Mad scientist idea - Gas and electric system that's portable

[BigHefty]

So I got to thinking the other day when a buddy asked me to help set him up with an electric brewing system. I currently have a Brutus 10 style system with one LG pump. It runs with propane and works great. However, I would also like to be able to brew inside during the winter or have my system be a little more portable. What I'm thinking is I'd like to mount something to the side of my converted sanke's that would allow me to attach a heating element or plug it off if I wanted to use gas. I'd also like to add a HERMS coil to my HLT which I could use with gas or electric. The pump would be remounted into a toolbox instead of mounted to the brew cart. The CFC, which just lays on the bottom of the cart, would also be put into some type of carrying box that would allow it to be portable. It's pretty much portable now but it's flimsy and having it in some type of box would help keep it from being damaged. Finally, I want to get a BCS-460/462 to control it.

To summarize:

1) Convert one sanke to a permanent HLT with a HERMS coil and removable heating element.

2) Convert one sanke to a permanent boil kettle with a removable heating element.

3) Relocate the pump from the cart to a toolbox for portability/storage.

4) Mount my CFC inside a Homely Depot plastic bucket for portability/storage.

5) Get a BCS-460/462 and wire everything modularly.


Thoughts?


Geoff

 

[bovineblitz]

Just wondering... if you're going to mount heating elements, why would you ever want to remove them and use propane?

 

[BigHefty]

Just wondering... if you're going to mount heating elements, why would you ever want to remove them and use propane?

I knew this would come up because I asked myself the same thing. Two reasons really. One, I will be brewing at a cabin in up north Michigan and it doesn't have any electricity... well, a generator but that's not going to work for brewing. Two, because I want to be portable in the sense that I may take my brewing setup to somewhere that doesn't have a 240V hook up.

I figure that I'm probably going to use electric about 95% of the time but I want that option to use propane.

 

[broadbill]

pretty much the same thing as the countertop brutus 20 design of jkarp's:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/countertop-brutus-20-a-131411/

 

[BigHefty]

pretty much the same thing as the countertop brutus 20 design of jkarp's:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/countertop-brutus-20-a-131411/

Very interesting! Thanks for the link. Lots of good information and ideas there. I don't want to be limited to small batches so I'm going to have to stick with the 240V heating elements.

 

[mcflyfisher]

On the soldering stainless thread, some folks are using 1.5" triclover fittings to mount elements. If you did that, you could remove the element and use a blank to fill the hole.

 

[Ohio-Ed]

On the soldering stainless thread, some folks are using 1.5" triclover fittings to mount elements. If you did that, you could remove the element and use a blank to fill the hole.

I wouldn't solder if you're going to be using propane.

I built my system with removable elements, a portable box to control My RIMS Heater and switches for two pumps... just in case. I haven't brewed with propane since I had the capability of using electric. Well actually, I have done a few extract batches on a turkey fryer at friends houses.

I am constantly modifying, refining, and changing my system to the point that it will never be portable now.

 

[BigHefty]

Oops... I thought I had updated this.. I guess not. After reviewing Ohio-Ed's build I have decided to just convert to electric permanently. I'll still have my turkey fryer if I decide to brew somewhere besides my house.

Stay tuned for the conversion!!