am at a loss.

Why would the johnson become a toss out item?

 

[jeffmeh]

So here are some things to consider:

1) How much water will you be heating in the HLT? Relative to an element mounted in the HLT, you will be much less efficient. You may find you need to insulate the kettle and the lid.

2) Do you already have a 40v circuit for 120v? What will you use for a GFCI?

3) The Johnson controller is a thermostat, and simply turns the power off and on within a band, so temps will swing just outside that band. A PID (with SSR) has much finer control over the temperature. It can cycle the power on and off very quickly, to effectively run at less than 100% power, and it has algorithms to keep the temperature very tight.

 

[atonofhops]

1. the hlt gets heated by propane.......the heat exchange gets heated with the hot plate(its a seprate system) it will only hold about 3 gallons, but the water will be preheated from the hlt the hot plate will just maintain a temprature, I will run an experiment today to test 144* to 155* then to 168* and let you know.

2. I have a 120v and as for the gfci I can get one from lowes but I do not curently run one(why would I run one if its just a hot plate.......I dont use one when I run my stove top. I know its a safety thing..........now that I think of it, I guess I will add one when I build my brewery, as it will be outdoors and there is always a chance of a spill onto electrical components.

so in short I have a HLT Mashtun Kettle and a seperate heat exchange pot(with a coil)