Brew Sculptures

[runhard]

Yes beer4breakfast it was a BrewMagic Pro. The system seems very well thought out if you're into RIMS. The frame is as well built as anything I've seen and the powder coat is very nice. The stainless steel plumbing and tri-clamp connects are also very nice. My complaints have been with the gas regulator and the repair/replacement of the HLT. It is a breeze to use but I'm now more in line with the folks who prefer HERMS so that is where I'm at right now. I will likely set it up to have pilot lights on the burners and contact the builder of Brutus 10 for plans on how to design a controller. My biggest fault was that I rushed into the purchase because I was tired of my 3-tier gravity system and didn't seriously consider taking the time to design a RIMS or HERMS system and building it. Those of you who take the time to build your system from scratch should truly be proud of your accomplishment.

 

[BrewStef]

Yes beer4breakfast it was a BrewMagic Pro. The system seems very well thought out if you're into RIMS. The frame is as well built as anything I've seen and the powder coat is very nice. The stainless steel plumbing and tri-clamp connects are also very nice. My complaints have been with the gas regulator and the repair/replacement of the HLT. It is a breeze to use but I'm now more in line with the folks who prefer HERMS so that is where I'm at right now. I will likely set it up to have pilot lights on the burners and contact the builder of Brutus 10 for plans on how to design a controller. My biggest fault was that I rushed into the purchase because I was tired of my 3-tier gravity system and didn't seriously consider taking the time to design a RIMS or HERMS system and building it. Those of you who take the time to build your system from scratch should truly be proud of your accomplishment.

Why do you prefer HERMS over RIMS?

 

[runhard]

The biggest is risk of scorching the wort and the temperature of the heating element is much hotter than the actual desired wort setting so the wort flows by the electric heating element and I'm certain that enzymes are being denatured to a certain degree based on the 1/2-life of the enzyme at different, elevated temperatures. Think of an egg white as it is heated and how the proteins' structure is altered by the heating. At least with a HERMS system the wort will pass through the heat exchanger and you can maintain your HLT water at a more reasonable 170°F or whatever temp. you choose.

 

[runhard]

Oh, one time I failed to clean the heating element and the next brew I did tasted like an ash tray. I never forget to clean that element now but today or tomorrow I'm buying the copper coil to convert my RIMS to a HERMS and I'll ditch the heating element. First I need to ask the forum about copper tube types.
Jeffrey

 

[BrewStef]

What do you need to do to convert the SABCO BrewMagic system from a RIMS to a HERMS system exactly?

Thanks again.

 

[Monster Mash]

What do you need to do to convert the SABCO BrewMagic system from a RIMS to a HERMS system exactly?

Thanks again.

Throw a copper coil in the HLT and your done....

 

[Bsquared]

But...It is about my brew sculpture in progress...

I am getting ready to finish up my supper so compact HERMS, all I have to do is wire up the pump and the temperature control units, and I'm red2go. But I have been thinking lately that I should separate the recirculating inlet form the sparge arm. Right now I have just a sparge arm that I was planing on having it double as the recirculating inlet, because I have seen other people do it that way.But now that I think about it, it might be better if the recirculating inlet flow is not reduced to go through the small holes in the sparge arm. Any suggestions?

 

[runhard]

Yep, Monster Mash is right. All I need is the copper tube.

I thought about coiling b/w 10-15 feet of 1/2 inch O.D. copper tubing in the HLT and that will be it. I won't need additional tri-clamp assemblies thank goodness because today I was checking McMaster-Carr and those things are expensive. I'm still kicking myself for buying this thing as if I could learn a little patience I could've over the course of a few weeks converted my gravity system into a nice HERMS system.

 

[Eastside Brewer]

Wow, very sad to hear. I have had the exact opposite experience with Sabco! I was a bucket brewer and decided to take the plunge. I researched both B3 and Sabco, and not only was Sabco miles ahead in service but also attitude. I also strongly believe that with Sabco's design you will not get scortching, BYO magazine did a nice article with both systems side-by-side and even they felt Sabco's design was excellent. Sorry you had a bad experience, but I think you would have to admit that the system is awesome, especially for those who are not do-it-yourselfers!

 

[runhard]

Wow, very sad to hear. I have had the exact opposite experience with Sabco! I was a bucket brewer and decided to take the plunge. I researched both B3 and Sabco, and not only was Sabco miles ahead in service but also attitude. I also strongly believe that with Sabco's design you will not get scortching, BYO magazine did a nice article with both systems side-by-side and even they felt Sabco's design was excellent. Sorry you had a bad experience, but I think you would have to admit that the system is awesome, especially for those who are not do-it-yourselfers!

I agree the system is very nice and from my previous posts you can see that I haven't had too many bad things to say about the system but I respectfully disagree with you about the scorching. If scorching were not an issue then why must one remove the element after each brew. I know depending on what my grain bill is and whether I'm doing a step mash or a single temp. mash that sometimes there is significant buildup on the heating element and other times there is just a little but there is always something to clean on the heating element. Is that buildup not scorched wort? It seems to me that the buildup is one step beyond Maillard Rxn. products. Our experiences with customer service were certainly different. I will say that certain people in the company tried very hard to provide customer satisifaction but I feel like I got burned since I had to resort to threatening to box it up and ship it back on my coin to finally get my kettle replaced with a new one,......not a not-so-well-repaired one.
Jeffrey

 

[Eastside Brewer]

I can't say I would feel any different if I had your experience. It is a lot of money and it should have been replaced. When did you purchase yours? I just got mine in Jan 07' and I know they changed the heating element for that reason. On the BM forum many will complain about the heating element getting a lot of build up, but it is on older models. The new heating element is supposed to be a lot better, after I brewed I took mine out and it didn't have anything on it. With the older models I think they reccommend using the burners to raise temp then use the heat element to maintain temp. Sorry for your bad experience, just keep brewing man.

EB

 

[runhard]

I got mine July '06. The model I have also recommends using the burner to raise the temp. in the mash tun to 2°F above the desire then turning on the element at the desired temperature while recirculating the wort. I guess the model I have must be similar to those you mentioned on the BM forum who complain about the heating element. I've got solenoids in hand and need to wire and plumb mine to add the pilot light. I've got some work to do but for now I'm simply converting mine to a HERMS and will get the automation part done shortly. Keep on brewing brother.

 

[runhard]

Efficiency increase after converting my BrewMagic to a HERMS; I went up from an average of 76 to mid-80's. Identical grain bills, step mashes, etc. simply HERMS -vs- RIMS. I've only done 2 brews on the HERMS but my efficiencies were 83 and 86%. No more heating element for me.

 

[Eastside Brewer]

runhard, I am interested in seeing what you have done with the BM to convert it to HERMS. Do you have pics perhaps?


Thanks,
EB

 

[runhard]

I'm brewing this weekend; I'll take pictures and either post here or in my gallery. It was pretty simple as MonsterMash suggested. I simply dropped a copper coil into the HLT and recirculate with the heater element turned off. Haven't had time to add the solenoids but maybe in the fall or winter when I have more time.
runhard

 

[runhard]

Here is the picture of the quick conversion of my brewmagic to a HERMS. My efficiencies have been better as a HERMS system but since it is basically a RIMS/HERMS combo I will try a newer heating element as Eastside Brewer suggested.
Jeffrey
runhard, trainhard.........oh heck just go have a beer.