# Small Batch Single Vessel Recirculating BIAB (for cheap?)



## Impy

[SIZE=10.5pt]After creating a simple 50L electric BIAB single vessel system fairly early in my home brewing days I've since spawned two smaller versions of myself that severely cut down the time I have for brewing. There are also a few issues I have with the larger pots brew design and [/SIZE]subsequent[SIZE=10.5pt] process limitations that make the pot frustrating to use, so hopefully I can address those with the new system. So now the goal is to assemble the best / cheapest / most streamlined single vessel system that I can. [/SIZE]

Goals[SIZE=10.5pt][/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Fast brewing process[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Simple brewing process[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Minimise water usage[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Minimise wasted wort[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Cheap (<$500)

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]So with these goals in mind I've decided to create a small batch system (10L in fermenter) to reduce time waiting for water to heat up. BIAB obviously. I'd like a recirculating system to reduce trub as much as possible which was a big problem in the larger system. And also using the recirculation to accurately maintain mash temp. Also in the interests of saving time, I'm moving to no-chill.

The Design[/SIZE]






[SIZE=10.5pt]Credit to the  system that was my main inspiration for this design. Not sure exactly who made this but it's one of you guys![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Changes I made are to the design:
1. Only port the bottom of the pot rather than put in a drainage valve on the side. Fingers crossed that the recirculation + a whirlpool will be enough to reduce trub volume and maximise wort recovery. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]2. Use a tee fitting on the lid so I could combine the thermowell and the return into one. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]3. Use a false bottom rather than a crab pot (mainly due to the inability to find one of the right size)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]4. Use a 2000W hot water element rather than kmart kettle elements.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]5. Only use stainless parts[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Parts list (All stainless parts are 304SS as far as i know)[/SIZE]
20L SS Pot: $80.00 

SS False Bottom: $45.00 

2000W 1" BSP hot water element: $15.00 

1" BSP nut: $1.00 

1/2" BSP full port valve: $10.99 

1/2" BSP Nipple: $1.00 

1/2" BSP nut: $1.49 

SS 1/2" BSP female to female pipe x2: $3.38 

SS 1/2" BSP Female tee: $4.00 

SS 1/2" BSP male thread spiral nozzle: $11.00 

SS 1/2" 12mm BSP male hosetail x3: $12.00 

2m 12mm silicone tube: $20.00 

SS 1/2" Barb male quick connect: $8.00  <-- this is the only place i've found stainless quick connects. Very excited about seeing if these work as expected.

SS 1/2" Male BSP Quick Connect female: $12.00 

12V little brown pump: $30.00 

1/2" thermowell Pt100: $15.00 


Pot and plumbing total: $270


I'm currently waiting for the parts to arrive and i'll post progress pics as it all happens.

'm also putting together a control panel based on the "High Gravity brewing" panel (PID temp control with switches for pump, element, and a dimmer to control boil) which I will update this post with design and parts as I get my head around it.


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## Matplat

Looks good,

How are you going to create a whirlpool? Having a second wort return line for this purpose is extremely useful.

Obviously you have given some thought to this as you've ordered components already, but surely brewing only 10l at a time means you'll be spending more time brewing? Could you not put an extra OTS element or something in your 50l setup to improve ramp times?

Good luck with the build!


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## Blind Dog

Might be a dumb question, but if your aim is to reduce trub into the fermentor, isn't a single bottom drain a bad choice given that trub settles at the bottom? I know you can add a mesh screen or similar to reduce how much trub is drained out, but if there's a lot of it draining even 10L may take some time


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## Impy

Matplat said:
 

> How are you going to create a whirlpool? Having a second wort return line for this purpose is extremely useful.
> 
> Obviously you have given some thought to this as you've ordered components already, but surely brewing only 10l at a time means you'll be spending more time brewing? Could you not put an extra OTS element or something in your 50l setup to improve ramp times?
> 
> Good luck with the build!


Whirlpool just by stirring after the boil. 

Yeah I'd increase the time brewing due to number of batches / volume. But my main goal is to reduce the time a single brew takes so i can fit it into the times where I do have a couple of hours free. Also I like the idea of having more variety in my homebrew, rather than raw quantity. 

The plan is that if it works out, i'll probably adapt the 50L system as required to hook up to the controller (with additional plumbing for recirc) so I can brew large batches if I ever need to do a larger volume.




Blind Dog said:


> Might be a dumb question, but if your aim is to reduce trub into the fermentor, isn't a single bottom drain a bad choice given that trub settles at the bottom? I know you can add a mesh screen or similar to reduce how much trub is drained out, but if there's a lot of it draining even 10L may take some time


The hope is that the recirculating mash will create a good grain bed so the wort will be relatively clear. Then, with hop socks during the boil and a whirlpool after the boil i should be able to collect what little trub there is away from the drainage port which is offset to the side of the kettle. My line of reasoning is that if people can have a dip tube at the edge of the kettle to reduce wort, I don't see much functional difference in having a drainage port in the same location dip tube would be.

In the end, i'll see if it works, and if it doesn't, putting a tap on the side is no hassle.


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## MastersBrewery

don't want to rain on your parade BUT yeah there had to be a but eh.....
It's been raised by another forum member many moons ago who had similar disconnects, because your going to want to disconnect em while they're like 76c, so get some good thick gloves or maybe look at camlocks which come in at similar price from KK.


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## Impy

Haha good point! Can you link to the camlocks?


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## MastersBrewery

Sorry on the phone check the keg king site www.kegking.com.au


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## bevan

http://kegking.com.au/misc-plumbing-fittings/camlocks.html

Was only thinking about a 10L system last night. You've inspired me! Look forward to following your build.


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## GibboQLD

Impy said:


> Credit to the  system that was my main inspiration for this design. Not sure exactly who made this but it's one of you guys!



Pretty sure it was Big Nath -- there's a 6-page thread with some details and photos of his build.

In the process of building a similar-sized rig, for much the same reason, but I've been forced to do it in stages rather than doing it outright due to a fairly tight budget. Plan on adding recirc at a later date after I get my hands on a LBP and figure out how I'm going to build a false bottom.

Have kept a list of components and prices as I've gone along (prices shown in brackets are the full cost of an item where only part of it has been used, or I've had those parts already):

Parts List
Big W 19L Stock Pot - $20
Big W 1.5L cordless kettle - $7.50
Kmart red fitness mat (NBR foam) - $4-ish ($10 -- used less than half, will use the rest for other projects)
Jaycar polycarb enclosure (IP65 / 82 x 80 x 55mm) - free ($12.95, but already in the junk box)
1 x 5.3mm lug - free ($3 or so for a pack of 8, but already in the toolbox)
2 x 4mm female bullet connectors - free ($3 or so for a pack of 8, but already in the tool box)
S/S 1/2" Barb x 1/2" BSP - $3 (actually received a 3/8" Barb x 1/2" BSP, but the reduced bore on the valve makes it a moot point anyway)
S/S 316 Ball Valve 1/2" BSP (reduced bore) - $5.69
S/S Hex nipple 1/2" BSP x 1/2" BSP - $1
S/S 304 Lock Nut 1/2" BSP - $1.49
Silicone O'Ring (19mm ID) - $0.45 ($4.52 for a pack of 10)
S/S Washer (to fit 1/2" nipple) - $1.50
1m x Silicone hose (ID 9.5mm) - $7.95
Self-adhesive stencils (6 x 8") - $4-ish (bought from Amazon while they were on sale)

*TOTAL - $59.58*


First stage was fitting the element into the pot -- the thin pot walls made it a bit tricky at first, but once I filed down the threaded posts on the back of the element to get more compression on the silicone grommet that came with the cordless jug, it was tight as a drum and didn't leak everywhere: 












New pot could manage a boil without insulation, but only barely, and seemed to be losing a fair bit of heat due to the relatively thin walls, so the hacked-up NBR foam mat comes to the rescue:







Didn't get the valve parts until a little bit later, but since I'd made the NBR foam jacket so it could slide on/off pretty easily, it was a breeze to install:







Maiden flight of the insulated brew pot after the valve was installed (extract Belgian Blond) -- rolling boil achieved, featuring a cameo appearance from my ghetto hop spider:







Used the 2015 Xmas holidays to finally get around to etching the pot, using the stencils from Amazon:







The rig currently ramps at about 3° C per minute, which is presumably a lot slower than gas or larger elements, but since I can set-and-forget and come back when it's approaching boil, I'm not too bothered by it. No real need to add a voltage regulator / dimmer at this stage since it holds 104° C or so at full-tilt, though I've thought about adding a second element and an SCR down the track to reduce the overall wattage density (assuming I find the time).

Next stages before adding recirc will be:

Adding a thermowell.
Building a variation of the adafruit Sous Vide PID controller setup to maintain mash temps (I have a bunch of the parts already, and it'll keep the overall size of the mash/pump controller down). 
Deciding if I want to add a bottom return similar to QldKev's setup.

Keen to see how your rig pans out!


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## Impy

Awesome build for ultra cheap. I was going to go with a BigW pot but I really wanted the metal lid to install plumbing. Really pushes the price up due to lack of options. 

Where did you get the foam from? I'm probably going to need to do something like that. 

If you're after a false bottom, check out aliexpress. Lots of options there.


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## GibboQLD

Impy said:


> Awesome build for ultra cheap.


Cheers!




Impy said:


> Where did you get the foam from? I'm probably going to need to do something like that.



Picked it up at Kmart -- now that I think about it, I actually have a fair bit of stuff from Kmart that is used for brewing. The flip-top glass jars are awesome for harvesting/washing yeast, too.




Impy said:


> If you're after a false bottom, check out aliexpress. Lots of options there.



Thanks for the tip -- will check it out!


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## welly2

GibboQLD said:


> Keen to see how your rig pans out!


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## bevan

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/AC220V-3000W-Silver-Tone-Electric-Water-Heating-Element-Tube-Heater/817555_32348490047.html

This heater element would give an even heat on the bottom of the pot

or a lower rated one

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/AC-220V-2KW-Stainless-Steel-Electric-Tubular-Heating-Water-Heater-Element/817555_32351320670.html


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## Impy

Thanks for the find Bevan. I saw ones like that, and the shape is infinitely preferable but wanted to stick with a more standard design (1" BSP fitting) just in case I had trouble finding them again.


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## bevan

Impy said:


> Thanks for the find Bevan. I saw ones like that, and the shape is infinitely preferable but wanted to stick with a more standard design (1" BSP fitting) just in case I had trouble finding them again.


Know what you mean. I've tried to find something like what is in the BM. On the forum a guy used a shape-able element which only seems to be available in the UK. I'll see if I can link it for you to check out.


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## bevan

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/index.php?/topic/81572-Braumeister-Clone-%28UK%29


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## takai

I setup my Fauxfather for about $300, so a hair more than yours is predicted to cost. Happily punches out 20L batches up to 1.110 (highest tried so far)

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/87221-my-new-budget-grainfather-esque-setup/


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## MastersBrewery

Guys you can get u-bend-it elements from lots of places. Lael even got stainless. Cant link from the phone but search romar elements or even drop Lael a pm.


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## Feldon

FYI - this AHB thread deals with local suppliers of 'bend-it-yourself' type heating elements.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/81424-u-bend-it-heating-elements/


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## Impy

takai said:


> I setup my Fauxfather for about $300, so a hair more than yours is predicted to cost. Happily punches out 20L batches up to 1.110 (highest tried so far)
> 
> http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/87221-my-new-budget-grainfather-esque-setup/


Awesome setup Taki, with a lot of really creative improvisation. Mine will probably be over $300 once i add in all the control box elements. 

The two areas for the biggest savings on my rig I can see would be the pot and the false bottom.

Where did you get the hop spider from? I'm looking for something exactly like that but all the ones i can find are ridiculously expensive, or the wrong size.


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## bevan

MastersBrewery said:


> Guys you can get u-bend-it elements from lots of places. Lael even got stainless. Cant link from the phone but search romar elements or even drop Lael a pm.





Feldon said:


> FYI - this AHB thread deals with local suppliers of 'bend-it-yourself' type heating elements.
> 
> http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/81424-u-bend-it-heating-elements/


Thanks for the info/link. I will definitely give them a call.
Cheers
Bevan


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## Impy

All the parts have arrived. Time to start putting it together. Before I started drilling anything I had to give the 9v battery etching a go. The lines are not as sharp on the numbers due to running out of good quality masking tape, but turned out well and was ludicrously easy.

One thing I found with the fittings. The 12mm fittings I linked are too small for 12mm ID tubing. I've had to buy a 13mm hosetail to bridge a gap i couldn't fill with spare parts I had lying around.


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## takai

Impy said:


> Awesome setup Taki, with a lot of really creative improvisation. Mine will probably be over $300 once i add in all the control box elements.
> 
> The two areas for the biggest savings on my rig I can see would be the pot and the false bottom.
> 
> Where did you get the hop spider from? I'm looking for something exactly like that but all the ones i can find are ridiculously expensive, or the wrong size.


Hop spider is just a generic KegKing one with the arm bent to anchor it better to the side of the pot. The cheaper pots really do save quite a bit and with the inner false bottom setup it works quite well.


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## Impy

Alrighty. After a 6 month hiatus this project is almost finished!

Mistakes have been made and lessons learnt. 

First of all, I learnt to not try to hand drill large (>1") holes in stainless steel. I was impatient and found a perfectly sized hole saw and arbor rather than buy and wait for a hole punch. So the 32mm hole needed to pass the heating element through was.. imperfect. This lead to issues with getting it water tight so I eventually got a plumber friend to weld on a 1"socket to the pot. Problem solved! (the warping of the pot is due to the weld pulling on the metal as it cools and it's a very thin pot)






The wiring of the control box was daunting and it took me ages to get around to actually doing it. but in the end it turned out really great (first test run was last night)

Progress pics of control box - http://imgur.com/a/7oVhK 

I stupidly haven't taken wide angle shots to show the whole thing, but you can see in some of the pics that I made a little wooden table from cheap wood to give clearance to the tap underneath and have somewhere to mount the pump.






Other than that, all the fittings are watertight and work well. The quick disconnect fittings on the lid got unbearably hot when I was testing the time it took to get the system up to boiling. But at mash temperatures it was easy to disconnect with bare hands and i'm really happy with such a compact solution.






'm also really happy with the spiral nozzle in the lid. It has a good flow rate, is highly unlikely to get clogged. I've yet to test if it's enough of a spread to reduce channeling.






I'll post some wide pictures when i get home to show the whole setup together.


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## Hpal

I tried the same big W pot with a 1500w element but found the boil too vigorous, even with no insulation.


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## Impy

Thanks for the info.

It got to a boil with a 2000W element but it wasn't anything crazy. I put the dimmer in line to the element because from what people said (yourself included) it sounded like 2000W for such a small batch was going to be an insane boil. I'm going to try it with some yoga mat insulation again tonight and if its not a crazy boil i think i'll drop the dimmer.

Just realized the link i posted for the control box didn't work. Here it is again http://imgur.com/a/7oVhK


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## Impy

Here are some final pics of the setup. I'm happy with everything except the boil power which is more like a vigorous simmer. I'm going to bypass the dimmer to see if it makes any difference. But other than that all I need to do is get a new fermentation chamber and i'm good to go.


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## JDW81

Impy said:


> Here are some final pics of the setup. I'm happy with everything except the boil power which is more like a vigorous simmer.


Looks good Impy. Well done mate.

If your vigorous simmer is turing over the surface of the liquid then that is more than sufficient for your boil. You don't need it to boil like an erupting volcano. Have a listen to the brewstrong podcast from the brewing network on boiling.

JD


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## Impy

Yeah it turns over the liquid, thanks for the reassurance!

I'm also interested to hear if anyone has had experience with dimmers? Mine (http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-220V-3800W-SCR-Voltage-Regulator-Dimming-Dimmers-Speed-Controller-Thermostat-/221122862107) gets quite hot even when it's letting the full power through. My basic understanding of how they work would lead me to assume heat generation would be minimal if I had it at full power as no power would need to be bled off as heat at the dimmer to drop the voltage.


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## GibboQLD

Impy said:


> I'm also interested to hear if anyone has had experience with dimmers? Mine gets quite hot even when it's letting the full power through. My basic understanding of how they work would lead me to assume heat generation would be minimal if I had it at full power as no power would need to be bled off as heat at the dimmer to drop the voltage.


Those kinds of dimmers work by switching on/off in each half-cycle of the AC waveform -- the dial is a potentiometer in series with a static value resistor that controls how quickly the switching capacitor charges. At the maximum setting (i.e., when the potentiometer is at the minimum resistance), the capacitor charges very quickly, switching the DIAC/TRIAC part of the circuit almost instantly in each half-cycle, resulting in a negligible difference in the load voltage waveform to the source.

Since this results in close to 100% duty cycle for the DIAC/TRIAC, the amount of current flowing through each with respect to time is much higher than when the potentiometer is dialled to a lower voltage, which would result in a build-up of heat in the TRIAC's heatsink (side-note: since these are pretty cheap Chinese units, there's a chance/risk of the heatsink being energised at the same potential as the load, so as a precaution -- DON'T TOUCH IT WHILE THE UNIT IS PLUGGED IN/TURNED ON).

If you want to minimise the amount of heat generated inside your control box, one solution might be to install a SPDT switch (rated to suit AC voltage), which would allow you to select either full voltage (i.e., bypassing the SCR), or dimmed voltage, like so:


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## Impy

Thanks Gibbo, that's a perfect explanation. So it's getting hot simply because it's handling a high current when it's dialed to full power. 

I've actually got a spare switch (http://picclick.com.au/2Pcs-10A-2-Position-NO-NC-Maintained-4-281491585769.html#&gid=1&pid=2) which I could put before the dimmer to bypass if needed. The other option I thought of was to install a small 12V fan port, but that would severely compromise what water proofing the box affords.

And yeah I've always been super paranoid about safety with the box since it's handling 240V. I always make sure it's turned off and unplugged before I even open it.


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## buckerooni

nice build - very neat! Ddidn't realise this thread existed and looking at your design and thinking I seem to have channelled some of the same ideas just with a bigger pot! I would have attributed them to you if I knew!

funny that I was going to source the same spray nozzle - that took me ages to find it on the web!


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## Impy

Hi guys, i'm making the Mk2 version of this setup. Does anyone have a 21mm sheet metal punch I can borrow to put a couple of holes in the new pot? Happy to throw a few beers your way when I return it.


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