Woodbrew's Electric BIAB Build

[Woodbrews]

I've made a few improvements to my eBIAB setup since my last post. First, I installed screws to mount my control box on the cabinet next to my brew pot, getting it off the countertop where it was vulnerable to drips or spills. Second, I added a water filter so that I can use filtered water for my brews. Although our Northern Virginia water is pretty good, I wanted to see whether carbon filtration could improve my brew quality. Third, I tweaked the fittings on my lid to make recirculation smoother by adding an elbow fitting.

I'm also working on adding a plate chiller and re-purposing my immersion chiller as a pre-chiller for the plate chiller. This was my first brew session in hot, humid summer conditions, and with a tap water temperature of 73 degrees, it was hard to get down to pitching temperature. As it was, the best I could do was 86F, so I went ahead and transferred the wort to my fermenter and used my fermentation cooling system (CoolZone) to bring the temp down to 75F. It took overnight to get there, so I pitched my starter in the morning. By later that evening, the fermenter was down to my target fermentation temp of 68F and has been holding there. From what I can tell, the yeasties are happy! Next time, I'll use the pre-chiller in an ice bath to bring down the wort to pitching temp more quickly.

 

[Woodbrews]

I set up and used my plate chiller for the first time, but I need some more practice with it. I set it up to make one pass through the chiller and then drain directly into the fermenter. Unfortunately, with 75F tap water, the best I could do was cool it to 90F. Because the wort was already in the fermenter, I left it there and hooked the fermenter up to the Cool Zone jacket. By morning it was ready to pitch at 70F.

 

[Woodbrews]

Another improvement this last brew is the addition of a window fan. With both fans on high, I saw little or no condensation buildup on the ceiling above the window. Essential for brewing in summer humidity in the basement.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Most folks that use a plate chiller, mount them vertically, as there is less chance for them to get an "air lock" in them, and thereby not utilize all the heat transfer surface.
Me thinks : Wort in the bottom, and out the top.
Cooling medium: In at the top, and out the bottom.

 

[Woodbrews]

Most folks that use a plate chiller, mount them vertically, as there is less chance for them to get an "air lock" in them, and thereby not utilize all the heat transfer surface.
Me thinks : Wort in the bottom, and out the top.
Cooling medium: In at the top, and out the bottom.

That's an excellent suggestion and exactly what I plan to do. I'm hitting the home store tomorrow to buy some lumber to create a stand for the chiller. I'll probably clamp the stand to the countertop while I'm using it, and place it at the edge of the counter so that I can catch drips with a bucket on the floor. The chiller has mounting bolts on the back, so I'll get some wing nuts to hold it to the stand and make it removable for cleaning, etc. It seems I'm always tweaking my process, which is a fun thing about this hobby.

 

[Woodbrews]

Another brew, a few more improvements. As recommended by others, I built a stand for my plate chiller so that it could be used vertically. I also elected to circulate the wort through the chiller and back into the brew kettle until I reached near pitching temp, and then drained it from the chiller into the fermenter. I was able to bring it down from boiling to 80F in 20 minutes with 73F tap water. The bulk of the chiller time was spent getting from 100F to 80F; next time, I'll attached a pre-chiller when I reach 100F. It will shave 10 minutes off the chill time at the cost of a few pounds of ice. Probably necessary in the summer, but not in the winter - it all depends on the tap water temperature.

 

[fatcop]

How do you guys clean a plate.chiller? I plan on doing a similar setup after I buy my first home, hopefully soon.

 

[DurtyChemist]

What pump is that? Didn't see it mentioned.

 

[cantrell00]

Looks like a small 12v solar like you see so often on ebay, etc...

 

[bsperr]

I set up and used my plate chiller for the first time, but I need some more practice with it. I set it up to make one pass through the chiller and then drain directly into the fermenter. Unfortunately, with 75F tap water, the best I could do was cool it to 90F. Because the wort was already in the fermenter, I left it there and hooked the fermenter up to the Cool Zone jacket. By morning it was ready to pitch at 70F.

What plate chiller are you using?

 

[Woodbrews]

It's a Duda Diesel B3-23A from Brewhardware.

The pump is a Topsflo 15PV 12volt solar pump source on eBay. It works great, but I wish it had some kinds of mounting bracket. Fortunately it's light enough to not put too much stress on the weldless kettle fitting.

Ken

 

[mr_rogers]

Hey woodbrews!
I was wondering if you had a running tally on the cost of your control panel.
I currently have the same bayou kettle, element, and pump but everything is individual plugs that I put into different sockets around my kitchen haha.

I was hoping I could just swap the temp prob for the control panel with my brewmometer, nice and easy.

Also I have my counterflow chiller so don't include the cost of the plate chiller☺️

 

[Woodbrews]

Hey woodbrews!
I was wondering if you had a running tally on the cost of your control panel.
I currently have the same bayou kettle, element, and pump but everything is individual plugs that I put into different sockets around my kitchen haha.

I was hoping I could just swap the temp prob for the control panel with my brewmometer, nice and easy.

Also I have my counterflow chiller so don't include the cost of the plate chiller☺️

Here's my cost spreadsheet. I made a few changes as I went -- I ended with a Topsflow pump instead a Chugger, for example, but it's generally accurate. It does not include the plate chiller, either.
- Woodbrews

 

[Woodbrews]

I though I would post an update showing a few refinements over the past few months. Updates include a new stainless steel element and weldless triclamp enclosure from Brewhardware and a chugger pump. The new element enclosure is nice, because I can easily remove the element and clean it. The pump is a huge improvement over the little Topsflo pump. Tons of power and very reliable. It's also easy to throttle the flow when chilling. Future plans include a 3-way valve after the pump to cut between recirculation and chilling without moving hoses.

 

[tracyk]

I am not seeing your last image.

 

[Woodbrews]

Trying again -- image is attached.

 

[Woodbrews]

I added a 3-way valve to the pump, to easily switch from re-circulation to chilling. I have yet to brew with this configuration, but am looking forward to it!

 

[Woodbrews]

I wanted to update this thread, because I'm in the middle of a significant basement renovation, which has given me the opportunity to reconfigure my brewery. The biggest changes are a stainless steel utility sink and stainless steel work table. Having a dedicated sink and table makes cleanup easier and will allow me to permanently mount my pump and plate chiller. I've also been able to permanently mount my control box. One major thing left to do is install some sort of vent fan and hood -- although I've purchased the parts for brew kettle condenser that may work to capture steam without the need for a vent hood.

 

[tracyk]

Sweet!!!!!!

 

[Woodbrews]

Thanks, tracyk.

Forgot to mention - part of the remodel is a new kegerator with room for 3 cornies. Time to start brewing again!

 

[Woodbrews]

I've mounted the pump and chiller to the brew table and added a condenser to the boil kettle. Getting to close to brewing in the new space!

 

[Woodbrews]

Boil test of new condenser. Works great!

 

[Woodbrews]

This is my first time pressure canning starter wort. I mixed up 5 pints of DME and cooked them in a pressure canner at 15 psi. The lids popped as expected on 4 of the 5 jars, so I'm keeping only the 4 good jars. The wort should have a specific gravity of about 1.04.

 

[Domingo.Delci]

I wanted to update this thread, because I'm in the middle of a significant basement renovation, which has given me the opportunity to reconfigure my brewery. The biggest changes are a stainless steel utility sink and stainless steel work table. Having a dedicated sink and table makes cleanup easier and will allow me to permanently mount my pump and plate chiller. I've also been able to permanently mount my control box. One major thing left to do is install some sort of vent fan and hood -- although I've purchased the parts for brew kettle condenser that may work to capture steam without the need for a vent hood.

Can you repost the pictures from your January 23rd post? I’m trying to see how you mounted your pump and plate chiller to your stainless steel table. This is my first post on HBT, so please let me know if I’m missing something on how to see the pictures. Thanks!

 

[Woodbrews]

Hey @Domingo.Delci - sorry the pics are no longer working! I attached the pump to the lower shelf with stainless steel machine screws and rubber washers between the pump base and metal shelf, mostly to reduce vibration and noise. It seems to work fine!

Maybe this link will work: