Electric - Step Build

[bbohanon]

So I have been noodling this for quite a while and now with my 12x24 shed getting a 50amp 240v feeder buried and wired up, its time to start down my road of ebrewing.
The goal/end result: To end up with a "Kal" like setup at the end of the day with keggles.

Phase 1:
To build a "Kal" panel setup initially but start off with a single eBIAB Keggle(or a bastardized MT setup). This is due to initial $$$ being spent on the panel, wiring and remainder of shed outfitting(ventilation, plumbing, drywall/AC and heat, etc.) so money for another Keggle or 2 will need to come later. I have a single keggle now and it makes sense to start with this as a single vessel eBIAB setup or a hybrid with the cooler MT(no element) I have tied into and running off the panel. I can always repurpose the keggle I am converting initially into the 3 keggle "Kal" build down the line. The bottom line is that I want to get out of my wife's kitchen and into this building brewing indoors.

Phase 2: Acquire 2 more Keggles and finalize the 3 pot system with HERMS, etc. as the Kal build covers. With the panel being built to support the full "Kal" build, it wuld be more of a expansion of the system brewing equipment wise than electric/panel-wise.

Other options on this that may occur:
I may bastardize the Kal build and look into using a cooler MLT. As the cooler MT would not use a heating element, this may be doable without even having to worry about the HERMS portion. I "think" I can somehow tie in the cooler MT into this system with probes and pumps(again no heating element in this obviously) which would allow me to only need one additional keggle for the HLT for sparging the MT.
I have yet to see this done however but am curious to attempt it to redneck it out a tad. lol

Panel, timer, PIDs and other components are on the way along with a chugger pump and element for the single keggle. With the panel build, I just did not want to lock myself 100% into a eBIAB, single element, single PID panel with no option to control multiple elements down the line should I want to(which is very likely to occur).
I am wanting to keep budget in check along the way as its not as much of an "end of the day cost" layout for me as it is a "keeping cost in check along the way" deal so I am not spending more at one time than I can afford to if that makes sense. The end goal could be me having 5k in this, but it will occur over time(a year or 2) rather than all at once.
This is alot of the reason I want to repurpose some current brewing equipment(cooler MT) into this which may end up being a very redneck(but effective) system initially. Honestly if I redneck this out and it works, it may end up being the end state.
Thoughts?

 

[bbohanon]

I think I might actually attempt this to be a RIMS "Kal" Build using a RIMS tube powered off the second element/PID for recirc in my cooler MT.

This would keep me much lower cost-wise for the build, eliminate the need for a HLT, allow more use of the panel and allow me to use my existing cooler MT for recirc/mash.
This might actually turn out pretty cool now that I am walking through it in my head.. I am also not sure its been done before(or at least not to my knowledge/googling powers) to be honest..

 

[watermelon83]

You can do one vessel e-biab with one pid, one ssr, one temp probe, and one power switch. It's what I did, facing your exact dilema. I don't have the movey for a full 3-vessel full tilit boogie kal system right now. I built mine in a 8x8 from home depot.

IF I can't get the results I want from a recirc e-biab, I can easily use my current pot as a mash tun, get another monster to boil in and use my keggle for a herms, all the electronics will transfer over (with re-wiring obviously). BTW you dont need a huge herms tank, actaully the less water, in excess of whats covering the coil, the better. The only issue is the volume of sparge water available at the end of the mash.

My point is, my advice would be scale as you and your beer see fit, or need, screw the blueprint.

 

[bbohanon]

You can do one vessel e-biab with one pid, one ssr, one temp probe, and one power switch. It's what I did, facing your exact dilema. I don't have the movey for a full 3-vessel full tilit boogie kal system right now. I built mine in a 8x8 from home depot.

IF I can't get the results I want from a recirc e-biab, I can easily use my current pot as a mash tun, get another monster to boil in and use my keggle for a herms, all the electronics will transfer over (with re-wiring obviously). BTW you dont need a huge herms tank, actaully the less water, in excess of whats covering the coil, the better. The only issue is the volume of sparge water available at the end of the mash.

My point is, my advice would be scale as you and your beer see fit, or need, screw the blueprint.

This is kind of the road I am going down..the biggest effort and cash outlay for me will be the initial control panel and wiring..Regardless of what setup I end up with, if I build the panel to support the ideal end state even if I cannot get there with all the brewing equipment I have on hand now, adding pots/keggles/additional pump, fittings etc, is easily done compared to having to redo the control panel portion. I really only want to do that work O N C E.
Heck who knows, by the time I get the panel done, I may have the cash to finalize the pots, additional pump and other stuff. I am certainly NOT going to rush this build.

I will keep this thread updated as I start my journey into this area.