Facelift for my control panel

augiedoggy · Dec 19, 2016

I have changed a few small things in the plumbing layout like re positioning the HLT pump so I dont get the airlocks and difficulty priming I sometimes got before. I also removed the bazooka tube from below my false bottom and swapped the short stainless braid with the long stainless braid that was in my boil kettle before... The shorter braid works better in myt boil kettle as a last chance filter and the longer one has more smaller hole surface area for less chances of a slow sparge.

I also saw a blichmann quickcarb thread here recently which inspired me to buy the components and build my own for $65... I am extremely pleased with it... I carbed a 10 gallon keg of christmas ale in an hour.

It uses this 12v food grade pump which is remarkable simiar to the 6v ones blichmann uses. http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-DC-70W-...ne-/231735003614?_trksid=p2349526.m2548.l4275

I also picked up these plastic disconnects http://www.ebay.com/itm/361462425881?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT for my co2 and oxygen lines so I can swap between ball lock, pinlock and the beer gun and quickcarb units easily... they were marketed on ebay for fuel lines until they came up in thread here then ironically someones started selling them on ebay for homebrewing use for a few more $$ each... Hmm...

I do have some replacement illuminated switches to replace the small green ones I use for my pumps... recently I had some issues with 2 of them sticking so I decided upgrades were now justified. I recently replaced my BK pid with the auber ezboil (300 version) I like the faster tighter temp control and the built in timer, alarms and ability to control my external timer and alarm.

I have a few beers going now... a Munich Dunkel at 55 degrees and an amber at 67 and salted caramel porter at 66...

Also I have a couple of these elements on there way from china.. No offense to whomever supplies them to brewhardware and brewboss but I just couldnt turn down trying these out myself for much less $.... I'm fairly certain they are from the same manufacturer as the standard ones ebrew supply sells. The company has been making elements for 40 years so...

augiedoggy · Dec 28, 2016

So my $16 elements arrived today... I have to install and test yet but I am optimistic because they seem to be decent quality. the plug enclosure has a see through silicone jacket which is nice I guess for piece of mind since I would be able to see if liquid somehow got in there..

augiedoggy · Dec 28, 2016

just finished installing one of these elements in my boil kettle. No issue with the brewhardware weldless TC fitting I installed to hold it....
Its quite a jump up from my "4500w" element that was in there which only put out 4040w or so max... This ones was just over 5300w and draws about 22.4 amps so I think im going to keep my other 4500w element in my HLT... I never have a need to remove it anyway and this way I can continue to rum my rims along with my HLT at the same time off the 30a circuit without cutting it close.

Heres the element installed with one of Bobby Ms weldless fittings...

stever1000 · Dec 29, 2016

Wow that's super slick!

PapaFoxtrot · Dec 29, 2016

Link for the elements?

augiedoggy · Dec 29, 2016

PapaFoxtrot said:
Link for the elements?

I ordered them on Alibaba as samples the seller has quoted me $16 each plus $4.40 for shipping each if purchasing 100 of these. I don't think they are all that interested in selling individual units they normally sell to suppliers to mark up and resell.

PapaFoxtrot · Dec 29, 2016

Oh well.... I had looked on aliexpress and didn't see anything like that. Alibaba is usually higher volume orders.

augiedoggy said:
I ordered them on Alibaba as samples the seller has quoted me $16 each plus $4.40 for shipping each if purchasing 100 of these. I don't think they are all that interested in selling individual units they normally sell to suppliers to mark up and resell.

augiedoggy · Dec 29, 2016

PapaFoxtrot said:
Oh well.... I had looked on aliexpress and didn't see anything like that. Alibaba is usually higher volume orders.

this is the seller thoughI dealt with them through email and paypal not alibaba because the order was so small.https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...62175659.html?spm=a2700.7724838.30.260.wVmlxj
I was going to see about asking the mods is we could do a group buy thread but I can see I should scrap that idea. there is some unknown "designer" third party out there apparently and it would be wrong to circumvent them to save the 500% markups..

BitterSweetBrews · Jan 1, 2017

augiedoggy said:
I also saw a blichmann quickcarb thread here recently which inspired me to buy the components and build my own for $65... I am extremely pleased with it... I carbed a 10 gallon keg of christmas ale in an hour.

It uses this 12v food grade pump which is remarkable simiar to the 6v ones blichmann uses. http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-DC-70W-...ne-/231735003614?_trksid=p2349526.m2548.l4275

I also picked up these plastic disconnects http://www.ebay.com/itm/361462425881?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT for my co2 and oxygen lines so I can swap between ball lock, pinlock and the beer gun and quickcarb units easily... they were marketed on ebay for fuel lines until they came up in thread here then ironically someones started selling them on ebay for homebrewing use for a few more $$ each... Hmm...

That looks like a great piece of equipment. Why didn't you use one of the light brown solar pumps? Pressure? Also, I bought some of those quick connects from McMaster/Carr (https://www.mcmaster.com/#=15qbeg7)and wasn't that impressed. I know they are pressure rated, but I wasn't ready to trust them. They looked like they would leak.

How did you integrate the aerator/diffusor into the "T".

augiedoggy · Jan 2, 2017

BitterSweetBrews said:
That looks like a great piece of equipment. Why didn't you use one of the light brown solar pumps? Pressure? Also, I bought some of those quick connects from McMaster/Carr (https://www.mcmaster.com/#=15qbeg7)and wasn't that impressed. I know they are pressure rated, but I wasn't ready to trust them. They looked like they would leak.

How did you integrate the aerator/diffusor into the "T".

yes the pump I used is self priming and has a safety pressure cutout that will shut it off if the pressure is too high.
I used this stone
http://www.ebay.com/itm/232110590689?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I use one for my oxygen system too. they even sell them already mounted in a tee with barbs for like $20 on ebay.

The quick disconnects have been working great for my co2 lines.

thekraken · Jan 4, 2017

augiedoggy said:
I don't get grain in my lines I have a triple filtering false bottom because my little 3gpm pumps would jam with grain...
They say they are reed switch activated but I do believe there is a cone type piston? That the fluid applies pressure to so it opens.
I saw the one you linked but those appear to monitor and control flow and I'm looking for a on off flow switch to allow current and cut current to my SSR powering my rims element

I'm sorry if you've already answered this, hell I may have already asked, can you give details on how exactly your filtering to protect the little tan pumps? You use them for everything right, whirlpool and mash?

BitterSweetBrews · Jan 4, 2017

thekraken said:
I'm sorry if you've already answered this, hell I may have already asked, can you give details on how exactly your filtering to protect the little tan pumps? You use them for everything right, whirlpool and mash?

I have had that same problem with the little tan pumps on my mash tun. I ended up using my chugger for anything after the HLT, like recirculating to the RIMS, because they kept getting clogged and stopping from husks getting past the false bottom.

I did just recently make a grain bag for my 15 gallon kettle mash tun out of a polyester window sheer curtain. I haven't tried the tan pump with it, but I doubt any grain husks get past it. It also has the added benefit of making the tun cleaning and dumping as easy as biab.

augiedoggy · Jan 4, 2017

I use a false bottom in mymash tun and under that I now use A 30" long piece in stainless braid I removed from a new dishwasher water line. In my boil kettle I don't need to whirlpool... My wort is clear from recirculating and I use the larger 6x14 stainless arbor fab hop spider... As a last chance filter before it hits my plate chiller I now use an 8" long piece of braided line connected to my boil kettle dip tube.
I use a stirrer inside my hop spider to keep the hops whirlpools and suspended in the wort.
That's it... 4 years now and likely 75 brew sessions or so now. No issues with these pumps really at all. I did have my braided filter come loose under my false bottom once rece tly and it gave me a super slow mash record through my rims which resulted in uneven temps.. That's when I redesigned it a bit with a longer braid with more surface area. Before in had a bazooka tube withthe 8" section of braided line inside it. Anvil brewing sells a stainless device that's similar to mine

Berchabar · Jan 5, 2017

you may have already listed and i probably missed it but do you have a link for where you got your flow meter?

augiedoggy · Jan 6, 2017

Berchabar said:
you may have already listed and i probably missed it but do you have a link for where you got your flow meter?

It is listed in the thread somewhere but I got it from ebay.

rnorman57 · Jan 7, 2017

Question on your RIMS tube with cartridge heater, when you say you drilled out a compression fitting, do you mean you had to drill out the ID of the NPT portion of the fitting? If I used a 5/8 compression x 3/4 NPT fitting, then I shouldn't have to drill to pass a 5/8 heater, correct?

PapaFoxtrot · Jan 7, 2017

There's a ridge inside the compression fitting to keep the tube from passing all the way thru. You need to remove that ridge for the cartridge heater to pass thru.

ETA this image from google:

rnorman57 · Jan 7, 2017

Thank you for the picture, it helps. I think it confirms what I was saying. Do you have a similar picture for a fitting with a larger NPT connection, would it have the same kind of "ridge"?

augiedoggy · Jan 7, 2017

PapaFoxtrot said:
There's a ridge inside the compression fitting to keep the tube from passing all the way thru. You need to remove that ridge for the cartridge heater to pass thru.

ETA this image from google:

The ridge is the narrow area not drilled out in the diagram above and not allowing the element to pass completely through. the compression fitting ids the correct diameter for the element to seal it though. you want to use a larger 1/2" threaded reducer compression fitting since the one pictures above ould require drilling into the threaded base . the larger ones have a smaller "shoulder" to drill out.

here is a photo of an older smaller spare element I mounted..

rnorman57 · Jan 7, 2017

Thanks. That's what I was getting at by suggesting a 3/4 pipe end which should have a shorter "stop" to drill out as the ID of the pipe section would be larger than the od of the heater

rnorman57 · Jan 19, 2017

Question about your RIMS tube, is the red wire in the vicinity of the camlock in the body of the tube a ground wire? If so, how is it attached?

augiedoggy · Jan 19, 2017

rnorman57 said:
Question about your RIMS tube, is the red wire in the vicinity of the camlock in the body of the tube a ground wire? If so, how is it attached?

Yes it is.the cam lock has has a small
Loop molded into it where a pin could pass through. I have the entire10awg wire passing through it and looped to itselftwisted tight.

augiedoggy · Jan 21, 2017

did some streamlining to the plumbing.. and angled the plumbing so it completely drains easily for cleanup.

DangerisBrewing · Jan 26, 2017

Love the updates Audie.
I have a question or 5 about your system.
How do you like the tan pumps?
Any issue with them?
How do you keep them from getting plugged by grain?
What do you use as a false bottom in the MT?

Thanks

augiedoggy · Jan 26, 2017

DangerisBrewing said:
Love the updates Audie.
I have a question or 5 about your system.
How do you like the tan pumps?
Any issue with them?
How do you keep them from getting plugged by grain?
What do you use as a false bottom in the MT?

Thanks

I love using them, no complaints.the 24v ones are a lot better than the 12v ones... I answered the false bottom question a bunch of times in this thread but basically its the Bayou false bottom with 2 long sections of braided stainless coiled underneath it to catch the finer stuff that might get through the false bottom this allows me to have no issues with the pumps plugging at all. the hop spider and smaller section of braided stainless in my BK keeps the hops out of my pump and plate chiller as well.

Cashjon · Feb 7, 2017

Sorry, didn't realize this thread was long, I read first page and posted, whoops looks like things really changed from the start.

Cashjon · Feb 7, 2017

augiedoggy said:
Thanks... its a bit confusing since I kept upgrading things along the way, I hope to eventually make a youtube video showing how things work.... I did end up moving my flow switch to the rims inlet and it now works well in recirc or sparge mode and while running pbw through it and my chiller for cleaning.

I believe I have made over 50 batches of beer on this rig now and I love it!
Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and I havent brewed in about 2 months..

Hey Augiedoggy, I hate to bother you buddy, I was just wondering if you ever got around to making a YouTube video of your rig in action, Thanks

augiedoggy · Feb 8, 2017

Cashjon said:
Hey Augiedoggy, I hate to bother you buddy, I was just wondering if you ever got around to making a YouTube video of your rig in action, Thanks

Ive never made a youtube video... I dont know how to edit the footage into one video but I guess I should look into it. I had a few people ask me about it and it would make trying to explain some things much easier.

purdman10 · Feb 27, 2017

Hi, Augie, I appreciate the time and energy to answer the many questions that people have and hopefully mine as well. I was brought to
this thread because of your assistance to another panel builder because of the use of the inkbird idt-e2rh timer. I want to use a three way switch on it to pause and start it along with an alarm. I have terminal 2 jumped to terminal 5 to have it paused on start up, and changed the transistor type within the program to npn. I understand on the three-way switch I need a NO block and a NC block. Right now, i have a three-way switch with two NO contacts. I cannot find a diagram anywhere to visualize the wiring for a three way switch only a two way or reset button. Can you help? Thanks!

thekraken · Mar 8, 2017

augiedoggy said:
As a last chance filter before it hits my plate chiller I now use an 8" long piece of braided line connected to my boil kettle dip tube.

You're primary concern is filtering for your plate chiller and not the dc pump, right?

I bring this up because I have the same 24vdc tan pumps, but plan on using a cfc. I'm wondering if the tan pump would handle wort that is NOT filtered with the braided line? I would still use a hop bag during the boil.

Facelift for my control panel

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