Brewie

[Ajes]

Hmm...
I fail to see how we are going to extremes.
Wouldn't that make it equally extreme to keep making negative comments, when most posts in this thread (at least for the last many pages) are about people trying to help out those who actually do enjoy using the machine?

 

[Nate R]

Ok all.. some great points on both sides above. But, let's get back on-track to what is really important right now...
My current issues with the water valve (lol, sorry- but need some help here!)

~~~~~
Ok all supportive Brewie repair friends.... so I got my machine up and running. Boiled at over 213 degrees for a full size batch! Yes!

BUT- when cooling came, the water supply to the heat exchange did not go. (I do get water in to the machine for cleaning, etc.) I assume the valve is not correct, but I just opened it up and cannot find any visible issues,

Thoughts anyone? I am going to scour the repair guides now, see if there is anything there.

So, any pointers on the water valve issue are much appreciated! Thanks all!

 

[Ajes]

You're right - back on track
Did you try opening the valve through dev-mode? Might help figuring out whether we are looking at hardware or software issues.

 

[Nate R]

You're right - back on track
Did you try opening the valve through dev-mode? Might help figuring out whether we are looking at hardware or software issues.

Yeah good idea. I forgot to do that before i flipped it over and took off the cover.
I think i will trace the wires- maybe i cut it somehow? Unplugged it somehow?

 

[Still Brewn]

I will open it this Wednesday/Thursday when I get time. Thank you!

There is a fuse but I think it no longer boots if blown. What you are looking for is discoloration of the yellow shown ..... may be black or brown now. If it is white you have a machine with the upgraded wires but it should (in my opinion) have the fan mod done to it.

You're right - back on track
Did you try opening the valve through dev-mode? Might help figuring out whether we are looking at hardware or software issues.

Plus 1 on this. Double check that you had the water on and that you had the recipe configured to cool the wort. While you have it apart check that all plugs are plugged in tightly.
I cant remember if the water valve was a 2 outlet or a single outlet either way double check the plug on it.

 

[Ajes]

Yeah good idea. I forgot to do that before i flipped it over and took off the cover.
I think i will trace the wires- maybe i cut it somehow? Unplugged it somehow?

Yeah check that. The inlet is a dual valve, so you should have 4 wires going to it. It can be difficult to hear whether the valve opens, so you might want to connect water for this test.

 

[HarkinBanks]

Yeah check that. The inlet is a dual valve, so you should have 4 wires going to it. It can be difficult to hear whether the valve opens, so you might want to connect water for this test.

Nate, I'm going to guess one of the wires got unplugged while you were rooting around fixing things. This has happened to me a few times. The pump wires have simple connectors that can easily unplug, and there are several connections over near the water inlets that can get pulled out when you pull up the base plate. Trace all of the wires that you can and then put the machine in developer/test mode to test all of the valves individually.

 

[Nate R]

Thanks @HarkinBanks and @Ajes for the tips.
You know what i realized (embarassingly that i missed this!).

The water auto-filled for a cleaning cycle before the brew.
When the cooling cycle started, i got a pop-up stating there was no water. When i hit "ok" then water DID come out of the chiller outlet hose.
So the water valve IS working... but now i wonder if maybe a "pincher" valve (one of the switchig valves? What are thoose, anyways?) Is unplugged. So i will check thoose wires next.
I will update results here later.
Thanks all!!

 

[kh54s10]

Adventures in Homebrewing still has these on their website. $2428.99. It says ships from vendor and the site did allow me to put it in my cart. That is far as I went.

Resurrected company or just slow website management by AIH? Can't imagine anyone buying one at full price after reading all the 62 pages here.

 

[Nate R]

Adventures in Homebrewing still has these on their website. $2428.99. It says ships from vendor and the site did allow me to put it in my cart. That is far as I went.

Resurrected company or just slow website management by AIH? Can't imagine anyone buying one at full price after reading all the 62 pages here.

Who reads anymore?? Lol. Heck i havent even read all 62 pages here... i just skim when needed.

Looks like maybe a drop-ship deal? I would bet it does not go through.

Amazon has them $999 prime.

 

[applescrap]

If a couple of mods and hit a button and it works, I remain interested at 250. I just have such a powerful simple system I just cant afford it right now. But I love the idea of it.

 

[Nate R]

If a couple of mods and hit a button and it works, I remain interested at 250. I just have such a powerful simple system I just cant afford it right now. But I love the idea of it.

Yeah... be careful on the ebay $250 units... thoose are a little more hit & miss lol.

 

[Nate R]

Thanks @HarkinBanks and @Ajes for the tips.
You know what i realized (embarassingly that i missed this!).

The water auto-filled for a cleaning cycle before the brew.
When the cooling cycle started, i got a pop-up stating there was no water. When i hit "ok" then water DID come out of the chiller outlet hose.
So the water valve IS working... but now i wonder if maybe a "pincher" valve (one of the switchig valves? What are thoose, anyways?) Is unplugged. So i will check thoose wires next.
I will update results here later.
Thanks all!!

Well, although I looked about a dozen times, on the next look I found a small plastic cable connector that was not re-plugged in (or had come un-plugged during the fix).
Just ran a manual test and we had circulation! So I can assume my chiller will now work.
Going to do a real brew now.
Again, thanks all for the help here!

 

[Ajes]

It's aliiiive

 

[sharpbeer]

Alright,
I have a day off work so I can mess around with the Brewie+, v 3.1.1. Set it to developer mode, placed 1 gallon in each mash and boil sides, and set the heaters to 50C. The mash (right) side, went from 30C to 50C in just a few min, turned it off and tried the boil (left) side. It does not heat, stuck at 30C and falling after 10 min, so I can safely assume it is the heating element/wires, thanks @Nate R !

Now, I opened the Brewie up from the bottom but I'm not exactly sure how to get to the heating element and its wiring... do I have to remove all of these pumps and tubing? I did find the repair PDF back a few pages but that is for the B20 and my unit is the Brewie + so it's internals are arranged a bit differently.

 

[Ajes]

If you go to brewieforum.net, you can find the repair guides for both B20 and B20+.

 

[Nate R]

@sharpbeer you can go here:
http://www.brewieforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7

Also, look at page 59 of this thread. Lots o good info there, too!
Hit up the Google Drive (Pg 57 or 58?) as well- grab the files.

 

[sharpbeer]

So, I'm going to assume these wires all need to be replaced...?

 

[Nate R]

So, I'm going to assume these wires all need to be replaced...?

Looks like it, yes.
I used some super fine sandpaper to clean up the terminal ends.

Note- you may not have to replace the wires, perhaps just the end connectors (and then use the flex grip tape above to wrap several times.)

Others here may disagree and suggest you replace the wires. Might be worth it since you already have it open.

 

[shadow160]

I would replace them. They are damaged from over heating and you already have it open. Do it once and be done

 

[HarkinBanks]

That is the first B+ I have seen with the upgraded wires and silicone end coverings from the factory. Unfortunately they used the same bad adhesive that they used on prior versions. They would have been better off using nothing. I would suggest unhooking the wires and use an exacto knife or some other tool to scrape all of that off. Check the wire ends to see if they have been damaged. There shouldn’t be much. If there is, cut back just a bit and crimp new spade connectors and then protect with silicone tape. The wires can be reused if you cut back to clean wire.

 

[Still Brewn]

Looks like it, yes.
I used some super fine sandpaper to clean up the terminal ends.

Note- you may not have to replace the wires, perhaps just the end connectors (and then use the flex grip tape above to wrap several times.)

Others here may disagree and suggest you replace the wires. Might be worth it since you already have it open.

You can easily tell if you need to replace them by cutting off the ends and stripping bact the cover, if the copper wire is any color other than a bright copper color (will start off by turning a rose/copper color) replace them.

That is the first B+ I have seen with the upgraded wires and silicone end coverings from the factory. Unfortunately they used the same bad adhesive that they used on prior versions. They would have been better off using nothing. I would suggest unhooking the wires and use an exacto knife or some other tool to scrape all of that off. Check the wire ends to see if they have been damaged. There shouldn’t be much. If there is, cut back just a bit and crimp new spade connectors and then protect with silicone tape. The wires can be reused if you cut back to clean wire.

This is also the first of the new wiring I have seen burnt. Goes to show you that there is just too much heat buildup in there and installing the auxiliary fans is very much needed. The only other solution I can see is replacing the heating elements with a lower wattage ..... 1500 watt instead of 1800. I have not done the research to see if that is a viable option though.

So, I'm going to assume these wires all need to be replaced...?

How many brews have you done on that machine?

 

[Still Brewn]

So, I'm going to assume these wires all need to be replaced...?

Be sure that check the mash tun also. If there is any discoloration you will want to explore repair options. In my opinion installing the fans is the way to go.

 

[Nate R]

Hey all, happy almost Thanksgiving!
So many "Deals" going around the next few days... but i wonder if MoreBeer is going to discount the Brewie?!?

‐----------

Black Friday Sale Early Access!
(Offer Expires 11/29 at Midnight PT)

Our Biggest Sale of the year is here! We have marked down over 150 products some up to 50% off for Black Friday and we are giving you early access. Thanks for being a Morebeer! newsletter subscriber and have a great Thanksgiving!

To shop our Black Friday Sale, click here

P.S. Be sure to check out our Deal Of The Day page! We have some sweet deals planned there as well. Every day at 9am PT a new deal will be posted. Friday is going to be something electric, stainless steel and heavily discounted.

If you have any questions give us a call at 1-800-600-0033

Cheers!

The MoreBeer! Team

 

[Blazinlow86]

Hey all, happy almost Thanksgiving!
So many "Deals" going around the next few days... but i wonder if MoreBeer is going to discount the Brewie?!?

‐----------

Black Friday Sale Early Access!
(Offer Expires 11/29 at Midnight PT)

Our Biggest Sale of the year is here! We have marked down over 150 products some up to 50% off for Black Friday and we are giving you early access. Thanks for being a Morebeer! newsletter subscriber and have a great Thanksgiving!

To shop our Black Friday Sale, click here

P.S. Be sure to check out our Deal Of The Day page! We have some sweet deals planned there as well. Every day at 9am PT a new deal will be posted. Friday is going to be something electric, stainless steel and heavily discounted.

If you have any questions give us a call at 1-800-600-0033

Cheers!

The MoreBeer! Team

Time to stock up on them if so. How many are you planning to buy. Can never have too many. Cheers

 

[Nate R]

Time to stock up on them if so. How many are you planning to buy. Can never have too many. Cheers

Ha ha ha... touche.

Actually... i was browsing over there... they now have their Brew Sculpture in all electric! Looks super sexy! And super duper expensive!!
Maybe that will go on sale?!?!

 

[Nate R]

Well all... hope your Thanksgivings were just swell!

I had some time to kill and wanted to re-read this thread from the start. So i did and just finished.
(Note- i 'liked' some posts i missed before, but may be a bit old. Helps me bookmark items).
Wow!
I sure hope some day there is a Netflix documentary on this (hey netflix- i will do it!! Gimmie $500,000 and i will!!)
Or at least i hope we find out what happened to Brewie.
If you are hard up for something to do, i suggest a full re-read (unless you have a life).
It is very interesting how a few people predicted some issues early.
All in all, most everyone wanted the Brewie to work. What is REALLY cool for me is that after Brewie went dark, this community came Alive! The peer support (from the google drive files, to the user group, to just this thread) was incredible. It is like once we knew Brewie was gone, we lost all fears of opening up the machine.
Other than 1 negative poster, and 1 who kind-of came around, i see a lot support here- not for the Company Brewie, but for the idea and the actual brewie units. So cool!!

So, anyways... sorry for any weird likes on old posts, but what a fun read. Not 'Moby Dick' worthy, but fun.

Also, one final "Conspiracy Theroy" thought...
What if the company "Brewie" is just out of buisness for the US? It was, after all, the 120v units that had most issues. Shipping is crazy expensive, seems like they never really got a repair partner stateside that worked for them... maybe their idea is go dark and figure out how to be in buisness just in Europe? Maybe finish that commercial size machine?
The website was re-registered in Oct 2019, about a month after they went dark.

Call me crazy, but it IS what I would do if i was in their shoes. Focus on just your continent.

Thoughts?

Anywho... thanks for reading. Again, hope y'all had a great Holiday. Lookin' forward to another easy brew day this weekend.

 

[Nate R]

Hello? Is this thing on? (Terrible!)
Where are all the Brewie users at?
Any issues lately or are people just simply brewing?
Since getting the crimps fixed on my B20 unit i have had several succesful brews.
I also just started using the automatic water inlet feature for brewing... so nice!
(I was using bottled distilled water before, but after seeing a great brewery i love about 1.5 miles from me just charcoal filtering city water i figured why not? Got an rv in line filter and an rv water hose.)

Anyways... brewie.org has been down for about a day now...

Cheers all!

 

[Blazinlow86]

There's only yourself and a few survivor's left. The brewie Facebook page is on its last legs too with even the most diehard fans appearing to have accepted the brewies fate and moved on. Cheers

 

[cubsfan16]

Hello? Is this thing on? (Terrible!)
Where are all the Brewie users at?
Any issues lately or are people just simply brewing?
Since getting the crimps fixed on my B20 unit i have had several succesful brews.
I also just started using the automatic water inlet feature for brewing... so nice!
(I was using bottled distilled water before, but after seeing a great brewery i love about 1.5 miles from me just charcoal filtering city water i figured why not? Got an rv in line filter and an rv water hose.)

Anyways... brewie.org has been down for about a day now...

Cheers all!

I’ve just been brewing. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I’ve had no issues with my Brewie +. I have around 15-20 batches in. I feel a lot better with all the repair guides out there that I can keep mine rolling. I alternate brews between this and my electric biab set up. I use RV in-line filter and have always used the water inlet. I did put on a pressure reducer at my outlet since I had high pressure (75psi).

 

[Ajes]

Same here - not much going on, the machine works nicely. Most time now is spent trying to figure out how to best use my diy version of the blichmann quick carb.

 

[volx]

There's only yourself and a few survivor's left. The brewie Facebook page is on its last legs too with even the most diehard fans appearing to have accepted the brewies fate and moved on. Cheers

I don't think this is the case. Most have figured out their issues and their machines are working, so there are less reasons to post and ask for help/advice. My Brewie+ has done about 30 brews with ZERO problems since I replaced the heating wires and installed a small fan, as suggested here.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I don't think this is the case. Most have figured out their issues and their machines are working, so there are less reasons to post and ask for help/advice. My Brewie+ has done about 30 brews with ZERO problems since I replaced the heating wires and installed a small fan, as suggested here.

Meh join the Facebook site. The message is pretty clear over there. Cheers

 

[TwistedGray]

I can't believe this thread still has legs.

 

[Ajes]

Of course it does
It's a great place to get help and good ideas for the machine.
The facebook page for brewie owners is actually another great place for good advice and helpfull people.

 

[macgyuver]

I am in the process of refurbishing my 2 Ebay units. Reworking the heater wires, using 10ga wire and High temp terminals, self sealing tape, and high temp electrical tape. Making sure all the screws are tight and installed properly. Installing fans that will blow cool air onto the terminals at the heater to help with the over heating issues that melt the wire and ends. Almost done with the first unit and have just started disassembly of the other unit. Had one that the SD card had died and would not boot. Have since flashed a new card and got the controller up and running. Now have access to the dev mode so I can check all the internals as I reinstall them. Have learned a lot about the units and don't see the original price point with the components that were used. Would like to order a new processor board with a stronger CPU and see if it would increase the speed of the unit. All in all this has been a fun adventure. Will post some pics when I get a chance. Will also post updates but they will be some time in between posts. This is not my primary brew unit so I am working on them in my spare time which is limited. Cheers...

 

[Ajes]

Sounds very interesting!
I'm not sure that it's possible to use the same software with a different processor board (Here I assume you mean the board located by the display - not the mcu board).
It's running a linux OS - and in that regard, any board running linux could work. However, there some connections to the display, and to the mcu board. This means you would have to figure these connections out by yourself and connect them manually. Or get a different display and arduino (mcu) board, and set that up accordingly. This IS doable - but it's likely a bit of an "adventure". And then the Brewie application might not work as intended, so you'd also have to rewrite that from scratch too...

Oh look at me sounding all negative and gloomy.... this is actually something that I would like to do, but I'm still brushing up on my C++ skills...
BUT if someone were to do this (use a more regular raspberry type board, use a regular display, use a regular arduino mcu, and write up a new program) - I think most Brewie owners would be extremely interested

 

[CircleGetSquare]

Sounds very interesting!
I'm not sure that it's possible to use the same software with a different processor board (Here I assume you mean the board located by the display - not the mcu board).
It's running a linux OS - and in that regard, any board running linux could work. However, there some connections to the display, and to the mcu board. This means you would have to figure these connections out by yourself and connect them manually. Or get a different display and arduino (mcu) board, and set that up accordingly. This IS doable - but it's likely a bit of an "adventure". And then the Brewie application might not work as intended, so you'd also have to rewrite that from scratch too...

Oh look at me sounding all negative and gloomy.... this is actually something that I would like to do, but I'm still brushing up on my C++ skills...
BUT if someone were to do this (use a more regular raspberry type board, use a regular display, use a regular arduino mcu, and write up a new program) - I think most Brewie owners would be extremely interested

I'm a UX/UI designer by trade with some front-end chops. Would be happy to lend a hand to this kind of endeavor in any way I could.

 

[Nate R]

Well... today's brewing kinda went a little sideways on my b20 (original) unit.
I am on my third brew using the auto-in water for the brewing water.
Set up machine, calibrated, started it up.
All went fine, until the water had pumped over the mashing.
Mashing started, and then the water failed to stop filling for the sparge water.
Thankfully I caught it in time- and here is how I think I have saved the brew:
-I fully drained the boil side
-I drained the mash side and saved it
-I re-started the brew, and used manual water
-I just used the mash drain for the initial water
-I will manually add the sparge water.

Hopefully i can save this brew!

I know this was an issue in the past, but as i recall it was all either software or calibration (not doing it) related. Any other thoughts?

Thanks all!

 

[macgyuver]

Well... today's brewing kinda went a little sideways on my b20 (original) unit.
I am on my third brew using the auto-in water for the brewing water.
Set up machine, calibrated, started it up.
All went fine, until the water had pumped over the mashing.
Mashing started, and then the water failed to stop filling for the sparge water.
Thankfully I caught it in time- and here is how I think I have saved the brew:
-I fully drained the boil side
-I drained the mash side and saved it
-I re-started the brew, and used manual water
-I just used the mash drain for the initial water
-I will manually add the sparge water.

Hopefully i can save this brew!

I know this was an issue in the past, but as i recall it was all either software or calibration (not doing it) related. Any other thoughts?

Thanks all!

From what I remember it is an issue when the software was updated manually by writing the SD image on the SD card but the MCU firmware was not updated. In this situation the calibrations are off and will not function properly with auto water. There is a post somewhere about how to update everything using a Pi to update the MCU and writing the SD image to match.