110v Hosehead 2.5 Gallon eBIAB

[cdubbaya]

Hi All,

I wanted to post a few pictures of a build I’m just wrapping up. Its a 110v 2.5 gallon eBIAB inspired by this thread.

I changed it a bit to fit my needs, and I decided to use a Hosehead brew controller instead of building a hardwired panel. This allows ultimate flexibility for future expansion, but there’s a clear downside in relying on software that could crash or become non-responsive.

Here’s what my requirements were for the build:

* Had to be BIAB. I wanted a simple mobile system that is easily cleaned. I plan on using a rolling tool cart as a brew stand, and wanted a simple system that’s mobile and easily stored when not in use.

* 110v/20A so I can brew anywhere there’s an outlet. I checked my breaker panel and I’ve got 20A breakers in the kitchen, garage and outdoor outlets (all GFCI). I also have a subpanel in my unfinished basement with a single outlet that’s also 20A. For this system I’m using a 2000W heating element and a 12V solar pump. I’m getting around 122V from the kitchen outlets, so while I’m nearing the 18A when everything is in use, I don’t think I’ll trip the breaker. My 1 hour water test confirmed this.

* 2.5 gallon batches. I realized I don’t brew as often when I have so much beer around. Downsizing to 2.5 gallons helped bring the power needs down, and saves a ton of money/time in recipes and cleaning and allows me to brew more often. I had most of the parts already and reused an old stainless 20 QT pot. In my calculations, I won’t be able to make huge beers but should be able to fit 10-12 pounds of grain with enough headspace during boil.

* I’m in the software development industry, so the idea of using software to run the brewery was intriguing. After some research and several questions in this forum, I decided to use the Hosehead brewery controller running Strangebrew Elsinore. Its a simple implementation since I’m only controlling a single element and pump, but there’s an advantage since its has a kill switch in case the software becomes non-responsive during a brew session.

* Scalable - even though my initial goal was simplicity, I want the option to go bigger in the future. This was important as we’re currently building a new house and I’ll be wiring a 240v receptacle in the garage. This means I can use the Hosehead on my 15 gallon keggle if I want to do a larger batch. The keggle already has 2x 2000W elements, so its just a matter of getting another set of fittings (I used my keggle fittings on the new system) and making a 240v Power Cord.

So here it is:
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[cdubbaya]

I did a 1.5 hour water test to run the entire system, here were my results (understanding wort and water are two separate things):

* 30 minutes to get water from 54 degrees to 160. I recirculated the entire time and the pump was a beast! Way more flow than I expected, but its a short distance and I'm happy about that. I held 160 for about 15 minutes and the temp probe only varied +/- .5 degree. Good enough for holding a mash temp, I think.

* Another 16 minutes to get to boiling. This went faster than I expected and the boil was vigorous. It actually brew the lid off so I'm going to have to find a venting system somehow while keeping the lid on for recirculating. Also my temp probe was only reading 203F so I'll have to calibrate to see if that's accurate - I doubt my elevation would account for that much deviation from 212F.

* I haven't figured out a good system for cleaning and draining yet. I'm going to have to keep my probe installed in the Tee as to not drain out the compression fitting, but that creates cable issues when moving the pot around.

* I also had a siphon issue when draining the pot - the dip tube didn't pick up water after the line had dropped below the bulkhead mark. I'm going to have to run the pump when transferring into a fermenter but that shouldn't be an issue.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the performance. The pump primed itself immediately and the whole system was very responsive. I need to do some temp calibration but other than that its ready for a brew day!

 

[BeardedIdiot]

I'm a little curious. What does making a 240v power cord have to do with running 2 elements at 2000W instead of just 1? Doesn't the Hosehead already have 2 element outlets on it?

I'm looking at reducing my standard batch size to 2.5gal and going electric, and this is build is essentially what I want to accomplish (although the Hosehead is a little expensive for me. I'm either going to build from scratch or go with something like the EBC, depending on what I decide to do).

I already have a keggle for making 5gal batches, and I may try to convert it to electric as well, so I'd like my controller to be able to switch between the 2.5gal and 5gal pots depending on what size batch I'm doing.

 

[madscientist451]

I did a 1.5 hour water test to run the entire system, here were my results

* Another 16 minutes to get to boiling. This went faster than I expected and the boil was vigorous. It actually brew the lid off so I'm going to have to find a venting system somehow while keeping the lid on for recirculating.

Why would you want the lid on or recirculate during boiling? I don't see the need to recirculate during the boil and many sources say they the lid should be off during the boil.

 

[cdubbaya]

Why would you want the lid on or recirculate during boiling? I don't see the need to recirculate during the boil and many sources say they the lid should be off during the boil.

I wasn't planning on leaving it on, and won't during an actual brew day. I was bringing my water up to a boil and temp was only reading a bit over 200 degrees. Before I knew it the lid was about to pop off.

I'm my most current test I removed the lid when I got to around 190 degrees. Worked perfectly and got a pretty decent boil going with about 4.5 gallons of water.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

How are you chilling?

 

[cdubbaya]

How are you chilling?

I've got an immersion chiller I'll be using. While not ideal, with the volume I'll be working with I think it will work fine until I find another option.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

Nothing wrong with an immersion chiller, especially if you recirculate. Takes me ~10min to chill 1.5gal down to 65* while recirculating.

 

[cdubbaya]

First brew day on the system went pretty well. I brewed a simple IPA recipe with 7.5 lbs of grain and 2 oz of hops.

Target Stats:
2.5 gallons
1.070 OG (measured 1.066)
55 IBUs
11 SRM


A few notes:

- I think a 24 or 28 quart pot would work better for mash. Headspace was a bit tight with 7.5 lbs of grain
- I need to dial in the boil off and grain absorption. I calculated to lose .75 gallons in boil off and trub loss but only lost .5 or so. There was almost no trub in the kettle with only 2oz of hops. The result was me missing my OG by .04.
- Recirculating is a must, and I'm super happy with the consistent temp control and the pump I chose. It's a workhorse and primes really easily. I didn't have any issue with moving wort thought the pump and hose.
- I dialed back my element during boil to 85% but I think I'll go to 95% next time for a more vigorous boil. That may have also contributed to my under shooting loss calculations. I could have boiled longer to hit my volume but it was getting late.
- Overall I'm extremely happy with this system. It's incredibly simple to clean and very versatile. I'll be brewing on this for a long time I think.

Pics:
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Nailed my Pre-boil gravity of 1.058

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[BeardedIdiot]

How long did the brew day end up taking start to finish?

 

[cdubbaya]

How long did the brew day end up taking start to finish?

I was setting up at 7:00pm and was all put away by midnight. Granted, the last 45 minutes to an hour were me waiting for an ice bath chill. I lent my chiller to a friend and had to chill in ice. Won't do that again!

I'm assuming a normal brew day from set up to take down will be 4 hours with a normal chiller.