BLING BLING Electric HERMS Conversion

[Stile]

You noobs make me laugh.....

I've decided to go with a mini Plutonian core based fusion system for my BK and will rely on a quad switched Valcon monitor with a combined lead and concrete containment housing to make it all work. I've already core drilled a 2500ft ejection shaft in case of a system meltdown.

It's a bit pricy i know, but if i don't keep one step ahead on Pol...... well he just makes me look silly

 

[The Pol]

No updated today fellas. Declared an Emergency flying into New York last night... today is filing paperwork and a report on that. Then, flying til midnight again. Sorry to keep yall hanging, been a hectic week here.

 

[Gregredic]

Stile...shouldn't you think about incorporating a flux capacitor in order to speed up the brewing process?

 

[caskconditioned]

No updated today fellas. Declared an Emergency flying into New York last night... today is filing paperwork and a report on that. Then, flying til midnight again. Sorry to keep yall hanging, been a hectic week here.

Yikes, glad you are OK Pol. Anytime I hear "emergency" from a pilots mouth makes me really nervous

 

[onejdn]

this is all very fascinating. I am starting to rethink my upcoming system build and maybe go electric. I have pretty cheep utility rates here (except for gas) so it would probably be quite a bit cheaper to brew.

 

[The Pol]

Yikes, glad you are OK Pol. Anytime I hear "emergency" from a pilots mouth makes me really nervous

It turned out fine, kept the ppl calm... I did though discover that our prescribed procedure for this emergency is, let me say lacking. We improvised and did something completely different to obtain a suitable outcome. They are reviewing some stuff now due to this situation.

I will be TRYING to finish my control panel tomorrow, err, today... 12-30-08 before my inlaws arrive for our Xmas get-together. Thanks for the support and staying tuned!!!

 

[planenut]

No updated today fellas. Declared an Emergency flying into New York last night... today is filing paperwork and a report on that. Then, flying til midnight again. Sorry to keep yall hanging, been a hectic week here.

I'd like to hear more about the emergency.. You've made me curious.

If it's not classified.

 

[The Pol]

I'd like to hear more about the emergency.. You've made me curious.

If it's not classified.

Abnormal SLAT/FLAP deployment on final approach. My FO did a great job flying though, had to buck up and land with a 20kt gusting to 32kt cross wind up there that night on top of it all. The biggest issue became the lack of a suitable checklist for the situation that we had

 

[Seabee John]

Yikes, glad you are OK Pol. Anytime I hear "emergency" from a pilots mouth makes me really nervous

You know, for Northwest pilots a simple empty scotch glass in flight constitutes an "emergency"

 

[The Pol]

Wiring is complete on the box... doing some finishing touches... it will be posted by this evening!!

 

[planenut]

Abnormal SLAT/FLAP deployment on final approach. My FO did a great job flying though, had to buck up and land with a 20kt gusting to 32kt cross wind up there that night on top of it all. The biggest issue became the lack of a suitable checklist for the situation that we had

Glad it worked out ok. We had a similar problem on our Falcon 50EX in Orlando. We had an asymmetry light and of course they stopped moving so had to land slats only. Turned out to be just a bad micro switch.

 

[The Pol]

IT IS FINISHED!!! It boiled up some water, ran my pump, heated my HLT... It is great, it is awesome... I am so in love!

 

[The Pol]

Here it is!!

Switch #1 controls the HLT.
Switch #2 controls the BK (PID directly above).
Switch #3 controls the March Pump.

The BK swtich switches BOTH HOTS to the element. It cuts off the HOT before it reaches the SSR, the other HOT before it reaches the element outlet.

 

[The Pol]

MORE

 

[The Pol]

#1. After a lot of debate about the dielectric capabilities of JB WELD... Id say it handles 240VAC pretty well. No issues.

#2. DO NOT overtighten the element when you intall it in the keg. The water heater element seal works best when it is ONLY FINGER TIGHT. No wrenches, no leaks!

#3. DO have a multimeter (volt meter)... they are great for checking connections and trouble shooting!

#4. My 5500W element keeps a nice rolling boil going with 6 gallons in the BK at about 75%. I can turn it all the way down to 60%, but it will pulse a little.

#5. If you build this, you wont be disappointed.

 

[Gregredic]

How long did it take to get the 6 gallons to a boil? Mind posting a picture of the back of the control panel all finished up? Also, did you attach the ground to the same place your thermocoupler goes? Are you planning to wrap the ekeggle in insulation?

 

[The Pol]

6 gallons to a boil from 70F took about 24 mins. Should take about 13 minutes to get 7.4 gallons to a boil after the sparge!

I do not have a finished picture of the back, you can get the idea from the "in process" photo that was posted previously. It turned out really well... I am really pleased.

 

[The Pol]

How long did it take to get the 6 gallons to a boil? Mind posting a picture of the back of the control panel all finished up? Also, did you attach the ground to the same place your thermocoupler goes? Are you planning to wrap the ekeggle in insulation?

The ground is attached where the thermocouple goes into the BK. The instructions for doing this are posted in the OP with the element construction instructions.

I am not going to insualte the BK, there seems to be no need. The boil time is short, and I can keep it boiling at 60% power, and 75% keeps it boiling with no pulsing.

NO MORE GAS!!!

 

[bakins]

I used water proof switch boxes and covers. But I'm messy, so maybe it won't hurt you. (Example, one of my quick disconnects on my chiller disconnected spontaneously yesterday and I got a quart of Belgian Golden all over my rig. I guess I never had it clicked all the way... No ************* jokes...)

I too would like to see a shot of the back if possible... Pretty please

Let me know how you like the PID as compared to the other temp controller you have. I'm debating what to do with a possible RIMS build:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ranco-love-rims-pid-95129/

 

[The Pol]

My rig has been pretty much DRIP free for a while now. I suppose that if a disconnect blew off, Id test my GFCI!


The PID is cool... but keep in mind I just use it in manual mode really, so the true value of its capabilities are lost on me.

My A419 is more than suitable for my HLT... the PID in manual is nice for the BK... PIDS and SSRs are cool, you just need room to wire them up. This box is REALLY tight inside... REALLY.

 

[kal]

Congrats Pol! Very nice indeed. Enjoy the freedom of 100% electric.

Kal

 

[stevehaun]

Nice system. I think you will really like it.
What is the cycle time set on your PID? I found that I needed to decrease my cycle time to 1 sec to prevent "pulsing" in the manual mode.
One thing you might consider is using a copper lug to attach the ground to a hole drilled in the bottom skirt of your keggle. You really can't overdo grounding.

 

[The Pol]

HERE IS THE BACK!!!

 

[The Pol]

Nice system. I think you will really like it.
What is the cycle time set on your PID? I found that I needed to decrease my cycle time to 1 sec to prevent "pulsing" in the manual mode.
One thing you might consider is using a copper lug to attach the ground to a hole drilled in the bottom skirt of your keggle. You really can't overdo grounding.

I will check my cycle time... if I can reduce the pulsing, I can turn it down to about 60% to boil a 5 gallon batch!

EDIT: Cycle time was at 2 seconds... I set it at 1... I will run a test tomorrow. Dont have to worry about wasting gas!

 

[caskconditioned]

Congrats and thanks for all the work you did getting the info posted. I'm going to spend some time tomorrow really going over all the details so I can get started on upgrading my system to electric.

 

[The Pol]

If you have ANY questions, please ask!!

 

[onejdn]

stupid question I'm sure, is there any concern of the element scorching the wort since it's in direct contact during the boil?

 

[drez77]

Pol,

Looks real nice and clean. I love electric brewing, so easy and quiet!! No more propane. Nice system!

As for the question about scorching. I have a low density element in mine no the ultra low density that others use and I have had no off flavor or notice of scorching in my beer. It maybe 1 or 2 srm darker than a batch done with propane but I have not done a side by side comparison.

Good tip on the cycling time. I have to check mine.

Mike

 

[steedtucker]

pol,
is there a pic of the inside of the control panel on this thread?
i would like to see how you situated everything.

 

[The Pol]

pol,
is there a pic of the inside of the control panel on this thread?
i would like to see how you situated everything.

There IS a picture in the thread of the inside of the box... it is VERY tight in there so the internal layout is really important. I also have the pics in my gallery!