Electric Brewery Build with Coolers.

[ssimkins]

Thanks guys! I will order the contactor, but will probably wait until I receive everything to make sure there is nothing else I will need.

Sean

 

[cupido76]

Another note you should be aware of when mounting the camco ULWD 5500 throught the side is that it is a little too long. I was able to bend mine enough that it is now short enough to fit and as little as 2 gallons of water will keep it covered.

Can you elaborate on how you bent this element to fit, please?

 

[smittygouv30]

Can you elaborate on how you bent this element to fit, please?

It was as basic as can be, and took all but 3 minutes. I just put the far end of the element (the end away from the electrical connection) into a vice and bent the near end towards the concave side of the distal curve. All it did was make the far "ripple" more "rippled" but it was enough to shorten the element by an inch or so which was plenty to have it fit in the cooler without touching the far side.

Corey

 

[cupido76]

It was as basic as can be, and took all but 3 minutes. I just put the far end of the element (the end away from the electrical connection) into a vice and bent the near end towards the concave side of the distal curve. All it did was make the far "ripple" more "rippled" but it was enough to shorten the element by an inch or so which was plenty to have it fit in the cooler without touching the far side.

Corey

Great... thanks!

I'd like to try to fit one of these in a vessel that's just a hair over 13" wide, so I don't even need much in the way of adjustment to make it happen.

 

[ssimkins]

I have been thinking about wether or not I should be using a fan motor to churn the HLT water or just buy another pump as Corey and many others are doing. I cant seem to find a thread mentioning reasons to go one way or the other. I just assumed that the motor would end up being the cheaper option and just as effective. Do you guys have any thought on this?

Thanks!
Sean

 

[P-J]

I have been thinking about wether or not I should be using a fan motor to churn the HLT water or just buy another pump as Corey and many others are doing. I cant seem to find a thread mentioning reasons to go one way or the other. I just assumed that the motor would end up being the cheaper option and just as effective. Do you guys have any thought on this?

Thanks!
Sean

You could go the stir motor set up fairly cheap.

A Stir Motor set up like this: The first post in the link (mine) shows the motor I used & it is still available for about $18. You might want to read the rest of that thread as well.

Just something to think about.

 

[ssimkins]

Very cool P-J!

Thank You!!

 

[ssimkins]

I wonder if this motor would work? It is part of Amazon Prime and is only $6 more than the used one at H&R.

I know, common sense says to just get the one that P-J has used and tested.

It is just so easy to order using Amazon Prime:cross:!

Sean

 

[P-J]

I wonder if this motor would work? It is part of Amazon Prime and is only $6 more than the used one at H&R.

I know, common sense says to just get the one that P-J has used and tested.

It is just so easy to order using Amazon Prime:cross:!

Sean

The motor in your link is 3200 RPM. I think it is way high for a stir motor.

 

[slakwhere]

he'd need some sort of gear reduction to drive it at proper speed for sure.

 

[ssimkins]

Haha! I had a feeling, I had read a build on The Powers Brewery website, and he said hat he used a bathroom fan motor without any more details on it that I could find. So I just searched that on Amazon and came up with that motor and thought it might work. I'm glad I asked! Thanks again!!

Sean

 

[ssimkins]

P-J,

I am not sure if this is a crazy request or not but it would be really nice to have the diagram that I am using to reflect my build. Currently I am using several to piece it together, which is fine, but not ideal of course. I would love for the key switch w/ indicator light and contactor to be added, along with the internal breakers and thermometer probe switch instead of PID switch.

I feel really bad requesting this because I know everyone here asks so much from you but I thought it doesn't hurt to ask.

If not up to it, I totally understand!

Thanks,
Sean

 

[alien]

Instead of churning the HLT with a mechanical motor, how about bubbling in air using an aquarium pump? It might be an easier way to agitate the water.

 

[ssimkins]

Alien, thanks for the suggestion! I actually might end up going in that direction.


Last week I brought my parts over to my dads to start building this thing and we got a few holes completed before I had to leave. All week he has been working on it on his own and wow, he is kicking butt!

 

[ssimkins]

More progress photos! He ended up using truck bed liner paint! It turned out really nice.

 

[smittygouv30]

Looking good man! Keep us posted on the progress.

 

[ssimkins]

Thanks Corey!


My Dad has been having trouble with the wiring but I think he figured it out! He is on a mission!

 

[smittygouv30]

Hey Sean,

Have you installed the element yet? If so, are you having any issues getting your element to seal in the side of the cooler? I worked on it for about 90 minutes last night trying to get it to seal the kal/blichman way and it definitely leaks. How did you/are you planning to set-up your locknut, washer, o-ring?

Thanks,
Corey

 

[ssimkins]

Hey Corey,


I have no yet tried to mount the elements yet but was planning on using this site as a guide.

http://e-brewing.tumblr.com/post/28954471438/short-simple-electric-hlt-build-instructions

http://billbufkin.com/mill_&_hlt.htm

Sorry, I am not much help but will let you know when we get to it. I assume you will have it figured out by then.


Sean

 

[smittygouv30]

Thanks for the response. I just got it figured out. I ended up getting it to work the same way kal does on his site with a washer around the silicone o-ring. I'm not sure what i was doing wrong yesterday but it kept leaking. To be safe I really plastered the silicone all around the inside of the conduit box. I'll let it sit overnight with 10 gallons of water in it and look for any signs of leaking. If all is well i'll try my luck with the wiring before the superbowl.

http://theelectricbrewery.com/heating-elements?page=7

Corey

 

[cupido76]

Thanks for the response. I just got it figured out. I ended up getting it to work the same way kal does on his site with a washer around the silicone o-ring. I'm not sure what i was doing wrong yesterday but it kept leaking. To be safe I really plastered the silicone all around the inside of the conduit box. I'll let it sit overnight with 10 gallons of water in it and look for any signs of leaking. If all is well i'll try my luck with the wiring before the superbowl.

http://theelectricbrewery.com/heating-elements?page=7

Corey

If you leave water around your element that long, you might start to get some rust forming on the plated base that the heater cool is attached to.

 

[smittygouv30]

If you leave water around your element that long, you might start to get some rust forming on the plated base that the heater cool is attached to.

Ohhhh, thanks for the heads up. Maybe me not being patient is actually a good thing is come cases. The most I could wait was about 2-3 hours. There was no signs of leaking at that point so I dumped the water and went ahead with the silicone and wiring last night.

Good looking out though, I didn't realize this. It's certainly a good tip for the future.

Corey

 

[ssimkins]

Almost done. A couple of the labels are wrong but most likely will be ordering new ones from a professional label company. I don't quite like the way these turned out. My dad did all of this so I don't have any place to complain. He is the man! Still waiting on the breaker for my house panel and we will be almost ready to brew!

 

[smittygouv30]

Can I borrow your dad for a couple days? Its looking good man. You are definitely going to finish before me! Keep us posted on your maiden voyage.

I used http://www.signsbannerstags.ca/ it's the same site that kal used in his build. George was great and got my tags done quickly. It was $33.50 for 21 custom tags. Definitely worth every penny.

What do you think of the switchcraft plug/receptacles? What pumps are you using?

-Corey

 

[smittygouv30]

Here is a shot of some of the tags I'm using just in case you wanted proof that the tags are decent. Let me know if you have any questions.

-Corey

 

[ssimkins]

Well, I am getting really close to finishing this thing. For some reason one of the simplest things I cant figure out, my temp probe switch and wiring is not working. Would you guys be able to enlighten me on how I should be wiring the selector switch that changes from each of the temp probes (HLT and BK, both K type).

I will post some pics soon!

Thanks!
Sean

 

[ssimkins]

I'm wondering since I'm not getting any responses, that it might not be possible. If anybody can confirm or deny, I would really appreciate it! I have hit a wall.

Thanks!

 

[ssimkins]

Some pics of the panel with tags.

 

[BadNewsBrewery]

I haven't chimed in because I'm not really 100% sure, but here's my thought. A K-Type is a thermocouple. It has two distinct types of metal that, when heated or cooled, alter the resistance in the thermocouple. They work because you calibrate them to your system based on a set length, gauge, and type of cable. If you run them through a switch, now you're altering the type and length of cable between the thermocouples, which results in the system having no idea what it's measuring and the thermocouples not working. If you want to have a switch that will allow you to go from one temp probe to another, my suggestion would be to get 2 RTD probes and a switch with 3NO and 3NC terminal blocks. Run one RTD to the NOs, run the other to the NCs, and make sure you keep the wires in the same order from both RTDs. Then jumper the terminal blocks on the non-RTD side, and run 1 wire for each pair of blocks to your PID. Confusing the way I wrote it, I know, but it should allow you to switch between the two.

Or... save yourself the headache, get a plug end on the panel like most people on here use, and just physically switch out the RTDs when you want to swap temperatures.

Short story - probably won't work with K type... (or, I'm an idiot).

 

[ssimkins]

Thanks! That actually does make sense. I'll probably just hook one of my sockets directly to the PID and switch between the two probes by unplugging/plugging, as you suggested. That's a bummer since I already put in the switch. Maybe I can think of another use for it.


I really appreciate the input!

I will keep you guys updated, I am really close to finishing this thing. I sprung a leak in my HLT where the element is, so I ordered high temp silicone so I can seal it up for good.


Thanks!!
Sean