2 Vessel BruControl RIMS 15 Gallon Brewery Build

[Gameface]

I'm very excited to get started building a new home brewery. I've been brewing 10 gal batches on an eHERMS system I built a few years ago. I'm selling that and starting fresh on a 15 gal batch 2 vessel RIMS system.

I should start buying stuff this week. I want to throw my ideas out there and hope some of you out there are willing to help me catch stuff that I might have missed.

Along with the new kettles and BruControl based automation I'm also buying 2 Spike Brewing CF15 unitanks and a glycol chiller.

And if all that isn't enough to take on I'm going to give LODO a shot.

Wish me luck!

I'll post more details soon.

 

[FunkedOut]

Interested to hear about the RIMS.
Wattage, watt density, flow rate, mash tun details.
Lots of luck.

 

[Gameface]

Interested to hear about the RIMS.
Wattage, watt density, flow rate, mash tun details.
Lots of luck.

The plan is to use BrunDog's Quadzilla element in the RIMS tube.

The RIMS tube itself will be from brewhardware.com. I'm going to be placing a pretty heafty order at brewhardware. I'll also be getting 2 blichmann riptide pumps and for the boil kettle I will use one of their 5500W ULWD ripple elements that has the TC fitting and plug built-in.

The mash tun will be a customized Spike Brewing 30G kettle. I'm debating going with a 1.5" TC fitting for the drain valve or not. The RIMS return will be a 1/2" NPT full thread fitting. I'm also planning to have another 1.5" TC flange to side mount a pressure sensor, also sold by BrunDog.

 

[jcav]

Wow very cool! Keep us updated and good luck with the build! The 1.5 inch tri clover dump valve will be a snap to clean. I have a two inch port on my boil kettle and when I remove the element to clean in the sink, this large hole is just the thing when I clean my boil kettle and hose it out. A bottom dump would be even better.

John

 

[Gameface]

I brew in my garage currently but I don't really have it built out as a full on brewery. I purchased a nice deep sink over a year ago with a pre-wash spray nozzle. I'll be getting that set-up finally.

I also have two 55 gallon plastic drums that I'll use to store water. One will be pure RO water, the other I'm debating acidifying to use for sparge water.

I have a grain mill but I usually take that out front and use a drill to mill my grain. I will be building a grain milling table for that also.

 

[Gameface]

Wow very cool! Keep us updated and good luck with the build! The 1.5 inch tri clover dump valve will be a snap to clean. I have a two inch port on my boil kettle and when I remove the element to clean in the sink, this large hole is just the thing when I clean my boil kettle and hose it out. A bottom dump would be even better.

John

Yeah the cleanup factor is the biggest thing pushing me towards the TC fitting for the drain.

I emailed Spike to see if they will weld a TC flange to the bottom of the kettle, but I've read elsewhere that they won't.

 

[jcav]

Exciting times! Post up some pics as you go!

John

 

[jcav]

Yeah the cleanup factor is the biggest thing pushing me towards the TC fitting for the drain.

I emailed Spike to see if they will weld a TC flange to the bottom of the kettle, but I've read elsewhere that they won't.

They do advertise as doing full custom builds, so they just might do it now.

John

 

[Gameface]

I'm planning on mounting what is basically a SS HERMS coil to one of the kettle lids. Since I plan to pre-boil my strike water (LODO) I will place it there to chill the strike water back to mash-in temps. Then I'll use it as an immersion chiller. My beloved Z-Chiller CFC will be moving on...

 

[Gameface]

Does anyone know if using a flow meter to stop draining a kettle is a viable option?

I plan to use the hydrostatic pressure sensors sold by brundog to determine kettle volume (will tell me when to stop filling, among other things), but they will be side-mounted, so there will be at least a few gallons left in the kettle, probably several gallons, when they stop providing meaningful volume measurements. So I'm thinking that if I have flow meters between the drain and the pump on each kettle I can stop draining (turn pump off) once the flow meter drops.

 

[BrunDog]

I suppose that could work... my BK has a side mounted sensor until I get off my lazy butt and put a proper bottom mount on. The sensor is a pinpoint, down at about the 2 qt mark. My current process stops when the volume gets to a known point, then a quick alarm is issued and I manually (via software, that is) open the valve again then watch the remainder drain until I see trub making its way toward the fermenter.

 

[Gameface]

I suppose that could work... my BK has a side mounted sensor until I get off my lazy butt and put a proper bottom mount on. The sensor is a pinpoint, down at about the 2 qt mark. My current process stops when the volume gets to a known point, then a quick alarm is issued and I manually (via software, that is) open the valve again then watch the remainder drain until I see trub making its way toward the fermenter.

The flow meters I've seen you mention are cheap enough I can give it a go. Not sure if I'll mount them directly to the output of the kettles or the input to the pump, but I figure once the flow drops I can shut off the pumps and be okay.

 

[Gameface]

My biggest concern right now is making sure I get all the ports I need on my new kettles. I hope to post a sketch of my plumbing tomorrow and get some feedback so that I can put my order in at Spike by the end of the week.

I plan to move pretty quick on this build.

 

[swimIan]

I will do as Brundog suggests but for now I watch the kettle level totally manually. This helps if the recipe calculations are off a bit.

If you know the flow rate/pump speed when the volume reading quits, you could write a script that stays active for just enough time to finish draining...

 

[BrunDog]

Just keep in mind these cheapo sensors cannot handle boil temps.

 

[Gameface]

Just keep in mind these cheapo sensors cannot handle boil temps.

You're talking about the flow sensors?
Humm, I'll have to find a different solution for the BK then.

 

[Gameface]

You're talking about the flow sensors?
Humm, I'll have to find a different solution for the BK then.

I think I'll be okay. I'll use one on the input to the RIMS tube and another one the output side of a 3-way valve that will be going to the fermenter, so will only see chilled wort.

Edit, maybe not...

I'm not thinking about pre-boiling the strike water.

I don't want to add a bypass around the flow meters, might be cheaper and easier to find a flow meter rated for boiling liquid. Anyone have any tips on where to find such a thing? In a quick search for SS 1/2" flow meter I didn't see anything for under $200. I could go up to around $100 for it. More than that and I might as well get the cheap one and create a bypass loop.

 

[Gameface]

I'm going to post a sketch of my planned plumbing layout soon. Hopefully tonight.

 

[Gameface]

Might this work?

https://www.omega.com/pptst/FTB2000.html

Description

The FTB2000 series Hall-effect turbine flowrate sensor is ideal for OEM applications involving low flow liquid monitoring. The low cost, coupled with 1 /2 % repeatability, makes it an ideal candidate for replacing dispensing timer systems. Unlike existing timing systems, turbine technology is not influenced by changes in system pressure caused by aging filters. The sensor’s standard power and output specifications make it easy to retrofit to existing controllers.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Wetted Materials
Body: Nylon 12
Turbine: Nylon 12 Composite
Bearings: PTFE/15% Graphite

Accuracy: ±3% of reading
Repeatability: 0.5% of full scale
Operating Pressure: 200 psig
Operating Temperature: -20 to 100°C (-4 to 212°F )
Viscosity: 32 to 81 SSU (1.8 to 16 centistokes)
Filter: <50 microns Input
Power: 5 to 24 Vdc @ 8 mA
Output: NPN Sinking Open Collector @ 50 mA Maximum (1 to 2.2 K Ohm Pull-Up Resistor Required) (Hz Output)
Electrical Connection: Spade Terminals 2.8/6.3 x 0.8 mm (0.110/.248 x 0.031")standard
Cable 1m (3') on optional "-C" versions

Inlet/Outlet Ports: 3 /8 " NPT Male

 

[BrunDog]

That will work, just note it is 3/8” port... it will restrict your slow a bit, depending on how fast you are recirculating (if at all). Also, any local pressure drop of near boiling liquid will cause cavitation.

For one pass to the fermenter, it should be just fine.

 

[Gameface]

That will work, just note it is 3/8” port... it will restrict your slow a bit, depending on how fast you are recirculating (if at all). Also, any local pressure drop of near boiling liquid will cause cavitation.

For one pass to the fermenter, it should be just fine.

Thanks! It's certainly a bit more pricey but in the end simpler and less expensive than adding a bypass loop.

I did try to find something similar in 1/2" but haven't found anything

 

[Gameface]

So Spike Brewing DOES NOT weld fitting to the bottom of the vessel or to the lid. They do sell spare lids if you want.

This is a basic sketch of my plumbing and the ports I plan to have added to my vessels. The element ports and the pressure sensor ports will be on the back side of the vessel but they are drawn on the side because i wanted to see everything in one picture.

 

[jcav]

That is too bad that they won't weld the bottom drain fitting. You can still have it done locally though if you really want to have that feature.

John

 

[Gameface]

So Spike Brewing DOES NOT weld fitting to the bottom of the vessel or to the lid. They do sell spare lids if you want.

This is a basic sketch of my plumbing and the ports I plan to have added to my vessels. The element ports and the pressure sensor ports will be on the back side of the vessel but they are drawn on the side because i wanted to see everything in one picture.

I will likely add another temp probe or two, but none that will need a port welded onto the kettles, so they aren't in this drawing.

 

[swimIan]

Brewershardware will weld bottom drains into their premium kettle kettle and other ports too.

I have 15 gallon spike kettle...it’s nice but in hindsight I’d go with brewershardware, stout tanks kettle, or a keggle of my own design to get the bottom drain feature.

 

[BrunDog]

It honestly surprises me that none of the big guys have offered bottom drains. I personally would never brew with a dip tube again. Cleaning alone makes it worthwhile.

They don’t do it because their kettles are tri-clad, which you can’t easily weld to. They are still paying homage to propane and don’t want to alienate that crowd, which I understand.

Anyway someone smart will make a domed bottom drain with a support ring. I think Stout does but this is the way of the honebrewing future.

 

[Die_Beerery]

It honestly surprises me that none of the big guys have offered bottom drains. I personally would never brew with a dip tube again. Cleaning alone makes it worthwhile.

They don’t do it because their kettles are tri-clad, which you can’t easily weld to. They are still paying homage to propane and don’t want to alienate that crowd, which I understand.

Anyway someone smart will make a domed bottom drain with a support ring. I think Stout does but this is the way of the honebrewing future.

Ahem smart you say.....

http://www.lowoxygenbrewing.com/stout-tanks-and-kettles-llc/

 

[BrunDog]

I said Stout daggummit!! But your LODO stuff is super-sweet.

 

[Gameface]

Yeah, that stuff is really nice and has a price to match! I doubt I could spend that high, but I'm going to 15G batches so I need bigger than a 20G MT and BK.

BrunDog, have you soldered on fittings to the bottom of your kettles? If so, could a reasonably skilled albeit completely inexperienced person do it?

 

[BrunDog]

Hi. Yessir I soldered 1/2 NPT couplings (McMaster’s as they have thick walls) to the bottom of cheapo bayou kettles. Work great.

Soldering is relatively easy once you get the gist of how to do it. The thin walls can warp a bit but doesn’t matter when you put them down on a flat surface with some insulation (I have neoprene).