RIMS for Dummies

[rekoob]

i guess this might be a silly question, remember I don't have a RIMS and I don't use a pump. How do you regulate the flow of the pump? I haven't seen a the components for adjusting "voltage" other then on and off so are you just closing the valve on the output of the pump to adjust the flow? If thats the case, is that a strain on the pump and or does that cause "turbulence" which could be adding air bubbles?

 

[pola0502ds]

For you people concerned about the flow rate, what about using a Blichmann Autosparge? You can open your valves up 100% and let the autosparge adjust the flow accordingly? What do you guys think about this? I have purchased the Autosparge but have not used it yet or installed it. I purchased it before I decided to build a RIMS tube, so now that I am building one I wonder how well it will work on my RIMS system.

I thought the autosparge was a good idea but I am also in the process of building a system with a RIMS tube. I have used this thread a lot to get information but I went with a RIMS tube from Brewers Hardware, I am still waiting for it to ship. Anyway, regarding the heating element, does anyone know of a website that sells stainless steel elements?

Also, it would be great if we could discuss and hammer out what exactly is the best type of heating element to purchase for a RIMS tube? You could have one for a 110v system and a 240v system. If you read all 64 pages of this thread there are so many different types of heating elements that people used but no one really follows up to tell how well it worked or not. Only when you have a problem does the topic come back up again. If we could nail down the "perfect" heating element for the sake of this thread it would help a lot of people who want to build a new system. Like i said, i am waiting on my RIMS tube so I have still yet to purchase a heating element.

I don’t know if I missed it or not but the author of this thread did not mention in the beginning that he scrubbed the zinc off his heating element. I found that interesting.

 

[stlbeer]

Anyway, regarding the heating element, does anyone know of a website that sells stainless steel elements?

See the #1 post in this thread. Plumbers Supply has SS elements. Also, elements made of Incoloy are Stainless Steel. They are sold at Lowes.

 

[dutch101st]

For you people concerned about the flow rate, what about using a Blichmann Autosparge? You can open your valves up 100% and let the autosparge adjust the flow accordingly? What do you guys think about this? I have purchased the Autosparge but have not used it yet or installed it. I purchased it before I decided to build a RIMS tube, so now that I am building one I wonder how well it will work on my RIMS system.

I have one and I control the flow there if I need to. So far (2-3 brews) I have not needed to worry too much about the flow, run it a WFO (wide fricken open). I do however control the flow when I fly sparge- but there I am controlling at both the inlet for the autosparge and the outlet of the MLT (kind of defeats the purpose, but nice to have a checkpoint with the autosparge if I get distracted when I am sparging).

Here is video of my rig:

I have since added another pump and did a bit of "reorg" with the pumps and such...added SS camlocks on everything as well. I am thinking my last little bit of change will be to add an inlet setup on the brew kettle as so I don't have to flop a hose in there...make it a bit more clean.

Hope the video helps a bit...new video forthcoming here in a week or two.

 

[rekoob]

nice video, as i don't have a pump as of yet and have never looked into the auto-sparge I found this to be a good info video. I still want to know how to utilize a pump in the system. I don't have a real structure as of yet BUT want one real bad... As of right now I am leaning to a single tier, to save my back for years to come....

 

[pola0502ds]

I have one and I control the flow there if I need to. So far (2-3 brews) I have not needed to worry too much about the flow, run it a WFO (wide fricken open). I do however control the flow when I fly sparge- but there I am controlling at both the inlet for the autosparge and the outlet of the MLT (kind of defeats the purpose, but nice to have a checkpoint with the autosparge if I get distracted when I am sparging).

Here is video of my rig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bqw1x4vXDM

I have since added another pump and did a bit of "reorg" with the pumps and such...added SS camlocks on everything as well. I am thinking my last little bit of change will be to add an inlet setup on the brew kettle as so I don't have to flop a hose in there...make it a bit more clean.

Hope the video helps a bit...new video forthcoming here in a week or two.

You were using foil to protect the heat from what?

 

[dutch101st]

You were using foil to protect the heat from what?

Wasnt protecting the heat from anything, was trying to keep my thermometer from giving a false reading...

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

Hey trying to figure out on my element where hot & neutral go. Are they interchangeable?

Is it possible to use a chord like this wired to the element, then plugged into a receptacle in my control box?

How would I wire the green wire (ground)? Thanks f

 

[pola0502ds]

what kind of heating element are you using?

 

[Bru]

There should be a grounding post near the + and - terminals but I can't see one from the pic.
The two wires can be swopped around (I had the same concern when I wired my element).

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

The element I got from Lowes. There are NO "+" or "-" markings, and only two posts, so i'm a little confused on how to ground it.

 

[klyph]

The hot posts are interchangeable, it's just a big resistor. You'll have to make your own grounding lug on the vessel itself, there isn't one on the element.

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

Thanks. I thought they'd be interchangeable, just wanted to be sure. as of grounding on the vessle, like this?

 

[klyph]

That ought to work, just make sure there is continuity between the U bolts and the RIMS tube.

 

[Veritas]

This "top down" shot shows my RIMS, complete with ground wire attached.

I used two ss u-bolts to anchor my RIMS to a ghetto piece of 2/4, and attached the ground (green) to one of the U-bolts, making sure the "u" was in contact with the RIMS. Nice, safe, ground...

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

Thanks for the input and the pic!

 

[Ohio-Ed]

I want to applaud everybody that's building safety into their electric setups and grounding is obviously a huge safety factor.

I'm not knocking anybody, but wanted to toss out a couple concerns I have with grounding...

I think everyone pretty much understands the need to size the wire you use to the current it will carry. Some grounding methods that I have seen make me just a bit nervous. The termination, or connection point need to be a solid mechanical connection. Electrical connectors (lugs, terminals, etc...) are engineered to make the proper connection. It's not good enough to just have contact and continuity. In other words, just because you can see continuity using a meter, think about whether your connection would carry the full load of current required to trip a breaker, because if it doesn't then you essentially have no ground.

I'll say again.. I'm not taking a shot at anybody. I just see all the effort that folks are putting into building a rig, then just kinda not know how to ground a device and throw a band-aide at it. And I'm pretty sure that most would not mind putting a little more effort in, if they just thought about the ramifications.

Bottom line... Don't shortcut the ground.

Off my soapbox now... please carry on

Ed

 

[ScubaSteve]

How dare you, Ed....

 

[p-nut]

Keep in mind it is very easy to soft solder stainless steel. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/soldering-stainless-steel-155782/ So when you get your rims tube oriented the way you like, you can just solder a ground lug to the rims tube. This connection can be removed later. Just heat it up and pull it off. I did it last night to my HLT and its a very solid connection. It also doesn't hurt to check every ground with a voltmeter to insure you have continuity between all your grounds.

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

This is a steel 1" nut. If I attached the ground to this, then theaded the element into this, then into the rims tube, would this work as solid ground? Just want to be safe

 

[Veritas]

Soft soldering is a good idea, p-nut. I just slipped the flat edge of a ground nut under my RIMS tube, but a soldered ground makes sense.

And ed... "preach it, brother..." Electricity has no sense of humor; you can't be too careful.

 

[dutch101st]

My RIMS tube is connected to my steel brew rig and is grounded that way; the control box, in which the main power comes in, is grounded to the rig frame as so the grounding circuit is complete for the RIMS tube. The heating element is also plugged into my control box as well (all of the outlets are grounded within the box a'la The Electric Brewery schemea).

I had originally placed silicone padding on the brackets holding the RIMS tube, then, just before I powered it up, looked at it and thought "You know, something just isn't right". You should be able to see on my video how it is set up now...when I video the next time I brew, I will make a point to do a close up as so you guys can see better (and in fact when I build out a new control box next month I will video the entire process as so you can see the inside for better reference...damn you Kal and your step by step guide on building out such an AWESOME control box!!).

I am glad I re-noodled it through...now I am running a safe brew rig. Us non-electrical engineer every day guys really need to be mindful to take the extra thought in designing and building these things.

Thank you to you guys who do this every day for your guidance and suggestions!

 

[RonRock]

Always think safety guys. Work smart like this guy,

Ha Ha Ha, I don't care who ya are that's funny!


But you do make a very good point. A good ground saves lives.

 

[klyph]

In all seriousness, has anyone ever been electrocuted by a brewing rig? Any confirmed reports? I'm not saying that it's never going to happen, in fact statistically it probably will. But I wonder who was or will be the first person to be killed by their brew rig.

 

[Brewing Clamper]

I wonder who was or will be the first person to be killed by their brew rig.

way to bring the room down! ;-)

 

[ScubaSteve]

WA-WAAAAAAAAA!

 

[klyph]

Come to think of it, I'm sure the propane crowd has beat us to the punch.

 

[Bru]

I got a nice shock once. I had my control panel open and forgot to unplug it. A live wire touched my hand - shreeeeek 230V FTW !
Brew Panel 1 / Bru 0

 

[Ohio-Ed]

This is a steel 1" nut. If I attached the ground to this, then theaded the element into this, then into the rims tube, would this work as solid ground? Just want to be safe

The concern is how you "attach" the ground. What are your thoughts on the connection? I'm not sure how you will make a solid mechanical connection to the nut... If you use Elmers glue, then it would not likely be a good ground. (I know you aren't planning to use Elmer's, just making a point). Remember just having the wire in contact is really not good enough... it may pass a continuity test with a meter, but not carry the current if/when it really needs to.

Ed

 

[pola0502ds]

Question,

How do people ground a RIMS tube from Derrin at brewers hardware? Same concept? I am waiting for mine to arrive. I was speaking with a friend who does a lot of electrical work and recommended that since i will be brewing outsite, I should actually drive a grounding rod into the ground and connect it to the control box. He said if you do it any other way then that is considered a shortcut and it will shorten the life of your components. Any thoughts on this, was he bull****ting me?