RIMS for Dummies

[ScottSingleton]

I've been lurking on this forum for a really long time and never got around to actually registering. It seems that every question I had was either already answered or my local club fellows had the answers.

I started about two years ago and still use my 10-gallon Igloo cooler system with a march pump just to avoid lifting hot liquids.

In the last 6 weeks I've accumulated all I think I need to build out my Initial automated RIMS system.

This thread, along with all the individual build threads, has been the single greatest source of information for me.

Just wanted to throw the thank you out there to everyone that's participated here and made it easier for noobs like me to plan out a system.

-S

 

[Yambor44]

I suppose most people want a plug and play unit.

Like so?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/speidel-braumeister-brewmaster-229225/

 

[sethhobrin]

Hey all. been lurking for awhile and finally decided to go for this!

Just ordered the following:
http://bostonheatingsupply.com/sp10868gl.aspx
-Rheem SP10868GL 9.5" 120V 2000W Stainless Steel Element

-Liquid Tight RTD Sensor 4" from Auber

http://www.brewershardware.com/RIMS-Tube/
-RIMS TUBE

-Auber 1/16DIN Control Box

-Auber 40A SSR

-Auber 40A Heat Sink

Can someone help me figure out which 1/16 PID is the best for this application from Auber? Is is the 2352???

I was looking at the wiring diagram on the first post and it looks like the pump and element are on the same circuit and plug for that matter. The way that is wired does the switch turn both the PID and pump on/off or just the pump? (I couldn't find a switch on auber that handles more than 10A so I am still searching for that)

What kind of wire should i use throughout and for the power cord? 12 gauge?

Is a Magnetic March Pump(from Morebeer.com, the improved version) better mounted vertically or horizontally for flow?

Is the RIMS tube better mounted horizontally or vertically for flow?

This is my first real electrical project other than changing out some basic outlets and stuff but thats easy...

Am I missing anything?

 

[Stevo2569]

Hey all. been lurking for awhile and finally decided to go for this!

Just ordered the following:
http://bostonheatingsupply.com/sp10868gl.aspx
-Rheem SP10868GL 9.5" 120V 2000W Stainless Steel Element

-Liquid Tight RTD Sensor 4" from Auber

http://www.brewershardware.com/RIMS-Tube/
-RIMS TUBE

-Auber 1/16DIN Control Box

-Auber 40A SSR

-Auber 40A Heat Sink

Can someone help me figure out which 1/16 PID is the best for this application from Auber? Is is the 2352???

I was looking at the wiring diagram on the first post and it looks like the pump and element are on the same circuit and plug for that matter. The way that is wired does the switch turn both the PID and pump on/off or just the pump? (I couldn't find a switch on auber that handles more than 10A so I am still searching for that)

What kind of wire should i use throughout and for the power cord? 12 gauge?

Is a Magnetic March Pump(from Morebeer.com, the improved version) better mounted vertically or horizontally for flow?

Is the RIMS tube better mounted horizontally or vertically for flow?

This is my first real electrical project other than changing out some basic outlets and stuff but thats easy...

Am I missing anything?

In the first diagram of this thread the element is switched by the SSR and the pump with a single pole switch.
2352 is good
12G (solid) is rated for 20A
120V (20A)switch from Radio Shack or standard wall switch(20A)
Pump orientation is debatable. March says output up, others say horizontal.
RIMS tube doesn't matter as long as the output is up for air to bleed.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

I've been having trouble getting my rims to accurately measure mash temps.
I my build is like the original post, have a 4 inch probe going into my tube and have it plumbed so the input flows over the probe before passing over the element and exiting the RIMS tube. My RIMS is mounted vertically (element on the bottom) and recirculates the wort in my round coleman mashtun with a kal style sparge arm.
My mash temps seem to always start out accurate, but when I ramp up the temperature for saccrification from protein rest it always seems to overheat the mash by 5-8*F.
Is there a reason why it would do this? And what can I do to fix it?

 

[ScottSingleton]

I've been having trouble getting my rims to accurately measure mash temps.
I my build is like the original post, have a 4 inch probe going into my tube and have it plumbed so the input flows over the probe before passing over the element and exiting the RIMS tube. My RIMS is mounted vertically (element on the bottom) and recirculates the wort in my round coleman mashtun with a kal style sparge arm.
My mash temps seem to always start out accurate, but when I ramp up the temperature for saccrification from protein rest it always seems to overheat the mash by 5-8*F.
Is there a reason why it would do this? And what can I do to fix it?

My setup is reverse. The wort flows into the rims tube, over the element, then past the temp probe.

 

[EarthBound]

I've been having trouble getting my rims to accurately measure mash temps.
I my build is like the original post, have a 4 inch probe going into my tube and have it plumbed so the input flows over the probe before passing over the element and exiting the RIMS tube. My RIMS is mounted vertically (element on the bottom) and recirculates the wort in my round coleman mashtun with a kal style sparge arm.
My mash temps seem to always start out accurate, but when I ramp up the temperature for saccrification from protein rest it always seems to overheat the mash by 5-8*F.
Is there a reason why it would do this? And what can I do to fix it?

Are you using a PID? If so, what kind?

 

[Budzu]

I've been having trouble getting my rims to accurately measure mash temps.
I my build is like the original post, have a 4 inch probe going into my tube and have it plumbed so the input flows over the probe before passing over the element and exiting the RIMS tube. My RIMS is mounted vertically (element on the bottom) and recirculates the wort in my round coleman mashtun with a kal style sparge arm.
My mash temps seem to always start out accurate, but when I ramp up the temperature for saccrification from protein rest it always seems to overheat the mash by 5-8*F.
Is there a reason why it would do this? And what can I do to fix it?

Simple fix. The PID doesn't matter. The probe must be after the element, otherwise the element doesn't know when the output has reached temp. Go back over the original post, it describes it correctly. I'd flip it over and have your wort go in the bottom also.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

Huh, that just seemed counter intuitive to me, like the PID would immediately shut off the element every time it turned on as it will heat the wort in the tube very quickly. I suppose it will immediately kick back on though. Hrmmm
Ok, so wort into the bottom, element on bottom. Wort out on top, probe on top.
If thats the case I just need to reverse my lines. Bah to think I set it up that way for a brew im in the middle of at the moment and reversed them thinking I had it set up backwards.

 

[Budzu]

It will be switching on and off alot, yes. But that is the SSR's intended function. You can experiment with tweaking the speed of the wort flow to maximize the heating times. But no matter the speed, trust me it won't overshoot if you set it according to how hot it comes OUT of the RIMS tube, rather than how hot it is going in.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

I appreciate the help Thank god I check my mashtemps frequently. I overshot this pils by like 6*f but just added cold water to get the correct temp and used the cooler the old fashioned way.
Hopefully next brewday I'll finally have the hang of this thing.

 

[armurray189]

I'm having a similar problem. My rims tube is set up correctly, but my mash temps are overshooting big time. Ill have the set temp at 152 and the temp reading will go up to 158, sometimes higher. And what's even more confusing is that the pid is still turning my heating element on when it is reading over the set temp? What is going on? Any ideas? Is there a calibration I can do?

 

[stlbeer]

armurray189, which pid do you have? Most have an autotune feature that you should run on your specific system with conditions as close to that of brewing as possible.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

What is the autotune command for an auber syl-2352? I'd like to recalibrate mine

 

[stlbeer]

What is the autotune command for an auber syl-2352? I'd like to recalibrate mine

Get into setup mode.
Go to At and change the value to 1 or 2. 2 if your ready right now to autotune or 1 to get autotune ready then press A/M to start the autotune.

Here's the link to the 2352 manual. You really should become familiar with it. Autotune is on page 4. Section 4.4.3.

 

[armurray189]

armurray189, which pid do you have? Most have an autotune feature that you should run on your specific system with conditions as close to that of brewing as possible.

I'm using an auber syl-2352

 

[armurray189]

So when you auto tune, do you start the auto tune and then run it through an entire mash? (From heating strike water to mash out)

 

[stlbeer]

So when you auto tune, do you start the auto tune and then run it through an entire mash? (From heating strike water to mash out)

You don't have to run it through and entire mash, in fact it won't run that long. SO it's best to set the SV to a temp you would normally mash at - 148-152 *F then when start up the pump and heating the water, etc. Set the flow to what you would when you mash - not full open since that generally results in a stuck mash. Then when it gets to about 10*F below the SV, turn on autotune. LET IT RUN TO COMPLETION. It will probably overshoot your SV. Let it alone. It will probably go less than your SV. Let it alone. It is determining your systems ability to heat water and how quickly it loses heat.

When it's done it'll be damn close to where it needs to be. Then do it again on a brew day with wort. After that you shouldn't have too many issues.

Realize that if your flow rate changes, don't expect your PID to compensate automatically for it. It knows nothing of your flow rate, just the ability to apply heat to that part of your system. This is why you put the temp probe after the heater element and not before.

Good luck! and report back if this doesn't work.

 

[P-J]

...
Realize that if your flow rate changes, don't expect your PID to compensate automatically for it. It knows nothing of your flow rate, just the ability to apply heat to that part of your system. This is why you put the temp probe after the heater element and not before.

Good luck! and report back if this doesn't work.

Excellent advice. Well done!

P-J

 

[armurray189]

thanks for the help! I'm gonna run it through the auto-tune tonight

 

[fxbghokie]

I built the tubes exactly as depicted on the first post in this thread. I too could not regulate temperature correctly. My tubes are mounted vertically. I had to swap the out flow and the RTD, i.e. put the outflow on the top. I can now hold my mash temps within a degree. There is too much dead space on the top when using 1.5 inch pipe and a 3 inch RTD. Thought I would post as this worked for me.

 

[fxbghokie]

Picture for clarity.

 

[stlbeer]

I built the tubes exactly as depicted on the first post in this thread. I too could not regulate temperature correctly. My tubes are mounted vertically. I had to swap the out flow and the RTD, i.e. put the outflow on the top. I can now hold my mash temps within a degree. There is too much dead space on the top when using 1.5 inch pipe and a 3 inch RTD. Thought I would post as this worked for me.

I had the same problem with a 2 inch RTD though my tube was mounted horizontally. Got the 4 inch RTD and problem solved. Glad to hear you found a suitable solution. It's nice to get the problems solved.

 

[rossi46]

Finally got around to building a new brew stand with a rims tube inspired from this thread. Not done yet but I'm almost there.

 

[GoodDogShelby]

Finally got around to building a new brew stand with a rims tube inspired from this thread. Not done yet but I'm almost there.

Looks very good, can you post some additional pics?

 

[rossi46]

Looks very good, can you post some additional pics?

Sure anything specific ?

 

[GoodDogShelby]

Rossi46, sorry if this is a stupid question, I am new at this, but why 3 pumps?

 

[rossi46]

Rossi46, sorry if this is a stupid question, I am new at this, but why 3 pumps?

Mostly because I'm lazy, but I got them for all three brand new for $300 they are 815's so it was like buy 2 get one free.

 

[phoenixs4r]

Nice bike.

 

[rossi46]

Nice bike.

Thanks.