HERMS system- temp fluctuating

[Turfgrass]

I’m still learning my systems and improving upon other steps of the brew day. However, yesterday I had temperature drop during mash out. My last brew wasn’t a problem, but trying to hit 168*F in the MT was difficult. Thinking I had the wrong arrangement of hoses and the longer ones might have been losing some heat. Any tips on keeping consistent temps between the MT and HLT? Thx

 

[Smellyglove]

I’m still learning my systems and improving upon other steps of the brew day. However, yesterday I had temperature drop during mash out. My last brew wasn’t a problem, but trying to hit 168*F in the MT was difficult. Thinking I had the wrong arrangement of hoses and the longer ones might have been losing some heat. Any tips on keeping consistent temps between the MT and HLT? Thx

Use as short hoses as possible after the HLT into MT, you can also insulate them. And the hotter the wort, the more heat is lost, so you might want to overshoot your HLT slightly.

 

[HarkinBanks]

What are you using for a MLT? Is it insulated? If not, you can put reflectix on it. That helps quite a bit in my experience.

 

[Turfgrass]

What are you using for a MLT? Is it insulated? If not, you can put reflectix on it. That helps quite a bit in my experience.

I have a Spike 10 gal kettle. I never had this much trouble reaching and stabilizing mash out. The basement is getting colder, so maybe a warmer HLT will fix the problem.

I was able to shorten one hose. Today will be another try at a NEIPA.

 

[HarkinBanks]

I have a Spike 10 gal kettle. I never had this much trouble reaching and stabilizing mash out. The basement is getting colder, so maybe a warmer HLT will fix the problem.

I was able to shorten one hose. Today will be another try at a NEIPA.

Mine was a 10g megapot and the reflectix did help.

There are certainly other variables to consider, mash ratio, how many watts are you using, temp of your basement, temp of the brew stand, etc.

 

[Turfgrass]

Mine was a 10g megapot and the reflectix did help.

There are certainly other variables to consider, mash ratio, how many watts are you using, temp of your basement, temp of the brew stand, etc.

The first issue is heating the HLT strike water and then cooling it after the grains are added to the MT. The MT water will drop with the grain addition to the target temp, but it will continue to drop while the pump is off and waiting for the HLT water temp to lower. I keep the MT covered and I can see the reflectix being of some help. I do flick the pump on and off to help keep the temp close.

The next issue is during recirculation. I continue to keep the MT lid on, so nothing falls inside and to maintain temperature, however the HLT lids is always on and off to help stabilize a consistent mash temp. Some PID manipulation as well. It’s work keeping it plus or minus a degree for 60 minutes.

 

[HarkinBanks]

The first issue is heating the HLT strike water and then cooling it after the grains are added to the MT. The MT water will drop with the grain addition to the target temp, but it will continue to drop while the pump is off and waiting for the HLT water temp to lower. I keep the MT covered and I can see the reflectix being of some help. I do flick the pump on and off to help keep the temp close.

The next issue is during recirculation. I continue to keep the MT lid on, so nothing falls inside and to maintain temperature, however the HLT lids is always on and off to help stabilize a consistent mash temp. Some PID manipulation as well. It’s work keeping it plus or minus a degree for 60 minutes.

Where is your thermocouple mounted? It should be on the wort out of your herms coil. That may be a contributing factor.

Is your system 3 vessels? You could heat your strike water in your BK and not your HLT and heat your HLT water at the same time. That would also help.

 

[Turfgrass]

Where is your thermocouple mounted? It should be on the wort out of your herms coil. That may be a contributing factor.

Is your system 3 vessels? You could heat your strike water in your BK and not your HLT and heat your HLT water at the same time. That would also help.

Here’s a picture of my system. Think I may have been cleaning it here. I have shortened some of the hoses. The thermocouple are both on the outputs of the MT and the HLT. They are positioned between the kettle and the elbows pointing down. MT- middle, HLT- right.

 

[Turfgrass]

Also need to find a better way to position/mount my CF chiller. Not pictured, but on the ground and I feel that I lose to much wort within the chiller and two hoses.

 

[augiedoggy]

The probe in the tee of the HLT is not ideal unless its on the herms coil output?

Also expect to have to have the herms output be a degree or two higher than your MT will be due to losses from the hose and mt sidewalls. also you may already have it (looks like you do) but you need something to keep the water in the hlt moving around and across the herms the whole time otherwise the temps will be very uneven in your HLT I learned this the hard way..
there will also be a few minute lag between the output of the herms matching the output of the mt so dont keep fiddling with it before things get to stabilize. I strongly recommend cutting the herms flow down to like 2gpm to reduce channeling and promote even temps and flow.

 

[ajdelange]

Push it out with water.

 

[augiedoggy]

I use a small 24v pump mounted to the plate chiller input with camlocks which I just disonnect and collect whatevers in the chiller and hose with a measuring cup once the pump runs dry.. A lot of people use water and watch for color change to push the last of it out of the lines as well.

 

[HarkinBanks]

The probe in the tee of the HLT is not ideal unless its on the herms coil output?

Also expect to have to have the herms output be a degree or two higher than your MT will be due to losses from the hose and mt sidewalls. also you may already have it (looks like you do) but you need something to keep the water in the hlt moving around and across the herms the whole time otherwise the temps will be very uneven in your HLT I learned this the hard way..
there will also be a few minute lag between the output of the herms matching the output of the mt so dont keep fiddling with it before things get to stabilize. I strongly recommend cutting the herms flow down to like 2gpm to reduce channeling and promote even temps and flow.

+1 to everything augie mentions. Stratification in the HLT can occur and I used a small march pump to recirc my HLT water during the mash.

 

[Turfgrass]

+1 to everything augie mentions. Stratification in the HLT can occur and I used a small march pump to recirc my HLT water during the mash.

Thx.....I have a pump below the HLT that recirculates it.