Budget Basement Brewery Build

[daveMN]

Comparing the price of the Hot Rod vs. BIAB and mounting an element in my BK, it's a wash (about $55 either way). I'll have to give that some more thought.
In the meantime, I got a free 100 CFM fan (an improvement over the current 0 cfm) and bought an Inkbird PID with SSR, heatsink, and thermocouple. With a 8"x12"x6" enclosure, that puts me at $64 to control my heating element, whichever way I decide to go.

 

[schematix]

In the meantime, I got a free 100 CFM fan (an improvement over the current 0 cfm)

Hate to burst your bubble but 100 CFM might as well be 0. Realistically you're going to need 400-800 CFM to get sufficient velocity to pull the steam in and get it out before it condenses.

Check out this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=418665

 

[idiotsinc]

I was going to put my Christmas cash right into a Hot Stick but they were out. Put my email address into their "notify when available" list was told a couple days later they had 3 available. Got mine on Tuesday. One thing to be aware of is that if your brew pot is less than 14" in diameter there is only a couple of 5500w elements available that will fit though if you know beforehand they will bend the rod to make it fit. I ordered a Camco. I'd suggest you at least wait until you get the hot rod, measure the available space and go to your big box store and measure the actual element. If you're using 10 gauge wire leave a couple more inches more than they suggest. Pulling it through is hard on the insulation. My current setup has an element through the side of my pot and it's a hassle to empty or clean. Can't wait until the rest of my parts come in (1 1/2hrs to nearest big box store vs Amazon prime and 2 day shipping). I have 2 6" fans in my exhaust system and still need more to keep my basement from raining.

 

[daveMN]

Craigslist success today. 50a GFCI for $20.

 

[daveMN]

Update: going to start out BIAB. Since I'll mount an element in there at some point, might as well be now.
Installing a 110 CFM fan, and lowered the table to 32".
Bought an Inkbird ITC-100VH PID kit with SSR and thermocouple for $40.
Today's lesson learned: make sure the thermocouple is waterproof. Did not do that. This must be the brewing gods telling me to get a PT-100.

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[JONNYROTTEN]

Couple things.Make sure that pid has manual mode,I haven't installed ventilation but without the fan directly over the pot I see lots of steam in the basement still.You can get a 5500w element on amazon cheap,mount that with brewers hardware connection and your pot will be done.HF step bits definitely work for the hole.If you get an 80 qt pot you can do 10 gallon batches with your system,twice the beer same equipment same brew day.Dont for get your going to need a hoist over the pot for the grain bag

 

[daveMN]

Couple things.Make sure that pid has manual mode,I haven't installed ventilation but without the fan directly over the pot I see lots of steam in the basement still.You can get a 5500w element on amazon cheap,mount that with brewers hardware connection and your pot will be done.HF step bits definitely work for the hole.If you get an 80 qt pot you can do 10 gallon batches with your system,twice the beer same equipment same brew day.Dont for get your going to need a hoist over the pot for the grain bag

I think the Inkbird has manual, but I'll recheck. The ventilation is probably undersized, and I wanted to have it above the BK but wasn't sure how to place the fan and a pulley for the BIAB. Maybe put the fan on a hinge or track to move it in/out of position.
When I bought the element originally, I had a smaller kettle. I can fit a 5500w element in there now for about the same price so that may be a good improvement.

 

[schematix]

Update: going to start out BIAB. Since I'll mount an element in there at some point, might as well be now.
Installing a 110 CFM fan, and lowered the table to 32".
Bought an Inkbird ITC-100VH PID kit with SSR and thermocouple for $40.
Today's lesson learned: make sure the thermocouple is waterproof. Did not do that. This must be the brewing gods telling me to get a PT-100.

This is going to be 99.8% ineffective. You absolutely must have some sort of hood that is larger than your kettle over the top of it.

Especially with a modest 110 CFM it won't hardly pull any steam in where it's located.

 

[inkbird]

I think the Inkbird has manual, but I'll recheck. The ventilation is probably undersized, and I wanted to have it above the BK but wasn't sure how to place the fan and a pulley for the BIAB. Maybe put the fan on a hinge or track to move it in/out of position.
When I bought the element originally, I had a smaller kettle. I can fit a 5500w element in there now for about the same price so that may be a good improvement.

If it was lost, you can download here. It is more detail than the paper manual.

http://www.ink-bird.com/product/detail/p/PID_Temperature_Controller_ITC-100/id/1

 

[narcolepticsniper]

This is going to be 99.8% ineffective. You absolutely must have some sort of hood that is larger than your kettle over the top of it.

Especially with a modest 110 CFM it won't hardly pull any steam in where it's located.

I may have had a good idea....
Make out of anything...sheet metal, plexi, sealed plywood...

Unfolded, this is against your wall, out of the way of the pulley and whatnot. Once it's time to cook, fold it down and viola! A vent hood!

 

[wilserbrewer]

This is going to be 99.8% ineffective. You absolutely must have some sort of hood that is larger than your kettle over the top of it.



Especially with a modest 110 CFM it won't hardly pull any steam in where it's located.

While I agree, a modest 110 cfm fan is not ideal, it will still provide some needed ventilation. In a small room, say 10 x 10, 110 cfm will move the total room volume approx every 8 minutes. A hood is a great way to capture undesirables, but we are only talking water vapor here.

With such low exhaust volume, you will likely need a second small fan to mix the room air to avoid steam collecting at the ceiling.

Likely need to run the ventilation for an hour or so after the boil to reduce the humidity spike.

I brew in my basement with just a fan in an open window, it's what I had in hand and figured I'd give it a try. Is it the best, of course not...but it is certainly adequate IMHO.

We are not talking poison gasses here that MUST be captured and exhausted, a more global approach to ventilation works as well in my experience.

Are there any windows in this brew space that could supplement the ventilation?

I agree w schematix, 110 cfm is inadequate, I just feel 99.8% ineffective is a bit harsh.

How steam tolerant are you?

 

[Roland_deschain]

Im not sure of your situation but you may want to consider a larger exhaust unit or possibly several smaller units. In theory you will change the room air once every 10 minutes but the problem is that the water in the steam won't stay in suspension that long. You are going to have condensation pretty quickly. Running a dehumidifier for a while after brewing will save you headaches down the road.

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

http://www.zoro.com/dayton-blower-5...gclid=CKvQ-bv_usoCFQuSaQodGh4Nig&gclsrc=aw.ds

Im personally a fan of these.

For the input, they sell an adapter that screws on.http://www.brewandgrow.com/grow/ind...ies/adapters-flanges/can-fan-flange-3324.html You can connect a flexible dryer hose and postion it next to the top of the pot. Guarantee it will suck all that steam in like a shop vac!

 

[jbb3]

Another thing to watch out for is your exhaust line. From the fan, the exhaust line really needs to be run with a slight down slope. And the run needs to be as short as possible. Otherwise the steam/humid air will condense inside the line and the condensation will run back down into your fan housing and even overflow back into the room given enough condensation. Which may be another reason to rig up some sort of vent hood so you can mount the exhaust fan high and run the exhaust line with a down slope to the outside world.

 

[cubalz]

Subscribed!:beard:

 

[daveMN]

Thanks for all the ventilation input. I have some sheet metal I can form into a removable shroud that would still let me use a pulley with the BIAB. I was also thinking about making a track that I can move the fan over the kettle during the boil, then push it out of the way. I'm also considering a 30 - minute boil and/or keep a nice rolling boil, but not too vigorous.
I did an improvised "smoke tube" to see if the fan pulls air from the far side of the kettle. It worked somewhat, but I'll upgrade to a bigger fan like the Dayton that twotaurwean recommended or a vortex that a number of people use.
Any of these should get me above 0.2% effective .

 

[schematix]

I agree w schematix, 110 cfm is inadequate, I just feel 99.8% ineffective is a bit harsh.

How steam tolerant are you?

I was actually being optimistic with the 99.8%

If the goal is to remove the steam, with a 110cfm fan, without a hood, it will be 100% ineffective. The steam will just hit the ceiling and condense. A fan mounted halfway up the wall won't even be pulling out steam. It's going to be pulling out ambient air.

The 110cfm fan with a hood, might be a tad better than 99.8% ineffective.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I was actually being optimistic with the 99.8%

If the goal is to remove the steam, with a 110cfm fan, without a hood, it will be 100% ineffective. The steam will just hit the ceiling and condense. A fan mounted halfway up the wall won't even be pulling out steam. It's going to be pulling out ambient air.

The 110cfm fan with a hood, might be a tad better than 99.8% ineffective.

The goal is to remove humidity. The steam begins to mix with ambient as soon as it is created, hence by removing ambient you are removing steam. A small fan in the room to keep ambient moving will help to avoid condensation on the ceiling. Passive ventilation is to let the kettle steam mix with ambient, then exhaust ambient to reduce humidity. Works well in my basement, YMMV

 

[daveMN]

Here's what I can try once I get the element working. I'll do some water boiloff tests and measure room temp and relative humidity at two points in the room every 5 minutes for an hour or until it rains. I'll try it as-is, with a hood, and with the fan directly over the BK, then I'll report back.
In the meantime, I have a few more parts to pick up then put it together with my electrician (dad). Good father /son bonding, except that he only drinks Bud light.

 

[daveMN]

I'm looking at buying the Mypin Pt100 RTD off Amazon, and I have two questions- 1) It looks like there's a nut that comes with the probe; can I use that with a washer/ hi-temp O-ring, or is there a different weldless bulkhead I need to get for this? If so, 2) is this thing standard or metric threads? The description seems to lead me towards metric. Thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X6RIARO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[beernut70]

I am planning to hang a rubbermaid tote upside down over the kettle with a tap cut in it. Cheap and easy. Looking at this fan in the 6" size. Hyrdofarm

 

[daveMN]

I am planning to hang a rubbermaid tote upside down over the kettle with a tap cut in it. Cheap and easy. Looking at this fan in the 6" size. Hyrdofarm

The hydroponic fans seem to be pretty popular. I'll probably go down that route or the aforementioned Dayton fan if this setup fails miserably.

 

[SpentBrains]

I'm looking at buying the Mypin Pt100 RTD off Amazon, and I have two questions- 1) It looks like there's a nut that comes with the probe; can I use that with a washer/ hi-temp O-ring, or is there a different weldless bulkhead I need to get for this? If so, 2) is this thing standard or metric threads? The description seems to lead me towards metric. Thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X6RIARO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

There is a Q & A section on the link for this product. It says 1/4"... more than likely 20 tpi (I'll be ordering a few too) My plan is to just weld that nut into any location where I put probes, or drill and tap female threads. Surely any hardware store can source additional identical nuts once you have the product in hand.

 

[daveMN]

There is a Q & A section on the link for this product. It says 1/4"... more than likely 20 tpi (I'll be ordering a few too) My plan is to just weld that nut into any location where I put probes, or drill and tap female threads. Surely any hardware store can source additional identical nuts once you have the product in hand.

I guess it pays to read the whole thing. There's another post in the Q & A that says metric. I'll just but it and see what it is when it shows up.

 

[Hoosier-Brewer]

The hydroponic fans seem to be pretty popular. I'll probably go down that route or the aforementioned Dayton fan if this setup fails miserably.

FYI, it's much cheaper on amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KWYJQYA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[30Bones]

I'm looking at buying the Mypin Pt100 RTD off Amazon, and I have two questions- 1) It looks like there's a nut that comes with the probe; can I use that with a washer/ hi-temp O-ring, or is there a different weldless bulkhead I need to get for this? If so, 2) is this thing standard or metric threads? The description seems to lead me towards metric. Thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X6RIARO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

For temp a temp probe I went with a thermowell I had laying around and this for a probe so it's easily removed for cleaning http://www.ebay.com/itm/261407840292

I am planning to hang a rubbermaid tote upside down over the kettle with a tap cut in it. Cheap and easy. Looking at this fan in the 6" size. Hyrdofarm

I got this fan http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LCEUEK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 and this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TFTITS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 to control the speed. Works great and is relatively quite.

 

[itsnotrequired]

FYI, it's much cheaper on amazon, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KWYJQYA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

my only comment on that particular fan is that the electrical junction box is on the bottom of the fan housing. it is all but impossible to get no condensation in the housing, need to ensure the box is well sealed up to keep water away from energized components.

 

[jbb3]

my only comment on that particular fan is that the electrical junction box is on the bottom of the fan housing. it is all but impossible to get no condensation in the housing, need to ensure the box is well sealed up to keep water away from energized components.

Maybe mount it from the wall instead of the ceiling so the junction box is not on the bottom??

 

[itsnotrequired]

Maybe mount it from the wall instead of the ceiling so the junction box is not on the bottom??

the mounting 'bars' that come with the fan are pretty flimsy and really only designed to work with supporting by above and hanging. i suppose you could relocate them but would need to drill some extra holes in the fan housing. not an impossible task but something to keep in mind.

 

[beernut70]

Can't you just turn them around? Then the box is on top.