Electric brewery plans - need help

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Tiber_Brew said:
Thanks, bro! How's the brew space coming along?
Click to expand...

Sadly I'm no further along than 2 weeks ago. After returning from the U.P. we put a new roof on the house and now have 9 days until leaving for Europe. My goal is to have the brewery walls done and the HLT operational before November and the full brewery done by 2011.
 
sick sick sick!!!!

Do you think you could pull that off with a 12x12x8 electrical enclosure??

Thanks!
 
Gabrew said:
sick sick sick!!!!

Do you think you could pull that off with a 12x12x8 electrical enclosure??

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I think that's possible. If you don't have 4 SSRs in it, and you use DIN mount components, you shouldn't have a problem with that. Mine is 10" deep, so yours would only be a couple inches shy of that, which I don't think would cause any problems. I've got plenty of real estate on the front panel, too, so I'm sure you could consolidate your switches with a little more care for surface area than I did.

I gotta say, though, it's nice working with all this room. :D

TB
 
Tiber_Brew said:
I think that's possible. If you don't have 4 SSRs in it, and you use DIN mount components, you shouldn't have a problem with that. Mine is 10" deep, so yours would only be a couple inches shy of that, which I don't think would cause any problems. I've got plenty of real estate on the front panel, too, so I'm sure you could consolidate your switches with a little more care for surface area than I did.

I gotta say, though, it's nice working with all this room. :D

TB
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Thing is that I've been looking around for one heck of a time and the best deal I found (by far!!) was this 12x12x8 electrical enclosure for 59$...and thats without mention of 45$ shipping charges...

So very expensive for a metal box...
 
i was water testing the pots. i used the diagram that p-j made for you on this thread. works wonderful!! it took no time. 4 ssrs would fit no problem.

gabrew you check out ebay? i got my box from weaver electric. it was 20 i think with 20 shipping. if you do ask for a backplate. made installing a breeze.
 
rianrt said:
i was water testing the pots. i used the diagram that p-j made for you on this thread. works wonderful!! it took no time. 4 ssrs would fit no problem.

gabrew you check out ebay? i got my box from weaver electric. it was 20 i think with 20 shipping. if you do ask for a backplate. made installing a breeze.
Click to expand...

Can't seem to find the seller...would you mind sending me a link?

Thanks
 
yup the kettles. i wanted to test the pumps and elements. so i was recircing water. so i figured i would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. turn 1 pump on. check all the connections. then go to the next step. worked really well. start with the herms coil if you do. did you get a backplate with you enclosure?
 
rianrt said:
yup the kettles. i wanted to test the pumps and elements. so i was recircing water. so i figured i would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. turn 1 pump on. check all the connections. then go to the next step. worked really well. start with the herms coil if you do. did you get a backplate with you enclosure?
Click to expand...

I won't have a HERMS at first. For the first couple months (while I recouperate my bank account), I'll use my old igloo cooler, then I'll impliment a HERMS coil. I have three nice and shiny kegs now, I'll just need to buy fittings and some SS tubing when I get some financial breathing room. (Try buying and sprucing up a new home and building a brewery at the same time!)

No, my enclosure did not come with a backplate, unfortunately. I'm going to buy some sheet steel from the hardware store and slap in on the CNC to square it up, cut it to size, and get some holes in it. I might have to paint it to prevent rust...

Got any more pictures of your system? Kettles? HERMS coil? Stand?

TB
 
Update: picked up all the steel I need from the local supplier to make my stand. A friend of mine is coming over with his MIG next weekend and we're going to throw it together.

Got my panel mount disconnects for the RTDs in the mail. Also got some 1/4" NPT half couplers to mount the RTD in the kegs.

Also picked up the 30A dryer cords, zip ties, zip tie mounts, and some other random goodies for wiring and soldering my new counterflow chiller. (I already made a thread on building a CF chiller, not sure I should do another. Maybe I won't show that part.)

More to come!

TB

EDIT: parts list in OP updated
 
Worked on my new (much longer) counterflow wort chiller today. I didn't finish, but I'm real close. Just need to solder on the temperature probe addition and put some SS compression fittings for the beer in/out.

chillernotdone1.jpg


chillernotdone2.jpg


I'll bind the coil together and mount it to my brew cart when done.



Still need to:
1. Paint enclosure
2. Wire enclosure
3. Weld brew stand
4. Convert kegs into keggles

Moving along...

TB
 
Something is not right with this forum. I do not get notified about threads that I subscribe to or that I post in (This thread is a perfect example). I just happened to stumble across this to see several additional posts since my last visit.

TB, I wish we could have talked out your chiller method before you built your CFC.

Just saying. (Well, I guess I'm getting too old for all of this as well)
 
PJ, I get alerted to posts in threads I subscribe to/post in.
Maybe it's something in your settings?

What would I have used instead of CFC?
 
P-J said:
Something is not right with this forum. I do not get notified about threads that I subscribe to or that I post in (This thread is a perfect example). I just happened to stumble across this to see several additional posts since my last visit.

TB, I wish we could have talked out your chiller method before you built your CFC.

Just saying. (Well, I guess I'm getting too old for all of this as well)
Click to expand...

Maybe it's your email since I sent you one like a week ago and haven't heard from you yet...:p
 
the next time they run a special on becoming a premium member i gotta jump on it. it is a pain to post links to the pics. i posted a list of the stuff i used on gabrews build thread if you are interested. good luck building. so what is next?
 
rianrt said:
the next time they run a special on becoming a premium member i gotta jump on it. it is a pain to post links to the pics. i posted a list of the stuff i used on gabrews build thread if you are interested. good luck building. so what is next?
Click to expand...

I don't think you need a premium membership to post embedded pictures. You need one to attach images, but not for links (if I'm not mistaken).

If you look at your original post with the links in it, click on "edit." You'll see that the links have [url ]xxxxx[/url ] tags in front and on end of the links (minus the space before the close bracket). Change that to [img ]xxxxxxx[/img ] again, sans space before close bracket.

TibermightwanttoreducethesizefirstBrew
 
Question...

The SSR and Contactor is only required if your PID is controlling something, say a heating element. If it is used solely for temperature reading, nor the SSR or the contactor is required...right?

Thanks
 
Gabrew said:
Question...

The SSR and Contactor is only required if your PID is controlling something, say a heating element. If it is used solely for temperature reading, nor the SSR or the contactor is required...right?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Correct. A contactor isn't even required for use with a heating element. I'm just using them as a switch for manually turning on/off the element power from the SSR as a safety measure. If you're merely looking to get a reading from a TC or RTD on a PID, you don't need any additional relays or switches, just the temp sensor.

TB
 
Final coat of paint is dry, switches, PIDs and outlets are installed. Just need to cut out the panel insert to mount the rest of the components on, then I'm wiring it up.

Will post pictures up soon.

TB
 
nostalgia said:
Looking good Tiber! Like your shiny kettles :)

-Joe
Click to expand...

Ahhh...those kettles are rianrt's, not mine. I just fixed the links to his pictures for him. I should probably take that down to avoid confusion....

I will post pictures of my current progress very soon.

I'm welding up my brew stand on Saturday, bottling my braggot (has nothing to do with this build, but I'm looking forward to it), and wiring the enclosure on Sunday. This weekend will be very productive -beer wise.

TB
 
Most of my progress lately has been buying tools and random hardware, measuring materials, and cleaning up the work area for this weekend's big fabrication and wiring plans.

However, I did put some components in my painted enclosure. Here are some pictures for your viewing displeasure:


IMG_5727.jpg


IMG_5726.jpg


IMG_5728.jpg


I should have the brew stand welded, and the box wired all by Monday. Will post pictures.

TB
 
Lookin' good!
Gettining closer every day. It'll be done before you know it. Thanks for posting
 
As promised, here are some pictures:

Started off by cutting out a backplate for my enclosure (mine didn't come with one) to make wiring easier:
DSC00066.jpg


IMG_5732.jpg


Drilled holes in the backplate, secured components, then got started wiring:
DSC00069.jpg


DSC00073.jpg


DSC00074.jpg


DSC00076.jpg


Here's my work space (haven't built a workbench in my new house yet):
DSC00075.jpg


I still have some wiring to do, and I'll be working on that this evening. Hopefully I'll be done by tomorrow night.

TB
 
I also got my brew stand welded up this weekend...

Cutting the 1.5" x 1.5" steel tubing:
IMG_5763.jpg


I made a model and drawing in Unigraphics NX beforehand, and that made the build go much smoother:
IMG_5779.jpg


Welding the top frame:
IMG_5777.jpg


C-clamps come in handy:
IMG_5790.jpg


Try not to look directly into the arc...or my bald spot:
IMG_5794.jpg


I designed and fabricated a method for holding my large counterflow chiller. Here's some of it in progress:
IMG_5798.jpg


Works like a charm:
IMG_5806.jpg


IMG_5807.jpg


Here's the final mockup. I still need to get it powder coated and mount the pumps:

IMG_5809.jpg


IMG_5811.jpg


TB
 
TB-

You might be OK with your SSRs and Heatsinks inside the box, or you might have plans for a fan to vent some heat. Either way, I think you are likely to get some feedback.

Below is a thread I started based on a little experiment I did. In my example, I used the box several times without any problems. I was only dealing with a 1500 watt element but a MUCH smaller box.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/ssr-heat-concerns-147508/

Ed
 
Thanks for the heads up, Ed.

If this becomes an issue, there are ways I can deal with it, including installing a fan with a vent if necessary. This would more likely, if at all, be an issue with back to back brew sessions in my estimation.

I'll keep this in mind.

TB
 
Question about March 809 pumps for anyone with experience...

Can you back out the screws securing the head to the motor, rotate it 90 deg and reinstall it? I'm asking in case I ever want/need an alternate orientation of the pump head and whether or not I'd have to alter the mounting configuration.

Thanks!



I'm about 99% done with wiring the enclosure. Next steps are mounting the pumps and getting the stand powder coated. After that, start hacking up my Sanke kegs and get the 50A GFCI breaker in the panel. I'll be set for some test runs after that.

TB
 

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