Electric brewery plans - need help

[P-J]

ClaudiusB - Thank you very much for that.

Tiber_Brew - All I can say is "WOW"! That setup is looking just awesome & I'm really pleased that I could be of some assistance in your fabulous build. BTW - have you tested your EPO? It should be an instant kill for the entire system.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Thanks, P-J!

Yes, I did test the EPO, and it works beautifully.

TB

 

[P-J]

Thanks, P-J!

Yes, I did test the EPO, and it works beautifully.

Excellent! Thanks. This has been a fun trip for me. I can only imagine your trip.

 

[rianrt]

where did you get those element plugs? i looked everywhere before i used those pre made dryer lines.

 

[SweetSounds]

Do a search for "NEMA 10-30" Which is the official designation for a 3-wire, 240 volt, 30 amp plug.

I found this one: (I didn't price shop, just the first one I found)
http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=4745

 

[Tiber_Brew]

That's exactly my plug, and exactly where I got it. Thanks, Sweetsounds.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

So I tried coiling my 50' 1/2" SS tubing, and that was an epic fail.

There are more kinks in this thing than...well...you can fill in the punchline.

I'm not sure whether it's salvageable or not. And these things aren't cheap.

I'm either salvaging this SS coil, or going with copper. If I can get my hands on a tubing bender, I'll give that a shot. I'm worried about cold working those kinks and ending up with rips in the SS leaking my sweet wort into the HLT.

I'm open to any suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks!

TB

 

[Ohio-Ed]

So I tried coiling my 50' 1/2" SS tubing, and that was an epic fail.

There are more kinks in this thing than...well...you can fill in the punchline.

I'm not sure whether it's salvageable or not. And these things aren't cheap.

I'm either salvaging this SS coil, or going with copper. If I can get my hands on a tubing bender, I'll give that a shot. I'm worried about cold working those kinks and ending up with rips in the SS leaking my sweet wort into the HLT.

I'm open to any suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks!

TB

Good Luck.

Here is a thread with some discussion on bending SS tubing:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/need-tips-bending-ss-tubing-153799/

After several attempts, I managed to bend up some siphon tubes I can live with (there are some pics in the thread). I have yet to try a hex coil.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

What where you coiling it around and how did you try to do it?

I have hand done 2 coils and never had a bad problem... Hopefully the coil can be saved.

A bender will help with sharp bends but not with coiling.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

First we tried coiling it around a corny keg. It kinked right away, so we stopped that. Then we tried by hand, then by hand/foot, then tried adding the use of zip ties. Nothing seemed to prevent the kinking. The coil is still about 15" diameter, so we've got more coiling to do. I think if we cold work the kinks much more we'll end up tearing the SS.

Is 1/2" copper much easier to recoil?

Thanks guys
TB

 

[Gabrew]

Ive used 25ft of 1/2 copper and it took about ten minutes alone using a corny.

....very easy!

 

[Ohio-Ed]

...

Is 1/2" copper much easier to recoil?

Thanks guys
TB

Yes!

 

[P-J]

Is 1/2" copper much easier to recoil?

As others have said - Yes it is. When you do it, I suggest that you do not straighten the copper first and then recoil it. Just wrap it around your form as a coil and reform it. If you straighten it first you will harden the copper and make it a lot more difficult to handle.

 

[SpaceCoastBrew]

If you are still inclined to use stainless, it was recommended in other threads to just cannibalize the chiller from Midwest (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/stai...ort-chiller-w-garden-hose-fittings-50-ft.html). I ignored this suggestion and recoiled my stainless tube around my 6 gal ale pail. It came out pretty good but was a pain and took about an hour. If I were to do it again I would go the Midwest route.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys!

I'm going to try finishing up my SS coil, but if I can't get the kinks out, or it tears, then I'll just go with copper.

I like the idea of bastardizing the Midwest IC SS coil, but that's $99. Anyone know what diameter the Midwest coil is? I already wasted $70 + shipping on the SS coil... Maybe it's time to cut losses....?

I'll keep you posted on how my HERMS coil adventures go!
TB

 

[SpaceCoastBrew]

Under additional information at the bottom of the description they say it's 10" in diameter.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Ive used 25ft of 1/2 copper and it took about ten minutes alone using a corny.

....very easy!

That looks very good, Gabrew!

 

[Gabrew]

thanks mate!

I took the opposite path...started with the keggles and now Im trying to figure out the electronics...

hows the build comming along, got everything down in terms of keggle fittings and whatnots?

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Seems we're working in opposite directions

I have all the supplies, fittings, etc, except for HERMS coil. I think I'm going to go with a 40-ish foot 1/2" copper coil after I f*cked up my $70 SS coil...

There is not one place in town to get a 50' coil of 1/2" Cu coil... Guess I'll have to wait on shipping unless I get from McMaster-Carr of course. Then I could have it by Tuesday.

I'm taking my kegs to my buddy's machine shop tomorrow to get them cut/drilled/welded etc.

Will post updates with pics when things progress.

TB

 

[Gabrew]

nice!

as for the length of your copper tubing, I would suggest 25ft. I had planned on putting together two 25ft tubings (as you can see in the first pic) but it came to pretty much the height of the keg itself. 25ft fits perfectly. leaves room for the element and is about 2-3 inches from the brim....

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Good to know! Thanks.

TB

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I got my kegs converted today after work! Tops cut off, holes drilled, bungs welded...

I have a couple pics from my phone that I'll post later. I'm too damn hungry, sober, and tired, so I'm going to take care of myself in that order.

TB

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I just want to say that Bargain Fittings is an awesome place to get your stainless fittings. He let me modify my order after I placed it, sent me a new payment request, and it still arrived very quickly. Quality products for a reasonable price with good service. And no, I'm not being paid to say that.

TB

 

[Yambor44]

i just want to say that bargain fittings is an awesome place to get your stainless fittings. He let me modify my order after i placed it, sent me a new payment request, and it still arrived very quickly. Quality products for a reasonable price with good service. And no, i'm not being paid to say that.

Tb

+++++ 1!

 

[devilbrewer75]

I just want to say that Bargain Fittings is an awesome place to get your stainless fittings. He let me modify my order after I placed it, sent me a new payment request, and it still arrived very quickly. Quality products for a reasonable price with good service. And no, I'm not being paid to say that.

TB

I agree I've ordered from them twice and perfect service.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

I spent hours yesterday grinding, sanding, and cleaning my keggles. I'm hoping to do some leak tests tonight. I'll post pics when I can get to my computer (I'm posting via my phone right now).

TB

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Sorry for the wait, folks, but I've been busy.

Here's what I've been up to:

The kegs after cutting with a plasma torch and welding some fittings:

Looks like a mess from the plasma torch:

Cleaning the kegs up with my angle grinder:

Then sand the top and and all the holes, after deburring with a file:

Then I cleaned all the kegs with Bar Keepers Friend. That stuff is practically free and cleans stainless like nothing else I've used. Make sure to wear gloves and goggles, though.

To attach the elements, I borrowed some ideas from Kal, but I did some things different. My kettle has the NPS locknut welded to the side (picture in next post). At first, I tried the method shown below, but that had a very slow leak. Slow, but unacceptable. For those of you who don't read the text and just look at pictures, I put some text on the picture to forewarn you. What did work was somewhat like that picture, but put a few wraps of Teflon tape on the threads, and use the black gasket included with the elements in place of the red o-ring. No silicone or epoxy needed. Tight as a frog's a$$. Do not over tighten.

Here's the HLT (sans HERMS coil), after leak testing:

[continued on next post]

 

[Tiber_Brew]

My kegs might be tight, but I sprung a few leaks. Luckily I had the materials handy for makeshift band-aids:

...and another:

...and another:

Moving on...
Here's the welded NPS locknut on the keggle (there's identical ones on the HLT and BK):

...and the welded 1/4" NPT half coupler, again identical on the HLT and BK:

Apply Teflon tape to weldless fittings and secure tightly:

Showing the wiring for the elements:

[continued on next page]

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Here I am, for the first time, heating water in my new boil kettle with electricity. Not sure if you can tell by the picture:

...and we've got a boil!

Got my false bottom in from Jay (Jaybird on HBT). Here's the top:

...and the bottom. Excellent craftsmanship:

Here I'm running auto tune function on both the PIDs. Yes, I'm missing some fittings, and yes, I'm going to trim the control panel power cord, powder coat the frame, fabricate a water shield for the pumps....I'm not done yet, but I can almost taste the nectar of the gods...

Cheers,
TibertherearenowordsforthisBrew

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Just for fun, here's a video I took during the auto tune. Sorry if the quality sucks; I've never used photobucket to host a video before.

There really isn't much to see here, so you wouldn't be missing out on much if you didn't watch this vid.

[edit: vid removed]

Prost,
TB

EDIT: vid quality sucks from photobucket. Not even worth posting. Removed for your sake.