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MX's HomeBrewing thread - Thread name Change

MX

MX

Quietly getting back into the cigar culture.....
Joined
Jun 5, 2007
Messages
4,917
GOING TO PUT ALL MY QUESTIONS AND STUFF ABOUT THE NEW BREWERY BUILD IN THIS ONE THREAD TO SAVE CLUTTER
THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING

I will link all the questions in this post for ease of use, and maybe to help any future HomeBrewers.

Will these step bits work

So, it has been almost 4 months since mt last brew day, (bad session, stuck ferment, and the beer is still in the secondary)
I am cleaning my equipment getting ready to brew next week. I have been thinking about why I just go "feel" it anymore and it hit me...

I hate my set-up!!

Well, what ireally hate is that I cant seem to get consistent numbers, and I feel like I have a bunch of stuff just kinda ghetto rigged to get me where I want to be.
So, I am gonna make some changes. Build a brew rig so i set up the same every time, replace my kettle and mash tun and so on.
Thinking about going electric as well.

So my question is this, can i set up a 50 qt Igloo maxcold cooler as a boil kettle? More to the point, do you think it wold be safe, and the plastic would hold up?

Tim
 
I can't imagine it would work. I've seen people use them for HLTs, but that's even pushing it in my opinion. Electric definitely give you the best as far as predictability/consistency though.
 
Yeah, so I had been drinking when i posted that.

I know i have seen people do full boils with a heat stick in a plastic bucket, but I do not know where i was going with that....

sorry to have wasted space and oxygen....lol

i do think i am going to install a 1500W element in my boil kettle though. Just have to figure our how to do that and use the chiller.

Tim
 
So, after a day of thinking about it, and having to make some tough choices I have decide that I am going to build a Brew Tree.
Simple 3 teir, gravity fed. I will eventually have 2 - 8 gallon kettels fitted with 1500 heating elements, but for starters I will just use my heat stick.

I am looking at using this LINK as my starting point. Only problem is I will have to build it out of wood my self.

Do you think that 2x4 will work instead of the squar steel tubing?

Now, I have some money owed to me, and as soon as it gets here I will be ordering the 1st 8 gallon kettle for boiling, and use my turkey fryer as the HLT.
Also going to replace my MLT cooler with a new 50qt one, and build a minifold for it.

I hope this well help get me to some what consistant numbers, and help streamline the brew day.

T
 
I love my electric system, so I say go for it. Not sure 1500W will get you the boil you want though. Mine are 4500W and I can get a good boil at 70%.
 
LilBastage said:
You're not going to be happy trying to boil 6-8 gallons with a 1500W element.

This spreadsheet may help you.
Click to expand...

Thanks Alan, that is a huge help. With a quick look, I cant tell how to set it for 240v but I can see that a 1500w element will take a while.
I have a 2400w 240v element in my heat stick, and it seems to be a bit much, so maybe a 2000w is the magic number.

I just got the go ahead to order a 8 gallon kettle with all the extras i will need to set it up as the boil kettle.
I will use my aluminum turkey pot as the HLT, and will probably buy a new cooler next week.

After that I will start the manifold build, and the stand build. I was looking at the Top Tier stand by Blichmann, and was thinking about making my stand out of a central mast.
I wish I was able to use Google sketch up, so I cold make a model of it to see what it would look like.

Tim
( getting excited again)
 
Mine are 4500W and I can get a good boil at 70%.
Click to expand...
Justin, how long does it take you to bring it to a boil? I am in the process of converting to electric and have a 4500 watt element also.
Thanks!
 
In response to Tim:

I have a 2kw element in my kettle and I wouldn't be very happy with it's performance were I trying to boil more than I am (4-4.5 gallons). It takes about 10-15 minutes for my system to reach a boil and that seems like a long time some days. My kettle is also insulated pretty well.

You have to remember, that as the time it takes to reach the boil increases, the efficiency of the system as a whole goes down as heat escapes the kettle. This can make it impossible to reach a boil at some point as you can't replace the heat fast enough to bring the wort temperature up.

Were I boiling wort for 5 gallon batches, I wouldn't want anything less than a 4500w element. Waiting longer than necessary for the kettle to reach a boil is an inefficient use of time. Remember, if it takes 30 minutes just to reach the boil, your "boil time" just went to 90 minutes or longer.

This is all based on our electrical system over here. I don't know if the differences over there change things much or not.

Also, this is all just my opinion. I'm certainly no expert on the subject. I'm just going by my limited experience and the research I've done over the last couple of years.
 
I don't remember the exact time it took, I can run a test tomorrow, not doing much else....lol

but i do know that my burner on the regulator and gas that is supplied here will not get my approx 6 gallons to a hard rolling boil at all, ever.
and, it takes about an hour to get it up to a weak boil. My brew days were 6+ hours long......starting to see why I have fallen off the wagon....
add to that, the last 2 batches stalled at .020 and I have been really at odds.

Now, I have a stir plate for starters, I have a heat stick that drops brew time by almost 2.5 hours, and soon a new HLT with manifold...
I am going to brew on the old stuff here in the next week or so...and I know I will have fun no matter what...

I am just tired of being half-assed....

Also, FWIW, my 240v 2500w heat stick boils the shit out of 6 gallons of wort, I end up with lots on the floor from it bubbling out over the top of my too small boil kettel.

Tim
 
MX said:
I don't remember the exact time it took, I can run a test tomorrow, not doing much else....lol

but i do know that my burner on the regulator and gas that is supplied here will not get my approx 6 gallons to a hard rolling boil at all, ever.
and, it takes about an hour to get it up to a weak boil. My brew days were 6+ hours long......starting to see why I have fallen off the wagon....
add to that, the last 2 batches stalled at .020 and I have been really at odds.

Now, I have a stir plate for starters, I have a heat stick that drops brew time by almost 2.5 hours, and soon a new HLT with manifold...
I am going to brew on the old stuff here in the next week or so...and I know I will have fun no matter what...

I am just tired of being half-assed....

Also, FWIW, my 240v 2500w heat stick boils the shit out of 6 gallons of wort, I end up with lots on the floor from it bubbling out over the top of my too small boil kettel.

Tim
Click to expand...

It sounds like if you could figure out a way to mount that to your kettle you'd be set. It also sounds like you've got it figured for what will work for you. That's the battle won. :) Good luck, Tim. Have fun!
 
This thread has really given me new life and hope....


Electric Element Adapter Finally a weldless solution for those wanting to go all electric. The kit features a quality machined machined 1" locknut and a high temp silicon o-ring. Designed to mount a standard hot water heater element (available at your local home improvement store) into your thinner walled metal vessel.
elementkit.jpg


Gonna ask about and see if any one can help me with mock up of a single mast 3 tier brew tree.
I totally suck at that kinda stuff. I have most of the numbers already. And I think if i put it together like an outdoor jungle gym it should hold up and I can ship it back from Brussels when i return.

Next week I will look for some outdoor play set retailers around here and see what they got for ideas and hardware.
Also gonna see if I can score some used beat up kegs from some of the Bev shops in the area. I figure with the right blade and bits, I can open them up.
save almost $200 on kettles and be able to build both the HLT and Boil Kettle at the same time.

Thanks for all the input, and any more that may come.

sorry the pic is so big....

T
 
BitterRat said:
Mine are 4500W and I can get a good boil at 70%.
Click to expand...
Justin, how long does it take you to bring it to a boil? I am in the process of converting to electric and have a 4500 watt element also.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've never timed it, but I'd guess about 20 minutes. I crank it up to 100% and when it starts boiling back it off to 70% which maintains a really steady boil.
 
Justin, what are you using as a controller for your elements, if you dont mind me asking?

Edit to add my 2500w 240v heat stick performance (for Alan)

Start Time 0845 - Ambient Temp 58F
0845 - 57F
0900 - 138F
0910 - 170F (Approx Avg Strike Temp)
0925 - 200F
0931 - Full Rolling Boil

So 50 min start to finish which is pretty right on the spread sheet numbers.

Tim
 
PID/SSR combination

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=106

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=30
 
MX said:
Justin, what are you using as a controller for your elements, if you dont mind me asking?

Edit to add my 2500w 240v heat stick performance (for Alan)

Start Time 0845 - Ambient Temp 58F
0845 - 57F
0900 - 138F
0910 - 170F (Approx Avg Strike Temp)
0925 - 200F
0931 - Full Rolling Boil

So 50 min start to finish which is pretty right on the spread sheet numbers.

Tim
Click to expand...
Not bad. I'm glad the spreadsheet is helping. I wish I could remember where I got that. Probably from someone on HBT.

I also use a PID and SSR to control my system.
 
Ok, so about the PID / SSR...

I have no plans to use a thermocouple, just the old fashion brewmometer on the side of the kettle.
The only things that will need to be controlled are the heating elements. Will that still work for me?
I am under the impression that the temp feedback is a necessary component of the SSR/PID setup.

Tim
 
The advantage of the PID is that it can control the temperature automatically. If you just want to monitor the temps yourself with the thermometer and manually control the elements, the PID isn't necessary. It may prove to be a bit more difficult to control your temperatures without the help of a PID, but plenty of people do it.

Going without the PID, I would just wire the elements to separate switches and control them that way.

Whatever you decide, just please make sure to use the properly sized wire. :thumbs:
 
I think I am just going to order up the EKC from HighGravity.
They said they can mod it for use over here in Brussels.

On another note, was nosing around Ikea today and came across some great shelvs for the new brew tree for less than 5 bucks a piece.
Also the local outdoor playground supplier has 120mm x 120mm post in 220cm length for about $50 or for you not in Europe - 4.5x4.5 inch post at just over 7 foot.
I will pick one up and use as the mast for the Brew tree.

Just have to get a good idea of how to make the base, and I should be pretty close to happy brew days again.

Tim
 
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