3-in-1 "Boil Kettle, Jacketed Chiller, Conical Fermenter" by Brewha

[brew-in]

I would highly recommend GFCI protection for both of you. My circuit uses a 30 amp GFCI breaker in the main box in my shop. I ran the wire and installed the conduit and outlet myself. Probably cost around $300 total to do so (GFCI breaker, 100' of 10/3, 10' of conduit, dryer outlet, misc. screws and straps). Do not skimp on safety. If you don't feel comfortable wiring it yourself, try talking to a couple other electricians if possible. I don't know your specific situation (wire length, construction type, etc.) but the quote from the electrician does seem like a lot.

If you can swing it buy the complete package with accessories including the digital control box. I really like having everything from the same company in the off chance you have an issue with something.

I had a reputable Electrical Contractor install a 240V 30A GFCI protected circuit, plus 5 extra 120 Volt 20 Amp circuits in my garage and the bill was $540...I would shop around, I am sure you can get it installed by a certified electrician cheaper than $900.

As far as DIY, even if you know what you are doing, I dont recommend it....in most jurisdictions doing your own electrical work (unless you are licensed) is illegal and must be disclosed when you go to sell the house. The liability is not worth a few hundred bucks...

Also for cost check out Brau Supply BIACs...you can even get it with the Brew Boss automated controller....

 

[JB_Brewing2]

As far as DIY, even if you know what you are doing, I dont recommend it....in most jurisdictions doing your own electrical work (unless you are licensed) is illegal and must be disclosed when you go to sell the house. The liability is not worth a few hundred bucks...

Hey brew-in, I respectfully disagree. Not sure about your municipality, but "if you know what you are doing", pull a permit, do the work, have it inspected, and you can save dollars. It's not the DIY that insurance will deny, but the lack of permit and inspection. My post underlined safety and if you're not comfortable with doing electrical, find another electrician. If you have to hire an electrician, try to get three bids for comparative purposes.

 

[xico]

I would highly recommend GFCI protection for both of you. My circuit uses a 30 amp GFCI breaker in the main box in my shop. I ran the wire and installed the conduit and outlet myself. Probably cost around $300 total to do so (GFCI breaker, 100' of 10/3, 10' of conduit, dryer outlet, misc. screws and straps). Do not skimp on safety. If you don't feel comfortable wiring it yourself, try talking to a couple other electricians if possible. I don't know your specific situation (wire length, construction type, etc.) but the quote from the electrician does seem like a lot.

If you can swing it buy the complete package with accessories including the digital control box. I really like having everything from the same company in the off chance you have an issue with something.

Thanks all for the input, I'm looking at the Brau system as well and comparing prices. I hear you loud and clear, and safety will be budgeted for. So what I'm reading is that there is no way to set up a gfi from a 10-30p dryer outlet, is this correct? One controller seller said I could connect it between controller and element but I got a sleazy salesperson feeling from our conversation and the research I've done hasn't been able to confirm or debunk that suggestion. I have a second electrician coming tomorrow to give me a quote but I want to look at in-line options too because we are renting and may be denied by the landowners should we ask to have any work done.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

Thanks all for the input, I'm looking at the Brau system as well and comparing prices. I hear you loud and clear, and safety will be budgeted for. So what I'm reading is that there is no way to set up a gfi from a 10-30p dryer outlet, is this correct? One controller seller said I could connect it between controller and element but I got a sleazy salesperson feeling from our conversation and the research I've done hasn't been able to confirm or debunk that suggestion. I have a second electrician coming tomorrow to give me a quote but I want to look at in-line options too because we are renting and may be denied by the landowners should we ask to have any work done.

My Brewha medium BIAC is connected to a 30 amp "dryer" outlet with the GFCI protection in the breaker box. Ask your electrician (and your landlord) if you can replace the 30amp non-GFCI breaker with a 30 amp GFCI breaker to give you the protection you need for the system you choose. This may be more acceptable and less costly than rewiring for an inline GFCI. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am not an electrician. So my advice on electrical matters is worth what you paid for it. I hope this helps.

 

[jeffmeh]

You can also do the 3 in, 4 out method with a GFCI spa panel to obtain GFCI protection. Routine disclaimers.....

 

[limulus]

Does anyone know where I can get a good all stainless element like the one that came with our units? I know a lot of them have steel flanges that will rust. The $40 price from Nathan is fine, but the shipping from BC is almost as much as the element. Why am I looking for an element you may wonder...??? Well "Mr Multi-Tasker", aka ME, was not paying attention to brewing and the element ran dry. So now the resident genius needs a new element. Maybe I can get a part number off mine. But I'll need to drain the thing first and I'm pretty annoyed right now. I want to be in a better state of mind before I go out and drain the thing to disassemble.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

Does anyone know where I can get a good all stainless element like the one that came with our units? I know a lot of them have steel flanges that will rust. The $40 price from Nathan is fine, but the shipping from BC is almost as much as the element. Why am I looking for an element you may wonder...??? Well "Mr Multi-Tasker", aka ME, was not paying attention to brewing and the element ran dry. So now the resident genius needs a new element. Maybe I can get a part number off mine. But I'll need to drain the thing first and I'm pretty annoyed right now. I want to be in a better state of mind before I go out and drain the thing to disassemble.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I worry about doing that too. I've had good luck with BrewHardware and they have an all SS element for $37 plus shipping: http://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/element5500.htm

Kal's Electric Brewery site also carries them.

 

[brew-in]

Does anyone know where I can get a good all stainless element like the one that came with our units? I know a lot of them have steel flanges that will rust. The $40 price from Nathan is fine, but the shipping from BC is almost as much as the element. Why am I looking for an element you may wonder...??? Well "Mr Multi-Tasker", aka ME, was not paying attention to brewing and the element ran dry. So now the resident genius needs a new element. Maybe I can get a part number off mine. But I'll need to drain the thing first and I'm pretty annoyed right now. I want to be in a better state of mind before I go out and drain the thing to disassemble.

These are the ones you want:

http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/stainless-steel-heating-elements

 

[limulus]

Thanks guys. I was brewing a 5gal batch and I think the element ran dry when I was recirculating. There was a little over 8gal of water and that combined with what the grain absorbed was not enough water. From now on, I'll do no less than 8gal batches. I've done that already and had no trouble.

 

[xico]

Does anyone know where I can get a good all stainless element like the one that came with our units? I know a lot of them have steel flanges that will rust. The $40 price from Nathan is fine, but the shipping from BC is almost as much as the element. Why am I looking for an element you may wonder...??? Well "Mr Multi-Tasker", aka ME, was not paying attention to brewing and the element ran dry. So now the resident genius needs a new element. Maybe I can get a part number off mine. But I'll need to drain the thing first and I'm pretty annoyed right now. I want to be in a better state of mind before I go out and drain the thing to disassemble.

I also keep an eye on brew boss for elements.

http://www.brew-boss.com/category-s/147.htm

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

Does anyone know where I can get a good all stainless element like the one that came with our units? I know a lot of them have steel flanges that will rust. The $40 price from Nathan is fine, but the shipping from BC is almost as much as the element. Why am I looking for an element you may wonder...??? Well "Mr Multi-Tasker", aka ME, was not paying attention to brewing and the element ran dry. So now the resident genius needs a new element. Maybe I can get a part number off mine. But I'll need to drain the thing first and I'm pretty annoyed right now. I want to be in a better state of mind before I go out and drain the thing to disassemble.

Just to throw another in, I use these with my 3-1... http://www.ebrewsupply.com/stainless-elements.html

I've been using the straight one at 5500W and haven't had any scorching issues to date, but I'm interested to hear if anyone has experience with a ripple element in a 3-1?

 

[b1v1r]

Hmm, I'm wondering if I could fabricate a long stainless tube with a bend at the end that could be inserted from the top...

Just found this today. They make custom lengths. I wonder if they would make one straight on the TC side so you could insert it in one of the top ports. Would be perfect.



http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-1.5-Inch-Custom-Whirlpool-Arm.html

I ended up building a whirlpool arm out of an old 1/2" stainless racking cane and a few triclamp parts from brewhardware.com

This mounts to a top port and allows pumping from bottom port through the tube. The compression fitting in the middle is just snug so it can be moved up and down and rotated. Waiting on the current batch to finish before I can try it and I'll post a video.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445111146.423860.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445111174.521710.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445111189.279196.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445111208.619089.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1445111218.677544.jpg

 

[limulus]

I knew it could be done. Thanks for posting.

 

[limulus]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I worry about doing that too. I've had good luck with BrewHardware and they have an all SS element for $37 plus shipping: http://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/element5500.htm

Kal's Electric Brewery site also carries them.

I decided to go with brewhardware. I've bought from him before and he is in Jersey, so I can get it quicker. His price is also a few bucks less and he specifically describes the all stainless construction. I could not figure out where brew-boss is located...at least on this ipad. Also, in all fairness to Nathan, he cut me a break on shipping, but I when I look at Jersey vs BC, Jersey wins the distance battle for me.

 

[xico]

Just got access to the garage at the house I'm renting. The landlord said they had a hot tub at one point and that I could use their panel for my medium biac and power box. I checked out the breaker box and indeed I have a 40 amp gfci breaker. Great news but now I am wondering if the power controller will be appropriate as it's rated to 30 amp.

From what I understand about gfci (nominal at best) it will only be safe if the devices downstream match the breaker itself. A higher amperage would determine the threshold before it trips, which means a horrible accident may not be detected as one. Is this true? What can I do to rectify this?

Also, I was going to wire outdoor 10 awg 4 line cable along the outside of the house and up into the kitchen window. The line will be 75 feet, is this length going to cause resistance in the connection that I should be concerned about? Should I be wiring 8 gauge to account for this?

 

[limulus]

OK Lads, my new element arrived today from brewhardware (aka BobbyM). One thing was immediately obvious: It is about 2" shorter than the Brewha element. It is 5500 LWD I think the extra length of the Breha element make it an ultra low watt density if that is a real term. One thing I can do with the shorter element is brew smaller batches. Hopefully it does not scorch and I hope the darn thing fits.

 

[xico]

OK Lads, my new element arrived today from brewhardware (aka BobbyM). One thing was immediately obvious: It is about 2" shorter than the Brewha element. It is 5500 LWD I think the extra length of the Breha element make it an ultra low watt density if that is a real term. One thing I can do with the shorter element is brew smaller batches. Hopefully it does not scorch and I hope the darn thing fits.

I'd be curious to know how it comes together. is there a nut to provide a ground? I haven't opened up an element from tri-clover housing before.

 

[brianpedersen]

The elements themselves usually haven't got a ground nut, the ones I have seen only have a neutral and one or more phases, depending on the element.

If you are using a stainless tri-clover housing, like most are (including the one provided with the BIAC), there will be a nut in the housing where you attach the ground wire.

The housing I am currently using is plastic, so I have to route a separate ground wire to my BIAC.

 

[limulus]

I'd be curious to know how it comes together. is there a nut to provide a ground? I haven't opened up an element from tri-clover housing before.

I installed the new element this afternoon and filled it with water. It is heating just like normal. This element is 1.5-2" shorter but still 5500 watts. It is also the same manufacturer. I forgot to measure the water level so I'll have to measure the minimum it takes to cover the shorter element. It should be maybe 2 gallons less to cover the element. I know that these elements can be carefully bent so that is another way to get lower volumes in the medium.

 

[trimixdiver1]

I ended up building a whirlpool arm out of an old 1/2" stainless racking cane and a few triclamp parts from brewhardware.com

This mounts to a top port and allows pumping from bottom port through the tube. The compression fitting in the middle is just snug so it can be moved up and down and rotated. Waiting on the current batch to finish before I can try it and I'll post a video.

View attachment 310073View attachment 310074View attachment 310075View attachment 310076View attachment 310077

Why would you whirlpool in a conical? It's a center drain with sloped sides, kinda defeats the purpose.

 

[limulus]

Why would you whirlpool in a conical? It's a center drain with sloped sides, kinda defeats the purpose.

The whirlpool aids the the cooling. The BIAC has a jacket with either water flowing or a closed system with a glycol chiller. I use water to bring mine down to around 100F and then switch to glycol after that. If I could swirl the water around, it would cool faster just like spinning a bottle of wine or a beer bottle in ice water. That is why I would do it at least in theory.

 

[Jimmy82]

Why would you whirlpool in a conical? It's a center drain with sloped sides, kinda defeats the purpose.

I whirlpool for quicker chilling after the boil. Speeds up chilling time significantly.

 

[xico]

I met a scientist from American Soc. of Brewing Chemists this weekend who said research is beginning to show that aeration before cooling may produce off flavors and speed the oxidation of your hop acids. It looks like the whirlpool is contained with the top on so it may not be an issue but I wanted to share. Maybe you can verify or debunk this assertion?

 

[Jimmy82]

I met a scientist from American Soc. of Brewing Chemists this weekend who said research is beginning to show that aeration before cooling may produce off flavors and speed the oxidation of your hop acids. It looks like the whirlpool is contained with the top on so it may not be an issue but I wanted to share. Maybe you can verify or debunk this assertion?

I can't verify or debunk it, but many, many breweries whirlpool after the boil and before chilling, with no notable negative effects.

 

[xico]

I can't verify or debunk it, but many, many breweries whirlpool after the boil and before chilling, with no notable negative effects.

True, but the breweries I've worked in also have the kettle port closed for much of the brew and a lot of the O2 has been driven out from the boil. Also, when we whirlpooled it was only done for 5 mins while the wort was ~200 F. O2 is less easily dissolved when that hot. It's when the liquid cools that O2 that has entered via a repeatedly opened lid (comparatively huge for the volume compared to a 5 barrel kettle port) can begin to aerate the wort.

I'm not trying to be difficult, or minimize the cool improvement you have made to a BIAC. I dig it and would like to know more on how effective it is (chilling time, water usage comparison, so on). If the cooling process takes as long as I am suspecting without it, I may well be interested in borrowing your idea. New designs bring with them new idiosyncrasies and the sooner we understand the science of these quirks the faster we can improve our use of them.

For example, if the whirlpool arm is added before the boil then there is likely little O2 in the vessel and the lines are filled with de-oxygenated wort. There is probably little concern for hot side aeration then. Or perhaps the aeration is done intermittently which would also minimize the aeration and still distributes the temperature in the kettle.

 

[Jimmy82]

True, but the breweries I've worked in also have the kettle port closed for much of the brew and a lot of the O2 has been driven out from the boil. Also, when we whirlpooled it was only done for 5 mins while the wort was ~200 F. O2 is less easily dissolved when that hot. It's when the liquid cools that O2 that has entered via a repeatedly opened lid (comparatively huge for the volume compared to a 5 barrel kettle port) can begin to aerate the wort.

My lid doesn't come of the BIAC during chilling. The lid goes on about 1 minute before the boil ends (to sanitize it), and is only opened to add yeast, and later to add dry hops.

I dig it and would like to know more on how effective it is (chilling time, water usage comparison, so on).

Chilling 46 liters of wort from boil to ~80*F takes about 15 minutes with the whirlpool..without is about 30 minutes. I don't measure my run-off, so I can't speak to the volume of water used to chill. Approximately half I guess?

For example, if the whirlpool arm is added before the boil then there is likely little O2 in the vessel and the lines are filled with de-oxygenated wort. There is probably little concern for hot side aeration then. Or perhaps the aeration is done intermittently which would also minimize the aeration and still distributes the temperature in the kettle.

I installed a racking arm in the racking port, and I use this to create the whirlpool. The pump and lines are hooked up during the boil, and I recirculate toward the end of the boil to sanitize the pump & lines. I pull wort from the bottom port, and pump back into the racking port. The lines/pump are already full of boiling hot wort when I start the whirlpool.

 

[b1v1r]

Why would you whirlpool in a conical? It's a center drain with sloped sides, kinda defeats the purpose.

As others mentioned, chill speed. For me it is 50m to 60F from boil down to 30m with recirculation from bottom through racking port. Hoping the whirlpool will do a bit better as it will spin along the cold sides.

Additionally I want to hook up an inline hop filter to clean up hops and trub.

 

[b1v1r]

I met a scientist from American Soc. of Brewing Chemists this weekend who said research is beginning to show that aeration before cooling may produce off flavors and speed the oxidation of your hop acids. It looks like the whirlpool is contained with the top on so it may not be an issue but I wanted to share. Maybe you can verify or debunk this assertion?

Read through this:

http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/18/is-hot-side-aeration-fact-or-fiction-exbeeriment-results/

 

[cuda6pak]

I'd like to get a racking cane and whirpool, but from reading Jimmy82's results I have a feeling I'd clog the pump right away and be royally pissed off.

 

[b1v1r]

I'd like to get a racking cane and whirpool, but from reading Jimmy82's results I have a feeling I'd clog the pump right away and be royally pissed off.

That is one reason I went with the top port route. It allows me to recirc from the racking port through the top and the trub will settle in the bottom and can be dropped out. Another option is a hop filter such as this:

https://www.brewershardware.com/FILTER1-Testing.html

 

[limulus]

That is one reason I went with the top port route. It allows me to recirc from the racking port through the top and the trub will settle in the bottom and can be dropped out. Another option is a hop filter such as this:

https://www.brewershardware.com/FILTER1-Testing.html

I agree.

 

[cuda6pak]

Hmm, that looks like it would work out pretty well. Only thing bad is it adds an element that will need to be cleaned/sanitized which sort of takes away from the beauty of the BIAC system. Racking port cane would automatically be sanitized during the boil, but risks of clogging.

I suppose I would only whirlpool with IPAs however so it wouldn't need to be cleaned/sanitized with every single batch.

 

[limulus]

I made an 8-gallon batch that had a pretty decent hop load. When using the hop basket all the hops were not submerged, so I had to quickly come up with a way to lower the basket w/o it falling all the way in or scalding myself. I need to figure out a more elegant way of doing that. Has anyone else run into that situation?

 

[cuda6pak]

Has anyone considered doing a continuous recirculation of dry hops? Interesting article. Could easily be done with our setup. I wonder if you could leave the pump setup hooked up after whirlpooling so it's clean and sanitized without O2, and then proceed with the dry hopping after primary?

http://www.metabrewing.com/2013/02/recirculating-dry-hops-extract-more.html

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-8Kh9NTj0[/ame]

 

[JB_Brewing2]

I made an 8-gallon batch that had a pretty decent hop load. When using the hop basket all the hops were not submerged, so I had to quickly come up with a way to lower the basket w/o it falling all the way in or scalding myself. I need to figure out a more elegant way of doing that. Has anyone else run into that situation?

Had the same issue. With the hook on the hop basket and using whole leaf hops, it is almost impossible to get full submersion and therefore, complete utilization of the hops. I bought a spool of small gauge stainless wire and inserted one end into the screen near the top and side of the hook bar and pulled the other end through the screen on the opposite side of the hook. Basically encircling the stainless bar terminating with the hook. I can adjust the depth easily and just wrap the other end around a handle. On my last brew, I had three hop baskets submerged without issue. Hope this helps.

 

[limulus]

Hey Guys, I bought a little inexpensive water meter from Amazon. I gave it a very quick test tonight and it seems to be pretty darn accurate. I used one of my old 10gal beverage cooler mash tuns that have graduated markings in liters and gallons on the inside. I ran the water until the 3gal mark and compared to the markings on the inside, it was right on. I continued to 5gal and then 10gal with the same results. I ran the gauge on the clean side of an inline water filter with an on/off ball valve for quick shut off. When the meter said 3, 5 or 10, I closed the valve and checked against the measurement inside the cooler which also said the same. So it is accurate for now. Time will tell how long it lasts, but for <$15, I can't complain.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058EOC5M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[brew-in]

Hey Guys, I bought a little inexpensive water meter from Amazon. I gave it a very quick test tonight and it seems to be pretty darn accurate. I used one of my old 10gal beverage cooler mash tuns that have graduated markings in liters and gallons on the inside. I ran the water until the 3gal mark and compared to the markings on the inside, it was right on. I continued to 5gal and then 10gal with the same results. I ran the gauge on the clean side of an inline water filter with an on/off ball valve for quick shut off. When the meter said 3, 5 or 10, I closed the valve and checked against the measurement inside the cooler which also said the same. So it is accurate for now. Time will tell how long it lasts, but for <$15, I can't complain.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058EOC5M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

did not see where this item is "food grade"..

 

[snackson]

did not see where this item is "food grade"..

Does it need to be for the water pre mash/ pre boil? We're making beer here. I think you'll be fine. I've actually been thinking about getting one of those and have it on my wish list for a while.

 

[snackson]

Same one at Home Depot and the company states safe for potable water.

 

[limulus]

Yeah, I wondered about the meter not being labeled for potable water. The meter itself is all plastic. There is no metal in the area that touches the water so at least I don't think I'll get lead poisoning. The plastic itself...??? Also, a lot of people use non-food grade plastic tubing in their brewing including their draft lines. I myself bought all proper beer grade stuff for my taps. I know we all use the silicone hose that came with our BIAC for transfers.

I initially connected the meter to the post filter end of my inline filter. I did that to keep any particulate in the water from getting into the little wheel and clogging it. Maybe, I'll move it to the pre-filter side. The inside of the meter is smooth and shiny and I use white potable water hose to connect. The entire meter is 3.25" long and the contact area is about 3"

It does have a CE mark and is manufactured in Taiwan instead of China. I don't know if that really makes a difference but as someone who has traveled to Taiwan for business, I can tell you Taiwan is definitely NOT China.

There is a symbol next to the CE mark that is a bit curious and I don't know exactly what it is. I searched for potable and non-potable water symbols and none look like this symbol.