Converting From Propane to Electric

[Robert Waligora]

I'm upgrading to a 3 kettle electic system, maybe. The image shows my existing boil kettle (left), existing insulated mash tun (center) and new kettle (right). I also purchased 120v BrewCommander, 120v BoilCoil and Therminator (replacing copper chiller).

I want to create a HERMS system with my old boil kettle (now my HLT). I forgot to order the Herms coil, but I will have that soon. Also, I have an existing pump, that I didn't really get much use out of yet.

Goals for this project:

1) I can't control mash temp well, and my efficiency is only 62%. So, I want to increase my efficiency and I think I can do that with better temp control and recirculation of mash.

2) Whirlpool Boil Kettle and stop using hop spider. The hop spider is impossible to clean, would be so much easier to leave hops in kettle. SS Brewtech has the hop dam, so that should help.

Couple of questions:

1. Why is my mash efficiency so crappy now, and I making an incorrect assumption that re-circulation will help mash efficiency?

2. With only 1 BoilCoil will still have to use propane for Boil Kettle. I could get a 2nd BoilCoil, but then I would have to switch back and forth on the BrewCommander. Has anyone done this? How does it work out?

3. I was considering the Rims-Rocket for HLT instead of Boil Coil, but this wouldn't prevent me from needing another BrewCommander. Rims Rocket also has the ability to filter out hops, anyone have experience with that?

Any help would be great.

 

[AkTom]

How is your grain crush?

 

[Robert Waligora]

How is your grain crush?

I thought it was fine. Using Malt Muncher 2-roller with default setting.

 

[AkTom]

What are you using for a mashtun?

 

[Robert Waligora]

What are you using for a mashtun?

I'm using a 10 Gallon ThermoBarrel from Chapman

https://mybrewsupply.com/product/chapman-brewing-equipment-10-gallon-thermobarrel-mash-tun/

 

[AkTom]

With an insulated mt, you should be able to maintain an even temp... you might want to cover it with a blanket or sleeping bag. I use a rectangular cooler with a sleeping bag on top. It keeps within 3 or 4* for a 60 minute mash. I’d also adjust my grind a little finer, or leave as is and double crush. None of this is meant to keep you from going electric. I’m hoping to move in the next 6-8 months and go electric myself.

 

[WesBrew]

-I have a somewhat similar system and am planning out a 240v electric setup. i'm going for a two vessel with existing equipment using the kettle as hlt and for herms though the old immersion chiller.
-I also have a chapman 15 gallon mash tun and hit 72% pretty regularly. hoping to improve with recirculation. as far as temp control I find that it maintains temp very well with larger 10gallon batches but I struggle when doing a smaller batch. loosing 5 degrees over an hour if I don't add hot water. herms should fix that.
-Efficiencey....i use a .35 roller gap then good stir in the tun with water . you could also condition the malt before milling to improve eff. also if your mash PH is out of whack that could have an effect as well.

 

[khannon]

Agreed, if your efficiency is out of whack, electric probably won't solve the issue..

You could try:
Conditioning(damping) the grain before you crush.
BIAB or just throw a grain bag in your MLT and crush a little finer.
Play with your temps, or throw a layer of reflectix around your MLT.
Look at your pH/adjust mash times..
Look at your water?
Recirc (seems like a lot for a little gain)

Or, at 5-10 Gal, an extra 1-2 lbs of grain *might* be cheaper depending on how often you brew etc.. just plan your recipes with this in mind(and the extra absorption).

All this being said, and I hate to be "That Guy", but I have to ask/suggest.. Do you have fermentation temp control? If not, forget all of the above, tackle that, then worry about efficiency. If you do, disregard, tell me to F-Off, and move on..

 

[Robert Waligora]

With an insulated mt, you should be able to maintain an even temp... you might want to cover it with a blanket or sleeping bag. I use a rectangular cooler with a sleeping bag on top. It keeps within 3 or 4* for a 60 minute mash. I’d also adjust my grind a little finer, or leave as is and double crush. None of this is meant to keep you from going electric. I’m hoping to move in the next 6-8 months and go electric myself.

I think I'm going to reduced gap in grain mill to credit card thickness and give that a try. I haven't tried the blanket, but thought that recirculation of mash was supposed to improve efficiency, not sure.

 

[Robert Waligora]

Agreed, if your efficiency is out of whack, electric probably won't solve the issue..

You could try:
Conditioning(damping) the grain before you crush.
BIAB or just throw a grain bag in your MLT and crush a little finer.
Play with your temps, or throw a layer of reflectix around your MLT.
Look at your pH/adjust mash times..
Look at your water?
Recirc (seems like a lot for a little gain)

Or, at 5-10 Gal, an extra 1-2 lbs of grain *might* be cheaper depending on how often you brew etc.. just plan your recipes with this in mind(and the extra absorption).

All this being said, and I hate to be "That Guy", but I have to ask/suggest.. Do you have fermentation temp control? If not, forget all of the above, tackle that, then worry about efficiency. If you do, disregard, tell me to F-Off, and move on..

I have a keezer for kegs, but not for fermentation. I'm thinking I would get a 2nd freezer for fermentation. Probably would get 1 large enough for 2 fermenters, since I rarely would be fermenting more than 2 batches at a time. I just got PH strips, so I will look at that for next batch. I'm told that Cleveland City water is high quality, so not sure what I can do there.

I know I'm going to hate the recirculation, as I think it will create more problems than it will solve. Biggest one is that it may actually lower temp due to heat lost in lines. Hopefully, I can mitigate that with a couple of tests runs. On the other hand, I'm using kitchen stove for HLT and have to lift 2 gallons of Boiling water to dump in MT to raise tempt to 170 deg and I have to carry 6.5 gallons of hot wort from kitchen to garage to boil, so having HLT, MT and BK all in 1 place with pumps for transfer will probably keep me from getting burned down the road.

 

[Soulshine2]

I thought it was fine. Using Malt Muncher 2-roller with default setting.

what is the gap? and how many times are you running it through?

 

[Soulshine2]

I think I'm going to reduced gap in grain mill to credit card thickness and give that a try. I haven't tried the blanket, but thought that recirculation of mash was supposed to improve efficiency, not sure.

there you go . get a set of feeler gauges and set it to 0.035

 

[WesBrew]

when I go electric, using the pump to recirculate, I'll pump it through the old immersion chiller. drop the chiller into the boil kettle, which would be at a controlled mash temp. that should keep mash temp # on point and recirculate.
-re efficiency; i'm always in the 72-75 range with the same tun. if one of the above things isn't it, could be that you are not boiling it down enough, if using FG.