Single Vessel, All Electric, NS, NC Brewery

[pickles]

Chillzilla's look badass! I say go with stainless cart and keep the Chillzilla visible, just as it is in the photo. It looks awesome!

 

[ScubaSteve]

So since I now have the SS stand, I had the original wood stand just sitting in the garage. I didn't want to waste the money and time I put into it, so I found another purpose. It fits my smoker perfectly! Maybe a little reflectix here and there, and I'll be set!

 

[ScubaSteve]

And here's a few more...

 

[KCBrewer]

Everything happens for a reason, and that makes a nice looking BBQ setup. I take it the door on the side of the smoker lifts off?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Yeah, that's a Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker....if you're into barbecue, then this site is worth checking out: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

The door can open if you want to peek or baste....but it's rarely used.

 

[beerocd]

Yeah, that's a Weber Smokey Mountain

The door can open if you want to peek or baste....but it's rarely used.

If you're lookin' - you ain't cookin'

 

[KCBrewer]

That's pretty slick, kinda resembles the big green egg.

Yeah, I'm into bbq. Here's yesterday's "work". That's the start of brew #3 for the weekend steeping on the stove, and 4 slabs of baby backs and a beer but chicken ready to become dinner.

And this morning I awoke to this....

It doesn't get much better for me.

 

[Retrofit]

ScubaSteve, I can't decide if your my hero, or if you just tick me off. All your stuff is better than mine. ARg!

 

[ScubaSteve]

I used to feel that way about EdWort when he'd show pics of his Big Green Eggs, Brew House, Nice Back 40, etc.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Okay, so I've been buying up the last of the plumbing stuff (probably the most $$$ in the build) and I made some decent progress today. I drilled out the kettle with a step bit; I made holes for the element, drain, and an optional whirlpool return port.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I bent the drain hole out a bit so it would drain every last drop. You can see that it's a bit convex in the second pic. I know that it's best to insert the fitting into the hole, but I felt I'd get best results if I put the coupler flush against the kettle bottom. In the third pic, you can see how the kettle bottom is just a tad smaller:

 

[ScubaSteve]

I used the stay-clean flux, and I think it helped. I really suck at soldering, plus it was hard to keep the giant 1" full coupler evenly heated and get the solder to make a nice bead all the way around. The kettle bottom warped a bit, so gravity was working against me. It's not the prettiest joint, but it's pretty strong (I swung the kettle around by it with no problems) and I think it'll suit my needs.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Here's some pics of the inside of the kettle. Though the drain coupler joint isn't Grade-A, ya gotta admit it's pretty slick. I plan on integrating a CIP sprayball, so this thing should drain completely with VERY little fluid left.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Here's a pic of the 1/2" coupler I soldered into the bottom side; I think I got a little better at getting the solder to wet....I think the trick is to get the flux up high on the fitting itself, but not too far away from the base. It's hard to get a nice seal if the solder wants to run away from the fitting. In this case, I think I was messy with the flux, but I'm still happy with the quality of the joint (it was a very tight fit and the solder definitely sealed things up well).

 

[ScubaSteve]

Here's some pics of everything in place. I intentionally wanted the drain hanging off the back; I have a 1.5" triclover x 1" MPT fitting to screw into the drain. (This also allows me to easily upgrade to a larger kettle) This wide-mouth drain will go directly to the pump intake...there will be zero restriction for the Little Giant pump. In fact, the smallest point of restriction in the whole system is the chillzilla, which is ~ 3/8". I will be putting nothing less than 3/4" everywhere else. This thing is going to be a beast! Also, because I can easily upgrade to a bigger pot and make this thing huge, I think the million dollar question is how SMALL of a batch I can make based on how shallow the element is.

 

[ScubaSteve]

FWIW, I realize the element may get in the way of a true whirlpool, but I think the power of the pump will really overcome this. Besides, in this system particles aren't really a big deal. If I later decide to go with a plate chiller, all I need to do is put some finer screen in the hopback module. After screwing up the basket, I have some scrap pieces sitting around

 

[Yambor44]

Don't know if you covered this or not but was there a reason for not using these baskets someone posted a link to a while back?

http://www.eysters.com/baskets.html

 

[wyzazz]

My first thought would be price...

 

[beerocd]

I thought you bought a welder a while back?

 

[BargainFittings]

ScubaSteve,

Your solder joints look like my first few attempts. That flush solder joint on the drain coupler makes me very nervous.

I would pull that coupling through the hole until its almost flush and then solder the inside.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Thanks....I was waiting for someone to chime in on my joints. This was actually my second attempt on this joint, I had to take it apart and start over from scratch So you think I should heat the outside and put the solder on the inside?

I know it's not pretty, but I actually tapped the thing with a hammer and it's pretty solid. This joint is not going to have mechanical stress on it. I COULD break it back down and start again, but I want to be sure before I do so.

I guess the risk is that the joint would fail catastrophically with 15 gallons of hot wort in the kettle. Crap. Maybe I should take it back down.

Any suggestions? What was the turning point for you in terms of putting out a nice joint? Part of my trouble was the size of the coupler.....I really think the stay-clean made a big difference, but I didn't have a good way to apply it (q-tips kept burning).....

 

[ScubaSteve]

I thought you bought a welder a while back?

I did, but silver solder is expensive and I was out of acetylene. I would have to buy a new tank and potentially more silver solder (I got about 10 feet of some really thin wire...can't imagine that working too well for the 1" coupling). It was cheaper to solder, and I had more room for error. Lastly, the kettle was thin and the coupler was thick. It was kinda hard to evenly heat both, I'd rather not damage the thin stainless kettle with a wicked hot O/A torch.

 

[patrck17]

Awsome idea and build! Looks like you are using the same 5500W element that I have. I got mine from home depot for like 18 bucks. Anyhow looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[BargainFittings]

Thanks....I was waiting for someone to chime in on my joints. This was actually my second attempt on this joint, I had to take it apart and start over from scratch So you think I should heat the outside and put the solder on the inside?

I know it's not pretty, but I actually tapped the thing with a hammer and it's pretty solid. This joint is not going to have mechanical stress on it. I COULD break it back down and start again, but I want to be sure before I do so.

I guess the risk is that the joint would fail catastrophically with 15 gallons of hot wort in the kettle. Crap. Maybe I should take it back down.

Any suggestions? What was the turning point for you in terms of putting out a nice joint? Part of my trouble was the size of the coupler.....I really think the stay-clean made a big difference, but I didn't have a good way to apply it (q-tips kept burning).....

I think sanding all the solder surfaces is key. The stay clean will etc away any remaining oxides. Heating the coupling from the inside will help moderate the heat and keep from getting the kettle wall overheated.

I'm not worried about your solder joint, I'm more worried that if you do get separation on that butt joint, nothing is there to keep it from popping off.

How about pulling it through with a hole tool like this?
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/keg-tool-152003/index10.html#post1917974

and then solder the inside joint:

 

[BargainFittings]

Another idea would be if you have access to a lathe is to turn the coupling down except for a thin lip and then slide it from the inside and then solder it.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Building a keg tool seems like it could get pricey for a 1" fitting. I have a bench grinder so I might go the second route, but it would be tricky to get it even. Also, the hole is big enough that I think I could gently bend the very rim of the hole outward with pliers like I did above....and then push the fitting through.

The 1/2" coupler I soldered in on the same day was a really tight fit...I tapped it into the hole with a hammer and I think the force made a "mini-pocket". I had zero trouble soldering that fitting in, it just seemed to flow better than the butt-joint.....maybe it was the smaller size of the fitting.

 

[BargainFittings]

I would use a galvanized coupling for the outside to pull through. I think you could bevel the lip of your coupling and just pull it through in one shot since the metal is so thin on your kettle.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Okay, peer pressure is a b!tch! I stopped by Ace and picked a few things up today. Because of the size of my coupling, I couldn't find an affordable fitting to go on the outside....it would have been $10-$15 just for that....and at this point in the build, I'm not feeling too spendy. So, I went with PVC and jury-rigged it.

 

[ScubaSteve]

This was really fricking hard the way I did it.....I didn't bevel my fitting enough and it was like pulling rebar out of concrete. In the third pic, you can see sweat on the kettle

 

[ScubaSteve]

After popping the coupling through, I sanded once again, cleaned with acetone (nail polish remover) and fluxed using a small medicine dropper I found. That pocket makes things WAY easier, even if it took more work to push the fitting through. And as for the soldered joint itself, the solder stayed in place....it beaded up a bit still, but I was pretty confident that it got down in the joint and made a nice seal. I could've probably wiped the excess solder away, but honestly I didn't want to risk it

 

[ScubaSteve]

And the finished product from the outside. All the cranking down on the keg tool actually made a better depression in the kettle for a drain. It wasn't easy, but it looks and works 10 times better than before. I'm so glad I did it. I had seen the keg tool in other threads and thought I'd never do it because it cost extra and looked like a PITA. I can tell anyone with confidence that this is TOTALLY worth the effort and your fittings will look and function just as good as a welded fitting if you take care of your gear.

 

[BargainFittings]

Glad I could help wit the pressure even if you had to do all the sweat equity to get the fittings in!

Looks a lot safer too.

Wayne.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I wonder, did you put solder on the outside of the fitting? The joint is pretty dang solid, but I notice there's a small gap. Ideally, the solder would have wicked down all the way into the pocket, but I think the very bottom is dead space.

 

[wyzazz]

I don't think you need to solder the outside, just make sure it's been sanded and fluxed. If it's prepped the right way & you have a nice even heat it should wick in to the pocket, unless of course it's just that tight of a fit.

 

[BargainFittings]

I do not get much if any solder wicking to the outside on very tight holes.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Okay, so I wanted to update this thread, it's been a few months and I've been trying to spend some time brewing instead of just building (and spending $$$) all the time! Winter's coming, and I need to get this done so I can park my car in the garage again

I apologize in advance for the pics, the low light in the garage sucks.

I mounted the pump, the bottom drain from the kettle goes directly down the back of the rig and into the upturned elbow. I plan on using a full 1" piece of PEX....you just can't find any affordable silicon hose >3/4". The valve at the intake of the pump will always stay open, but it has an offset valve that allows me to drain the whole system without disconnecting anything. It's at the lowest point, so it should work well.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Next, I mounted the control box. Yup...it's a paper towel dispenser...but it's SS and I think it'll work well (I hope its big enough). It's not NEMA 4x, but it's under the table and I can splashproof it if necessary. The back is open and I plan to put the relays and outlets there. As a bonus, it has a key so I can open the box for access.

 

[ScubaSteve]

And here's some pics of what will be the final configuration of the valves, chiller, etc.

 

[ScubaSteve]

In this pic, looking at each black valve wheel going clockwise:

Bottom valve: Outlet of pump goes into here and is diverted with the other valves.

Left: 5500W RIMS chamber. The outlet of the RIMS will have a sightglass sitting vertical, and I'll use camlocks and silicone hose to connect it to the lid for recirc, sparge, etc.

Top: It takes a sharp right and there's a modular hopback/filter...it goes directly down to the chiller. If I ever go to a plate chiller (and I just may) it will be plug and play! :rockin:

Right: Water inlet from filter. It can run through the RIMS for on-demand sparge water, simply fill the vessel, or flush the entire system (actually very important, as I plan to CIP).

 

[wyzazz]

I was wondering when you'd update this, this thing is going to be sweet!!!