Controller for RIMS & Boil?
- Thread starter Pintabone
- Start date
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You can run about 6500W of total heater power with a 30A circuit, and still be able to run up to 2 pumps. Any higher total power would require a 50A circuit. To get 6500W, both elements need to be 240V. You could for example run a 4500W element in the BK, and a 2000W element in the RIMS. Trying to run the low power element from 120V actually increases the total amps required.
You interested in seeing what such a control panel would look like?
Brew on
I've been re-exploring RIMS setup, and currently have one similar to the OP's (DIY controller and an Inkbird for the RIMS). I would think that once the HLT gets up to the strike temperature and is ready for the mash, that much less than 5500kw would be needed to maintain near that temperature, and far less than 23amps would be needed. i.e. both the 240v element HLT and 120v element RIMS could be run at the same time on a 30amp circuit.
But that would be highly procedural (end user paying attention) to monitor the amp draw. If the low cost PIDS suitable for brewing had a power output to monitor, then maybe an interlock could be setup? Or maybe something hooked up to monitor a volt/watt meter for the 240v element HLT, to only allow the 120v RIMS element contact to trigger when the amount of draw is less than 15 amps, to allow the RIMS to be fully powered?
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