Ebiab First Run

[cchristoph]

Making my first test run tonight. Using an Ez-Boil DSPR300. Everything is going good so far but I have a few questions.

With two electric probe thermometers in the water reading 153.7 and 154.1 the Ez-Boil is reading 150. Is this normal?
Can't seem to get the alarm to trigger and the manual online isn't making much sense. Any help there?
When going from mash to boil should I set it to 100 or below 60 on initial run as manual suggests?
For those using Ebiab do you run the pump during boil?

I'm very excited. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the topic in the past. Without this forum and other online resources it would have taken a lot longer.

Any other general advice or recommendations would be appreciated. Plan on brewing next weekend and it will be the first in about five years.

 

[SaltNeck]

Try setting a temperature offset (Pb) of +4F in the system parameters.

 

[NewfieJeeper]

Hey I Just wanted to say... Nice looking set up. I love Spike and I love Auber. Enjoy the brewing. Ive been running Spike and Auber now for 2-3 years.
Newf

 

[Sam_92]

I would definitely start at 60% power if that's what the manual says. I don't know if kettle carmalization is actually an issue but might as well start slow and then ramp up from there.

My setup is a 120v element run by a PID and I felt like I got a darker beer than the grain bill would explain when I ran the boil on full power, now I run it at a 90% duty cycle and my pale beers actually come out pale.

 

[doug293cz]

Making my first test run tonight. Using an Ez-Boil DSPR300. Everything is going good so far but I have a few questions.

With two electric probe thermometers in the water reading 153.7 and 154.1 the Ez-Boil is reading 150. Is this normal?
Can't seem to get the alarm to trigger and the manual online isn't making much sense. Any help there?
When going from mash to boil should I set it to 100 or below 60 on initial run as manual suggests?
For those using Ebiab do you run the pump during boil?

I'm very excited. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the topic in the past. Without this forum and other online resources it would have taken a lot longer.

Any other general advice or recommendations would be appreciated. Plan on brewing next weekend and it will be the first in about five years.

View attachment 750556

What is your element power? The boil power % will depend on this.

Are you talking about the internal alarm, or an external alarm? Need to know in order to know how to start the trouble shooting.

Where is your EZBoil temp probe located? I'm assuming the hand probes are being immersed in the top center of the main kettle.

Brew on

 

[cchristoph]

What is your element power? The boil power % will depend on this.

Are you talking about the internal alarm, or an external alarm? Need to know in order to know how to start the trouble shooting.

Where is your EZBoil temp probe located? I'm assuming the hand probes are being immersed in the top center of the main kettle.

Brew on

5500W element
External and internal, neither go off
Probe is located at 12 o'clock below the false bottom

 

[doug293cz]

5500W element
External and internal, neither go off
Probe is located at 12 o'clock below the false bottom

With approximately 7 gal of wort in the kettle, a good initial boil power setting with a 5500W element would be 30 - 35%. The EZBoil will heat at 100% (unless you change this parameter) up to near boil, and then automatically back off to your boil power setting. After you do a couple of runs, you will learn what initial boil power setting will prevent boil-overs when you get the hot break.

What are your alarm parameter settings in the EZBoil? And, which of the two external alarms are you trying to trigger?

Is the probe above or below the element, and what is the tip position relative to the element and the wort pick-up port feeding the pump?

Brew on

 

[cchristoph]

With approximately 7 gal of wort in the kettle, a good initial boil power setting with a 5500W element would be 30 - 35%. The EZBoil will heat at 100% (unless you change this parameter) up to near boil, and then automatically back off to your boil power setting. After you do a couple of runs, you will learn what initial boil power setting will prevent boil-overs when you get the hot break.

What are your alarm parameter settings in the EZBoil? And, which of the two external alarms are you trying to trigger?

Is the probe above or below the element, and what is the tip position relative to the element and the wort pick-up port feeding the pump?

Brew on

Only going for AL1 right now to let me know if mash temp overshoots too much. The probe is level with the element at 12 o'clock, element at 2 o'clock, whirlpool at 6 o'clock, and pickup at 9 o'clock. I'll take a picture here in a bit.

 

[Deric]

For those using Ebiab do you run the pump during boil?

Nope.

 

[doug293cz]

Only going for AL1 right now to let me know if mash temp overshoots too much. The probe is level with the element at 12 o'clock, element at 2 o'clock, whirlpool at 6 o'clock, and pickup at 9 o'clock. I'll take a picture here in a bit.

I did a quick review of the alarm parameters for the DSPR300. The good news is the alarms are quite flexible in how they can be used, and the bad news is that with flexibility comes complexity. If you can explain in detail just when you want the alarms (both internal and external) to trigger, and when you want them to shut off, I can probably help you get the correct parameters set.

If you can supply a circuit diagram that shows how the external alarm is wired, I can make sure that the assumptions I have made are correct.

In my previous post, where I asked about which "internal" alarm you were trying to use, I should have said "external." I gone back and corrected the post, and your quote.

Brew on

 

[Bobby_M]

Only going for AL1 right now to let me know if mash temp overshoots too much. The probe is level with the element at 12 o'clock, element at 2 o'clock, whirlpool at 6 o'clock, and pickup at 9 o'clock. I'll take a picture here in a bit.

The external alarm outputs are done via relay contacts so unless you're running voltage through those contacts on the way to an external alarm, nothing is going to happen. Honestly I don't really see much value in external alarms since the DSPR will buzz at setpoint and boil start and all that. With the whirlpool stirring during the mash and about 1.5 quarts per minute going up on top of the mash, you shouldn't see much variation in temps (maybe up to 1.5F). Whether the probe needs to be adjusted or not (calibrated) can be determined at boiling. If it reads above or below your boiling point, correct it in the menu system.

I run my 7.5 gallon boil at 55% output with an open top boil and 28% with the lid on and steam condenser running.