My build

[rvklein]

I had my hood made by a local fabrication shop as well. Turned out to be a funny story. I was wrangling around with the guy for 4 months trying to get a hold of him, get return calls, etc. Finally got to talking with him and he noticed my email address and says his step son works there too. Not only does he work with there but he works in the office right next to me and is a friend of mine.

Hood got done and he took $200 off. Paid $500

 

[rvklein]

Some thoughts reading through this. I know some of it is too late for you but others may find it useful:

- Instead of lopping off the plug from the pumps I took two three prong extension cords, lopped off the male end and wired in a twist lock then hooked the chuggers to that.
- The elements not flush against the kettle issue, you'll find hop debris gets stuck down in there. I hose it out those times I don't disconnect the elements from the kettles.
- I left my floor concrete and glad I did it. Makes cleanup so easy and I don't even worry about water & starsan spills as it just soaks in.
- I'm not happy with the performance of the inline trub filter. I find it better to use a hop spider & whirlpool. The domed bottom of the stout is great for that btw.
- I totally maned up and cut a hole in my house!

 

[Roadie]

I had my hood made by a local fabrication shop as well. Turned out to be a funny story. I was wrangling around with the guy for 4 months trying to get a hold of him, get return calls, etc. Finally got to talking with him and he noticed my email address and says his step son works there too. Not only does he work with there but he works in the office right next to me and is a friend of mine.

Hood got done and he took $200 off. Paid $500

Funny! I had to call the guy I used a few times as well to get a call back. I guess 1 or 2 man shops are pretty busy. Great price in the end.

 

[Roadie]

Some thoughts reading through this. I know some of it is too late for you but others may find it useful:

- Instead of lopping off the plug from the pumps I took two three prong extension cords, lopped off the male end and wired in a twist lock then hooked the chuggers to that.
- The elements not flush against the kettle issue, you'll find hop debris gets stuck down in there. I hose it out those times I don't disconnect the elements from the kettles.
- I left my floor concrete and glad I did it. Makes cleanup so easy and I don't even worry about water & starsan spills as it just soaks in.
- I'm not happy with the performance of the inline trub filter. I find it better to use a hop spider & whirlpool. The domed bottom of the stout is great for that btw.
- I totally maned up and cut a hole in my house!

I guess cord extensions make a LOT more sense than what I did. I kept thinking "what if the pumps are broken". I've only wired one so far and will probably use your method on the second.

I wish the elements went in just a little further as the end of the element will come ever so close to touching the side of the kettle next to the hole.

We will be whirlpooling and using either large tea infusers or hop socks. We've been using one for the last 5 months where we brew and it seems to do its job. I also bought the .3mm screen to slide over the .5mm element.

We are happy with the flooring and as we didn't have a floor drain knew we were not going the "just sweep it down the drain method". Also it is a finished space with one of the walls having a (future) bar so unfinished concrete didn't really fit with the aesthetic.

Good for you on the drilling the hole yourself. I just didn't have the cojones to drill a 6" hole in the side of the house. The fan inlet is 6" and that is carried all the way through to the exhaust duct. I had visions of drilling it in the wrong spot plus not sure my drill would be up to using a 6" hole saw. Although it was 50% more than I had budgeted it took two professionals 2 hours to complete the job so I would have spent all day and probably drilled in the wrong spot, burned up my drill and F'd the entire thing up!

 

[ImNoExpert]

Great build so far!

 

[Roadie]

Great build so far!

Thanks. Waiting on faucet company to get the incorrect faucet they sent me back so hopefully I can get the correct one and finish my plumbing. Then drywall. Then tile. Can't hang panel until that is all done. Haven't even looked at building the bar yet. This project feels like it will NEVER be completed! Hoping to at least be brewing sometime in March.

 

[MrSaLTy]

Where did you get the stainless table and sink and do you remember which ones you got? I have been looking at a ton of online places to get them but some of them just tear you a new one on shipping. Would love to know where you got em.

BTW very nice build. I have been following it as well as my project is much like yours. You are much farther on your basement then I am. I'm really having problems planning out all out. So much work to do.

 

[RobJ]

Hi Roadie
Awesome setup, I'm goning for something similar but 3 x 100l pots and I'm gona tier them so no need for pumps. The guy who I'm vying the equipment off sells gas burners for the pots but I'd rather use electric, on your setup do you have the element under a false bottom to prevent it coming into contact with the grain? I'm brand new to this all I've done is the beer kits but now want to start AG brewing, gratefull for any help matey. this is the setup I'm gona buy but like I said want to install elements under the false bottoms, cheers

 

[MrSaLTy]

Electric systems are usually either RIMS or HERMS systems. There is no direct heat or element in the mash. With RIMS there is a basically a tube that has an element in it that gets wort pumped out of the mash through this tube to maintain the temp and then back into the mash. HERMS usually has a coil in the HLT (or another stand alone heat exchanger) that the mash is pumped through. The mash get brought up the the temp of the HLT and pumped back into the mash.

If you haven't seen it, here is some very good and detailed information on electric HERMS systems. http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/

 

[RobJ]

Thanks for that matey, I'll check it out and see if I can get my head round it, cheers

 

[Roadie]

Where did you get the stainless table and sink and do you remember which ones you got? I have been looking at a ton of online places to get them but some of them just tear you a new one on shipping. Would love to know where you got em.

BTW very nice build. I have been following it as well as my project is much like yours. You are much farther on your basement then I am. I'm really having problems planning out all out. So much work to do.

I got this table, this sink and this spray faucet. I didn't notice when I ordered but the sink is taller than the table which I wanted the same size but was overwhelmed with all the stuff to order and missed that measurement. We are glad the table isn't taller though as at 6' I can just look into kettles without tiptoes or a stool. My sons at 6'2" and 6'3" don't have the same issue as me. If the table was a couple of inches taller I'd have to stand on my tiptoes to look in. I just ordered another table from them so I knew it would match the one previously ordered and we'll put the new table along the adjoining wall to form an L shape and give us some work surface. Prima Supply has free delivery as you're right sometimes the shipping charge practically eclipses the item you're ordering.

It is a lot of work and I wish you luck in getting it all planned out. This is the last room in the basement that wasn't finished. We have a tv room, a pool table room and now the brewery room.

 

[Roadie]

Hi Roadie
Awesome setup, I'm goning for something similar but 3 x 100l pots and I'm gona tier them so no need for pumps. The guy who I'm vying the equipment off sells gas burners for the pots but I'd rather use electric, on your setup do you have the element under a false bottom to prevent it coming into contact with the grain? I'm brand new to this all I've done is the beer kits but now want to start AG brewing, gratefull for any help matey. View attachment 173778 this is the setup I'm gona buy but like I said want to install elements under the false bottoms, cheers

Thanks Rob. As salty pointed out above I only have 2 heating elements for 3 kettles, with elements in the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) and the Boil Kettle (BK). For mashing the grain I get water heated up in the HLT and transfer over a given amount to the mash tun (MLT) then I dump the grain in and stir to avoid clumps/air pockets/etc. While mashing I recirculate the mash out the bottom of the MLT into a stainless steel coil sitting inside the HLT which then based on the temperature of the HLT either maintains, heats, or lets it cool down. The liquid wort is then pumped back to the top of the MLT to filter through the grain bed. Using this method no element in the MLT is required.

The false bottom in my MLT is so grain doesn't get through during the recirculating process mentioned above, and also when transferring over to the BK.

Let me know if this all makes sense.

 

[MrSaLTy]

Awesome! Thanks for the info Roadie. Although it may not be the easiest, you could lower the sink by cutting down the legs a bit with a hacksaw. Might be more work if you have the faucet already mounted to the wall but it is doable. Speaking of the sink.... does the sink come with a waste drain or just a plain ol hole in the bottom?

 

[Roadie]

It comes with a strainer and gasket. I thought about cutting the legs down but have been hesitant to do so as they have leveling feet on them and my basement floor is not 100% flat.

 

[MrSaLTy]

I can understand not wanting to 'f' anything up. If the legs go in sockets with screw posts to secure them like most of the tables do you could take the legs off and cut the top ends to make sure the bottoms stay straight. Just cut the same amount on each leg. Just throwing out some ideas, don't do it if your not comfortable doing it. If its already mounted you'd have to cut down the drain stem and move the mounting for the faucet etc.

 

[Roadie]

Yes it would be a lot of work but I'm still debating as the faucet is not mounted to the wall yet.

 

[RobJ]

Cheers Roadie, I've got the concept of the HLT to get your water to temp then transferring it into MLT, I understand the mashing process but thought u just let it sit for in an insulated pot (MLT) and I understand the BK process, it's the recirculating from MLT to HLT, how do you do this and why, great advise so would appreciate any help guys, I thought I had it cracked, ha ha,cheers

 

[Roadie]

Cheers Roadie, I've got the concept of the HLT to get your water to temp then transferring it into MLT, I understand the mashing process but thought u just let it sit for in an insulated pot (MLT) and I understand the BK process, it's the recirculating from MLT to HLT, how do you do this and why, great advise so would appreciate any help guys, I thought I had it cracked, ha ha,cheers

There are a lot of concepts for the beginner to grasp so don't feel bad about still having questions on the process. Again most electric systems utilize a HERMS (Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System) coil to help keep/maintain/change the MLT temperature based on what step you are in with the mash and what you are trying to accomplish. You have the concept of heating water to a certain strike temperature so you can mash at a given temp, for example say the water from your HLT is 154 F and when you mix it with some grain in a cold MLT the temp maybe drops to 148 F or so which we'll say is your desired mash temperature. Without a HERMS coil your would wrap your MLT up with the lid on for 60 or 90 minutes. If you need to raise/lower your temp in the MLT then you have to add hot/cold water to adjust the temp. With a HERMS coil you use a pump to recirculate the wort through the coil which is submerged at least partially in the HLT and by raising the temp of the HLT you can control the temp of the mash. Same for doing a mash out at at given temp. If your mash out is supposed to be 168 you simply raise the temp of the HLT to 168 (or 169/170 to speed things up) and recirculate the wort until it hits the mash out temp. Then you sparge and by moving some hoses around you push hot water through the coil again maintaining the sparge temp and cleaning the coil out.

Check out these pages for a step by step guide to what and more importantly WHY you do things in an electric system with HERMS coil. This explains it a lot better than I can and includes drawings on some of the pages at the bottom. In the drawings the color blue is for water only and yellow is wort (water after it's been rinsed through the grain and has picked up some of the grain's sugars). That may help you understand it more than anything I've typed here.

 

[MrSaLTy]

Not to threadjack from Roadie's excellent build but in an effort the help Rob with some of these concepts I'll throw out a link I have to my blog. This post walks you through the workings of a HERMS setup and how I plan to use it.

Hope this helps

http://rottensebrewery.blogspot.com/2013/06/documenting-my-brewery-build.html

 

[RobJ]

Listen thanks to yous both, you have helped me massively, saved me wasting money but looks like I'm gona have to spend more to get the results I'm after, I'm goin to study both links tonight and try and seer where I can source the equipment in the uk without spending crazy money, I want to build most of it myself but that control box looks scarey, does that control the 2 elements and pumps? Surely it must do more than that, cheers again guys, love it!!!

 

[Roadie]

My link in the step by step brewing is for the guy who came up with that panel. He walks you through building a copy of his setup. He has another company send out kits and completed panels to fill orders. It controls 2 pumps, 2 heating elements, monitors the temp in all 3 kettles and does the dishes on Wednesday nights.

 

[RobJ]

Ha ha, the dishes has me sold, just ready through it now salty, looks spot on, cheers again, I'll let you know how I'm getting on matey

 

[RobJ]

Hey roadie
Are you using 5.5kw elements on your setup? I can easily get 4kw was just wondering if this would be ok for 10 gallon batches? Cheers mate

 

[Roadie]

Hey roadie
Are you using 5.5kw elements on your setup? I can easily get 4kw was just wondering if this would be ok for 10 gallon batches? Cheers mate

Yes, I'm using the 5.5kw ripple elements from brewmation.com. I believe that your 4kw will do the job though.

 

[RobJ]

Champion mate,
I'm going to build the switch box first, had a good look and read through the link salty posted and it's pretty strate forward wen u get ur head past the maze of wires, looks class tho, not saying it's gona b easy but I love a challenge, ordering some pumps and valves then I should be on my way. Got my head around the recirculating coil and using the pumps to even out the temps, all makes sense ( I think), cheers for your help bud hope I'm on the right track, will have a look for the bigger elements but seem to be struggling in the UK, Is it easy to source in the US?

 

[Roadie]

Yes, very easy.

 

[Roadie]

It's been a little while since I've done a status update. Correct faucet is now in and I've figured out how to plumb a tee off my drain line for my RO discharge water and the furnace humidifier so those drain lines don't just sit in the sink. Will finish plumbing this weekend so drywall can proceed.

Some of my couplings came in and I've connected them to the kettles and pump. Using camlocks and the hose barb ones have an inside diameter of .50". Ran out of thread tape so went out at lunch today for another roll. I discovered that I forgot about the tri-clamps and gaskets for the temperature probes and I need gaskets for the tri-clamp filter as well so got that ordered in addition to some more silicone tubing. I need a couple pieces of garden hose for the plate chiller so will order that tonight. I saw potable water hoses only 10' in length so that would be perfect; I'll need two.

Ordered a second SS table to have some work surface area and that is in and assembled.

Couple of pictures.

 

[hunter306]

Once again, coming together nicely! That second table will be really nice for additional workspace. My brother (co-brewer) wants me to add some additional stainless surfaces as well, so I need to figure out how I'm going to shoehorn those into my build.

PS. Everytime I see your kettles I get jealous. So nice.

 

[Roadie]

Once again, coming together nicely! That second table will be really nice for additional workspace. My brother (co-brewer) wants me to add some additional stainless surfaces as well, so I need to figure out how I'm going to shoehorn those into my build.

PS. Everytime I see your kettles I get jealous. So nice.

Thanks man. Definitely need a work area but I too am working in a smaller space so trying to shoehorn everything in. Trying to finish plumbing this weekend so drywall can go up. You are WAY ahead of me and everything looks great.

 

[RobJ]

Hey guys, my pots and pumps etc are being delivered late this week, can't wait, like I said before I'm new to this. I've been ready a book, Dave Line 'big book of brewing' great book to learn the ins and outs. He has the set up of equipment very basic (not like yours) and when he sparges he uses a lot of water, he doesn't mash with very much, he says that you sparge with the same amount of water as you want to finish with beer? Was wondering on your set up how do you sparge? Be gratefull for any help guys, cheers