RIMS Build

[Layne]

Sizz, I also like the idea of the tube in the bottom.
I use a Blichmann BK, and have wondered if I turned the pickup tube sideways, at 'some angle' instaed of facing the bottom, I could chill my wort, wait for it to settle, and drain from the valve, instead of having to use a siphon.

 

[klyph]

Sizz, I also like the idea of the tube in the bottom.
I use a Blichmann BK, and have wondered if I turned the pickup tube sideways, at 'some angle' instaed of facing the bottom, I could chill my wort, wait for it to settle, and drain from the valve, instead of having to use a siphon.

Blichmann makes accessories to screen out hops/break.

 

[Layne]

Yeah, I own the hop blocker , bought it when they first came out. To be honest, I never even tried it. I got it in,and it would not work with my chiller in the kettle. I now use a CFC, so I guess I should drag it out of the closet and give it a try.

 

[DiNap44]

Just finished a 10gallon porter batch. The new sparge loop worked like a charm. I was able to nail sparge temps as high as 190F (just as a quick test). I need to insulate both vessels. The MLT barely got above 160 during the mash out despite the out outgoing rims temp at 175. A lot of heat is lost during the slow sparge. Had a little boilover since I was late on throttling the BK element down. Everything else went smoothly! New layout shown below.

Looks great Sizz. What type of insulation are you going to use?

 

[Sizz]

Probably just some Reflectix for now.

 

[Sizz]

Made a couple of improvements yesterday. Sorry for the cell phone pic:

Added 2 layers of Reflectix around the mash tun and a single layer on the lid. Sustaining mash out & sparge water temps at 168 was easier and I was able to sparge faster to accommodate my laziness. Need to get a TV in the garage so I can watch the game. I also added a valve on the mash return side to limit recirc rate. I typically recirc as fast as possible but not with this Hoegaarden clone grain bill:

8 lb Wheat Malt
6 lb Wheat, Flaked
4 lb Pilsner (2 Row)

Started with a slow recirc rate and eventually stopped at about 75% of max. Anything beyond that would produce a little pulsating recirc which was a sign of the pump trying to collect faster than the tun was draining. I step mashed for the first time. Mashed in at 122F for a protein rest for 20 minutes. Quick step to 154 for 60 minutes and finally a 168 mash out. I was impressed on how quickly it could step up temps despite only having the RIMS set to 5 degrees over target.

On last week's brew session, I noticed that a couple tablespoons of grain were getting through to the cfc despite a 60 minute recirc. In hindsight, the CFC was partially clogged which was obvious after I backflushed it for cleaning. For yesterday's batch, I bypassed the cfc and added a small hop bag on the end of the BK fill line. I hooked the CFC back up once the sparge finished. Not sure if I should do disconnects or more valves for the bypass.

Next on the to do list is making the system easier to clean.

 

[shroomzofdoom]

That recirc on the HLT is awesome. Great idea.

 

[Catt22]

How long did it take to ramp up from 122F to 154F and from 154F to 168F? Also, what was the batch size for the Hoegaarden?

 

[Sizz]

I ramped about 5 minutes for the 122 to 154 step and around 7-8 minutes for the mash out. It could have been faster but I didn't want to overshoot the temperature too much. Here's my Hoegaarden clone:

Recipe: Weakness for Wheatness (Hoegaarden)
Brewer: Sizz
Style: Witbier
Type: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 10.00 gal
Boil Size: 12.62 gal
Estimated OG: 1.049 SG
Estimated Color: 3.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 11.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.00 lb Rice Hulls, Washed (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 10.00 %
8.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 40.00 %
6.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 30.00 %
4.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 20.00 %
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (90 min) Hops 10.1 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU
0.50 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc

Mash Schedule: Wheat
Total Grain Weight: 20.00 lb
----------------------------
Wheat
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
20 min Protein Rest Add 30.00 qt of water at 123.5 F 122.0 F
60 min Saccharification Heat to 154.0 F over 5 min 154.0 F
0 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 5 min 168.0 F

Sparge @ 168F until 12.62g or 2 brix. Light boil for 90m.

WLP400 Belgian Wit Ale Yeast -> 1L -> 2L Starter

Ferment at 68F

 

[Catt22]

I ramped about 5 minutes for the 122 to 154 step and around 7-8 minutes for the mash out. It could have been faster but I didn't want to overshoot the temperature too much.

Man, that's an incredibly fast temp ramp up rate of about 6.8 deg/minute. You must be circulating the wort at a really high rate. My best rate has been less than half of that. You must be pumping the wort very fast; nearly a gallon per minute I would guess. Those are definitely some impressive numbers. Wish I could do that on my system. I don't think I can even gravity flow through my FB at one gallon per minute. Pumping that fast on my rig usually results in a majorly stuck mash.

 

[Sizz]

Maybe it was a few minutes longer. I didn't save my temp data so it's just an estimate. I was definitely pushing the recirc as fast as possible, basically matching the pump flow to the drain flow. 3 to 4 quarts per minute seems about right.

 

[Razorbrew]

Hi,

I know the thread is old but was hoping someone could help me with the parts list. I can't open it on my computer. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[KingsTab]

How would you be regulating the position on valves 1 & 3? By hand until you find a 'good' position, or do you have plans to setup some sort of control for this?

I know this is re-hashing an old thread, but I am currently building my RIMS system and love this idea that Sizz has so intelligently come up with. I just had an idea to eliminate the pump and was hoping to get some advice or ideas. The set-up would be close to the same with the exception of removing the second pump. I would make it a 2-tier system with the BK lower allowing the wort to drain instead of being pumped Once the sparge and boil were complete I could switch a few extra valves and pump the fermentable wort through a CFC into a fermentation vessel. Any thoughts?

 

[kitemanks]

Sounds like a good idea. I have done that and I'm happy with the set up.

 

[KingsTab]

WOW thats quite the set-up Nice! I like how clean you keep the area. Thanks for the reply.

 

[atjsparty]

So, also definitely aware of how old the thread is, but when I saw the picture of the kegs and RIMS tube setup, the first thing I saw was that the wort could be drained from the MLT and pumped through the RIMS tube into the BK. This would obviously have the advantage of getting the wort closer to boil temp. Not sure if that's how people are doing it, but that just occurred to me as a potential idea. I'm still sourcing everything for y build (still need pumps and electronics) so I don't have a working knowledge of the system. Just seems like a potentially helpful idea.

Does anyone do this or have have any negatives of doing this?

 

[atjsparty]

Of course after typing I looked again. I didn't see the output of the MLT and at first glance thought it was tapped into the same plumbing as the RIMS tube, but doesn't appear to be.

Either way, seems like it would be feasible to do. If anyone has done it, would love to see pictures and/or drawings.

 

[danbass]

I run a two vessel system as well thats built off of sazz's. Generally when I'm moving the wort from the MLT to the BK I'm sparging using cold water going through the rims tube at a rate that allows me to sparge with 170f water.

Using a 5500w element in the BK, I'm usually boiling in ~12 minutes from the moment the wort fully covers the element.

 

[pickles]

I'm in the same boat danbass, I have rigid plumbing and sparge through my RIMS. I prefer to gravity drain in the BK. I have a ~5000W element and it's turned on as soon as it gets submerged and has things boiling in no time.

 

[KingsTab]

I run a two vessel system as well thats built off of sazz's. Generally when I'm moving the wort from the MLT to the BK I'm sparging using cold water going through the rims tube at a rate that allows me to sparge with 170f water.

Using a 5500w element in the BK, I'm usually boiling in ~12 minutes from the moment the wort fully covers the element.

I noticed you said you run cold water through rims for sparging. Do you recirc like Sizz or just run water with low flow

 

[danbass]

I recirc as fast as the pump can push through out the mash (there is odd protein that builds up on the element, I'd worry about scorching if I recirced any slower) but then I do a low flow sparge.

Perhaps I need to read back to see what sizz was doing in his sparge. Unfortunately he sold it a year or so ago and is no longer active on the forum.

I noticed you said you run cold water through rims for sparging. Do you recirc like Sizz or just run water with low flow

 

[frankhmiv]

I recirc as fast as the pump can push through out the mash (there is odd protein that builds up on the element, I'd worry about scorching if I recirced any slower) but then I do a low flow sparge.

Perhaps I need to read back to see what sizz was doing in his sparge. Unfortunately he sold it a year or so ago and is no longer active on the forum.

I bought the system from him and then got distracted by arrival of kid #3 so I'm currently tinkering with the rig instead of brewing with it. That said, I remember he did not have problems with scorching. He would recirculate pretty fast, usually not as long as a lot of recommendations, but despite that was always satisfied with extraction rates.

Regarding another post I saw about replacing the 2nd pump with gravity, I think that is a good idea, but it might preclude the option of fly sparging.

Cheers,
Frank

 

[KingsTab]

I bought the system from him and then got distracted by arrival of kid #3 so I'm currently tinkering with the rig instead of brewing with it. That said, I remember he did not have problems with scorching. He would recirculate pretty fast, usually not as long as a lot of recommendations, but despite that was always satisfied with extraction rates.

Regarding another post I saw about replacing the 2nd pump with gravity, I think that is a good idea, but it might preclude the option of fly sparging.

Cheers,
Frank

Frank congrats on the purchase, but can I for your opinon as to why you think it may preclude fly sparging. I am not sure I follow what you mean I may be missing something. Thanks

 

[frankhmiv]

Frank congrats on the purchase, but can I for your opinon as to why you think it may preclude fly sparging. I am not sure I follow what you mean I may be missing something. Thanks

Thanks!

I think in the current plumbing configuration, when fly sparging, pump 1 is used to recirculate some of the output from the MK through the RIMS while fresh water is also being added from the supply. At the same time, pump 2 is used to fill the BK.

It's likely I'm missing something as this system is a big leap up from my turkey-frier based single burner brewery. I'd love suggestions and ideas on how to best use this setup. I'm currently upgrading the plumbing in stages with tri-clover fittings; the RIMS/MK side is almost done and is based around the Brewer's Hardware RIMS. I'm going to permanently attach two tri-clamps to the frame and use that to mount the RIMS. My welder friend is out of town for a couple weeks now, so that part of the upgrade has to wait. With the exception of the RIMS mount, the MK side is all ready for a leak test, so I'm planning to temporarily mount it this weekend with a heavy gauge coat hanger and a spring.

Frank

 

[frankhmiv]

I'm currently upgrading the plumbing in stages with tri-clover fittings; the RIMS/MK side is almost done and is based around the Brewer's Hardware RIMS.

I forgot to mention another simple upgrade that's waiting to be welded - the MK and BK are currently sitting on a slab of particle board with holes cut in the bottom to accommodate the outlets from each keg. Due to the angles involved with the outlet plumbing on the kegs, this makes the system very difficult to move in pieces. I'm addressing this by removing the particle board slab and adding a couple pieces of angle iron to support each keg. That will have the added benefit of making the valves and hoses below the kegs much easier to access.

Frank

 

[KingsTab]

Thats awesome please post pics of your progress if you can. As for the fly-sparging-my thoughts were to just let the wort drain once it is done mashing into the BK. Then just run tap water slowly in the RIMS system while recirculating being careful not to run dry until it flows into the MLT @ sparge temp. I thought Sizz had the output of the MLT isolated from pump 1 but ran to pump 2 to fill the brew kettle. I figured running a 2-tier would allow me to eliminate the second pump and just let gravity do the work of pump 2. Any thoughts?

 

[pickles]

That should work, I do a very similar thing but have three vessels. This system in it's current configuration would allow for gravity draining.

 

[KingsTab]

That should work, I do a very similar thing but have three vessels. This system in it's current configuration would allow for gravity draining.

You on-demand sparge as well or just use a HLT?

 

[frankhmiv]

Thats awesome please post pics of your progress if you can. As for the fly-sparging-my thoughts were to just let the wort drain once it is done mashing into the BK. Then just run tap water slowly in the RIMS system while recirculating being careful not to run dry until it flows into the MLT @ sparge temp. I thought Sizz had the output of the MLT isolated from pump 1 but ran to pump 2 to fill the brew kettle. I figured running a 2-tier would allow me to eliminate the second pump and just let gravity do the work of pump 2. Any thoughts?

I will definitely post some pics.

Your description of doing it with one pump sounds feasible. Sizz was also using Pump 2 to recirculate between the BK and the CFC. No reason you couldn't just swap hoses on one pump and use it for that purpose as well.

 

[KingsTab]

I will definitely post some pics.

Your description of doing it with one pump sounds feasible. Sizz was also using Pump 2 to recirculate between the BK and the CFC. No reason you couldn't just swap hoses on one pump and use it for that purpose as well.

No, I would be using pump 1 to recirc the incoming low flow tab water until it reached sparge temps through RIMS tube as it slowly filled with more (now heated) tab water it will come out through fly-sparge tube into MLT. Sizz had quite the idea and it took me a while to get what he was doing.