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

[RiverCityBrewer]

Got my 3 in 1 and mash colander a week ago, and after getting everything wired, logic coded, and water test completed... finally got my first brew day in this morning. Have to say I am very impressed with the ease of use and I don't miss my 3 vessel gas system at all. I should have gone electric years ago. That said, I noticed during the mash that my temp in the colander was about 1.5 degrees lower than what the temp in the cone was. I was, and do, recirculate during the mash, but has anyone else seen this before? Do I need to recirc faster?

Cheers,

Joe

 

[cuda6pak]

My version of the drawing above. Just expand the photos to read the labels. In the first photo, there is a valve that is closed a little which makes the hose to the fermenter the path of least resistance when the electric valve opens. The fermenter setup is pretty basic except the extra valve in the glycol return:

I'd be a little leary of any sort of valve on the exit port of the jacket.

 

[limulus]

I'd be a little leary of any sort of valve on the exit port of the jacket.

The valves exiting the jacket are always open. The only time I close them is when I disconnect the glycol lines. Closing them keeps the glycol in the hoses and off the floor. When I mash and boil, I also empty the jacket so the coolant is not boiling hot. These can handle more pressure than Nathan indicates. That is intentionally understated. The one that failed was from a vacuum.

BTW, I have created a checklist that I follow when brewing and/or disconnecting any lines so I don't cause vacuums or close valves under pressure. That is something I learned in my pro-brewing course.

 

[cuda6pak]

The valves exiting the jacket are always open. The only time I close them is when I disconnect the glycol lines. Closing them keeps the glycol in the hoses and off the floor. When I mash and boil, I also empty the jacket so the coolant is not boiling hot. These can handle more pressure than Nathan indicates. That is intentionally understated. The one that failed was from a vacuum.

BTW, I have created a checklist that I follow when brewing and/or disconnecting any lines so I don't cause vacuums or close valves under pressure. That is something I learned in my pro-brewing course.

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

 

[cuda6pak]

As a side note I went ahead and purchased the bigger Teco Tank TK2000 1/3hp Aquarium Chiller/Heater. I oversized my pump to begin with so all I'll have to do is plug and play. Hope someone on local ebay ads or Craigslist will be looking for one of these in a few weeks.

 

[limulus]

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

 

[limulus]

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

 

[limulus]

Gotcha - I know I would somehow screw that up at some point. Just had to throw it out there.

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

 

[limulus]

As a side note I went ahead and purchased the bigger Teco Tank TK2000 1/3hp Aquarium Chiller/Heater. I oversized my pump to begin with so all I'll have to do is plug and play. Hope someone on local ebay ads or Craigslist will be looking for one of these in a few weeks.

If it is anything like the 1/3hp chiller I bought, you'll have no problems crashing your fermenter. When crashing, I discovered that a small bucket directly below the bottom of the tank catches most of the condensation. But, it has to be emptied every day.

 

[Fuzzy-felt]

For those making their own insulation jackets, what size and thickness sheets of neoprene are you using?

 

[cuda6pak]

Ha! I'm sure you probably read my post about removing the entire thermowell by mistake with 150F wort inside. It came out right on my leg. That is a mistake I'll not make again

Which is why I mentioned it Believe me I made some dumb mistakes during my first use - had the upstream valve on the mash collander wide open when turning on the pump for recirc and shot wort all over the place, and when kegging the first time I didn't release pressure on the keg (after filling with a pint of whiskey) and stuck the disconnect on and shot whiskey all over the garage wall. This all coming from an engineer who worked with and designed piping systems for a few years

If it is anything like the 1/3hp chiller I bought, you'll have no problems crashing your fermenter. When crashing, I discovered that a small bucket directly below the bottom of the tank catches most of the condensation. But, it has to be emptied every day.

I hope so - my little 1/6hp did the job fine for everything else but crash cooling once the garage hit the mid-70's. I suppose it would work perfect for someone that brews indoors. Right now I've just been throwing an old towel underneath to catch the condensation.

 

[cuda6pak]

Got my 3 in 1 and mash colander a week ago, and after getting everything wired, logic coded, and water test completed... finally got my first brew day in this morning. Have to say I am very impressed with the ease of use and I don't miss my 3 vessel gas system at all. I should have gone electric years ago. That said, I noticed during the mash that my temp in the colander was about 1.5 degrees lower than what the temp in the cone was. I was, and do, recirculate during the mash, but has anyone else seen this before? Do I need to recirc faster?

Cheers,

Joe

It will take a bit of trial and error to dial in the flow rate and % on the controller. Make sure you turn down the controller to around 20-30% so you're not heating the cone or scorching before recirculating up to the top.

I try to recirc as fast as I can without the mash rising, and keep the controller at 25%

 

[cuda6pak]

For those making their own insulation jackets, what size and thickness sheets of neoprene are you using?

I used a 40x80 sheet of high quality neoprene in 1/4" thickness. I double wrapped it to 1/2" insulation. It'd probably be easier to go thicker from the get go though.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

After lugging a mash tun filled with spent grain, part of the three vessel system I used for eight years, the thought of a hoist on a trolley seemed the best way to manage the even heavier colander of the BIAC 3-in-1. A Harbor Freight electric hoist ($99US) was of sufficient capacity (440 lbs.) and has two mounting brackets for suspension from a bar or some other structure.



After looking at many different trolley options, I opted to order a barn door track, rollers, and brackets from McMaster-Carr at a cost $130US. The track is six feet long and powder-coated with each of the two trolley cars bolted to the hoist mounting brackets. The hoist mounting brackets and bolts are shipped unattached. Each hoist mounting bracket was clamped to a drill press table and fairly easily bored to accept the roller’s bolt. All the hardware to attach the hoist mounting brackets to the hoist and the rollers is included when one purchases the hoist and the track rollers.



My application called for a ceiling mount in my 10’ high ceiling in the garage which would align with the utility sink and where the BIAC would be in operation. Two end caps and two ceiling mount brackets provided a secure fixture for the track. I had to buy 4 lag bolts to attach the end caps and ceiling mount brackets to the joists.



This configuration should sustain 3-4 times the maximum weight for which it will be used. I thought about attaching a small pulley at each end of the track with a small line attached to the hoist and through the pulley to enable pulling the hoist along the track rather than pushing the colander from below. It may not be necessary as the hoist moves very freely along the track. Just thought I’d share this for those with a medium or large BIAC or BIABers using large bags.

 

[limulus]

I think I have the same hoist. But that track is beautiful man! I have been trying to figure something out for a while now and that is the solution.

 

[limulus]

It will take a bit of trial and error to dial in the flow rate and % on the controller. Make sure you turn down the controller to around 20-30% so you're not heating the cone or scorching before recirculating up to the top.

I try to recirc as fast as I can without the mash rising, and keep the controller at 25%

Excellent advice regarding the controller %.

 

[limulus]

For those making their own insulation jackets, what size and thickness sheets of neoprene are you using?

Has anyone tried reflectix wrap? It is the foil/bubble wrap stuff. It is available at my Home Depot. Also, did Brewha discontinue their neoprene jacket? I thought it was a bit spendy, but then again, so is a BIAC. Today is really hot and 94F outside. My garage is pretty warm too and my glycol chiller is working hard to hold my fermenter at 50. The tank is staying at 50F but the chiller compressor has to run a lot.

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

It will take a bit of trial and error to dial in the flow rate and % on the controller. Make sure you turn down the controller to around 20-30% so you're not heating the cone or scorching before recirculating up to the top.

I try to recirc as fast as I can without the mash rising, and keep the controller at 25%

Thanks for the info on that... I think that was probably my issue as I'm sure I was running at least a 50% duty cycle with the element. I didn't have any issues with scorching, so I guess I'll consider myself lucky!

 

[cuda6pak]

Has anyone tried reflectix wrap? It is the foil/bubble wrap stuff. It is available at my Home Depot. Also, did Brewha discontinue their neoprene jacket? I thought it was a bit spendy, but then again, so is a BIAC. Today is really hot and 94F outside. My garage is pretty warm too and my glycol chiller is working hard to hold my fermenter at 50. The tank is staying at 50F but the chiller compressor has to run a lot.

I considered reflectix but I think it's all sticky back and I didn't want it permanently on there. Nathan only made one prototype originally but had enough interest after leaving on the page as out of stock that they went ahead for full production. I think they are ready to order on the site and will be shipping out end of July if not sooner. I agree a bit spendy, but if the quality is the same its hard not to justify.

 

[b1v1r]

Just ordered a small BIAC with a chugger and aerator! Thanks all for your posts here - it really helped make the decision.

@MeetsCriteria - I see you are also in Madison. Perhaps we could meet up sometime and share notes?

Now to plan out the first brew. Luckily only a bit over a week to get here.

 

[snackson]

I considered reflectix but I think it's all sticky back and I didn't want it permanently on there.

The stuff I have isn't sticky backed at all. Secure it with some Velcro where it overlaps and you're good to go.

 

[chiefwigms]

Just started doing some research for electric brewing and came across this. Skimmed through most of the pages and have a few questions:

1) For any of you that got the small BIAC, do you regret not going with the medium?
2) How easy would it be to use a therminator to chill into a carboy?

I don't see myself brewing more than 5 gallons at a time (I've been doing extract brewing for a few years), and I'm not sure the extra $1,400 to go to a medium is worth the cost.

 

[limulus]

Just started doing some research for electric brewing and came across this. Skimmed through most of the pages and have a few questions:

1) For any of you that got the small BIAC, do you regret not going with the medium?
2) How easy would it be to use a therminator to chill into a carboy?

I don't see myself brewing more than 5 gallons at a time (I've been doing extra brewing for a few years), and I'm not sure the extra $1,400 to go to a medium is worth the cost.

I have the medium, so I can't answer Q1. But using the Therminator should be easy. I assume all the hoses on the small BIAC have tri-clamps like the medium and large, so you'll need to configure your Therminator connections. I had two plate chillers: a 40 plate and a 20 plate. I sold the 40 and the stand and water pump that I used with it but I kept my 20 plate chiller just in case I want to do a back-to-back brew. I also kept two SS Brewtech fermenters for the same reason.

 

[snackson]

They now offer a chiller on their website, http://brewhaequipment.com/blogs/br...r-chiller?mc_cid=52c8c29834&mc_eid=71b6d7d177

Plus a vacuum breaker/pressure relief combo for those concerned, http://brewhaequipment.com/collections/extras/products/3psi-pressure-and-vacuum-safety-relief-valve

 

[limulus]

Wow, Nathan needs a history and geography lesson. Czechoslovakia does not exist anymore and has not since 1993.

 

[cuda6pak]

Just got my TK2000 in today, should have went with this the first time around, its a beast. Hopefully crash cooling at 32° won't be an issue with this in the summer.

 

[Fuzzy-felt]

Wow, Nathan needs a history and geography lesson. Czechoslovakia does not exist anymore and has not since 1993.

Must be old stock he's trying to push.

 

[cuda6pak]

limulus - how did your extra false bottom work out for recirculating?

 

[limulus]

limulus - how did your extra false bottom work out for recirculating?

I have only used it once, but it worked very well. Once the mash was complete, I raised the inner MT and the water drained quite nicely. Before, it was very slow and almost stuck. So after one brew (pale ale), I can say it seems to be a nice addition.

 

[Fuzzy-felt]

I was having a terrible time cleaning the standard ball valves I got with the BIAC - it was taking me ages to put them back together.

Then I looked at Nathan's video on the valves, and saw that you're meant to take the handle off.

I'll get my coat.....