I tried to run HERMS system for the first time today. My setup is a 3 tiered stand, each with a burner. I use bayou classic stainless steel 15 gallon pots. I ran tubing from the mash to a chigger pump to a small copper cooling coil sitting in the hot water tun, and the outlet ran back into the mash. I tried to use hot water in the hot water tun to keep the temp of the mash, but this failed miserably. The mash dropped to 140 while the HWT was at the mash temp of 152.
HERMS heat problem
- Thread starter buzzbromp
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Anyone have these issues. I ended up putting the HWT at 164 and added a little heat now and then to the mash tun. I figured either my copper coils weren't heating up enough and/or the mash tun was losing too much heat to the cool air. It was shady and windy, 45 degrees out. Unfortunately i couldn't find my beer thermometer to test the temp coming out of the HWT. Next time I am going to insulate the mash tun and test the water temp coming out. Should I still have to heat the mash tun with a HERMS?
The ambient air was probably 45 and windy, and i was brewing in the shade. The heat source was a burner keeping the hot water tun at 152 which heated the copper coils which the mash was recirculating through. One thing for sure is the mash is much clearer!!
Two problems. Uninsulated mash tun losing too much heat and I suspect that you were getting stratification in the liquor tank. The area just around the coils were sitting below 150 while the thermometer was telling you it was 152. A good HERMS has a way to move the water in the HLT which is either a pump or a stirring stick on a motor. Messing around with manual heat control is also a pain. You might as well insulate the mash tun really well and let it ride for the whole rest.
Yeah I will insulate the mash tun next time. I am not worried a out a couple degree difference to stratification of different densities. Perhaps I'll clip the coil so it hangs several inches from the bottom. Between cooling the middle of the HWT and and adding best to the bottom, the water should circulate naturally.
On a flip note, the recirculating fluid went well until I raised the temp for mash out, at about 165, air bubbles pulled in and filled the inlet tube to the pump shutting it down. I suspect the air entered at the tubing/mash tun nozzle. I think the tube got hot, soft and lost some of its seal. I just had it slipped over the nozzle, next time I will try a kwik clamp.
On a flip note, the recirculating fluid went well until I raised the temp for mash out, at about 165, air bubbles pulled in and filled the inlet tube to the pump shutting it down. I suspect the air entered at the tubing/mash tun nozzle. I think the tube got hot, soft and lost some of its seal. I just had it slipped over the nozzle, next time I will try a kwik clamp.
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