Electricity!!

[prieff]

Its me again.

After some studying I have decided on 5500w Camcos and PID controllers with SSR. I think I was scaring myself a bit. It is really not very complex at all. My initial though was to try and keep the costs around $500 but that is not going to happen. It seems like it would be dumb to only go 1/2 way so I am also going to use all stainless and 2 pumps. I will be using my sankes for each vessel. I need input on the MLT straining or false bottom for sankes. What do you guys use? My Rubbermaid cooler has a SS braid. I will be using Kal's setup minus the bells and whistles. I am going to use a HERMS SS coil in the HLT like Kal, but 50' seems like overkill long....am I wrong about this? When I soak my 10 gallon megapot in PBW with 140F water the temp takes a long time to drop...there is just so much thermal mass there. I bet 25' of 1/2 SS HERMS would keep the temp just fine for 60-90 min. I plan to do a continuous recirc sparge through the coil with the PID of the HLT set right at the target mash temp after initial dough-in. I am think this eliminates the need for a 2nd PID running the pump on and off.

Only a couple questions:

Sanke MLT false bottom suggestion?
Do you need to vouraf (sp?) if you do a continuous recirc mash and sparge?
Does anyone own/rent/lend any pull punches for all the holes? Or know of anyplace that does rent them?
Kal shows the SS locknut on the element without a silicone oring on the interior of the kettle. Bargainfittings sells the nut with the oring and the nut has a recess for the oring. Do any of you use this?

Thank for the help. I would like to host something once it is up and running.

Paul

[DrPaulsen]

Welcome to the dark side of brewing. You won't regret it.

In my keg MLT with a bottom drain, I use a Sabco false bottom sans center hole (p/n PR771) and love it. I've never had anything even resembling a stuck sparge.

I do not take any extra recirculation steps once it is time to sparge. The continuously recirculation of wort makes this unnecessary, assuming you do not stir up the mash.

I use the Bargain Fittings o-ring setup on my HLT with good success.

[bf514921]

bargain fittings and weldlessfittings.com, used them both, most of my setup is the weldles, also for the holds i used a step drill bit then cleaned i up with a little drimel type tool. for awhile i had no herms, just got mine installed. i think for mr 50 ft is overkill i have 20 and so far so good

[-MG-]

I recommend a good step drill bit for the holes. I have the hole punches you need for Kal's build if you want to borrow them.

[BrewHound]

I will be using my sankes for each vessel. I need input on the MLT straining or false bottom for sankes. What do you guys use? My Rubbermaid cooler has a SS braid.
Sanke MLT false bottom suggestion?

Since I upgraded to these 25 gal pots my stainless steel false bottom is too small for me, it is a raise 12" stainless steel plate with 3/8 inch hole that I was using in my keg kettle, if you are interested let me know and I could sell it to you. Also I am planning on ordering some perforated stainless steel sheet if you want to make one on your own The sheet I am looking at ordering comes in a size that I should have enough left over to cut a piece for you, I am planning on finding a professional place to cut the sheet into the diameter that I need so all I would need is your desired diameter to have a piece cut, or I could just sell you the left over and you could cut your own.

I am going to use a HERMS SS coil in the HLT like Kal, but 50' seems like overkill long....am I wrong about this? When I soak my 10 gallon megapot in PBW with 140F water the temp takes a long time to drop...there is just so much thermal mass there. I bet 25' of 1/2 SS HERMS would keep the temp just fine for 60-90 min. I plan to do a continuous recirc sparge through the coil with the PID of the HLT set right at the target mash temp after initial dough-in. I am think this eliminates the need for a 2nd PID running the pump on and off.

As for the HERMS Coil, if you are not planning on doing any kind of step mashing, then 25' would be more then enough to maintain temp. the advantage would come in during step mashing.

Does anyone own/rent/lend any pull punches for all the holes? Or know of anyplace that does rent them?

Also I have the all the punches from Kal's site if you need to use them.

Kal shows the SS locknut on the element without a silicone oring on the interior of the kettle. Bargainfittings sells the nut with the oring and the nut has a recess for the oring. Do any of you use this?
Paul

I would think the way Kal has it with the oring on the outside sealing would have the advantage of the o-ring lasting longer due to better environmental conditions, however, the downside would be possible trapping of small amounts of wort that would be a possible site for bacterial growth, with the temps it should not make much difference and for the most part it should be isolated from contact with your wort, but would have to be removed and cleaned from time to time. He also states that this is a duplication from how the weldless fittings come on the Blichmann BoilerMaker kettles, I am sure Blickmann put a lot of research into which is the better solution.

[prieff]

Thanks for all of the input and invites. I should be off work 2 weeks from saturday and will try to come scope out some of your rigs.

Aside from seeing some in person the only real question I have left is venting. I don't recall the Doc having a vent at all and I don't think one is really required in a large garage. I do eventually plan on a permanent home in the basement at some point however.

What solutions are you guys using? Kal's recommendations would cost around $1500+. I am hoping a range style or range sized fan would be adequate but I'd like to know what you guys do and what you might do differently or thoughts on effectiveness. Obviously I don't want drips or water pooling in the vent pipes...I've seen that reported in a few other places.

Thanks for the advice once again! Also, off topic but anyone know when the grain order may be ready?

Paul

[Matt F]

I made my hood from galvanized rectangle ductwork. Made some cuts and riveted it together. I attached a fan from a retired furnace. This thing moves a ton of air and was really cheap. I have two gas burners in my basement I can run at the same time and have never had a reading on my natural gas/CO2 meter.

You should just need some type of inline fan to move moisture but the ductwork made in to a hood is great and cheap. The commercial hoods you buy have grease traps and other stuff you don't need. You could probably make something out of wood and paint it too. Here is a picture of my setup with hoses hooked of for HERMS recirculation. My HLT is electric and gas. I use the gas when I need to heat it faster which is not that often.

[TappedOut]

Yeah, that's a nice solution Matt, and perhaps a good excuse to learn some rivetting skills. I've also seen online where folks made a frame of wood and lined it w/ the plastic wallboard common in public restrooms. I'm contemplating a cheap/ugly option out of a short plastic storage box. Or you could go truly ghetto like CJ's fan in a window.

[Matt F]

Using rivets is really easy. You drill a hole, stick in the rivet, the tool attaches to one end, you squeeze, your done. I have never tried it before this project and had no problems. I borrowed the tool from a friend but I don't think they cost much.

[prieff]

Thanks for the pix and the tips. Riveting is not a big deal for me.... putting together and airplane in the basement.

Do you get any condensation dripping from the hood?

Paul

[BrewHound]

Yeah, that's a nice solution Matt, and perhaps a good excuse to learn some rivetting skills. I've also seen online where folks made a frame of wood and lined it w/ the plastic wallboard common in public restrooms. I'm contemplating a cheap/ugly option out of a short plastic storage box. Or you could go truly ghetto like CJ's fan in a window.

You think that is ghetto, you should see my downstairs office chair, it's on blocks!

[Matt F]

Thanks for the pix and the tips. Riveting is not a big deal for me.... putting together and airplane in the basement.

Do you get any condensation dripping from the hood?

Paul

I have never had any condensation anywhere in the hood. The opening to the exhaust duct and fan is directly above the boil kettle and it all goes right in to the openeing. The fan is very strong. Could maybe be an issues with a weaker fan. The fan I am using has a very high cfm.

[DrPaulsen]

I have never had any condensation anywhere in the hood. The opening to the exhaust duct and fan is directly above the boil kettle and it all goes right in to the openeing. The fan is very strong. Could maybe be an issues with a weaker fan. The fan I am using has a very high cfm.

Do you have any clue what the CFM on your current fan is? I would imagine one could do some quick math, based on evaporation rate and air temperature, to calculate how many CFM of steam you'd need to be able to move to prevent condensation. Since I only have steam on my BK to vent, I'm contemplating a hood that is just a tiny bit bigger than my BK. With some luck, I'll be able to get one of the thermal folks at work help me do some fluid dynamics modeling to determine optimal size/placement/CFM of the system...and then I'll just go scavenging until I find something for free that is close enough.

[Matt F]

I will try to remember to check my fan to see if it says. It came from a house with about 6,000 finished sf so it moved a lot of air. I can let go of a piece of toilet paper on top of my boil kettle and it will get sucked up the tube. I took a less scientific approach to mine. I kept getting a bigger fan until it worked. A regular oven hood didn't do the trick. Then I tried a cheap 500 cfm inline fan and that did not work. Old furnace fan works really well.