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Well I live in a duplex and not allowed to use propane for brewing so I went all electric. Adding bottom drain mash tun with rims and brew kettle with bottom drain for cleaning.
 
I know these aren't the best pics, but I just wanted to post some to show my new setup I just finished building. When I was doing my research I could hardly find a setup like it (maybe I just didn't look hard enough). I have to give credit though to High Gravity Brewing for the piping configuration. Their HERMS setup was really the only one I could find using a single pump. I brewed with this recently and I have to say I am very happy with how it performed. I hope that this shows anyone who cares that you can configure a setup with a single pump and it will work.

New Rig 2.JPG


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ellerbrew said:
I know these aren't the best pics, but I just wanted to post some to show my new setup I just finished building. When I was doing my research I could hardly find a setup like it (maybe I just didn't look hard enough). I have to give credit though to High Gravity Brewing for the piping configuration. Their HERMS setup was really the only one I could find using a single pump. I brewed with this recently and I have to say I am very happy with how it performed. I hope that this shows anyone who cares that you can configure a setup with a single pump and it will work.
Click to expand...


I'm guessing that you boil in a separate pot. I'd like to see some details on exactly how the flow of wort moves through this system I'm trying to see it in my head but I must be missing something.
 
Yes, sorry, I do indeed boil in a seperate pot, it sits to the left, out of sight in this pic. I will quote what I just wrote about the setup in the other forum I posted it in. Hopefully this isnt bad etiquette to have multiple posts of the same thing going on.

"Sure, I guess I should have thought of that. I fill the HLT with cold water and I also go ahead and fill the mash tun with the amount of strike water I will need. I have the valve on the output of the HLT closed and I open the valve on the output of the MLT. I set the PID at whatever I want the mash temp to be and I begin heating and recirculating the strike water from the mash tun thru the HERMS coil at the same time. By going ahead and filling the MLT up with the amount of strike water I will need and also having the HLT full, I do not have to add any more water to the HLT during the day. Once I hit my set point on the recirculating MLT water, I dough in. Before I do this though, I kill the pump for just a few minutes until I get the grain completely mixed in. Then I turn the pump back on and I constantly recirculate throughout the entire mash. Once the mash is over, I like to do a mash out. I change the setpoint on the PID to 168 or so and continue to recirculate the runnings thru the HERMS coil. Once Ive completed my mash out, I disconnect the hose from the MLT and direct it into the Boil Kettle. I cap off the open end of the tee that I just exposed by doing this and then I open the valve on the output of the HLT. I like to fly sparge, so at this point I begin pumping water from the HLT thru the HERMS coil and then over onto the top of the grain bed in the MLT. I do not change any of the piping configuration throughout all of this, the only change that is made is disconnecting the output from the MLT once I start collecting my runnings. After all of this, the brew day is just the same as any other. That seems like a lot, does that all make sense?


Also, I forgot to mention that the valve coming out of the tee just before the input to the HERMS coil is mostly for purging the pump. This works wonders, before I added this, it was hard to get the pump working the way it should."

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/single-pump-single-pid-e-herms-494771/
 
Also, it may be hard to tell but the hose coming out of the output of the HERMS coil is run behind the the HLT and into the top of the MLT. I did this simply to keep the hose out of the way.
 
Ok I get it now. I have a pretty similar setup. Only I have a recirculating pump on my HLT at all times to prevent temperature stratification. And I'm single tier so I use my mlt pump to recirculate through my HERMS then out to my boil pot. I have a 3gpm solar pump for both my HLT and mlt. And a 6gpm solar pump on the bk to whirlpool. I love your single pump idea and was going to try to do a 2 pump system. Which would have worked but I wanted to be able to do back to back mashes and the 3gpm pumps weren't cutting it for my whirlpool.
 
Thanks, yeah I am cheap and I try to be thrifty, I had a lot of the fittings and parts already on hand, I just had to do a few modifications and such. I really didnt want to buy another pump if I didnt have to. I feel like I have adequate flow with the solar pump, plus it is kind of clean looking mounted inline like it is.

And as you put it, I guess mine would technically be two tier since I gravity feed into the boil kettle.
 
Yeah the speed is perfect for mash recirculation and it does a great job inline from the bottom drain to the top whirlpool port on my HLT. But in order to get a good trub pile and push through a plate chiller and maintain a good whirlpool from bottom whirlpool return was just too much for it. So I convinced ussolarpumps to come up with the TD-5 design. 12V pump, 6gpm, all stainless head with manual built in speed control. I love it.
 
Here is my current build! Strut frame, chugger pumps. Waiting for a 3rd banjo burner for the MLT. False bottoms, and the cross style sparge arm (pic3) are all from Norcal Brewing Solutions ( good guys, awesome stuff).

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3.jpg
 
brewstand-63982.jpg


Two tier natural gas 10+ gal brewstand. Waiting on mash tun false bottom to send cooler to the bench, but hooked up the gas on Saturday and couldn't wait to brew. Other than the FB mash tun planning to change out the hose barbs for camlocks and add a waterproof switch for the pump. Probably add a second pump in the future for double batch. Designed around 15 gallon Bayou Classic kettles but will accommodate up to 25 gal kettles for future expansion. Chilling with home built CFC, not mounted to the stand yet.
 
mcscrewed said:
Here is my current build! Strut frame, chugger pumps. Waiting for a 3rd banjo burner for the MLT. False bottoms, and the cross style sparge arm (pic3) are all from Norcal Brewing Solutions ( good guys, awesome stuff).
Click to expand...

I would be concerned with your pumps so close to the burners. Heat wash coming out from under the kettles will heat up your pumps and likely cause problems with them either stalling or not starting and will shorten the life of them. I'd move them to the bottom rail of the stand. This will also help in priming them as the head pressure from the elevation difference will help flood the pump head space. I would also move the casters a bit further towards the ends or at least centered on the end kettles.
 
JonW said:
I would be concerned with your pumps so close to the burners. Heat wash coming out from under the kettles will heat up your pumps and likely cause problems with them either stalling or not starting and will shorten the life of them. I'd move them to the bottom rail of the stand. This will also help in priming them as the head pressure from the elevation difference will help flood the pump head space. I would also move the casters a bit further towards the ends or at least centered on the end kettles.
Click to expand...

I just moved/added casters last night, casters are now under each kettle. Thanks for the tip on the pumps, with the addition of a third burner in the center they will have to be moved anyways. I might install some discharge piping to at least have the ball valves higher than floor height.....:mug:
 
mcscrewed said:
Here is my current build! Strut frame, chugger pumps. Waiting for a 3rd banjo burner for the MLT. False bottoms, and the cross style sparge arm (pic3) are all from Norcal Brewing Solutions ( good guys, awesome stuff).
Click to expand...

Nice rig, but your pump heads are upside down. There designed so that any air in the pump will rise and help prevent cavitation
 
Stumbled upon this little gem a few weeks ago as well as a new conical. Refinished and reran all the hoses as well as mounted the motor and plate chiller a little nicer than before. Just finished up my first brew on it last weekend and wow that was easy! I sure didn't expect to have my own rig quite this early!

p.s. sorry for the sideways pic.

p.p.s if you don't have a plate chiller, go buy one now!

IMG_4212.jpg


IMG_3011.jpg
 
Since my last posting months ago in this thread, I've since stained my brew stand and added quite a number of upgrades. A sight Guage on my HLT, whirlpool in my BK, a stainless steel CFC, a hop spider and a stainless float ball for my fly sparge in my MT.

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wbarber69 said:
I love the float ball where'd you aquire that little thing?
Click to expand...

Since I didn't have the 3/8" silicone tubing, I got this which comes with the float ball and hose: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/SPARGE-FLOAT-BALL-ASSEMBLY-FOR-MASH-WATER-HEATER-P3720.aspx

Or, if you have tubing and want to save a little cash, you can buy the stainless steel float here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00843JRW2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

the 3/8" Silicone hose fit snugly over the 1/2" barbed nipple I have in the MT.

If you get the kit, the float is not installed on the hose and you have to insert the hose. It may feel impossible to do but if you wet the hose and the inside of the float, it will go in.

I like the float as it keeps the hose above the grain bad where as before, the hose would sometimes sink into the grain bed and make a channel.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
wbarber69 said:
Thanks. Looks nice, I guess I'd have to downgrade from 1/2" to use 1.
Click to expand...

Definitely. I tried to install the float ball from the amazon page to fit on my 1/2" tubing and it was going no where. You won't loose anything going from 1/2" to 3/8" since when you fly sparge, you're not looking for maximum flow, just a trickle. The good thing is that the 3/8" does fit over a 1/2" barb, just need to wet it with some water first.
 
Ha ha ha. I recirculate in my HERMS setup. So i do tend to run my pump on full. I fly sparge at about half. But yeah I don't think 2' of 3/8 hose is going to make that much of a difference. I currently use the lock line setup that brewhardware sells.
 
Yay! I finally have something to add to this thread! I know it's not as nice as many of the rigs here, but it's mine and I'm proud of it. :mug:

I just built this last week after using cinder blocks and a folding table since moving to all-grain this summer. I call it my Crooked Woody. ;) The base is 2x4's and the rest of the structure is 2x3's. It's solid as a rock. The burner tier is covered in cement backer board. The studs above the backer board weren't even hot after a full brew day.

With my banjo burner (KAB4) on the left tier, the BK and MLT are at the same height making it a two-tier, one pump stand. BK is Bayou Classic 16 gal. Pump is Chugger SS center inlet. All fittings are camlocks. Water is filtered with an RV filter. Wort is cooled with a 3/8"x50' stainless IC. The bottom shelf serves as storage for all the small bits, and both the HLT and MLT can fit on the right tier for storage. During the brew day this added space on the right tier is useful for setting down my digital scale, notebook, refract/hydro, beer, etc. I have parts on order from brewhardware and bargain fittings to add thermometer, sightglass and fill port to the HLT and a whirlpool port to the BK.

Still to be added are mounting the pump and wiring it into a switch in a weatherproof electrical box, adding some hooks and the like for hanging accessories, and adding plumbing to turn water off and on right at the brew stand.

2014-10-17 15.42.56.jpg


2014-10-17 15.58.28.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
3/4" = 19.05mm. The listed I.D. of this float is 0.86" or 23mm. That's considerably larger. I saw this float as well yesterday in my search of Amazon. I decided not to purchase it right now, but if I had, I was going to use 2 hose clamps tightened very lightly on the hose to trap the float in place on the return hose. It will not stay put by itself on a 1/2" silicone hose.
 
fimpster said:
The burner tier is covered in cement backer board. The studs above the backer board weren't even hot after a full brew day.
Click to expand...


How does the cement board do when it gets wet? I have a similar design. As careful as I am I still get some wort or water on the burner tier.
 
BroStefan said:
How does the cement board do when it gets wet? I have a similar design. As careful as I am I still get some wort or water on the burner tier.
Click to expand...

Well after only one brew it seems fine. I did manage to get both wort and water on the backer board. I wiped the spills with a damp rag and haven't noticed anything wrong with it.

The burner tier is exactly 24x24", so one thought I had was picking up two 24"² ceramic tiles from home depot to cement to the backer board. The bottom tile would fit as is, and I'd only have to make a single cut on the side tile to make it fit. But I likely wont even do that because I still have half the sheet of backer board and can just replace it if it gets too grody.
 
I have four carry tiles on OSB on my stand. I've not glued it and groated it so liquid gets under it a little. I'm still making adjustments.
 
fimpster said:
Well after only one brew it seems fine. I did manage to get both wort and water on the backer board. I wiped the spills with a damp rag and haven't noticed anything wrong with it.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't be an issue. The main reason for its existence is as a water barrier behind tile showers. Not all of them are waterproof (depending on the construction/materials of the board), but they're all at least water resistant and have good drying time. Worrying about their response to water is like worrying about your driveway or patio's response to water. RDWHAHB. ;)
 
Huaco said:
3/4" = 19.05mm. The listed I.D. of this float is 0.86" or 23mm. That's considerably larger. I saw this float as well yesterday in my search of Amazon. I decided not to purchase it right now, but if I had, I was going to use 2 hose clamps tightened very lightly on the hose to trap the float in place on the return hose. It will not stay put by itself on a 1/2" silicone hose.
Click to expand...

I thought about that as well. The 3/8" hose float ball is .09" larger diameter than the hose. The 1/2" float ball is .11" larger than the hose. I figured if the smaller one worked with smaller hose then the larger would work with larger and the extra .02" would not make a difference functionally in the low flow environment of a mash tun. Ill report back with results on my next brew day
 
Huaco said:
3/4" = 19.05mm. The listed I.D. of this float is 0.86" or 23mm. That's considerably larger. I saw this float as well yesterday in my search of Amazon. I decided not to purchase it right now, but if I had, I was going to use 2 hose clamps tightened very lightly on the hose to trap the float in place on the return hose. It will not stay put by itself on a 1/2" silicone hose.
Click to expand...

Tightening clamps down on a silicone hose without something inside of it, like a barb, would pinch/crush the hose.

I'm new to all grain brewing, but, what's the difference between using 1/2" tubing versus 3/8" tubing inside your MT? Don't you want a slow steady stream going back over the grain bed?
 
boat_eggs said:
I thought about that as well. The 3/8" hose float ball is .09" larger diameter than the hose. The 1/2" float ball is .11" larger than the hose. I figured if the smaller one worked with smaller hose then the larger would work with larger and the extra .02" would not make a difference functionally in the low flow environment of a mash tun. Ill report back with results on my next brew day
Click to expand...

If you're using 3/8" ID (5/8" OD) tubing the 15mm float is 0.03" smaller than the tubing.
 
boat_eggs said:
I thought about that as well. The 3/8" hose float ball is .09" larger diameter than the hose. The 1/2" float ball is .11" larger than the hose. I figured if the smaller one worked with smaller hose then the larger would work with larger and the extra .02" would not make a difference functionally in the low flow environment of a mash tun. Ill report back with results on my next brew day
Click to expand...

You will have almost a 1/16" gap all the way around the hose. It's just not tight enough to keep the float in one place.

dmcman73 said:
Tightening clamps down on a silicone hose without something inside of it, like a barb, would pinch/crush the hose.

I'm new to all grain brewing, but, what's the difference between using 1/2" tubing versus 3/8" tubing inside your MT? Don't you want a slow steady stream going back over the grain bed?
Click to expand...

Nope. All I'm talking about is snugging it up on the tubing. Not cranking down on it. Should work just fine and should not effect the buoyancy of the float at all.

I have 1/2" plumbing throughout my brewery. I want to get as much flow through my HERMS coil as possible. If I switched to a 3/8 silicone hose for my mash return, I'd be choking down the flow considerably. It really helps in step mashing and raising up to mash-out temps to have as much heated volume as possible circulating through the grainbed. If I choke down the flow that much, I'm afraid I would not see the same rate of temperature rise.
 
Finally have a rig to post. 5 gallon batches with 7.5gal hlt, 10 gal Home Depot MLT, and 11 gal Bayou Classic kettle. First all grain batch today, wish me luck!ImageUploadedByHome Brew1414263153.245146.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
ndinh said:
Still fine tuning everything but I'm finally happy with the CFC setup. Also didn't want to make a control box so I'm using a wireless appliance remote control like the ones for lamps, etc. for the pumps and it works great. The only issue I've had is that I can't seem to keep the high temp paint from peeling everytime I brew. Also, NG conversion was the best upgrade ever.
Click to expand...

So I just want to say that I love this rig. I don't want a control box, because it feels like I'm steering away from "manual transmission". I have thoughts of making something fairly similar, but with a few minor differences. Drop the BK down to the level of your diamond plate, so I can gravity feed from the MLT. I have a pump, so I could conceivably do recirculating from the HLT or the BK if necessary.

Any issues with the burners going next to the cooler? Obviously cannot direct fire... but I was worried about heat from burners nearby.

EDIT: Pic didn't copy in with the quote. It's the rig in post #3332.
 

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