PD Brewing

[paledragon]

5 months into a "1 month" project, i finally got the first half of the system sorted out. fermentation chamber and keezer to follow at some point.

Grain Mill

I got the surplus center GE inline gearmotor to hook up to my Barley Crusher since my cordless drill went kaput.

https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=5-1098&catname=electric

Mine looked beat to hell when I got it (worse than the sample pic), so I took a dremel and some polishing compound to it. I spray painted it with black hammered metal rustoleum. Marked improvement. Control box is On/Off and Forward/Reverse.

MLT/HLT/Control box

I used the Simpson Strong Tie deck connectors to build the frame. HLT has a locknut welded onto it for the heating element. I could only find mild steel couplers to mate the mixer shaft with the gearmotor, so I ended up building a fairly ridiculous looking wooden lid to get the coupling outside the lid to minimize rust. The underside of the lid is lined with a food grade silicone sheet. MLT uses a RIMS heater.

Control box close-up:

Interior:

Back of the panel:

HLT Mixer:

The gearmotor is somewhere around 80 RPM. Impeller is 7" aluminum.

Close-ups:

Pump shroud is aluminum roof flashing. Got the idea from someone here, but can't remember who.

 

[paledragon]

Boil Kettle

One things that has annoyed me to no end is knowing how much liquid is in the kettle. I picked up a refurbished Ohaus shipping scale that goes to 440lb to put everything on top of. Problem solved. Exhaust is a cheap a$$ window fan from Walmart. I've used it for 3 brews and the moisture hasn't killed it. So far, so good.

Close-up:

Inside:

I was able to pull apart some of the stainless IC coils to fit the element in.

That's about it. Any questions or comments, fire away.

p.d.

 

[milldoggy]

is that a love joy coupling between the motor and mill? I am getting a monster mill for xmas and want to motorize it. Think I might order the motor you listed

 

[cascadia]

The motor you are using looks like it has a 40 ft/lb torque. Has that been adequate for you? Have you tried rye or wheat?

 

[paledragon]

@milldoggy

yeah, that's a lovejoy. i'd be careful with using this motor with the monster mill depending on which version you get. longer rollers and larger diameter rollers each require higher torque.

@cascadia

i literally just finished everything this past weekend. i haven't had a chance to run grain through. others on HBT have used this motor successfully, so i'm hoping for the same. one thing i've done with rye in the past when i used my cordless drill to grind grain, was to mix the rye with whatever the base malt was. that way i was never grinding 100% rye.

p.d.

 

[EarthBound]

Excellent work, PD!!! Very unique and impressive! Your electrical work is very well done. Indorr brewing is awesome, isn't it?

How many watts in the RIMS heater? How many watts in the BK? More questions to come...

 

[gicts]

What is the purpose of the impeller in the HLT? Wouldn't it be best served in the MLT?

 

[paledragon]

@earthbound:

all the elements are 5500W. the RIMS is 5500W run at 120V. indoor is nice. i don't mind the cold, but not needing to work around rain/snow is great. i eventually need to tidy up the control box wiring. by the time i got everything hooked up i was sick of looking at it and just shut the door.

@gicts:

the HLT impeller keeps the water mixed and temperature uniform. not a problem for propane fired tanks, but the water will stratify with an electric element.

MLT temperature is kept (relatively) uniform by the constant recirculation of the wort. no mixer needed.

p.d.

 

[gicts]

@earthbound:

all the elements are 5500W. the RIMS is 5500W run at 120V. indoor is nice. i don't mind the cold, but not needing to work around rain/snow is great. i eventually need to tidy up the control box wiring. by the time i got everything hooked up i was sick of looking at it and just shut the door.

@gicts:

the HLT impeller keeps the water mixed and temperature uniform. not a problem for propane fired tanks, but the water will stratify with an electric element.

MLT temperature is kept (relatively) uniform by the constant recirculation of the wort. no mixer needed.

p.d.

Thanks!

 

[paledragon]

1/2 bbl keg custom welded by sabco inside a chest freezer. lid is lined with 1" foamboard and sealed with aluminum tape. epdm foam weatherstripping seals the lid to the chest freezer.

thermowell and sanitary sample valve from gw kent at the bottom. 4" triclamp on top. i've got a 4" to 1.5" end cap reducer and a 1.5" TC to hose barb for a blowoff tube. blowoff tube exits through a hole in the side of the lid.

love tss2 control box. heating is from a 40 watt fermwrap. didn't realize our ground water got that cold. it actually started at 44.6!

power cables and stuff.

i plan on adding a computer fan to circulate air.

p.d.