Unboxing the Nano from CO Brewing

[molson]

I've had this system for over a year and yesterday ran into a issue that I can't figure out. When I turn the switch to turn on the heating element I hear a clicking noise but the element doesn't turn on. If I toggle the switch a few times I can get it to turn on sometimes. Once it's on it works as expected, firing when necessary to keep the set temperature. I don't have much experience with electrical systems so I'm not sure where to start or what to replace. I assume it's a short somewhere. Any ideas would be great. Thanks!

 

[The_Bishop]

Sounds as if the contactor or relay has gone bad.

 

[molson]

Is this the contactor? That's where the clicking is coming from and one of the connections to it looks burned.

 

[30Bones]

Yeah that looks like a contactor/relay. I need to get a spare just for this reason.

 

[molson]

Please forgive my ignorance, I'm a software guy by trade and know very little when it comes to hardware and electrical systems. Are contactors/relays the same thing? I think that the relay is at the top of the box, with the heat sink on top of it. Where can I get the part to replace this? Thanks for the help!

 

[milo_leon]

We just got the system this recent weekend but could someone take a pic of how they assembled all the parts? We have a ball valve connection left over and not sure where it should go.

Also we noticed the control panel seems to have two power wires? one thick one without a plug (assuming 240v and need to be spliced into the appropiate plug) and a smaller one that looks like 120v? Anyone can clarify this?

Lastly- what did you guys do to set up dual whirlpool at the bottom and at the top? Is there a Y-connection I need to buy for the pump?

 

[BoilerInSoCal]

Hi All,
This is a wonderfully informative thread...but, wow, it is long, so I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked/answered and I missed it. I see that people have reported that once you lift the basket, the mash bed is disrupted and the wort gets cloudy again. Makes sense. Has anyone, after mashing, tried lifting the basket to just over the level of wort in the kettle and continuing to recirculate into the basket in an attempt to clarify the wort before boiling?

 

[jready]

We just got the system this recent weekend but could someone take a pic of how they assembled all the parts? We have a ball valve connection left over and not sure where it should go.

Also we noticed the control panel seems to have two power wires? one thick one without a plug (assuming 240v and need to be spliced into the appropiate plug) and a smaller one that looks like 120v? Anyone can clarify this?

Lastly- what did you guys do to set up dual whirlpool at the bottom and at the top? Is there a Y-connection I need to buy for the pump?

I can try to get pics tonight the second question:

Yes the thick one needs the 240 plug. They don’t include it so you can customize it to your outlet. My election installed the plug, the outlet and a gfi 30a breaker for like $200. (And some beer)

The small plug is new to me guessing it is for the new control panel? There should also be an outlet for your pump.

 

[Horseflesh]

The 120V plug is for the control panel.

When they first made these systems, they used a 4-wire 240V plug and internally split off 120V for the computer. Then, they changed to using 2 separate power connections as part of getting a specific UL certification.

(Unfortunately they made this switch while my unit was being built and didn't notify me. They told me to install a 4-wire outlet when I ordered, so I was pretty ticked when I received a unit with 240V and 120V power connections instead!)

 

[prosperbrews]

This is a great thread full of information. I have read through nearly every page over past 48 hours. I am seriously considering pulling the trigger on the nano home. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate anyone's feedback based on experience.

* I am torn between this system and the brew boss. Both are similar, but the CO system uses all tri clamp fittings and appears to offer similiar automation features as the brew boss through their new controllers. The brew boss stand with rotating hoist is super slick. I am really not a fan of CO's stand for the nano home. Trying to remove the basket while hanging over the pot doesnt seem appealing. Was anyone else considering the CO and Brew Boss systems? What made you go one way vs the other?

* The stand issue brings up another concern. The steam condenser looks awesome. I was planning on having CO weld an additional 1.5 inch ferrule at the top of the kettle at 4 oclock position. However, I also see that this also has a pretty significant impact on reducing the boil off rate. How does everyone feel about this, especially when brewing bigger beers? With the limitations of BIAB, boiling off extra water is a great way to go about making bigger beers without getting a stuck mash. I am still trying to figure out a good solution to have a hoist AND a condensation hood with exhaust.

* I will be doing primarily 5 gallon batches in the 20 gallon pot. With the efficiencies ya'll are seeing on this system, what are realistic OGs people are getting on bigger beers without sparging?

* Any mods anyone would recommend for this system other than what has been mentioned? I am going to tee off the pump exit and recirculate through the top and the whirlpool port. I am also going to implement the SS mash manifold.

* I'll be using a chugger mini max pump with this setup. This has about the same power and flow rate as the normal chugger. I also plan on using a counterflow chiller. Can anyone with experience comment on whether or not these pumps have the oomph to allow an effective whirlpool while passing through the counterflow chiller?

 

[Horseflesh]

Fwiw I find hoisting the basket up and out is pretty easy, even though it looks like it might be awkward. You hoist it up out of the liquid, lift it a few inches to the rim, balance it on the kettle rim with one hand and unhook it with the other. May sound dicey but it's not. Then I lift it out with both hands and set it in a plastic tub until I get to cleaning it.

I found that I really like triclamps, first time I ever used them was on this system. They are easy to use and 100% reliable.

One thing I don't like and worry about every brew day is how the pump/valve assembly sticks out by a freaking mile. I worry I will bump it and that huge lever arm will assist me in breaking something. Sounds like you're using a different pump and will do your own plumbing though. I intend to replumb mine but that means some more hose, TC fittings, and developing some way to remount the pump and valve.

 

[prosperbrews]

One thing I don't like and worry about every brew day is how the pump/valve assembly sticks out by a freaking mile. I worry I will bump it and that huge lever arm will assist me in breaking something. Sounds like you're using a different pump and will do your own plumbing though. I intend to replumb mine but that means some more hose, TC fittings, and developing some way to remount the pump and valve.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the feedback. Are you using a topsflo inline pump? That is what comes standard with the brew boss and also makes the valve assembly stick way out - another design decision I dont like about that system. I am planning to mount the pump and counterflow chiller under the kettle. I saw in an earlier post, someone used a stainless equipment stand and mounted the hoist to a ceiling joist. I am leaning towards this solution.

What are you using for your exhaust?

 

[Horseflesh]

I am using the Topsflo, yep. I like it fine other than one issue, which I mentioned waaaay back in this thread. After cleaning it is common for a teeny tiny drop of wort to ooze out at the base of the shaft. This takes a day or two! If you reassemble the pump before this happens, the wort dries and sticks the impeller in place. So, I have to let the pump parts dry and usually quickly re-clean the housing before reassembly. No one else has complained about this, so I may just be unlucky with a slightly defective part. Since the pump gets plenty hot and sanitized, I don't worry about it though.

I'm not using exhaust at all. Brew days are done in the garage, and I just open the garage door for the boil vapor and chill water egress. It rarely gets cold enough here to make the open door a show-stopper.

If I had the luxury of having a dedicated brew area I would happily ditch the stand, rig a hoist, and install a condenser. But I don't, and I am still pretty happy! If you do go with the CBS rig, try the hoist as-is before you start drilling holes. You may decide it's good 'nuff.

 

[prosperbrews]

Which tri clamp T is everyone using to split the pump output to the recirc and whirlpool ports? Hard to tell from the pictures if it’s 1.5 or 1 inch.

Thanks

 

[prosperbrews]

For those still considering a purchase, I just got off the phone with Tim and it appears they have addressed a couple of the design concerns others have complained about earlier in the thread.

* the basket now uses 600 micron mesh instead of 400
* the element is now detachable from the cord via an L6 30 connector directly at base of element

Hope this helps!

 

[jabba11]

Hi All,
This is a wonderfully informative thread...but, wow, it is long, so I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked/answered and I missed it. I see that people have reported that once you lift the basket, the mash bed is disrupted and the wort gets cloudy again. Makes sense. Has anyone, after mashing, tried lifting the basket to just over the level of wort in the kettle and continuing to recirculate into the basket in an attempt to clarify the wort before boiling?

I am not sure what you are suggesting is necessarily going to work but what I do is raise the pipe about an inch let it all slowly drain in raise the pipe a couple inches let it slowly drain back in. Where the most disturbance occurs is as the bed leaves the wort. The "suction" pull it out suddenly so ideally have as little fluid remaining and pull out very slow. I have found that this leaves sufficient clarity for me.

 

[jabba11]

Which tri clamp T is everyone using to split the pump output to the recirc and whirlpool ports? Hard to tell from the pictures if it’s 1.5 or 1 inch.

Thanks

1 1/2 here

 

[jabba11]

One thing I don't like and worry about every brew day is how the pump/valve assembly sticks out by a freaking mile. I worry I will bump it and that huge lever arm will assist me in breaking something. Sounds like you're using a different pump and will do your own plumbing though. I intend to replumb mine but that means some more hose, TC fittings, and developing some way to remount the pump and valve.

Thanks for the feedback. Are you using a topsflo inline pump? That is what comes standard with the brew boss and also makes the valve assembly stick way out - another design decision I dont like about that system. I am planning to mount the pump and counterflow chiller under the kettle. I saw in an earlier post, someone used a stainless equipment stand and mounted the hoist to a ceiling joist. I am leaning towards this solution.

What are you using for your exhaust?[/QUOTE]


if you go to my facebook page theres a lot of pictures of my setup (www.ceegeebrewing.com) it can give you some ideas of how mine is setup anyway (exhaust, the sticking out issues, etc)

 

[synonymous18]

Thanks for the feedback. Are you using a topsflo inline pump? That is what comes standard with the brew boss and also makes the valve assembly stick way out - another design decision I dont like about that system. I am planning to mount the pump and counterflow chiller under the kettle. I saw in an earlier post, someone used a stainless equipment stand and mounted the hoist to a ceiling joist. I am leaning towards this solution.

What are you using for your exhaust?

if you go to my facebook page theres a lot of pictures of my setup (www.ceegeebrewing.com) it can give you some ideas of how mine is setup anyway (exhaust, the sticking out issues, etc)[/QUOTE]

 

[synonymous18]

I've been using my CBS set-up for a while
and I had a question I was wondering if you had any insight. I am doing a
reciculating mash after the mash in. Yesterday, I had it set to 152,
however the temp of the recirculate was 148 or so. When I did the mash
out, the temp was set to 168 and the recirculate was 160. These temps are
taken from the temp probe below the basket calibrated to a thermopen and the thermopen from the top, so likely
accurate. I would think that since I am recirculating that these temps
should be fairly uniform, however that doesn't seem to be the case and at
160 through the mash likely isn't even accomplishing much. I wasn't sure
if I should move the temp probe to a T at the top of the recirculation to
measure that liquid that would then control the heating element, however that seems like it would raise the temp below the basket a significant amount.

 

[swimIan]

Yes, you are correct. Add an offset value to your desired temp to account for heat loss in your plumbing.

 

[jabba11]

I've been using my CBS set-up for a while
and I had a question I was wondering if you had any insight. I am doing a
reciculating mash after the mash in. Yesterday, I had it set to 152,
however the temp of the recirculate was 148 or so. When I did the mash
out, the temp was set to 168 and the recirculate was 160. These temps are
taken from the temp probe below the basket calibrated to a thermopen and the thermopen from the top, so likely
accurate. I would think that since I am recirculating that these temps
should be fairly uniform, however that doesn't seem to be the case and at
160 through the mash likely isn't even accomplishing much. I wasn't sure
if I should move the temp probe to a T at the top of the recirculation to
measure that liquid that would then control the heating element, however that seems like it would raise the temp below the basket a significant amount.

I have heard of others having this issue. I can only speak for me and say I haven't.. (thank The lord) I checked grain bed temps for probably the first 6 months always second guessing it but it was always with a degree or so. I will say that I typically do a protein rest on all my brews. I stir the bed maybe two times during that to get the temp set since its pretty short. Once I get to the last mash temp I stir the bed once then I never stir it again. the wort is crystal clear by the end. I run both a recirc and an ss manifold with both valves wide open

 

[prosperbrews]

I have heard of others having this issue. I can only speak for me and say I haven't.. (thank The lord) I checked grain bed temps for probably the first 6 months always second guessing it but it was always with a degree or so. I will say that I typically do a protein rest on all my brews. I stir the bed maybe two times during that to get the temp set since its pretty short. Once I get to the last mash temp I stir the bed once then I never stir it again. the wort is crystal clear by the end. I run both a recirc and an ss manifold with both valves wide open

Do you know if your basket is using 600 or 400 micron mesh?

 

[synonymous18]

It the older one, so 400?

 

[prosperbrews]

Just pulled the trigger on a Nano Home without the stand. Tim at CBS was very prompt at answering my many questions.

 

[jabba11]

Do you know if your basket is using 600 or 400 micron mesh?

Honestly I don't. I bought mine before they were really started producing them in mass as a promo kind of, so whatever the early version was is probably what I have. I do have a hard sided basket (a pipe) some of the earliest versions had the mesh basket.

 

[milo_leon]

we just got everything hooked up by the electrician yesterday. we also got rid of the stand and built a base with wheels so we can move the kettle easily around the basement, still using the metal base to get the kettle off the wood until we get some sort of rubber layer. next to do is to add a eye bolt to the ceiling so we can lift the mash basket.

everything is upside down cuz we cleaned and passivated the stainless steel so it is drying off haha. will do a water test this weekend then do our first brew!

 

[milo_leon]

Hello all,

I have a couple questions about the pump orientation - how do you set up the pump? From what I've read, you can set up the pump anywhere as long as a) the motor is below the outlet/inlet and b) the inlet does not point down.

Any input would be helpful.

 

[BudgetBrewer]

Hello all,

I have a couple questions about the pump orientation - how do you set up the pump? From what I've read, you can set up the pump anywhere as long as a) the motor is below the outlet/inlet and b) the inlet does not point down.

Any input would be helpful.

I don't have that setup, but in general you are on the right track.
You should have the pump lower than the vessel. Personally i dont think the inlet pointing down is a huge concern, as long as you dont have alot of tubing hanging below the pump. Keep your hoses as short as you can as to avoid kinks etc and you should be fine.

 

[prosperbrews]

we just got everything hooked up by the electrician yesterday. we also got rid of the stand and built a base with wheels so we can move the kettle easily around the basement, still using the metal base to get the kettle off the wood until we get some sort of rubber layer. next to do is to add a eye bolt to the ceiling so we can lift the mash basket.

everything is upside down cuz we cleaned and passivated the stainless steel so it is drying off haha. will do a water test this weekend then do our first brew!

I also just received this setup although had a number of issues with order that I’m not happy about.

One major issue is my mash basket doesn’t have the reinforcing rings around it. Additionally, a number of parts were missing and they welded a custom ferrule I had ordered at the top of the kettle at 3 o’clock position too low and I did not receive a lid for the kettle? Anyone else get a lid included?

Also, does your element have to be hard wired to the panel? Seems janky that they wouldn’t include a plug.

So far I’m not impressed

 

[milo_leon]

I also just received this setup although had a number of issues with order that I’m not happy about.

One major issue is my mash basket doesn’t have the reinforcing rings around it. Additionally, a number of parts were missing and they welded a custom ferrule I had ordered at the top of the kettle at 3 o’clock position too low

Also, does your element have to be hard wired to the panel? Seems janky that they wouldn’t include a plug.

So far I’m not impressed

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the system. I have not brewed on it yet, but everything arrived in one piece despite the beat up packaging. What do you mean by reinforcing rings in the basket? My heat element does not need to be hard wired into the panel, it can be unplugged easily and you do not need to wire up anything for the heat element. You do need to add a 240v 30a plug for the panel though and I had the electrician do this for me.

Have you contacted Tim? He tend to reply quickly or connect you with other members of the team (one time he was on vacation so he connected me with Adam, the panel guy when I had a question about panel wiring).

 

[prosperbrews]

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the system. I have not brewed on it yet, but everything arrived in one piece despite the beat up packaging. What do you mean by reinforcing rings in the basket? My heat element does not need to be hard wired into the panel, it can be unplugged easily and you do not need to wire up anything for the heat element. You do need to add a 240v 30a plug for the panel though and I had the electrician do this for me.

Have you contacted Tim? He tend to reply quickly or connect you with other members of the team (one time he was on vacation so he connected me with Adam, the panel guy when I had a question about panel wiring).

The reinforcing rings are the 2 rings you see around the mash basket - they reinforce the steel and make it stronger. Mine does not have that.

Also, there is no plug to plug the element into the controller. The bare wires have to be fed through a hole in the controller and hard wired in.

I also did not receive a lid for the kettle. At this point, they are going to have to redo the entire order to make this right.

 

[milo_leon]

The reinforcing rings are the 2 rings you see around the mash basket - they reinforce the steel and make it stronger. Mine does not have that.

Also, there is no plug to plug the element into the controller. The bare wires have to be fed through a hole in the controller and hard wired in.

I also did not receive a lid for the kettle. At this point, they are going to have to redo the entire order to make this right.

I did not receive a lid with my system either, I don't think it was listed on the packaging list, so I am not sure if this is offered anymore (not sure why you would need a lid with this system since you can't use it with the mash basket). I just sent Tim an email to check on this anyway.

I understand what you meant by wiring the element cable. That did trip me up at first but was really really easy to do.

I'll have to check my basket for the support rings, but it seems sturdy enough for me at the moment.

 

[prosperbrews]

I did not receive a lid with my system either, I don't think it was listed on the packaging list, so I am not sure if this is offered anymore (not sure why you would need a lid with this system since you can't use it with the mash basket). I just sent Tim an email to check on this anyway.

I understand what you meant by wiring the element cable. That did trip me up at first but was really really easy to do.

I'll have to check my basket for the support rings, but it seems sturdy enough for me at the moment.

You would need a lid if you were using a steam condenser as I am. It looks like most others are getting a lid.

From your picture, you have the rings. They are the two slightly elevated rings on top and bottom edges of basket

 

[jabba11]

Ive had my system for awhile so there may have been design changes etc. Ive seen some with the "rings" you are talking about. My system doesn't have that. Ive been using it for almost two years now, not a single piece of it has failed. My element "plugs in" to the control box but I think they have changed the design to be able to unplug it at the element or something now to make moving the kettle around easier for cleaning so hard wiring it on the other end may be necessary. Mine did come with a lid. I don't know why it wouldn't come with a lid. I don't believe CBS MAKES the kettle but maybe they got it cheaper without and offer it as an option. Honestly I never used my lid until I started souring beers. With regard to the pump I did have mine oriented in a downward position once.. don't do it it simply doesn't work properly that way. You either need to attach it directly to the kettle (that's what I do) or run some tubing to a place where you can orient the pump in a horizontal position. Also I had some issues at first but Tim and his peeps were awesome and so they will work with you to make it right

 

[milo_leon]

water test went very well today! fixed a leak in the sight glass, pump works well, and tested the mash manifold from ss brewtech.

one thing i was not expecting was when the system hits the temp i set, the blue element light on the panel will start flickering. is this normal? i am assuming the system is turning the element on/off rapidly to throttle down the power to 50-55%?

also - for some reason, when the element light on the panel is flickering, a ceiling light next to the system will start to subtly flicker too. this is really weird since the light is not on the same circuit/breaker as the brew system. is this something i should be concerned about? we plan to contact our electrician to double-check as well.

 

[jabba11]

water test went very well today! fixed a leak in the sight glass, pump works well, and tested the mash manifold from ss brewtech.

one thing i was not expecting was when the system hits the temp i set, the blue element light on the panel will start flickering. is this normal? i am assuming the system is turning the element on/off rapidly to throttle down the power to 50-55%?

also - for some reason, when the element light on the panel is flickering, a ceiling light next to the system will start to subtly flicker too. this is really weird since the light is not on the same circuit/breaker as the brew system. is this something i should be concerned about? we plan to contact our electrician to double-check as well.

is the light near the panel or power cable? Is it led or CFL? might be some kind of plasma field type thing causing it. I have a PID and the light goes on and off yes when it nears temp as it is ramping down so it doesn't overshoot.

 

[Horseflesh]

Where is the light on your CBS panel? I have a Nano Home, but I got it a year ago and I am pretty sure there is no light hooked up to the element. That would be really nice to have, I wonder if they can tell me how to install it...

 

[milo_leon]

first brew day went well! still need to dial in the system and get used to it. sight glass gave us some trouble cuz it seems to only max out at 15 gals of water, anything more then it will start leaking from the top. i do wish the kettle had volume markings so we can nix the sight glass. maybe we can add that some day - will need to figure out measurements.

we used the beersmith profile that's on their website for a 12 gal batch. it called for 16 gals total for 25 gals of grain and i held back one gal to sparge. but i messed up and accidentally added 2 gals total at sparge, but that actually got us close to the pre-boil vol of 14 gal lol. had less wort dripping out after mash than i excepted, maybe need to leave it dripping longer or raise the basket slower. SS brewtech manifold worked like a dream, pump was at full speed and we hit our pre-boil OG right on the money.

we did have some issues figuring out the right % for the boil at as the system kept going from 210 degrees to 211.8 and never touching 212. I had to set target temp to 212.5 and element to 65-70% to get a decent boil. Once I added the wort chillers and start recirculating the wort through the pump at 15m, I boosted the cruise% to 75% to get a nice boil to sanitize everything.

we ended up a little under 12 gals, about 5.75ish into each fermenter. will need to figure out how to account for hop absorption when i remove my hop spider and fiddle with my volume calculations.

all in all, i think the whole day took us about 6 hours from start to finish since everything was new to us plus we had a 30 min whirlpool. cleaning up took longer than we expected due to so. many. parts. will figure out an effective routine over time.

BTW - what is the best way to clean the element? we did a pbw cycle with warm water circulating through pump to clean everything, but should i turn on the element and run a hotter cleaning cycle? would that work and what temp should we aim at/how long to cycle? element did great with no scorching, but still had trub/gunk on it at the end of the day.

the sight of this at the end of the day is worth a long brew day.

 

[milo_leon]

Where is the light on your CBS panel? I have a Nano Home, but I got it a year ago and I am pretty sure there is no light hooked up to the element. That would be really nice to have, I wonder if they can tell me how to install it...

it is the element switch on my control panel. when you turn it on, it lights up blue to show it's running. then will cut off once the system hits the desired temps. if you look at my previous pictures in this thread, will see it on the right. there's basically only 3 things on control panel for me - touchscreen, power on, and element on.