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wilserbrewer, my concern with the bolts is that there would be a lot of lateral force, and when they get hot, they'll soften. Maybe they won't get hot enough, and maybe the lateral force won't be enough to break them. Skooby is apparently a big guy, and it held his weight when cold, so I'm sure they would hold five gallons of wort in a kettle when they're hot. I just wanted to make sure that he thought of that before something catastrophic happens.

Scooby, just keep an eye on the wood around the burners when you're brewing. The flashing you have might be enough, but keep an eye on it anyway. It took mine a while to start charing, and then I added the heat shielding. You've already got it, so it may take longer.
 
Well here we go..
I made a three tier setup with weldless keggles. I loved it. Because, well.. I made it... What can I say.
When I was living with my brother it was an awesome setup. :tank: Once he moved out however... It became was too much for one person to manage. :drunk:The regulator was low pressure and well it took forever to boil a 10 gal batch. So… I sold the old set up for a nice profit. :ban: Turned around and purchased 3 Spike Brewing 10 gal. kettles, and Chugger pump, and because I work in construction I managed to get the steel strut for free. So all I had to buy out of my own pocket were some casters to make the stand mobile, a high-pressure regulator and burners. And WA-BAM!!! :ban: Instantly took 2hrs off brew day. Love it. For real this time. Not just proud that I could build something.

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It's been a while since I last posted here about my "compact" 5 gallon brew rig and now I'm back to post my new 10 Gallon "compact" brew rig. My beer was going fast from friends and family wanting some and my 5 gallon batches disappearing.

Here is my new electric rig. Two 20 gallon custom kettles from Spike brewing and one custom built bottom draining fully insulated mash-tun that I designed and built from a old keg (I have a thread on here on the build process).

The panel is attached to a TV wall mount allowing me to swing it out when the rig is in use and swings closed when not in use to save room in my basement kitchen.

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How about some details on the sweet wood-clad mash tun? I'm contemplating making one and looking to see how others do it. Thanks.
 
I feel like you're working against natural laws of gravity there for purposes of initially priming the pump head. Any particular reason it should be pointed down instead?
 
The primary reason why the manufacturer of that pump - as well as it's primary competitor - recommend the input side be below the output side - is to avoid trapping air inside the pump head.

If you go back and look at every single brew structure using either brand of mag-pump you'll note they all have the input side either at 6 o'clock or 9 (as viewed from the pump head), per the respective manufacturer recommendations...

Cheers!
 
copper2hopper said:
I feel like you're working against natural laws of gravity there for purposes of initially priming the pump head. Any particular reason it should be pointed down instead?
Click to expand...

I know it might be a bit counterintuitive, but you actually want gravity to work against you to keep the pump head primed. Good thing is that the pump head can be clocked by simply turning it once the 4 screws on the head are removed, so you don't need to change your mounting orientation to correct the pump head orientation.

That is a fine looking sculpture. Are the kettles mounted so there will be a gap between the burner shield and the bottom of the kettle? I can't tell from the photo. If there is not enough of a gap or a relief cut out of the shields, the burners will starve for air and blow themselves out.
 
Here's HERMS setup. I built mine on an Aluminum platform truck and used Blichmann burners and 80/20 T-slot for the mash tun. I built the controller with an Auber SYL-2342 PID controller.

This brewstand was pretty easy since it requires no cutting or welding. Just drill holes to mount everything and bolt it together with stainless steel hardware.

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Sure. But as a warning, this pic has more 3 ways than a.... Never mind ;)

My goal was to not have to disconnect anything that has liquid in it that would
a. Make a mess or
b. Burn me.

I can recirc the strike/mash through the herms coil. While maintaining a desired temp and flow rate.

I can send the wort to the BK while simultaneously pumping HLT sparge water though the herms coil and sparging in the MT. While maintaining the same rate into the MT as I'm pumping out to the BK.

I plumbed the BK so that I can use both pumps for whirlpooling (idea I saw here on HBT)

Finally, after the boil, I fill the HLT with ice/water so I can run the boiling wort back through the herms coil for cooling then through the aeration stone and into the fermenter.

All the same setup I used with cam locks and keggles just with much nicer tri clamps and kettles.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1444397661.979077.jpg
 
CaptainDucman said:
Sure. But as a warning, this pic has more 3 ways than a.... Never mind ;)

My goal was to not have to disconnect anything that has liquid in it that would
a. Make a mess or
b. Burn me.

I can recirc the strike/mash through the herms coil. While maintaining a desired temp and flow rate.

I can send the wort to the BK while simultaneously pumping HLT sparge water though the herms coil and sparging in the MT. While maintaining the same rate into the MT as I'm pumping out to the BK.

I plumbed the BK so that I can use both pumps for whirlpooling (idea I saw here on HBT)

Finally, after the boil, I fill the HLT with ice/water so I can run the boiling wort back through the herms coil for cooling then through the aeration stone and into the fermenter.

All the same setup I used with cam locks and keggles just with much nicer tri clamps and kettles.

View attachment 308449
Click to expand...

What is the sight glass on the right? How are you chilling?
 
All the way on the right is the aeration stone in a sight glass, O2 connects to the top and the wort is coming out of the HERMS at ~65' then being aerated just before it goes into the fermenter.

During the boil, I drain the hot water from the HLT and replace it with 40lbs of ice then water. HERMS coil becomes the chiller.
 
CaptainDucman said:
All the way on the right is the aeration stone in a sight glass, O2 connects to the top and the wort is coming out of the HERMS at ~65' then being aerated just before it goes into the fermenter.

During the boil, I drain the hot water from the HLT and replace it with 40lbs of ice then water. HERMS coil becomes the chiller.
Click to expand...

Ah. Clearly money is no object, but are you happy with using 40lbs of ice every time you brew? How long does it take?

Are you running the pumps in tandem for chilling also? If not, why is the beefier pump on the MT/HLT circuit?
 
Money is always an object, saved my allowance for a long time and built slowly [emoji1]

For ice, I brew with fire chiefs who bring coolers full from their stations.

For chilling It's literally one pass, not wide open, valve partially closed to let the wort spend more time in the coils. In FL our tap water is always warm and a chiller would take forever.

I only run the pumps in tandem for whirlpooling, chilling I want a slower flow.

One is a chugger one is a March, both have the same pump head/impeller.
 
I've been scrolling through this thread for the past 3 months or so, and a while ago came across this stand and saved the pic to my notebook. Unable to find the stand in the 350++ pages, I'm re-uploading it.



Anyone know who it belongs to?
I'm interrested in more details :)
I like the stand and how the bottom tier was placed with the opening where the HLT stands on.
 
Has anyone used a steel mesh/wire to create a spot for the kettles, instead of the supports running across the top of the frame? Im thinking of putting 2 braces and tackin on wire mesh, but I wanna make sure it can take the heat and weight
 
CaptainDucman said:
All the way on the right is the aeration stone in a sight glass, O2 connects to the top and the wort is coming out of the HERMS at ~65' then being aerated just before it goes into the fermenter.

During the boil, I drain the hot water from the HLT and replace it with 40lbs of ice then water. HERMS coil becomes the chiller.
Click to expand...

Nice system. What volume of wort do you chill and what's is the starting temp and pitching temp? How long does it take? I'm thinking about doing the same thing but would like an idea of what to expect first.
 
GeorgiaMead,

The steel mesh you are referring to is called "expanded metal". You can get it in mild steel as well as stainless. For small stuff I use onlinemetals.com

Stainless will take the heat no problem. Mild steel will to but degrades after many series of heating/cooling. Custom grill makers use it for cook surfaces. It does take a long time to degrade.

You can weld stainless to mild steel (in case you or anybody else doesn't know that). I use a 308 rod and TIG weld it but you can use an ER70-S2 or S6 and have results.
 
Smithy said:
GeorgiaMead,

The steel mesh you are referring to is called "expanded metal". You can get it in mild steel as well as stainless. For small stuff I use onlinemetals.com

Stainless will take the heat no problem. Mild steel will to but degrades after many series of heating/cooling. Custom grill makers use it for cook surfaces. It does take a long time to degrade.

You can weld stainless to mild steel (in case you or anybody else doesn't know that). I use a 308 rod and TIG weld it but you can use an ER70-S2 or S6 and have results.
Click to expand...


DO NOT use either of those filler materials to weld dissimilar metals. What you want to use to weld stainless to carbon is 309L...specifically made for that purpose.
 
Your weld will be treated like the carbon steel and will weaken with heat cycles. It will also rust, which means the part where the expanded metal hits the weld will rust through the expanded metal.
 
For those of you who want to know...and learn a few things. This guy is great because he claims to be a "Down and Dirty Welder...not a PhD" but his knowledge of metallurgy and welding is on par with someone who has a PhD.

http://welding-tv.com/?s=309L

Read the TIG Welding Steel -- 309L Filler Rod. The same applies for MIG wire... 309L. I made some exhaust stacks for a meat smoker...welded some stainless elbows to the carbon pipe. The carbon pipe is rusting up, but the welds and the elbows are not. This doesn't really matter on 3/16" thick pipe for a smoker exhaust, but on something that has small points of connection like expanded metal, the weld will rust through where the expanded metal is if you use 70S-2 or 70S-6.

Unless critical, I use 309L for all Stainless to Carbon welds, then I would use something like the Hastelloy W, etc.
 
Fat finger typing. Yes 309 not 308...

However, DO NOT use those that I spoke of? It's a burner surface on a homebrew bench, not an ASME B31.3 coded and inspected pipe run!

Use 308 or ER70-S anything and you will likely never see a problem! I haven't during my 30 years as a Engineer Technician and certified welder in a destructive R&D environment with many certified disciplines but I know when and when not to use that scenario. I speak from an empirical opinion given the question!

Are you running a one barrel system? If you are it's likely you have a larger bench anyway and not going to use expanded metal for support. I would be willing to guess most have a Harbor Freight or Home Depot MIG using FCAW wire anyway. They want what works, not what is engineered.

Keep it simple as most do on this site. Look at all the wood brew benches. My opinion is I think that's nuts but how many are burning down the house? We will never know. People make do and have fun doing so!

DO NOT use??? Whatever...
 
You can do what you want. Unlike Smithy, I'm an architect, a furniture designer-builder, and a jack-of-all-trades fabricator. I have seen expanded metal rust through completely in the same type of environment we are talking about here...outdoor "cooking". Now in your case, the actual expanded medal won't rust, but if you use 70S and likely even 308, the small pieces of expanded metal will rust where they meet the weld...unless of course you never get it wet.

I guess Smithy will probably say that carbon steel won't rust now. Haha.

Your project may be live forever with 70S welds, but if you take all that time to do something, what's the big deal of buying a small roll (might even find a partial) of 309L wire on eBay?

Re: wooden brewing stands...are they for electric kettles? I've heard of people deep frying frozen turkeys and lived to tell about it, but you wouldn't catch me trying it.
 

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