Help BCS 462 wiring Schematic/Advice

[PacificNWBrewer]

That looks great. I'd like one too! One question though..... those holes look much too big for pellet hops and even too big for leaf, are yoiu going to add a screen to them to keep the hops out of the fermenter?

Odd question because that's not his false bottom, it's his control panel.

 

[BeerguyNC61]

I was hoping he was joking when he posted the hole size part! LOL

 

[RonPaul]

Hey beluedog, this build is going to be awesome! I see that you're planning on allowing only 1 heating elements to fire at a time. I know it's a controversial issue, but a lot of guys are running 2 elements at once and still using only 50a. Did you ever consider keeping that option open? I'm just curious because I'm hoping to start a build someday soon so I'm taking in as much info as possible.

Thanks for posting all of this, especially the pictures and wiring schematics. Please post any changes to the wiring if anything needs to be changed... it seems like a few of us are looking to do the same (or similar) build as this.

Looking forward to updates. Thanks again!

 

[bmunos]

wow!

 

[beluedog]

Hey beluedog, this build is going to be awesome! I see that you're planning on allowing only 1 heating elements to fire at a time. I know it's a controversial issue, but a lot of guys are running 2 elements at once and still using only 50a. Did you ever consider keeping that option open? I'm just curious because I'm hoping to start a build someday soon so I'm taking in as much info as possible.

Thanks for posting all of this, especially the pictures and wiring schematics. Please post any changes to the wiring if anything needs to be changed... it seems like a few of us are looking to do the same (or similar) build as this.

Looking forward to updates. Thanks again!

Did not want to go that route as you would need separate breakers inside the control box and didnt think it was worth the hassel. We are using a 25 gal HLT so if we wanted to back to back 12 gallon batches we wouldn't lose much time.

Just finished drilling, cutting and painting brewing control box, so should start wiring everything up next week. Stay tuned for more pictures.

 

[ameliabrewery]

How is the build going?

 

[PLOVE]

I see that you're planning on allowing only 1 heating elements to fire at a time. I know it's a controversial issue, but a lot of guys are running 2 elements at once and still using only 50a.

Hijack. . . go for it. I'm running two 6500W, 2 March pumps and a BCS wall wort on a 50a GFIC and have never tripped the breaker. Just size your feed wiring appropriately and you should be good to go. I'm running a HERMS and it's critical to be able to heat liquor for mashin in my BK and simultaneously heat the HLT (with Hex coil) to mash temps. When your heating 10-15 gal it just takes awhile. Being to able to heat simultaneously saves a ton of time. Add in BCS control and you can literally pre-heat before your morning coffee. Awesome :rockin:

 

[P-J]

--- I'm running two 6500W, 2 March pumps and a BCS wall wort on a 50a GFIC and have never tripped the breaker. ---

You must be using some kind of magic. Just the two 6500W elements together draw over 54 amps.

 

[Namako]

You must be using some kind of magic. Just the two 6500W elements together draw over 54 amps.

Unless he's running them on 120V vice 240V

 

[PLOVE]

You must be using some kind of magic. Just the two 6500W elements together draw over 54 amps.

Nah. . not 110 . . just me being stupid. I'm running two 5500W (not 6500W), 2 march 815 and a wallwort. Under load my service runs hot 230-240V, so a 50A circuits works fine. Not much wiggle room, but it's GFI protected and I've never popped the breaker.

PLOVE

 

[beluedog]

Been a while since I have posted here, but system is up and running. We have the hot side set up for manual and/or auto control as well as cold side running keezer, ferm chamber and aux. Brewed on it 5 or 6 times now and wish we had the power to run both simultaneously. We are doing 20 gallon batches so our brew-day goes something like this.
Single Batch- Fill HLT 24 gallons and MLT with required strike water and set BCS to come on 4 hours before brew day. Once HLT hits 205º the BCS turns on the Mash pump and begins recirculating the strike water through the HEX until it hits strike temp. It turns off and waits for us to mash in. continue to mash either single step or mash steps depending on the recipe. We keep the HLT at 205 until we mash out. Then the HEX brings the temp down of the HLT to sparging temps. Once the element in the BK is covered we turn on the element. Depending on how fast we run off determines how long to boil, but usually around 20-30 minutes. We then boil, whirlpool, knock out and inline oxygenate into the fermentor.
Double batching gets a little trickier trying to keep the HLT full and up to temp at all times. We started using and auxiliary Burner to heat the strike water which seems to speed things up a bit.
A single batch usually takes us 7 hours and a double 11ish.

 

[TNugent]

Very nice setup! Looks great.

One question, where is your BCS mounted? Don't see it in your control box.

 

[waffle418]

Very nice setup! Looks great.

One question, where is your BCS mounted? Don't see it in your control box.

They have it in a separate box Its a really good idea... especially if you have a 462, so you can use it for controlling your fermenter and keezer without having to leave your control panel on. I think its what I'm going to end up doing as well

 

[beluedog]

Very nice setup! Looks great.

One question, where is your BCS mounted? Don't see it in your control box.

Mounted in another enclosure pictured earlier in this thread. It runs keezer and ferm as well so I thought it is better off keeping it together with that.

 

[mdunlop]

Beluedog,
Thanks for documenting your build,its helping me tremendiously.
I have one question. On your panel diaogram you have the CAT 5 coming from you BCS panel (ferm panel) and its labled "Cat 5 remote com Bcs outputs /12v. The legend for you main panel also shows a navey blue wire as 12v coming from the ferm panel. I thought all BCS outputs were 5 v Dc? Your BCS diaogram doesnt show 12v coming from the ferm control box, it indicates the 5v output from the BCS through the cat 5 to the main panel. Can you help me understand this?

 

[mliptack]

Depending on how fast we run off determines how long to boil, but usually around 20-30 minutes. We then boil, whirlpool, knock out and inline oxygenate into the fermentor.

In the last picture where you are pumping in o2 on the way to your conical, is the line coming in at the end your o2 line? Or do you have a separate tap for SG readings, taste tests etc.? If it is an o2 line, is there wort in the line?

Do you use a stone for o2? If you're not using a stone, a trick I learned from owning a saltwater fish tank, is to run the o2 line to the input of your pump - of course you cannot blast o2 in, at the risk of cavitation, however, the bubbles get sucked into the impeller and it breaks them into many tiny little bubbles, which will improve the take-up of o2 in your wort.

Nice set-up! I like the system!

Cheers!
Max