When cheaper is better....

[Owly055]

I'm in the process of piecing together a simple BIAB mash circulator / temp control with inexpensive components. A paint mixer, a $10 pawn shop 3/8" drill, a piece of 4" stainless steel tubing, and STC 1000, and a $12 coil burner hot plate. All of the components were cheap. The total comes up to about $60, not including a piece of scrap used to mount the drill in the stainless tubing (304 stainless).
I just got the hotplate today. At $12 including Amazon Prime shipping, it's the ultimate in cheap. It's a 750 watt unit that falls well within the range of the STC 1000 (1200 watts), and uses a resistance control, so I can crank it down to low temp, rather than a cycling control. A case where the cheap component is the best for the job. The circulator will draw wort and grain in through holes in the stainless, and force it downward against the bottom of the pot creating a torroidal flow that will pick up the heat from the hot plate and distribute it efficiently. The drill will be gutted, and the hand grip removed, the trigger / speed control mounted such that I can adjust the speed for optimal speed merely by adjusting a screw...... on the initial trial unit. Ultimately, I will probably mount a PWM controller (cheap) for more efficient operation. I've tried it on a good PWM motor controller and it works fine, but the unit is larger than I want.

The benefit is that circulation is inside the bag, not outside like my sous vide, and involves grain as well as wort, thus it does not plug up the weave on a brew bag. It should provide an extremely precise mash temp, and operate unattended. I chose a drill motor because the paint stirrer has a 3/8 hex shaft, and a drill chuck is the best way to grab it. The drill has a round boss that I can adapt to fit into the top of the stainless tube. This system could be used with or without the bag. I've done BIAB both ways. Actually in a bag, or using the bag as a filter at the end of the mash.....What's the difference?

It hit -25 this morning... what else is there to do but brew or dream of brewing? ;-)

H.W.

 

[bleme]

It hit -25 this morning... what else is there to do but brew or dream of brewing? ;-)

-25F was actually my favorite temp to go cross-country skiing. At -25F, the snow doesn't stick to you when you fall down, and I fell down a LOT!

 

[Owly055]

-25F was actually my favorite temp to go cross-country skiing. At -25F, the snow doesn't stick to you when you fall down, and I fell down a LOT!

Not many cross country ski boots are capable of keeping your feet warm at -25. I have a pair of Asolo boots with removable felt liners that are the exception, but even so, I prefer much warmer conditions if I'm going to be out very long.

 

[DasBierBaron]

I think one of those 26$ pumps would have been simpler than using the drill and paint mixer, provided you have a bulked on your pot.

 

[Owly055]

I think one of those 26$ pumps would have been simpler than using the drill and paint mixer, provided you have a bulked on your pot.

Been there........ done that. See my thread titled "suck start pump" or something to that effect. I do NOT like "through the bag circulation" as it clogs the weave. I find it a very unsatisfactory solution. The pump is not designed to handle circulating the mash, only the wort.
I do not use kettles with spigots, so it was necessary to use a siphon, and that in itself is a problem as siphons do not start well with hot water. It did work, but the liquid level in the bag would exceed the liquid level outside the bag significantly as the weave plugged with chaff. This system will operate just like the sous vide, with the actual pumping element submerged close to the bottom of the pot pushing the liquid down, which is drawn into the tube just below the surface. It cannot cavitate. It's my answer to the problem of BIAB RIMS, and promises to be fool proof. It's the product of a lot of experiments.

H.W.