Redwood Electric Rig

[Chosenwon]

So I invested even more money into my rig, More Beer has a sweet sale going though through August and those guys are top notch! Big props to the guys at More Beer in Concord, CA.

Here is the latest:

I still need quick disconnects, sand and stain, and a few misc. items, but it is close.

The only problem I am concerned with right now is my March Pump has a lot of problems priming from my HLT (bottom right) and once it does get going it can not pump the last 2 or 3 gallons out of the hlt before it loses its prime. The HLT is clearly above the pump, am I not getting enough headspace? Any Suggestions to the March pump users out there?

 

[frolickingmonkey]

Beauty! Any chance of a parts list and measured drawing for this rig? I only ask because I'm in the process of designing something similar for my tiny brew barn... wood, compact, etc. I'll definitely be following this thread. Nice work!

Hopefully the HLT+Pump issues can be easily resolved.

 

[Chosenwon]

Beauty! Any chance of a parts list and measured drawing for this rig? I only ask because I'm in the process of designing something similar for my tiny brew barn... wood, compact, etc. I'll definitely be following this thread. Nice work!

Hopefully the HLT+Pump issues can be easily resolved.

I think the pump just was not getting a proper prime. I will fool around with it until I get it working properly. After reading other posts about March pumps it seems like just a slight amount of air will prevent the pump from priming properly so I just need to work the air out of the lines and it will work like a champ.

You can send me a private message and I can scan a drawing to you, although you probably don't even need one. Its 4' wide by 2' deep. The top and bottom 2x6s are 4 feet wide making the pieces sandwiched inbetween 21''. 4x4s are 32'' tall. The top pieces are mounted 1.5'' above the top of the 4x4s to compensate for the top 2x4s.

You will need about 25 6'' bolts (I used 3/8'') and 6 4'' bolts.

4-2x6x6' Redwood
2-4x4x6' Redwood
8-2x4x6' Redwood
2-2x4x8 Doug Fir
4 casters (I used 6" urethane wheels-works great but they are pricey and over 6" tall overall.

I built as I went and it really did go quickly having about 6 hours total into the build.

When you think about building a structure, don't think about the structure itself as much as the vessels you are trying to hold and where they need to be, build your structure around these dimensions and you will have something that is compact and efficient. Think about how high you want your kettle, do you want to be able to turn a valve and empty directly into a carboy? This was one of my goals so I made sure my kettle was high enough. I also wanted to be able to drain my MT into the kettle by gravity, by going through the handle of the keggle I shave a few inches off of the height. The HLT is low and out of the way because I don't really need to look into it, I just need it to hold sparge water and have it higher than the pump so it can pump sparge water over my Mash Tun.

If you have any other questions I will help you out the best I can.

 

[samc]

Nice job! I suggest you just sand & clear coat as the natural wood color is nice already.

Seriously thinking of going all electric someday from the 2/3 NG 1/3 electric I have now.

 

[Chosenwon]

I will definately sand, I am not sure between a clear coat and sanding though. I was thinking just some kind of an oil rub in stain after preping, but I am undecided at this point. Electric freedom is sweet!

 

[frolickingmonkey]

When you think about building a structure, don't think about the structure itself as much as the vessels you are trying to hold and where they need to be, build your structure around these dimensions and you will have something that is compact and efficient. Think about how high you want your kettle, do you want to be able to turn a valve and empty directly into a carboy? This was one of my goals so I made sure my kettle was high enough. I also wanted to be able to drain my MT into the kettle by gravity, by going through the handle of the keggle I shave a few inches off of the height. The HLT is low and out of the way because I don't really need to look into it, I just need it to hold sparge water and have it higher than the pump so it can pump sparge water over my Mash Tun.

Sage advice. Your ideas to stick the HLT below the MLT, as well as draining the MLT through the handle, really shook up my vision of how a brewrig could be put together. I've been stuck on single-tier and two-tier ideas, and this two-and-a-half-tier(?) build has been a real eye opener! Did I just coin the new term for this type of brewstand? Probably not...

Thanks for sharing the materials list. Based on the pictures and the list, I'm sure I'd could build a replica... It's a good starting point for me. I'll probably tweak/customize it, but I LOVE the concept of your stand.

Really BIG PROST and thanks for sharing your build!

 

[Chosenwon]

Sage advice. Your ideas to stick the HLT below the MLT, as well as draining the MLT through the handle, really shook up my vision of how a brewrig could be put together. I've been stuck on single-tier and two-tier ideas, and this two-and-a-half-tier(?) build has been a real eye opener! Did I just coin the new term for this type of brewstand? Probably not...

Thanks for sharing the materials list. Based on the pictures and the list, I'm sure I'd could build a replica... It's a good starting point for me. I'll probably tweak/customize it, but I LOVE the concept of your stand.

Really BIG PROST and thanks for sharing your build!

I think you may have been the first to coin it a two and a half tier. The only real effective gravity again is the MT to Kettle, but hey it works. Another design concept I had was to only use one pump, I definately didn't want to buy two pumps! It basically functions as a two tier, I just don't have to have a footprint that is two feet wider than it needs to be.

Good luck on your build, let me know if you need any pointers.

 

[JSherwood]

I'm very impressed by this setup! I live in a 1br apartment, and I'm looking to build an electric rig with a small footprint that will still allow keggles. I will be making a 240v switcher box to shut off power to my stove while using that power on the rig. Not sure exactly what I'm planning (In the concept phase still), but I definitely like the 2 1/2 tier approach. I think the style of your setup could be tightened up even a bit more to make an even smaller footprint.

Anyway, kudos for a sweet setup, and I'm subscribing to see how it turns out with the stain etc!

 

[jkarp]

That's nice and compact. Schweet...