BrewCommander 240V HERMS System Question

[dspencej]

Hey everyone!

I have a questions about using the BrewCommander from Blichmann in my HERMS system.

I have a three vessel HERMS system with propane as the heat source. I have been keeping the system in my garage, but want to move the system to my basement. I really do not want to light a fire in my basement, so I am converting it to electric.

Here are the system specs:
HLT - 15 gallon tank with an install HERMS coil.
MLT - 15 gallon Blichmann BoilerMaker G2 with false bottom and auto-sparge.
BK - 20 gallon Blichmann BoilerMaker G2 with whirlpool.
I also use two riptide pumps.

I am planning on installing two of Blichmann's BoilCoils - one in the HLT and one in the BK. I will use a BrewCommander to control the BoilCoil in the HLT and one riptide pump to recirculate the wort through the HERMs coil during the mash. My question is this, will I run into any issues having the temperature probe monitor the temperature of the mash, but have the BoilCoil in the HLT? I am worried that the water in the HLT won't heat up quick enough to maintain my mash temperature and that temperature will cycle too much as the system heats up.

Do anyone have any experience running this equipment in a HERMs system? I appreciate any advice!

On a separate note, I do not really want to buy a second BrewCommander to operate the heating element in the BK. Does anyone know any good alternatives? I think that the BrewCommander is a little overkill for the job.

 

[Bobby_M]

Install a probe in the HLT and install a second probe in the boil kettle. When you start sparging and the boil coil in the BK is covered with wort, switch both the power cable and probe wires into the commander. Done.

The only real downside is possible wear and tear on the probe jack and the fact that you can't use the soft switch for both pumps but that's not a big deal.

Whether you decide to put a second probe into the BK or not, you still need to run the boil coil through the controller to pull the output down once a boil is reached. The wort would practically jump out of the kettle running the element unregulated.

No you absolutely do not want the temp probe in the mash itself. The controller is designed to regulate the temp of the HLT and the mash temp will be maintained by you programming in a previously measured "system offset". That is, you measure the actual mash temp against what the HLT probe is reading. Whatever that difference is gets programmed in as an offset and the controller will now run the HLT at the corrected higher temperature to maintain your desired mash temp.

 

[BrunDog]

Hi @dspencej. This is self-serving, but since you asked... We offer a turnkey brewing control system called the UniFlex which can handle your elements and pumps, while giving you a pathway for future growth into control, monitoring, and automation. You can spec the UniFlex as a single vessel, then upgrade it to dual vessel in the future, or spec it as dual straight away. It is more expensive than the Brew Commander, but is an integrated system that will grow with you indefinitely, whereas the Brew Commander is a single-purpose discrete controller.

There is a thread on BruControl here in the Automated Brewing Forum if you have any questions on that system or want to learn more from existing users.

 

[dspencej]

Install a probe in the HLT and install a second probe in the boil kettle. When you start sparging and the boil coil in the BK is covered with wort, switch both the power cable and probe wires into the commander. Done.

The only real downside is possible wear and tear on the probe jack and the fact that you can't use the soft switch for both pumps but that's not a big deal.

Whether you decide to put a second probe into the BK or not, you still need to run the boil coil through the controller to pull the output down once a boil is reached. The wort would practically jump out of the kettle running the element unregulated.

No you absolutely do not want the temp probe in the mash itself. The controller is designed to regulate the temp of the HLT and the mash temp will be maintained by you programming in a previously measured "system offset". That is, you measure the actual mash temp against what the HLT probe is reading. Whatever that difference is gets programmed in as an offset and the controller will now run the HLT at the corrected higher temperature to maintain your desired mash temp.

Bobby_M,

Thank you for the advice! That makes total sense to me. I don't mind switching the temp probe and coil connection - it is definitely worth it to save several hundred dollars on another controller. And. the offset makes sense. I'll have to run a few tests with the system once I get it setup anyway. I am not sure how much water the system will lose, and I do not know the best place to position the pumps to avoid cavitating them. It will be fun to test it all out.

Thank you!

 

[dspencej]

Hi @dspencej. This is self-serving, but since you asked... We offer a turnkey brewing control system called the UniFlex which can handle your elements and pumps, while giving you a pathway for future growth into control, monitoring, and automation. You can spec the UniFlex as a single vessel, then upgrade it to dual vessel in the future, or spec it as dual straight away. It is more expensive than the Brew Commander, but is an integrated system that will grow with you indefinitely, whereas the Brew Commander is a single-purpose discrete controller.

There is a thread on BruControl here in the Automated Brewing Forum if you have any questions on that system or want to learn more from existing users.

Thank you for the recommendation! I already have one BrewCommander, so I want to try to get this system to work first, but I will keep the UniFlex in mind!

 

[BrunDog]

Sorry... I misunderstood that you did. Sounds like you have the right path in mind. Thanks and all the best!