RIMS Tube - Threaded Pipe vs Tri-Clamp

[smithmd4]

For the RIMS tube owners, what are your thoughts on building your own vs buying the tri-clamp kits various places?

Pricing it out, its ~$100 cheaper to DIY than the kits. Is the ability to easily and quickly disassemble/reassemble really worth the extra money? How often do you take yours apart?

 

[stlbeer]

I'm going to give the "it depends" answer. I have the DIY threaded pipe RIMS tube. The way I have it mounted, it's bolted to my brew rig. One of the T's was replaced with a 4-way so one end of it points down. It's got a dump valve on there so I can get all of the water/wort/crud out of it without removing it from the mount. The element is screwed into one end and the temp probe is on the other. It was fun to build.

I pull the tube off the rig and pull the element about twice a year to check for build up. It's been clean every time since I've built it. There are probably 30 brews on it. Removing the element is a hassle, but that's due to my mounting method. The clean element has shown I don't really need to pull the element, but I think it's just a matter of good maintenance to check these things. After brewing I'll run PBW through it at 130*F for about 30 min. That method seems to be working so I'll continue that practice.

If I used tri-clamps it would have cost more, but I could pull the element a lot more easily than I do now. Maybe that's a peace of mind approach since I don't really need to pull it.

 

[thekraken]

Can't speak for the pre-made tubes. I mounted my pipe so that I could rock it up and down. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/mounting-rims-tube-wood-513477/

This makes it super easy to ensure I get all the air out of the tube before I fire the element, and get all the drips of water out of it after brew day CIP.

*Note: I've used it for only 3 brews so far but haven't taken it apart yet... Now that I think about it I'll do that soon and post back the results.

 

[baulz]

I went DIY Tri-Clamp. It would not have been a huge price difference over threaded if I didn't go for bling with an in-line sight glass.

I pull the element out every brew to give it a scrub and let it air dry. I'm lazy when it comes to cleaning, but this is very very easy to do.

 

[smithmd4]

Thanks all. Good feedback.

Baulz: Where did you source your parts?

 

[baulz]

All from ebay.

 

[broncosaurs]

I built this a while back for about $100. Works great. All SS. Get the correct pipe and the fittings go right on with some solver solder. So easy to clean I clean it every run. I also run the heater at 120v which keeps the wort from burning but still gives good temp control.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f253/100-rims-tube-454246/

 

[cfrazier77]

One thing to consider is what you are going to use as your element, what you are going to brew, and how you are going to mash. What I mean by all this is how much the element is going to be full on and how much protein is in the mash. I have a 2000W 120 LWD foldback element and it gets caked with crud if I use a lot of wheat or corn and a step mash or sometimes even just mash out. If you are just going to use the element to hold a temp then it will not get very much, or any, crud on it.

Also, if you are using a 5500 or 6500 watt 240 volt element on 120 crud is not that much of an issue due to the increased surface area.

Basically, if you are going to mash in a way that will cause crud, lots of adjuncts and or big temp increases, go tri clamp for easy cleaning. I did and it makes my life a lot easier because I do both of the above.

 

[smithmd4]

That is some good info. You're using your RIMS exactly like I plan on using mine. Rye is my absolute favorite grain.

What do you think about wattage necessary to do steps in a timely manner? I've ordered a 1650W, 120V element but will think about running a 240V at lower power. Is there a minimum (actual of course) wattage that is recommended for step mashes? And how much "junk" do you get going from protein rest to sacch rest on the 240V element vs 120V?

Thanks for the great info everyone!

 

[BigBlock]

That is some good info. You're using your RIMS exactly like I plan on using mine. Rye is my absolute favorite grain.

What do you think about wattage necessary to do steps in a timely manner? I've ordered a 1650W, 120V element but will think about running a 240V at lower power. Is there a minimum (actual of course) wattage that is recommended for step mashes? And how much "junk" do you get going from protein rest to sacch rest on the 240V element vs 120V?

Thanks for the great info everyone!

This will get you in the ballpark as long as your system isn't loosing a ton of heat to the air. Pop this in a spreadsheet....

Wattage needed=(160*step amount*(Gal water+lbs grain*0.6))/Time (mins) needed to heat water


Lower watt densities are a good thing. I'd go for a 240V element that runs at the wattage your looking for @ 120V. Lots of other factors to consider but they've been discussed on many other threads.

 

[cfrazier77]

I am really happy with 2000 watts because it raises a 10 gallon mash 1 degree per minute.

 

[augiedoggy]

I also built my rims for about $100 using a 1000w 24" x 1/2" ULWD cartridge heater and use a 1" camlock fitting which allows east disassembly to clean everything. (its stays clean by just flushing with water under normal use though)
more info and pics are in my build thread linked below. I also use a $10 flow switch that kills the rims element if the flow through it stops.