my relatively small 240v panel eBIAB build

[staticfritz]

I found posts like these super helpful when i was planning this thing, so thought I'd share.
Was doing a sloppy kettle/cooler mash tun/immersion chiller setup for the past several years and wanted to upgrade to something leaner, faster, easier to wash and store, and more reproducible without taking over half the kitchen for 6-7hrs at a time

Brew build thread with those pics is in the BIAB forum, here's the panel stuff:
I was inspired by the Brau supply ezboil system

but wanted a bit more customization and DIY and cost saving.
Ultimately my goals were: driving a 5500w element, an EZBoil, independent pump and heater controls, auxillary outlet, portability

Found this excellent diagram here on the forum:

Ezboil W Pump And Aux

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

My only real modifications was a main power LED and adjusted the ezboil pin assignments for Auber the DSPR310c

Smallest enclosure I thought would fit everything, retapped the small crap screws for slightly larger/stronger screws

And here it is! sorry the wiring looks a little sloppy, squeezing stiff 12 and 14ga wire into a little box took a lot of patience

Panel1

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

Panelfront

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

didn't apply the labels yet, but here's your guide
Main power LED top left, element firing light top right
Main breaker, EZBoil
Pump switch, RTD sensor plug, element override switch

Panelback

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

pump and aux outputs
heater element output
240 input

Panelinside3

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

SSR and contactor in the middle

Panelinside2

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

Panelinside1

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

you can see the inline fuse holders here

spa panel wired into the garage wall with a 240 NEMA 4pin outlet

Spa1

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

25' 10/4 extension cord

Using a Dernord 5500w ripple element with TC fitting and housing, using an appliance whip (cheapest option) for the disconnect

Here's the whole brewstand setup:

Brewstand

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

Happy to answer any questions about it and i saved all my costs and links for the parts I used. I spent a foolish amount of time trying to find the best possible price combinations on a lot of this stuff

 

[processhead]

Looks great. Lots of good quality components shown.
A question though, how much does your portable control panel weigh?
With a few heavy cords plugged into the back, I would have some concerns about stability, dragging, or tipping.

 

[cubalz]

Very nicely done. The compact size is sweet especially if you need it to be portable. Congratulations!

 

[staticfritz]

thanks guys!
the weight of the cords was definitely a concern, but didn't want to have to hard mount my panel to the stand. I put the appliance whip plug facing down and the other heavy cord at the bottom. Panel weighs about 4 lbs, set up like this it's not a crazy heavy anchor, but it's also not tipping over on it's own

Panelupright1

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

Panelcords

• staticfritz
• Dec 8, 2017

 

[jsharp4684]

Are you doing 5 gal batches? What size kettle are you using? I like what you're doing with your setup. The smaller footprint is nice.

 

[staticfritz]

thanks!
plan is mostly 6 gallon batches (5 in the keg, handful of bombers for longterm)
it's a 15gal kettle

first test run this weekend i think

 

[mirthfuldragon]

A design after my own heart. Out of curiosity, how did you spend, ball park?

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Looks fan-fricken-tabulous! Get brewing!

 

[staticfritz]

Depressingly....lol
I have been keeping track. Including the chiller and everything, almost none of my previous equipment transferred over.
I'm at about $1600 for the whole setup.

 

[staticfritz]

actually, I'll divide it up:
$913.24 BIAB kettle setup and element
$138.70 Counterflow chiller
$314.89 Control Panel
$178.94 Electrical supply

 

[jsharp4684]

I'm coming from stove top extract brewing, so please forgive the noob questions. The fitting in the middle of the front of the kettle is for recirculation?

 

[TexasWine]

Anyone else not able to see the pics, or is it just me and Tapatalk having issues again?

 

[Bigfly]

It's Tapatalk. Very nice job Fritz. I am also curious about the bottom fittings.

 

[staticfritz]

yeah, i basically had the 2nd front fitting for options. temp, whirlpool, etc.
Right now just for whirlpool, tilted it up so it drips less when i disconnect

 

[staticfritz]

brew updates and troubleshooting on my other thread
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/spike-240v-ebiab-build-on-an-oldschool-av-cart.641157/

 

[augiedoggy]

Very straight forward, functional panel and reasonable expense wise.
You mentioned the dernold being the cheapest option for the tc elements but there are cheaper options. You can order samples from Yuling and another manufacturer I cant think of on alibaba as well... last year I ordered these for $14 each plus 16.50 shipping so 2 came to 61.00 shipped.. just something to consider if you end up wanting another although I dont know if thier prices hasve changed

 

[Olemissconsin]

Very straight forward, functional panel and reasonable expense wise.
You can order samples from Yuling and another manufacturer I cant think of on alibaba as well... last year I ordered these for $14 each plus 16.50 shipping so 2 came to 61.00 shipped.. just something to consider if you end up wanting another although I dont know if thier prices hasve changed
View attachment 551568

Did you have to join AliBaba to request a sample or were you able to convince them to send you a sample using the email listed at the bottom of the page?

 

[augiedoggy]

Did you have to join AliBaba to request a sample or were you able to convince them to send you a sample using the email listed at the bottom of the page?

I did,
You can contact Allen Gu (yuling rep I dealt with and a few others here have ordered from) [email protected] you can tell him you got his contact info from fathergratwick (dont ask).

 

[butterblum]

How pleased are you with the Dernord element you bought?

 

[staticfritz]

well only one test batch and and a bunch of test water heating, but so far, great!

 

[butterblum]

I am looking at it as an option since it has the built in housing for the electrical connections. Did you go with the 2" tri-clamp version?
I am wondering if it is worth it to do this since most elements and bulkhead kits are 1.5"

 

[staticfritz]

it was no cost difference to get a 2" vs a 1.5" from spike. Ideally i probably would have had all 1.5 for interchangeability, but it's honestly not that big of a deal to have an extra 2" clamp and seal. and there wasn't a good 1.5 option for the same price with a housing

 

[butterblum]

It's hard to pass up such a nice, clean enclosure for the element. Especially with a built-in grounding post.

 

[Olemissconsin]

I did,
You can contact Allen Gu (yuling rep I dealt with and a few others here have ordered from) [email protected] you can tell him you got his contact info from fathergratwick (dont ask).

I finally got it this afternoon! Thanks so much for the help, every dollar saved is needed right now!

 

[staticfritz]

second brew day on the books finally, worked pretty well! I am just in awe of how quickly this setup heats and chills water. And it's so much easier to just clean in place w hot pbw and a dish brush

Upgrades/mods:
- Modified a new corona mill, ran it off a drill on low speed for my grind
- rare earth magnet on the front underside of the controller so it doesn't tip over
- flipped my CFC so it drains better
- hops in a bag
- fiddled with my water flow to make cleanup easier

Grain: 10 lbs. 2-Row, 1 lb. Caramel 40 = Goal OG 1.055
Strike temp 158 - Mash temp 152 - 60min mash while recirculating
1 gal cold water sparge while squeezing drip dry while coming to a boil
Boil 60 min
0.5oz simcoe :60min
1oz vic secret :10min (and whirfloc)
1oz vic secret hop stand (for 10 after chill to 150)
6.5g into fermenter, through CFC dropped to 60 deg ~0.75g kettle/chiller loss
Safale S-05 sprinkled over the top

Planning on 4-6 oz of dry hop (how much is too much?)

final output? OG 1.046 w 6.25 gal into the fermentor, about 7 gal if I count the kettle losses = 79.7 % efficiency!!! (or 72% if I only count what's in the fermentor)

Photos! (pardon the garage mess!)

 

[mirthfuldragon]

@staticfritz what did you use to make the cover for your chugger pump? That looks pretty slick and is a great idea.

 

[Daniel_veal]

Looks great...

 

[staticfritz]

@staticfritz what did you use to make the cover for your chugger pump? That looks pretty slick and is a great idea.

Trader Joes juice bottle! cut a hole in the bottom and slot along one side, left the cap off for better ventilation

 

[staticfritz]

 

[daveMN]

View attachment 565107

That's a great idea for a cover! Simple and effective.

 

[staticfritz]

its not fancy, but it's very low profile and much better coverage than just a 'flap' of matal overhanging the pump

 

[Neilyboy]

I did,
You can contact Allen Gu (yuling rep I dealt with and a few others here have ordered from) [email protected] you can tell him you got his contact info from fathergratwick (dont ask).

I just ordered an element from him. They come with locking cord now. They are 25ea+20 shipping. If you order two they are 25ea + 34 shipping . He was quick in responding (then I paid and have not heard back, lol- I'm sure all is good). I just paid him via paypal without having to register anywhere. Thanks for the heads up augie!

Neil

 

[Neilyboy]

See attached to see what you get for 45$. Still a great deal if you ask me.
Neil

 

[LittlejohnBrew]

See attached to see what you get for 45$. Still a great deal if you ask me.
Neil

Got a better deal than me. I went through Alibaba instead of directly through email. Ended up paying $64 for element, locking cable, and TC clamp. $36 for all parts $28 shipping and received in less than 2 weeks from placing order.

Fwiw, i did not specify the cable gauge and they sent SOOW 12AWG. This is good to 25A, but will require a double pole breaker to protect.

 

[augiedoggy]

I just ordered an element from him. They come with locking cord now. They are 25ea+20 shipping. If you order two they are 25ea + 34 shipping . He was quick in responding (then I paid and have not heard back, lol- I'm sure all is good). I just paid him via paypal without having to register anywhere. Thanks for the heads up augie!

Neil

Yeah I felt weird when I just ordered 10 of them for a 3 bbl brewery and did not recieve any shipping notice but I got them in like 4 days.

 

[Bobby_M]

View attachment 565107

You are going to overheat that pump. They recommend mantaining 4" of clearance in all directions.

 

[passedpawn]

You are going to overheat that pump. They recommend mantaining 4" of clearance in all directions.

You might be right. But, I mounted my March 809 inside a small plastic toolbox. There are some vent holes on the side. It's been spinning trouble-free for 9 years.

 

[plastik46]

Hi, What are you using for your kettle to sit on? looks like some type of black pad. I'm looking for options for my setup.

 

[Bobby_M]

You might be right. But, I mounted my March 809 inside a small plastic toolbox. There are some vent holes on the side. It's been spinning trouble-free for 9 years.

I'm giving you the manufacturer's word on it. You can run it in any number of unrecommended ways and still be OK. Having sold over 1000 chugger pumps, I can tell you that overheating has happened in less shrouded setups.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm giving you the manufacturer's word on it. You can run it in any number of unrecommended ways and still be OK. Having sold over 1000 chugger pumps, I can tell you that overheating has happened in less shrouded setups.

Yea I'm a rebel, like to live on the edge

I have a chugger that's never been fired up. My intention was to toolbox it, same as the march. I'll get my chance to test that one too one day.

Soo... what happens when they overheat? Windings melt down? Thermal fuse?