# Show us your brewrig



## stew.w

Show us your brew rigs! 
Im guessing this may have been done before but i think it should be a sticky like the kegging setups.
It would have been helpful when i was making mine to look at other peoples setups to see the good and bad points in their designs.
Heres mine:





I know this pics in a recent thread anyway but if im gona start this thread i gotta put at least one pic up  

Cheer,

Stewart


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## roller997

Stew.W said:


> Show us your brew rigs!
> Im guessing this may have been done before but i think it should be a sticky like the kegging setups.
> It would have been helpful when i was making mine to look at other peoples setups to see the good and bad points in their designs.
> Heres mine:
> 
> View attachment 35801
> 
> 
> I know this pics in a recent thread anyway but if im gona start this thread i gotta put at least one pic up
> 
> Cheer,
> 
> Stewart



That looks very good 

Sounds like a great idea and I am sure others beyond myself would find it veyr useful. 
In relation to your setup, are there any aspects of your setup you would improve if you made a V2.0 or is this a result of a previous rig that was in need for some improvements?

Roller


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## banora brewer

I want to build a 3 tier stand but just looking for some designs


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## Tony

I learnt a lot from this site years ago when i was building mine.

Lots more on there now!

http://www.brewzilla.nl/?hi


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## banora brewer

Tony said:


> I learnt a lot from this site years ago when i was building mine.
> 
> Lots more on there now!
> 
> http://www.brewzilla.nl/?hi



Hey Tony, do you have a pic of yours?


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## bum

Awesome link, Tony. Thanks.


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## Tony

gallery mate 

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind..._key=*&st=0

there is a lot of great content in the gallery....... far better stuff than mine. But its not always what you have..... its how you use it  

and one i havnt uploaded

cheers


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## InCider

Nice Falcon Tony.


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## Tony

bum said:


> Awesome link, Tony. Thanks.



Ive had that one in my favorites for about 5 years or more. 

I think it should be a sticky in its self!


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## stew.w

Roller997 said:


> That looks very good
> 
> Sounds like a great idea and I am sure others beyond myself would find it veyr useful.
> In relation to your setup, are there any aspects of your setup you would improve if you made a V2.0 or is this a result of a previous rig that was in need for some improvements?
> 
> Roller



thats my first rig, i made it before i had actually done an ag brew but i had watched other people brew. i havnt really needed to change anything yet (done about 10 40L batches i think) theres small bits and pieces i stuff around with but it hasnt had any major design changes from the start. i was very disappointed when i did my first ag, nothing was wrong with my process but i got my first infection ever <_< which was a big let down

the link tony posted is where i got most of my ideas, #4 was the one i loosely based mine on


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## schooey

This is a thread I started when I began building my rig. I'm about to change a few things, so I'll keep updating it.


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## chappo1970

Ooooo another opportunity to flash Sherman around.... How can I resist?  





HERMS Pot



HERMS Coil











Water management system for the rig (Fancy name for taps  )


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## Pete2501

Chappo said:


> Ooooo another opportunity to flash Sherman around.... How can I resist?



Hahaha you're such a flasher. You'd last 1 second on the marshmellow test.


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## Tony

InCider said:


> Nice Falcon Tony.



:icon_offtopic: :icon_cheers:


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## seravitae

Check out my awesome rig...


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## browndog

Tony said:


> gallery mate
> 
> http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind..._key=*&st=0
> 
> there is a lot of great content in the gallery....... far better stuff than mine. But its not always what you have..... its how you use it
> 
> and one i havnt uploaded
> 
> cheers



I hope you got round to putting some cold gal on those welds Tony.

cheers

Browndog


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## Tony

Yeah id like to paint it up and insulate it all a bit better.

New kettle would be nice too.

It was all kind of thrown together for testing and just stayed like that.


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## raven19

Thread linky here.

Basic 2 Tier with Buckets here...


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## Ian Gommers

Heres my brewing dealy.


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## stew.w

heres a pics of the mongolian burner running (on low), it gets the mesh under pot very hot (glowing red hot) but the mesh isnt actually supporting the pot anyway. 
if it was i think the kettle would have fallen through it.




Cheers,

Stewart


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## Cortez The Killer

Here's mine (have made a couple of changes since taking this pic)

More pics here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=30476&hl=

Another thread with various stands here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=27934&hl=

Cheers


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## gregs

I dont see too many BIAB rigs here. Kev? Thunnus? Bribe? 
Where are you rigs?


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## Fents

Cortez The Killer said:


> Here's mine (have made a couple of changes since taking this pic)
> 
> More pics here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=30476&hl=
> 
> Another thread with various stands here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=27934&hl=
> 
> Cheers



so simple and so effective! B)


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## boingk

Here we go - 80L aluminum kettle with a 3-ring burner under it. Sits on three housebricks while the BIAB swiss-voille bag hangs from a roof beam via a piece of truing line, counterbalanced by a sledgehammer. Very la-de-da.






Mostly my garage space is taken up by projects, like this one which is almost finished:






Cheers - boingk


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## gregs

boingk said:


> Here we go - 80L aluminum kettle with a 3-ring burner under it. Sits on three housebricks while the BIAB swiss-voille bag hangs from a roof beam via a piece of truing line, counterbalanced by a sledgehammer. Very la-de-da.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mostly my garage space is taken up by projects, like this one which is almost finished:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers - boingk



Good stuff Boingk, I feel there is a place for this style of brewing.


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## Cortez The Killer

Fents said:


> so simple and so effective! B)


Thanks


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## ///

Another lazy 1200 l out today ...


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## jlm

/// said:


> Another lazy 1200 l out today ...


No milk crates, no kegs, no duct tape, not a hose clamp to be seen and I'll bet there's no march pump pushing that 1200L around <_<
And I can't see a tempmate taped to the side of those shiny things.


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## Siborg

I'm looking to start a decent brewing system soon. I have a 48L esky, which I am going to convert into a mash tun. I was thinking of making a copper manifold for it, but thought about the effort factor and am considering just buying one of those bazooka screens from grain and grape for 60 bucks. I'd just need some sort of valve and a little bit of hose to connect from the bazooka screen to the valve (a ball valve?)

So in a lot of those three-tier systems, can someone give me a quick run-down of the process? I understand the mash tun drains the wort into the boiler (on the bottom)... whats the one at the top for? Is it just a heater for the water to go into the tun for mashing and sparging?

I want to design a similar sort of setup, but I only want to do 20-25 litre batches, so what advice would you give in terms of what sort of equipment I should look at?

And what are benefits of having those conical SS fermenters as opposed to a cylindrical one?


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## boingk

> Good stuff Boingk, I feel there is a place for this style of brewing.



Cheers mate! Haven't done an AG in a while, but that photo brings back memories of smells and tastes that were just awesome. Might have to have a crack at another brew sometime. Rough-n-ready, but it gets the job done.

Thanks again - boingk


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

Tony said:


> gallery mate
> 
> http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind..._key=*&st=0
> 
> there is a lot of great content in the gallery....... far better stuff than mine. But its not always what you have..... its how you use it
> 
> and one i havnt uploaded
> 
> cheers




What a bloody lovely looking thing that is...... all those kegs, taps, pipes, etc..... giving me a wet spot! oh no! i've spilled my beer! :lol:


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## boybrewer

Siborg said:


> I'm looking to start a decent brewing system soon. I have a 48L esky, which I am going to convert into a mash tun. I was thinking of making a copper manifold for it, but thought about the effort factor and am considering just buying one of those bazooka screens from grain and grape for 60 bucks. I'd just need some sort of valve and a little bit of hose to connect from the bazooka screen to the valve (a ball valve?)
> 
> So in a lot of those three-tier systems, can someone give me a quick run-down of the process? I understand the mash tun drains the wort into the boiler (on the bottom)... whats the one at the top for? Is it just a heater for the water to go into the tun for mashing and sparging?
> 
> I want to design a similar sort of setup, but I only want to do 20-25 litre batches, so what advice would you give in terms of what sort of equipment I should look at?
> 
> And what are benefits of having those conical SS fermenters as opposed to a cylindrical one?



Usually the top is a hot water tank holding all your water for the mash , mashout and sparging this would hold around 30-40 lts for a 23lt batch .Most HBers use 50lt kegs and convert them to HLT and boil kettles .


Cheers
Beerbelly


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## KillerRx4

Snapped a pic of mine while I had a brew on the other day just to add to this thread.


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## benno1973

Siborg said:


> I'm looking to start a decent brewing system soon. I have a 48L esky, which I am going to convert into a mash tun. I was thinking of making a copper manifold for it, but thought about the effort factor and am considering just buying one of those bazooka screens from grain and grape for 60 bucks. I'd just need some sort of valve and a little bit of hose to connect from the bazooka screen to the valve (a ball valve?)
> 
> So in a lot of those three-tier systems, can someone give me a quick run-down of the process? I understand the mash tun drains the wort into the boiler (on the bottom)... whats the one at the top for? Is it just a heater for the water to go into the tun for mashing and sparging?
> 
> I want to design a similar sort of setup, but I only want to do 20-25 litre batches, so what advice would you give in terms of what sort of equipment I should look at?
> 
> And what are benefits of having those conical SS fermenters as opposed to a cylindrical one?



HLT is on top, used to heat water for mashing and sparging. As mentioned before, you'd want to be able to hold around 40L for a 20L batch. You could get away with a smaller vessel (refill and heat the sparge water during the mash), but a bigger vessel allows for upsizing when you realise you want to brew 40L at a time!

Next is the mash tun, where you want to use the bazooka screen. I can't comment on these as I use a false bottom, but I love the false bottom and have absolutely no issues with it. Whatever you use, you'd want to connect it to a valve of some sort, most people use ball valves. And any tubing within the mash tun must be strong enough and resistant enough to not collapse under pressure. And food grade. Don't limit the mash tun to 20L batches. After a year or so you'll want to brew double batches, and you won't want to be buying new equipment. Look for 10 gallon gatorade coolers, or use a converted keg, legally obtained of course. Either of these should be able to handle double batches.

Finally, the boil kettle. Again converted kegs are options, anything less than 50L kegs will make double batches difficult as you need to end up with 40L wort, and if you factor in evaporation, losses to trub and hops, and headspace required to keep a rolling boil (without boiling over), 50L is about the minimum you can get away with. Even then, I have to add ~10L of cooled boiled water to make up the volume difference. So you'd be better off scoring an 80L keg or buying a 60-80L ally/SS pot for the boil.

Benefit of conical fermenters is that you can rack the yeast off easily after the fermentation is finished. This means that the yeast is harvested in a slightly more sanitary fashion, and primary and secondary fermenting can be done in the one vessel (again, more sanitary and less risk of oxidation). And they are shiny. The down side, they cost a lot and they aren't easy to move around like a fermenter is.


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## Siborg

Kaiser Soze said:


> HLT is on top, used to heat water for mashing and sparging. As mentioned before, you'd want to be able to hold around 40L for a 20L batch. You could get away with a smaller vessel (refill and heat the sparge water during the mash), but a bigger vessel allows for upsizing when you realise you want to brew 40L at a time!
> 
> Next is the mash tun, where you want to use the bazooka screen. I can't comment on these as I use a false bottom, but I love the false bottom and have absolutely no issues with it. Whatever you use, you'd want to connect it to a valve of some sort, most people use ball valves. And any tubing within the mash tun must be strong enough and resistant enough to not collapse under pressure. And food grade. Don't limit the mash tun to 20L batches. After a year or so you'll want to brew double batches, and you won't want to be buying new equipment. Look for 10 gallon gatorade coolers, or use a converted keg, legally obtained of course. Either of these should be able to handle double batches.
> 
> Finally, the boil kettle. Again converted kegs are options, anything less than 50L kegs will make double batches difficult as you need to end up with 40L wort, and if you factor in evaporation, losses to trub and hops, and headspace required to keep a rolling boil (without boiling over), 50L is about the minimum you can get away with. Even then, I have to add ~10L of cooled boiled water to make up the volume difference. So you'd be better off scoring an 80L keg or buying a 60-80L ally/SS pot for the boil.
> 
> Benefit of conical fermenters is that you can rack the yeast off easily after the fermentation is finished. This means that the yeast is harvested in a slightly more sanitary fashion, and primary and secondary fermenting can be done in the one vessel (again, more sanitary and less risk of oxidation). And they are shiny. The down side, they cost a lot and they aren't easy to move around like a fermenter is.


Thanks... Some really helpful info right there. I have an esky that holds about 48-52 litres so I should be right there. Just need to source a boiler and a hlt. I find it funny that they call it a hot liqour tank when it just contains hot water for mashing or sparging. I'm unemployed right now so I can only afford minimal equipment, but in a year I'd expect to be working full time, dishing out some dough for some bigger and better equipment would be more doable. What sizes would you reccommend as a minimum for doing 20 litre batches?


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## benno1973

Absolute minimum for doing 20L batches I would guess...

20L HLT (but you'd need to refill and re-heat sparge water during the mash)
25L mash tun (but you already have that sorted)
30L boil kettle (if you want to do full boils. If you're happy to boil at a higher gravity and then water down the wort, you could get away with smaller)


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## sav

BATTERED SAV BREWERY


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## Rustyc30

Here's mine I have just done the plumbing upgrade


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## yardy

a few pics just after i finished the upgrade, only took about a decade, felt like it anyway ..  

*gravity fed MLT from HLT and pump to Kettle*





*F1-11*





*false bottom made from the cut-out from the 18 gallon keggle*





cheers


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## mxd

Hi Sav,

the phot looks like you drain and fill from the same inlet/outlet, is there any issues when filling, does the pump need to worker harder etc..

thanks
Matt

nice rig by the way, have you got some photo's discussion on you herms ?

thanks
Matt


sav said:


> BATTERED SAV BREWERY


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## goomboogo

Yardy, you're not wrong about the F1-11.


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## absinthe

Cortez The Killer said:


> Here's mine (have made a couple of changes since taking this pic)
> 
> More pics here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=30476&hl=
> 
> Another thread with various stands here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=27934&hl=
> 
> Cheers



mine just about the same.. an old peice of ply sitting on 3 old 50ltr kegs



> Yardy, you're not wrong about the F1-11.



kinda like this one "but mines natural gas"


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## Franko

Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational

Franko


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## mika

Woohooo !

Only posted coz there's no 'like' button on this webpage


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## MCT

Franko said:


> Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational
> 
> Franko


 :beerbang: :super:  

I vote for the next MALE meet is a brew day at Frankos to break in the Red Rocket!
We've been waiting for this for years!


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## Barley Belly

Rustyc said:


> Here's mine I have just done the plumbing upgrade



Ya need some more ball valves  

But seriously now
That pipework is shmick B)


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## hefevice

Franko said:


> Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational
> 
> Franko



:icon_drool2:


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## doon

Shit that Red Rocket is awesome!!! wish i had the know how to make something as sexy as that


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## mxd

Franko said:


> Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational
> 
> Franko



that's bewdiful, please don't ruin it by putting dirty grain and water in it.

you could just get yourself an urn and a bag to keek the rocket schmick


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## yardy

goomboogo said:


> Yardy, you're not wrong about the F1-11.




Goom, it goes OK for a bloody old heating torch from work  , i can get 2*C a minute when heating approx 40lt in the HLT from ambient temps and then throttle back for a nice rolling boil, suprised more brewers aren't using them.

cheers

Dave


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## Kleiny

I will put this pic up but will try and get one square on soon.

Man this brewrig rocks makes brewing simple and easy to clean after, worth all the building effort.






Kleiny


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## QldKev

gregs said:


> I dont see too many BIAB rigs here. Kev? Thunnus? Bribe?
> Where are you rigs?




Ok Here's min in all it's glory.




Setup to allow a dual BIAB, currently runs a double batch on one side, and a single on the other. 

WATCH THIS SPACE. Over the next couple of months it will become the worlds first BIAB with HERMS!

Link to the post with more pics.
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...st&p=523273


Where's the pics of your stand Greg

QldKev


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## WarmBeer

Kleiny said:


> I will put this pic up but will try and get one square on soon.
> 
> Man this brewrig rocks makes brewing simple and easy to clean after, worth all the building effort.
> 
> Kleiny



Top marks for effort, Kleiny, but not a patch on mine 






Complete with precarious bucket'o'death


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## Bongchitis

QldKev said:


> WATCH THIS SPACE. Over the next couple of months it will become the worlds first BIAB with HERMS!
> 
> 
> QldKev



Keen to see how you go with yours. Currently designing one myself to get going in a couple of months. I might be able to save myself some heartache by sussing yours out. Looks great Kev


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## puffer555

I've done a dozen or so BIAB batches and really like the simplicity. 
I've also made some great beers, and have found very little limitation with the process.
The small footprint also suits my living situation.
Anyway, I decided I wanted to go higher tech, but still keep the simplicity and small footprint.
So I decided to pimp out the BIAB rig.









Mash temp is controlled by DFRIMS using tempmate.





Only just finished it, but it keeps the temp within 1/2 a degree for 90 mins.
Gonna fully christen it this weekend.
Its about time someone pimped out their biab rig anyway.

:icon_cheers:


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## yardy

nice work puffer, you don't leave the gas bottle in there though ?

cheers

Dave


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## praxis178

Hmmmm, I did debate whether or not to post anything in this thread, as my esky tun is well just an old esky, and my stock pots are well just stock pots, but my kettle, now that is a work of art!








The interior is 316SS and 1.6mm thick and all started life as flat sheet, till my mate got a hold of it! The original vessel is still in great nick and is sometimes used for crabs and such, it's just that it would only hold 35L and this new SS job holds 42L safely at a rolling boil.....

Pic three is my mash strike water (42L) for tomorrow heating up, takes 30mins to go from tap to boiling.


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## TidalPete

Always ready to show off my budget baby renamed Sharkarator (Sorry Chap Chap :lol: ). Long time in the making.
Next on the cards is to rig up my new plate chiller & find some cheap camlocks in a few months.



T


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## Julez

I am envious of all those fully automated systems out there B) 

Here's mine after a rebuild a few months back. Nice and uncluttered and does the trick for me


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## Julez

Franko said:


> Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational
> 
> Franko



Wow! That is poetry :super:


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## Hogan

STALAG BREWERY.

After our visit to Chappo's and seeing the great array or rigs I decided that I should upgrade mine from 'tins on the work bench' to brew rig. Franko provided the basic tube specs and a good carpenter mate did the woodwork. Pretty happy with the overall result. Just have to sort out the electrics box now.


Cheers, Hoges.


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## A3k

That looks awesome Hoges.

Looks like i need to get my shit into gear and make a frame. I currently need to lift everything whenever i need to transfer out of it. Last brew day i spilt the sparge water and grains onto my leg as i was pouring the water into the mash tun whilst wearing thongs... Genius.

Plus, I just bought a 100Lt kettle, it'll be a bit hard to lift.

Just need to work out if i want to go single tier or 2 tier (for if i want to fly sparge in the future).

Cheers,
Al


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## Hogan

A3k said:


> Plus, I just bought a 100Lt kettle, it'll be a bit hard to lift.




Yep when I had the MLT sitting on the bench I was gravity draining the wort to the kettle. Had to rig an electric winch up to the roof of the garage to lift the boiling wort from the floor up to a height where I could gravity feed through the HE. Much easier position now.

Cheers, Hoges.


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## browndog

HOoooGannnn............ that is a very nice looking rig mate. The timber slats look awesome, but tell me, is it run by the laptop? or is that for brewing and posting?

cheers

Browndog


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## yardy

Hogan said:


> STALAG BREWERY.
> 
> After our visit to Chappo's and seeing the great array or rigs I decided that I should upgrade mine from 'tins on the work bench' to brew rig. Franko provided the basic tube specs and a good carpenter mate did the woodwork. Pretty happy with the overall result. Just have to sort out the electrics box now.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.
> 
> 
> View attachment 37572



Nice :icon_chickcheers:


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## sav

I added some stainless to my rig today love the SS.


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## mr_tyreman

Heres my brew rig.

Its not much to look at...but i assure you, it makes beer


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## gava

current brewrig pic, dodgy phone picture but you get the idea..

current HLT is a 35lt urn which is getting annoying, that'll be the next upgrade.


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## WarmBeer

Looks good, Gav.

Your old false bottom has had its first workout in the updated WarmBeer Brewery, and worked a treat.





gava said:


> current brewrig pic, dodgy phone picture but you get the idea..
> 
> current HLT is a 35lt urn which is getting annoying, that'll be the next upgrade.


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## cdbrown

Hey gav,

Nice setup. What's that electronic gadget on top of the MLT? Also is that a fridgemate or similar siting in the shelf above the gas bottle?


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## mxd

cdbrown said:


> Hey gav,
> 
> Nice setup. What's that electronic gadget on top of the MLT? Also is that a fridgemate or similar siting in the shelf above the gas bottle?



I think he rans scales for volume stuff.


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## gava

its just a scale display.. so I can use it to see how much water im putting in..

its a tempmate on the shelve, i've got a thermowell in the side of the urn so this way I can set it for the strike temp and put it on a auto switch power adapter and heat my water up 1hr before I get up for a brew, this takes 1hr off my brew time.



cdbrown said:


> Hey gav,
> 
> Nice setup. What's that electronic gadget on top of the MLT? Also is that a fridgemate or similar siting in the shelf above the gas bottle?


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## Hogan

browndog said:


> HOoooGannnn............ that is a very nice looking rig mate. The timber slats look awesome, but tell me, is it run by the laptop? or is that for brewing and posting?
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog




Sorry for the delayed response Browndog but did not see your post.

I use the laptop to run two temp monitors for the MLT and the HLT. Very accurate and I can also log and plot the temp changes. I can also use it for posting and searching during the brew process. 


Cheers, Hoges.


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## gava

Hogan said:


> I use the laptop to run two temp monitors for the MLT and the HLT. Very accurate and I can also log and plot the temp changes. I can also use it for posting and searching during the brew process.
> Cheers, Hoges.



what hardware are you using for this? Do those temp monitors and adjust your HLT/MLT? or is it just for logging?


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## Franko

Hogan said:


> STALAG BREWERY.
> 
> After our visit to Chappo's and seeing the great array or rigs I decided that I should upgrade mine from 'tins on the work bench' to brew rig. Franko provided the basic tube specs and a good carpenter mate did the woodwork. Pretty happy with the overall result. Just have to sort out the electrics box now.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.
> 
> 
> View attachment 37572



Love it Mick she come out a treat.

Watch this space there's another Franko rig design coming shortly

Franko


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## Hogan

gava said:


> what hardware are you using for this? Do those temp monitors and adjust your HLT/MLT? or is it just for logging?




Hardware is the K145 Temp Monitor. Monitoring only, no adjustment. 


Cheers, Hoges.


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## billygoat

Hello Hoges,
Nice set up. What sort of brass disconnects did you use? Are they the garden variety that you get from hardware stores? Have you found that they work ok?
Cheers
billygoat


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## browndog

Hogan said:


> Hardware is the K145 Temp Monitor. Monitoring only, no adjustment.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.



What OS are you using it with Mick? I have an old laptop with win95 on it sitting around doing nothing. Might be worth a try.

cheers

Browndog


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## bum

gava said:


> current HLT is a 35lt urn which is getting annoying, that'll be the next upgrade.


 
I'm currently setting up a 3V system and was planning on getting a 40lt urn as my HLT - what are you finding annoying about it?


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## dbod

I've got a couple of stainless 50l kegs ready for welding to make a HLT and MashTun (already have 70L SS kettle)

i've cut holes in the tops and have got 7 x 1/2" threaded sockets available, just about to try and find a local welder (eastern suburbs, sydney- anyone fancy it?)


Any tips on where/how many sockets to add? I was just going to keep it simple with two in the HLT - one for Ball Valve, one for Thermometer/Sight Gauge and three on the MashTun (one or Ball Valve, one for Thermometer and one right up top for some kind of sparge manifold to go later.)

Am I missing anything there?

I'm just a basic AG Batch sparger for now. HLT is heated by immersion heater, mash tun will have false bottom and kettle is nice big SS pot (sat on gas burner)

No plans to recirculate or anything in the near future but I just want to try and "future proof" any welded fittings.. Any pointers welcomed... :icon_cheers:


----------



## Franko

browndog said:


> What OS are you using it with Mick? I have an old laptop with win95 on it sitting around doing nothing. Might be worth a try.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog



Win95 will work ok Browndog

Franko


----------



## schooey

In my job I use these little Thermocron datalogger buttons for monitoring gearbox temps, bearing temps etc etc... Get them from here... You can buy a datalogger, reader and software for around $200.... Yeah yeah, I know, not cheap...but if you don't have a laptop handy, aren't PC savvy and all the rest of it, these things are really easy to set up and use


----------



## mxd

Hogan said:


> Hardware is the K145 Temp Monitor. Monitoring only, no adjustment.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.



Hi Hoges,

I have that kit as well, how did you make and where did you install your thermowells.

cheers
Matt


----------



## jayruby

banora brewer said:


> I want to build a 3 tier stand but just looking for some designs
> [/
> 
> g,day banora brewer im up near the racecourse in bundall if ya wanna come up and check out my brew rig sometime its a 3 tier system thats very easy to use [the KISS principle] just finished my6th AG ,will never use tins again ! talk soon mate


----------



## Juddy

Howdy

Today I finally got my new brew rig up and running. For the last ten years I have been brewing in the garage on a rig made up of an assortment of bits and pieces I have gathered over the journey. It worked well and I have made some great beers with the basic gravity fed 3 tier system. But there is only so long that you can sit bye and pretend that all the brew porn on this site and others doesn't make you just a little envious! So I started to research systems and line up few mates to help with some of harder or technical bits.



Old Faithful

The basic design was a single tier, 3 vessel HERMS system using a march pump to move the liquids around. The HLT & Heat Exchanger will be powered by 2 x 2.2kw elements and a gas fired kettle.

The first step was the brew frame. I chose 50mm x 50mm galvanised steel. A mate helped me weld it up and the a quick prime and a paint with blue enamel. I filled in some of the open gaps in the top of the frame with aluminium checker plate, and filled the lower level in with merbau decking! The results looked great. A set of sturdy casters ensure that the rig is mobile. Next came the purchase of 3 x 60lt aluminium stockpots, and orders were placed with Beerbelly and Craftbrewer for all the plumbing bits and pieces. A trip to Auscrown placed a Rambo gas burner in my hands and the elements were bought of ebay. The pump was bought through Grain and Grape. A quick visit to the Mashmaster web site saw 3 Mashmaster HLT temperature controllers coming my way! All of a sudden I had all the pieces of the jig saw. Apart from one! I had initially thought of simply wiring the temperature controller into individual boxes and having a really simple system. However, when I told an electrician mate of this he thought I was mad and suggested that he take over the design of a single control box for all of the electrical components. The result is what I think is the sexiest part of the new brewery and works awesome! It consists of a powdered coated box containing a mains power switch, on/off controls for the pump, 3 temperature controllers each with individual on/off, red and green, illuminated buttons, and interlocks that prevent more than one element being used at a time! I really am indebted to Ang for all his hard work. The resulting box looks great, and is safe and easy to use! 


Nice.  


Ang's work on the control box was awesome!  
Once all the plumbing bits and pieces arrived I set to work finishing off the remainder of the rig. 


The Mash Tun.


The Kettle.

And finally today all the bits came together!


The nearly completed rig!


The Brewing team seem quite happy with the new rig!

I still have a lot to do before she is ready for her maiden run. Water tests, pump cover and heat exchanger insulation are at the top of the list. It has been a six month process and has cost a small fortune. But at this early stage I am very happy with the results. A big thank you to all the contributors on this site that have given me the inspiration to build the rig. Nothing here is new (well maybe the control box) and most components are directly inspired by the posts of other members! Now I look forward to brewing some beer, and maybe having a slightly easier brew day!

Cheers 

Juddy


----------



## hockadays

looks pretty good, I like the lit switches


----------



## ~MikE

wow, awesome setup there Juddy


----------



## Jono_w

That's a nice clean setup there Juddy.


----------



## Juddy

Thanks Guys!

The true test is still to come but it has been a blast just getting this far! Standby for the for brew day!

Cant wait!

Juddy


----------



## theover

Here's Mine





Mash Tun






The Kettle


----------



## browndog

Congrats Juddy, that rig looks excellent, mate, I dread to think what that control box and it's contents would cost if all the bits were new. Well done.

cheers

Browndog


----------



## felon

Gravity is still my friend.


----------



## Hogan

billygoat said:


> Hello Hoges,
> Nice set up. What sort of brass disconnects did you use? Are they the garden variety that you get from hardware stores? Have you found that they work ok?
> Cheers
> billygoat




Just the garden variety from Bunnings and they work spot on.

Cheers, Hoges.


----------



## Murcluf

oh my giddy aunty I've just discovered brew porn and am addicted already


----------



## raven19

2 Tier, 3 Vessel RIMS fired all electric brewery. About 90% complete, paint and a few bits to add still.




More piccies here:
Raven Brewery Mk II


----------



## stew.w

im just in the process of upgrading my rig, as the dollar was so good recently i bought a march pump for $193AU delivered. so im planning on moving to a HERMS set up. also converting the HLT to electric instead of the mongolian burner, got a 2200W s/s element from craftbrewer. to anyone else using these, how long would it take to heat 40L of water from 65C to say 80C? ive got no idea as ive only ever used gas.
got one of mates at work to weld these sockets onto my ally pot instead of using the rubber seals:





the plate is on there because the burners throw a bit of a flame around i was getting a micro boil going in my sight glass which would then boil over several times during a boil.

for my heat exchanger ive aquired a small (i think 9L) urn with an 1800w element in it, will this be powerful enough for a heat exchanger? should be able to get a decent coil in it as its reasonably tall.

Cheers,

Stewart


----------



## LesSin

My 3 tier setup


----------



## raven19

Very tidy Les, thanks for sharing!


----------



## boybrewer

Les S said:


> My 3 tier setup
> 
> View attachment 42680



Hi Les ;
Great set up nice and neat . I also have the same mash tun as you and I have found that it looses a lot of heat through the lid . I started to try and retain the heat by wrapping a few towels around it and then I made an insulated lid with some styrofoam which I wrapped in tape something like duct tape and it just sat on top of the mash . It kept the heat in and I only lost between a 1/2 - 1*C over the mash period . The other way would to be fill the lid with that expanda foam stuff . That is if you haven't done it already

May your beers be great beers . 


Cheers
Mike


----------



## jimmysuperlative

Found this on youtube...

One for those with the will and expertise to automate their single vessel systems! :blink: 

 


...I think Arnie is a forum member here, and I hope I didn't stuff up his "reveal" or anything, but this is some good gear. So good I just had to share it! :icon_cheers:


----------



## LesSin

beer belly said:


> Hi Les ;
> Great set up nice and neat . I also have the same mash tun as you and I have found that it looses a lot of heat through the lid . I started to try and retain the heat by wrapping a few towels around it and then I made an insulated lid with some styrofoam which I wrapped in tape something like duct tape and it just sat on top of the mash . It kept the heat in and I only lost between a 1/2 - 1*C over the mash period . The other way would to be fill the lid with that expanda foam stuff . That is if you haven't done it already
> 
> May your beers be great beers .
> 
> 
> Cheers
> Mike



Hi Mike


Sorry for late reply, chrissie and all. I have a 2200 watt element in each of the mash tun and HLT, Pre heat the mash water and toss in the grain, turn on element if temp starts to drop, it doesn't scorch the grain for the brief amount of time I turn it back on for. I heat the sparge water while waiting for the mash to complete. I have a 3 ring burner for the kettle.



Cheers

Les


----------



## balconybrewer

hey juddy,

im looking to change from my current esky mashtun to a keggle, just a quick question re: the false bottom in your mash tun. how do you find the silicone hose connecting the flase bottom the the socket? does the FB list on you during the mash and if you had the choice would you stick with the silicone or get a stainless tube fabed.

cheers



Juddy said:


> Howdy
> 
> Today I finally got my new brew rig up and running. For the last ten years I have been brewing in the garage on a rig made up of an assortment of bits and pieces I have gathered over the journey. It worked well and I have made some great beers with the basic gravity fed 3 tier system. But there is only so long that you can sit bye and pretend that all the brew porn on this site and others doesn't make you just a little envious! So I started to research systems and line up few mates to help with some of harder or technical bits.
> View attachment 39228
> 
> Old Faithful
> 
> The basic design was a single tier, 3 vessel HERMS system using a march pump to move the liquids around. The HLT & Heat Exchanger will be powered by 2 x 2.2kw elements and a gas fired kettle.
> 
> The first step was the brew frame. I chose 50mm x 50mm galvanised steel. A mate helped me weld it up and the a quick prime and a paint with blue enamel. I filled in some of the open gaps in the top of the frame with aluminium checker plate, and filled the lower level in with merbau decking! The results looked great. A set of sturdy casters ensure that the rig is mobile. Next came the purchase of 3 x 60lt aluminium stockpots, and orders were placed with Beerbelly and Craftbrewer for all the plumbing bits and pieces. A trip to Auscrown placed a Rambo gas burner in my hands and the elements were bought of ebay. The pump was bought through Grain and Grape. A quick visit to the Mashmaster web site saw 3 Mashmaster HLT temperature controllers coming my way! All of a sudden I had all the pieces of the jig saw. Apart from one! I had initially thought of simply wiring the temperature controller into individual boxes and having a really simple system. However, when I told an electrician mate of this he thought I was mad and suggested that he take over the design of a single control box for all of the electrical components. The result is what I think is the sexiest part of the new brewery and works awesome! It consists of a powdered coated box containing a mains power switch, on/off controls for the pump, 3 temperature controllers each with individual on/off, red and green, illuminated buttons, and interlocks that prevent more than one element being used at a time! I really am indebted to Ang for all his hard work. The resulting box looks great, and is safe and easy to use!
> View attachment 39219
> 
> Nice.
> View attachment 39222
> 
> Ang's work on the control box was awesome!
> Once all the plumbing bits and pieces arrived I set to work finishing off the remainder of the rig.
> View attachment 39227
> 
> The Mash Tun.
> View attachment 39224
> 
> The Kettle.
> 
> And finally today all the bits came together!
> View attachment 39221
> 
> The nearly completed rig!
> View attachment 39223
> 
> The Brewing team seem quite happy with the new rig!
> 
> I still have a lot to do before she is ready for her maiden run. Water tests, pump cover and heat exchanger insulation are at the top of the list. It has been a six month process and has cost a small fortune. But at this early stage I am very happy with the results. A big thank you to all the contributors on this site that have given me the inspiration to build the rig. Nothing here is new (well maybe the control box) and most components are directly inspired by the posts of other members! Now I look forward to brewing some beer, and maybe having a slightly easier brew day!
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Juddy


----------



## Barley Belly

Just upgraded my old 3V system to a single vessel BIAB 40ltr Urn and are yet to crack my cherry.

In keeping with the tradition naming brew setups I have christened mine Grunt Brewko the Mighty BIAB Urn or just Brewko for short. B) 

Got a Gryphon grain bag ready to go and are just waiting on Craftbrewer to send me my hop bag and some new silicone hose and I'll be ready to kick her in the guts. I also lashed out on a staino mash paddle and a staino sifter to use as a false bottom so I can mashout and or step mash as required without melting my bag.

Future planned upgrades are a stainless weldless bulkhead, a 3 piece ball valve plus barb and possibly my Beerbelly hop screen. But I wanna get a few BIAB's under my belt in the current configuration first.


----------



## jyo

Finally a set up that I am happy with. I can stop collecting things now...can't I? -shakes head thinks about march pump, false bottom etc...-


----------



## Smashin

Well after much procrastination and staring at the steel bought around a year ago I finally made the time and got around to building the 'Woolven Street Brewery' brew rig. With no real design in mind it was a design as I went event. I originally had settled on a brew tree but as the build went on it evolved slightly. I'm stoked with how it ended up, which isn't that hard after considering the old table, chair, bricks and misc CRAP i've put up with for the last umpteen years (so looking forward to tomorrows tip run).



Bare bones and in high temp gun metal...mmmm...



Burners fitted and on board gas bottle













Counter flow chiller to sit under the Kettle.

Things left to be sorted (before the virgin mash) include:
-replacing my copper sparge manifold with a s/s false bottom that hinges in half. I want to keep my mash tun gas heated so a manifold that hinges in half is the only other solution I can come up with. If you look at my gallery you can see my mash agitator, which is lid mounted (no sore arms here).
-March 815 to be fitted in front of the gas tank I plan to whirl pool through the CF chiller hence the 815. Water filter to be fitted on board somewhere also.
-S/S camloc fittings for all hose connection
-Temp dials to both the HLT and Kettle
-mount CF chiller
-mount water filter
-a few valves and fitting to sort

I've put this off for too long so its no brewing until its in final trim......Off to PNG for 3 weeks on Monday so upon return I have 1 1/2 days to get it sorted as I need to brew before I fly back out again.

Anyway hope you guys enjoy the eye candy.

Cheers
Smashin :icon_cheers:


----------



## Supra-Jim

That's some nice work there smashin

I've getting some TIG lessons from one of the techs at work over the last few weeks. Spent the last few mornings cutting some SS tube, and finally laid my first weld on the brew rig tonight!!!

Photos will follow soon

Cheers SJ


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

nice work on the double kettle smashin. it's amazing what can happen when we all pull our fingers out and do something. What size batches do you plan to do?


----------



## Smashin

Cheers Wallace,

I do 40L batches, 2 cornies with some loss allowance to trub..

Smashin



_WALLACE_ said:


> nice work on the double kettle smashin. it's amazing what can happen when we all pull our fingers out and do something. What size batches do you plan to do?


----------



## DoctorBob

Its taken a while but I finally got there. 

The HLT is 33L, so is the mash tun, and the kettle is 59L. (which I used for a year as a BIAB vessel). I am targetting 40L batches.

The pots were cheap from an auction, and I had a local weld flanges on for the temp guage & outlet valves.

Each pot has a turkey burner under it, and I run them off a med pressure adjustable reg. Very powerful !

The flame shrouds are sections of a large gas bottle sliced up with a grinder, and the stand is 75mm square, 5mm galv box. (Heavy - yes, flexes? - no). I welded it up with a stick welder.

Done two batches so far. I fill to cube, to either no chill, or chill on the step in the swimming pool.

An 8kg grain bill is ok, stepped mashing easy as the mash is nice & fluid.

A 12kg bill (Belgian double) was a bit stiff for step mashing.

I was going to make a system with 3 vessels on one level, and pumps etc , but gravity is free and doesn't break or get infected / need cleaning. KISS.

Cost about $1100 to make.


----------



## spog

smashin/dr bob, nice setups fella,s,very nice.......cheers........spog.......... :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## DoctorBob

spog said:


> smashin/dr bob, nice setups fella,s,very nice.......cheers........spog.......... :icon_chickcheers:



Cheers!


----------



## adniels3n

Finished making my 1st brew stand this week. Got sick of burning myself pretty quickly using the "balancing on Boxes" technique.
Did an Operation Mongoose for our 1st brew, Dr Smurto's Golden Ale 2nd. Now we're trying to get friends driving out from Brisbane to bring us some bulk base malts.


----------



## adniels3n

From BCF. Dual POL outlet. It's a weird setup, but I already had one burner like this and knew it worked. Thought about an Italian spiral with the adjustable reg yadda yadda, but I'd prob blow myself up. The burners said hp reg on the box, but they're just 2kg/hr ones.

edit: Actually, with 2 higher pressure regs, maybe you'd need to start looking at a water bath for the gas bottle.


----------



## Charst

A lot of Blokes have some stunning looking Rigs but and mines nowhere near that but i still wanted to get it up there because It's up and running and im pretty stoked about it. Still needs some more wind guards wielded on and a nice coat of paint but I brewed my second batch last weekend, a Smoked Robust porter with 7.4kg of grain in the tun and was expecting a OG of 1065 and hit 1062, not bad with that amount of grain in a BIAB i think. 2 weeks in the fermentor and tasting great. Cheers!


----------



## adniels3n

See, now that's a real homebrew. Maybe I'll make a BIAB rig too. Engine cranes are on sale atm.....
edit: I like that homebrewing has the "Stuff ya, I'll do it myself!" mentality behind it. Bit of bed frame, weld up a bit of box section, "find" a keg or two.....


----------



## stew.w

just started upgrading my rig, havnt really changed anything on it except the kettle in the last year and a half but now im going to get a RIMS and electric HLT going.
made my RIMS tube this arvo:









made it out of an offcut of 65mm copper tube, 65 x 80 reducer and the top of a tank out of a zip boiling water unit.

started putting it together tonight, heres a couple of pics:










and heres the control box ive started making, still got a bit of work to do on it, going to mount if off to the side of the esky.







some of the photos are a bit shitty because they're from my phone.

ive made a thermowell on the outlet of the rims tube, not sure if this is the best location or not, where does everyone else put their probes on HERMS/RIMS systems?

Cheers,

Stewart


----------



## Newbee(r)

Finally got around to downloading some photos off the phone. 

Attached is my (pretty standard) biab 40L urn and overhead pulley system. Next few will be the chiller chilling out with the water tank - I pump the water out and back in - works especially well in winter. The hops are EK goldings on the arch and a chinook and pride of ringwood growing up the pegola. 

Cheers

J


----------



## Newbee(r)

the chiller rig


----------



## Newbee(r)

EK goldings - ended up with 2 1/2 pounds of this one.


----------



## Newbee(r)

The chinook on the left and the POR on the right. I think I need to move them though as they put on loads of vegetative growth but slow down before the cones start really going. A bit more sun and they will go gangbusters.


----------



## chrs24

So here's what I've drummed up over the last few weeks, hoping to make a Stone and Wood clone this weekend! BIAB style of course! :beerbang: 





So this is the base. I wanted to build a frame that went around the pot to stop it from falling over, yet have enough room to one day build insulation around the pot. I need to get some bigger tiles or a better way to raise the burner so the control arm sits above the bottom of the frame, ideas?




This is the side on view. Will attach a hook to the top with some rope so that I can tie the bag up and let it hang easily. 




The burner inside the cube, fits nicely.

C&C welcome!


----------



## NickB

Nicely done!

What did you build the frame out of?

Cheers


----------



## chrs24

Aluminium.


----------



## NickB

Ahhhhh, thanks. Riveted by the look?

Cheers


----------



## chrs24

Except the mast. It's screwed so it can be dismantled for easy mobility.


----------



## Smashin

Smashin said:


> Well after much procrastination and staring at the steel bought around a year ago I finally made the time and got around to building the 'Woolven Street Brewery' brew rig. With no real design in mind it was a design as I went event. I originally had settled on a brew tree but as the build went on it evolved slightly. I'm stoked with how it ended up, which isn't that hard after considering the old table, chair, bricks and misc CRAP i've put up with for the last umpteen years (so looking forward to tomorrows tip run).
> 
> View attachment 45981
> 
> Bare bones and in high temp gun metal...mmmm...
> 
> View attachment 45982
> 
> Burners fitted and on board gas bottle
> 
> View attachment 45983
> 
> 
> View attachment 45984
> 
> 
> View attachment 45985
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 45986
> 
> Counter flow chiller to sit under the Kettle.
> 
> Things left to be sorted (before the virgin mash) include:
> -replacing my copper sparge manifold with a s/s false bottom that hinges in half. I want to keep my mash tun gas heated so a manifold that hinges in half is the only other solution I can come up with. If you look at my gallery you can see my mash agitator, which is lid mounted (no sore arms here).
> -March 815 to be fitted in front of the gas tank I plan to whirl pool through the CF chiller hence the 815. Water filter to be fitted on board somewhere also.
> -S/S camloc fittings for all hose connection
> -Temp dials to both the HLT and Kettle
> -mount CF chiller
> -mount water filter
> -a few valves and fitting to sort
> 
> I've put this off for too long so its no brewing until its in final trim......Off to PNG for 3 weeks on Monday so upon return I have 1 1/2 days to get it sorted as I need to brew before I fly back out again.
> 
> Anyway hope you guys enjoy the eye candy.
> 
> Cheers
> Smashin :icon_cheers:



Bit of an update. Fitted the plate chiller and March 815 pump. First brew executed today on the new brew rig. A sort of Belgium Pale (amber) ale. All in all the brew day was easier with no hot water splashing or stiring and the chill was heaps quicker with the whirl pool being done at the same time as the chill. Very happy, only a few mod to do but no rush on these, i.e fix up the sparge arm and fit a dial temp gauge to the kettle and maybe an electric thermo stat controlled heating element for the HLT and build a cover over the March pump so I don't spill water over it.



Maiden voyage on SS Woolven St Mk2


False bottom/manifold worked a treat, fitting it staight after the mash out means I still can direct fire the MLT and use my electric agitator during the mash.


Whirl pooling through the plate chiller  

Smashin :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## booargy

Smashin said:


> Whirl pooling through the plate chiller



How long does it take to chill a double batch this way?


----------



## Smashin

booargy said:


> How long does it take to chill a double batch this way?



I reckon the full 42L was down to ~35 ish in about 15min, the out let of the plate chiller was only 3-4 deg over the tap water temp (by feel), Pitty I didn't have the temp gauge on the kettle or even the outlet of the plate chiller as I reckon it could even go straight into the fermenter after this 15/20min and be at pitching temp. I wanted this set up as it seams to be the best of both worlds (immersion/CFC), the whole batch is crash chilled to 35-40 deg quick smart by which time the temp out of the Plate chiller means the wort can go straight form the CFC to the fermenter. A bit of practice will have this refined. Note also there was a nice tight pile of tub in the center of the kettle.

Smashin :icon_cheers:


----------



## rodda

there are some really neat designs here. My little job, out on the back balcony. Making use of the trolley and the weights bench for a stand.



The rig






emptying the tun


----------



## Malted

chrs24 said:


> I need to get some bigger tiles or a better way to raise the burner so the control arm sits above the bottom of the frame, ideas?



Good quality large castor wheels under the frame will make it more mobile and lift the whole jobby 75mm or more?


----------



## Cocko

rodda said:


> there are some really neat designs here. My little job, out on the back balcony. Making use of the trolley and the weights bench for a stand.
> 
> View attachment 46751
> 
> The rig
> 
> View attachment 46752
> 
> 
> View attachment 46753
> 
> emptying the tun




How do you wrap/bend wood like that? I assume steaming, its ply yeah? but how, as in - what exactly do you do to it?

Screwing tips are not required!  :lol: 

BTW: Cool rig, where is the kettle? That tiny pot?


----------



## rodda

Cocko said:


> How do you wrap/bend wood like that? I assume steaming, its ply yeah? but how, as in - what exactly do you do to it?
> 
> Screwing tips are not required!  :lol:
> 
> BTW: Cool rig, where is the kettle? That tiny pot?



Yeah its ply. Funny about the steam thing, my mate told me about doing that AFTER I had wrapped the keg :blink: . I layed it out, screwed some pine spacers into it then got a ratchet tie down and basically 'wraped' the thing up and used the ratched to pull it together. Then put the aluminium strips round it. Was a pain, but is awsome at holding temp! 

Ha, use to be my extract boil pot, I just use it now to move water and wort from hlt to mlt. That pic is a few months old, Have another keggle on gas burner now for the kettle, but then I used the HLT. Mash in with water and grain, heat rest of water in HLT, add rest of water to mash to raise temp to mash out, then put it all back into the HLT for the boil, let it cool overnight and voila, almost beer :icon_drool2:


----------



## Cocko

rodda said:


> Yeah its ply. Funny about the steam thing, my mate told me about doing that AFTER I had wrapped the keg :blink: . I layed it out, screwed some pine spacers into it then got a ratchet tie down and basically 'wraped' the thing up and used the ratched to pull it together. Then put the aluminium strips round it. Was a pain, but is awsome at holding temp!
> 
> Ha, use to be my extract boil pot, I just use it now to move water and wort from hlt to mlt. That pic is a few months old, Have another keggle on gas burner now for the kettle, but then I used the HLT. Mash in with water and grain, heat rest of water in HLT, add rest of water to mash to raise temp to mash out, then put it all back into the HLT for the boil, let it cool overnight and voila, almost beer :icon_drool2:




Good work mate! Thanks for the info.. yeah it looks great for insulation!

Can you boil in a vessel that is wrapped in tape? Not being smart, just curious..

So we still have pics to come of the current rig then? Awesome... look forward to it!  

:icon_cheers:


----------



## drew9242

Just thought i would post some pics of my humble rig. As you may notice i work in the timber industry. Well i make truss roofs which is why the rig is all gangnailed together. Doesn't look very fancy but has done the job for many a brew. :icon_cheers:


----------



## pimpsqueak

Cocko said:


> Can you boil in a vessel that is wrapped in tape? Not being smart, just curious..



Are you referring to the vessel on the left? Pretty sure I can see a grey rubber mat under all that tape. 
However, I do have a fait bit of tape on my own pot and I happily boil in it, though I don't think the tape is in direct contact with the pot...


----------



## Greg.L

Drew9242 said:


> Just thought i would post some pics of my humble rig. As you may notice i work in the timber industry. Well i make truss roofs which is why the rig is all gangnailed together. Doesn't look very fancy but has done the job for many a brew. :icon_cheers:



Very cool setup, building a frame for brewing from trusses. I love to build with trusses and frames, always looks good and very strong.

Did you build on the equipment at work? Usually they build everything from treated pine at our local factory.


----------



## rodda

Cocko said:


> Good work mate! Thanks for the info.. yeah it looks great for insulation!
> 
> Can you boil in a vessel that is wrapped in tape? Not being smart, just curious..
> 
> So we still have pics to come of the current rig then? Awesome... look forward to it!
> 
> :icon_cheers:



I wraped the thing in foil, blue mat, then wrapped the whole thing in tape. Some of the tape is in direct contact with the keg, no issues at all. I was supprised really thought it would melt. 

Yeah I'll get the pics up soon :icon_cheers:


----------



## hsb

Drew9242 said:


> Just thought i would post some pics of my humble rig. As you may notice i work in the timber industry. Well i make truss roofs which is why the rig is all gangnailed together. Doesn't look very fancy but has done the job for many a brew. :icon_cheers:



Nice job Drew.

Can I ask what you have under that burner under your 'Bucket O Death' there to prevent scorching/flaming?!

Has it stopped all ascorching of the wood underneath?

Considering putting my Italian Spiral onto my (wooden) brewstand as I get bored waiting for the electric immersion to do its' thing. But the backyard floor is toasting after a 90 minute boil, bit worried about having a gas burner in such close proximity to wood (pine in my case.)


----------



## drew9242

hsb said:


> Nice job Drew.
> 
> Can I ask what you have under that burner under your 'Bucket O Death' there to prevent scorching/flaming?!
> 
> Has it stopped all ascorching of the wood underneath?
> 
> Considering putting my Italian Spiral onto my (wooden) brewstand as I get bored waiting for the electric immersion to do its' thing. But the backyard floor is toasting after a 90 minute boil, bit worried about having a gas burner in such close proximity to wood (pine in my case.)



I went to Bunnings and got wet area flooring boards. Like a thick hardiflex (fibrecement) if that makes sense. Was lucky they had a packing sheet there with a few nails in them, which they gave to me (helps when your boss has a big account with them). It does the job well, the top one with the 3 ring burner on it cen get quite hot, but it won't burn the wood.

Greg: Trusses are great IMO they work a treat. Yea i did just build it at work one arvo (only took half an hour). And yes all we use is H2 timber now, sometimes H3 CCA. I build quite a lot of little nick nacks at work out of gangnails.


----------



## hsb

Thanks. Trip to Bunnings looms. Think I'll triple up on them and try and make a little 'nest' for my 'phoenix' flamer with flashing of some kind as well.
Was worried for about 5 minutes there that I didn't have any faffing around with my brew gear to be doing! What was I thinking! So much to do!!! B)


----------



## drew9242

hsb said:


> Thanks. Trip to Bunnings looms. Think I'll triple up on them and try and make a little 'nest' for my 'phoenix' flamer with flashing of some kind as well.
> Was worried for about 5 minutes there that I didn't have any faffing around with my brew gear to be doing! What was I thinking! So much to do!!! B)



If you like scavenging and don't want to spen the bucks on it, you might find some offcuts at double storey or pole homes being built. Would save you a few bucks.


Ohh and a tip for cutting it up. Don't worry about getting a hardiflex blade which cost around $75. Just use the oldest, crapest, bluntest big tooth blade you have in your shed. They do the job fine and you don't have to spend the big bucks for a few cuts.


----------



## kelbygreen

just use a diamond blade on a grinder a 125mm grinder will cut threw 18mm fibercement. As said they use it alot in bathrooms now as chipboard tends to swell so they found out  You can get red tongue its for wet area but still chipboard and I wouldnt have it. I wouldnt use a old power saw blade on it as it will get very hot and spinning at 2500rpm if it lets go I wouldnt want to be within 100m of it.


----------



## mattyoz

Not much but here's what i've been using for a few decent brews





drawers aren't usually there 

had them there at the time i could be bothered taking photo's 







when i get back from the uk next month i'm going to start putting together a 2x pump single teir RIMS setup


----------



## adryargument

May as well get my setup in here.
Currently doing 55L batches = 2x 19L Kegs, 1x 9L Keg for my pleb, rest is in bottles for a rainy day.

Grain Mill - set it up yesterday morning, finally went from drill to motor. Needs a box for the circuit.






The triplets. 98 / 45 /45.






Unfortunately its a gravity feed into the boiler until further notice... Sparging with the pump. Both the 'loose' hoses have been fixed up with proper camlocks.






Control box, which will one day control another pump and a 2400 watt element for a Herms.






Edit: There is a therminator floating around somewhere, which has the 3000L water tank running through it for a quick chill.

Cheers.


----------



## BrewGuru

After brewing for many years with a three tier larg urn and old keg gas/elctric system it was time to upgrade


----------



## Spoonta

steaming ply is a bad move as the glues fail and it falls apart trust me tryed once when building a boat not a good move


----------



## shimple

Some Low Quality (shitephone) shots of the new Rig. 

Made it home today from the factory....just need to paint her, and decide on plumming. 

The RIG



RIMS





Kettle tilted 



HLT


----------



## mxd

shimple said:


> Some Low Quality (shitephone) shots of the new Rig.
> 
> Made it home today from the factory....just need to paint her, and decide on plumming.
> 
> The RIG
> View attachment 48158
> 
> 
> RIMS
> View attachment 48159
> 
> View attachment 48160
> 
> 
> Kettle tilted
> View attachment 48161
> 
> 
> HLT
> View attachment 48162




it's a bigun, the 50 ltr MLT seems tiny. 

When do we christening her


----------



## shimple

mxd said:


> it's a bigun, the 50 ltr MLT seems tiny.



BIGUN is right....a little too big i reckon. It was a case of not going in one day and the engineer's got carried away.....



mxd said:


> When do we christening her



Just waiting on teh pump...Only ordered it a few days ago, so will have to wait a few weeks...

In the meantime, will put togther the temp gauges, switches, and more importantly work out what colour to paint her....


----------



## yardy

BrewGuru said:


> *After brewing for many years with a three tier larg urn and old keg gas/elctric system it was time to upgrade*






shimple said:


> *Some Low Quality (shitephone) shots of the new Rig.
> 
> Made it home today from the factory....just need to paint her, and decide on plumming.
> *



@BrewGuru, very nice mate B) 

@shimple, nice work mate, it'll make excellent beer  

Yard


----------



## Spork

BrewGuru said:


> View attachment 47095
> 
> 
> After brewing for many years with a three tier larg urn and old keg gas/elctric system it was time to upgrade




Truly a thing of beauty.


----------



## megs80

BrewGuru said:


> View attachment 47095
> 
> 
> After brewing for many years with a three tier larg urn and old keg gas/elctric system it was time to upgrade




What a setup! Serious coin in that photo but that really is for the love of beer.


----------



## Malted

megs80 said:


> What a setup! Serious coin in that photo but that really is for the love of beer.




He he he, looks more like for the love of bling...


----------



## pimpsqueak

Malted said:


> He he he, looks more like for the love of bling...



Which reminds me... I must get around to bedazzling my BIAB pot h34r:


----------



## eamonnfoley

BrewGuru said:


> View attachment 47095
> 
> 
> After brewing for many years with a three tier larg urn and old keg gas/elctric system it was time to upgrade



AHB needs a "like" button.

That braumeister looks more ballsy than the more common smaller one.

How did you get the Blichmann fermenter in Aust?


----------



## Pourmeanother

Hey Guys

Thought Id drop a couple of pics of my BIAB Brew stand I have been building . 

Not as blingy as some but im happy how its come up .

I have used basically all bits and peices that I had laying around . Except for the burner and reg .

Was thinking of making something to help with lifting the bag or even just to hold it . 

Think I will be ready to bust my BIAB cherrry next Weekend cant wait .

Just goto get the bag sewn up, a first recipie and some Ingredients and look out . 

Cheers Todd


----------



## kelbygreen

very nice. mine is getting less ghetto at least my pots not sitting ontop of 3 pavers on a dodgy old bbq lol now got a new burner and stand sitting ontop of a dodge bbq lol


----------



## Malted

I have pretty much finished my brew stand. 

From this:





To this:





The only things I have kept from the first picture are 'pretty much' the HLT, pump and italian spiral burner. I have made a new mashtun and bigger keggle.






The bottom draining mash tun is insulated with 15mm thick, high density (perhaps nitrile) foil backed foam rubber. The lid is a disc of tin with locating lugs on the inside and insulation on the outside. The handle of the mash tun tap clears the frame easily (it just appears in this photo that it won't). 







Here's the electric box under the HLT:





The box has the lid underneath in an attempt to make it a bit more water tight.

The white cable is the temp probe for the temp controller.
The round 3 pin plug is the march pump operated by a toggle switch on the front of the panel with the temp controller face panel.
At the back is the power in - another of the same type as the element plug but the socket is fitted with a 10A fuse.

The frame was wire brushed and given several coats of 'killrust' type of paint then a couple of coats of red 'killrust' type of paint and the keggle end was sprayed with high temp silver paint as the final coats. 

I have also fitted some sheets of tin around the base area of the burner for the keggle. These are to act as heat and wind shields. 
The gas bottle sits in the frame under the HLT on the left.


----------



## raven19

Very nice mate.

Red ones go faster!

I presume the HLT element plug end is male with a female IEC housing in the black box? (not that I can talk re electrical safety!)


----------



## Malted

raven19 said:


> Very nice mate.
> 
> Red ones go faster!
> 
> I presume the HLT element plug end is male with a female IEC housing in the black box? (not that I can talk re electrical safety!)



Sorry Ravs haven't been back in here for a while. Yes the plug is male with a shroud around it that goes around the outside of the female (hermaphrodite) plug. The element had a two piece lecky cable, I just used the first half.


----------



## mh971

Malted said:


> From this:


 Thats a pretty sexy looking mash tun there in the before pic bud. Is that latex or PVC?, I'm getting doughy. 

The foil version in your second build is a bit too 2001 and is just not doin it for me.


----------



## argon

Decided to add some insulation to the mash tun and HLT. 2 windshield screens with a yoga mat in the middle for each kept on with a strap from bunnings. Can be removed for cleaning. Hope that keeps a decent temp. Probably do the same thing on the kettle once i convert it to electric with 2 x 2200w elements. 

Slotted frame built from the stuff available at bunnings. Less than $100 all up, including the castors, which make it easy to slot away next to the mower. Got the rambo underslung to the kettle... gets to boil before i've finished draining the MT.

Double batches are a breeze with the 80L kettle, could push out triples with a bit of care. Each keggel has a $12 tempered glass lid bought from target. At the moment i have the electric 2200w HLT on top of the fridge and the MT with SS perf false bottom on a milk crate for a gravity system. Will be getting one of those brown pumps from ebay just for hot water and wort transfer, but keep gravity draining to cube. Although, i like the simplicity of gravity, so not sure if i'll enjoy having the pump or not. All fittings are SS, transfer tuebs are silicon... no copper or brass anywhere... which i'm quite happy about. Might get some camlocks when i get the pump.

Also had to include the BigW 19L as it's a great multi purpose vessel in the brewhouse... no lid as i smashed it


----------



## voodoobrew

Although no-one ever feels like their rig is finished, I guess it might be time for me to post some piccies. 

As a little bit of background, my aim has been to produce a rig that provides as much functionality as possible but spending as little as possible. At the moment I estimate that I have spent around $300.

Here's my gravity feed 3-tier, in this case set up for hot-cubing (which these days I tend not to do). It breaks into three pieces and, believe it or not, you can fit the entire rig into a Honda Civic.





Working from one end to the other...

My HLT is a standard conference-room boiler (20L). I got mine for free - it came from a hospital and I was told that boilers that don't have clamping lids now don't meet OH&S standards and they are valueless. Well, for them perhaps! My HLT has a thermowell, and is temp controlled by an STC-1000. It also has the crappy low-flow tap removed and replaced with a ball valve (this ~$12 upgrade I highly recommend).






Next is the mill. Its a Crankandstein 2D. I built the hopper out of laminations of ply and a watercooler bottle free from officeworks. The ply laminations are designed to all use the same width, so you simply rip a plank on the circular saw and then build up the height with appropriately trimmed pieces. It also has a flow-control slider. The whole thing inverts and lives inside the base bin.






Next is the mash tun. It's a secondhand esky with a standard copper manifold. Mine didn't come with a drain hole so I needed to drill through the wall. After talking with the boys in Gainforts, I used a device called a 'tank bulkhead' ($8). It's made from glass reinforced nylon and is perfect for the job. (Although I did grind one side flat so it would sit closer to the bottom)










My keggle is a pretty bog-standard affair. I either use a spout that is lower than the pickup tube to create a siphon flow for hot cubing, or I connect the CFC with braided hose. The keggle is heated with a 23-jet NG mongolian.

The CFC is next. It has a ball valve on the water side to allow me to regulate the temperature hitting the fermenter.






And lastly the fridge is nothing special - another STC-1000 controlling the fridge and a heater pad thrown in the bottom of it.

All of this - especially the wheelable brew frame and temp controller on the HLT - has taken the fatigue and heart-ache out of brewing. I encourage everyone that is still brewing on a stack of milkcrates and collection of rickety tables or chairs to take the next step!


----------



## mckenry

voodoobrew said:


> Although no-one ever feels like their rig is finished, I guess it might be time for me to post some piccies.



Well done voodoobrew. Nice nick by the way.
Whats the piece of timber between the fram and the wall (cyclone fence or something?)
Or is it not touching the frame, but really on the ground, creating the illusion its keeping the rig awat from the wall?


----------



## voodoobrew

mckenry said:


> Whats the piece of timber between the fram and the wall (cyclone fence or something?)
> Or is it not touching the frame, but really on the ground, creating the illusion its keeping the rig awat from the wall?


That plank of wood is actually just leaning against the fence. I lay it down on the ground as a chock to stop the frame rolling away (the ground slopes a little), as I don't have fancy lockable castors!


----------



## MitchDudarko

Public Holiday here in WA today, and I'm on call, so no booze for me. So I knocked this up at work today while there was no one there to disturb me.

Castors and burner going on soon, Just waiting on my march pump, and plate chiller to rock up so I can mount them too 






Mitch


----------



## kelbygreen

Some nice rigs. Here is one for people that have no welding skills like me. Its not finished (prob never will be) but hoping to put down 42lts in it this weekend. I am going to put tiles ontop and need to do some more plumbing for the gas so I can run 2 burners at the same time, also need to do some electrical work but can use it without it done. I am going to get a frame welded up tomorrow for the 3 ring burner.


----------



## Crusty

Well, it's been a long time getting here but this is my rig so far.

3 x 50lt keggles, beerbelly liquor return dish, 2 x 23 jet mongolian burners. I am recirculating through a 1.5" stainless Rims tube that houses a 2400 watt element.


----------



## Cocko

Crusty said:


> Well, it's been a long time getting here but this is my rig so far.
> 
> 3 x 50lt keggles, beerbelly liquor return dish, 2 x 23 jet mongolian burners. I am recirculating through a 1.5" stainless Rims tube that houses a 2400 watt element.




FINALLY the image downloaded!!  

Crusty, its a pin head pic.. you got bigger?


What I can see looks great btw...


----------



## Acasta

Nothing Fancy but she gets the job done.
Looking to build a compact brew stand, as well as get the kettle + Tun insulated and get a thermo and ball valve for the kettle.


----------



## Crusty

Cocko said:


> FINALLY the image downloaded!!
> 
> Crusty, its a pin head pic.. you got bigger?
> 
> 
> What I can see looks great btw...


----------



## Cocko

Crusty said:


>




BRUTAL!

Cheers mate.


----------



## Cocko

All lit like...


----------



## mr_tyreman

Hey there brewers, im back in the game...

havent brewed since early 2010, so i built a new brewery and im back into it!

heres the old rig...












heres the new setup...
































And for all the berd nerds...


Its a 4v with a HLT, Mash Tun, HeatX and Kettle

Run by a BCS462

2 March Pumps

6 Motorised Ball valves

Solonoid controlled 23 Jet Mongolian Burners LPG

Whirlpool immersion chiller

the valve under the blue control box is for tap water


Its not quite what i had in mind when i started, but i ran out of cash....but as a proof of concept im pretty happy, now that i have some money again, i will start again and finish what i started.

thanks for looking


----------



## arty

Well final got my brew rig finish. :super:


----------



## kymba

after some time (years, i think?) i have installed valves in my brewery...no more siphoning really hot stuff

syphons got real old real quick, especially after i added the HX - from kettle to pump to HX, find a milk crate, get a clamp, fk thats hot...etc

the strips of styrene are to reduce the amount of water so it heats up faster or something





even made a hidey-hole for the pump, and removed the pot lid handle and replaced with a luverly timber shelf for the box of death





then i used it! 80L of BIAB coopers mid, 10 minutes into the boil. topped up to 90L and just failed to fill 4 cubes...grrr fkn uncalibrated cubes



does there exist a hall of shame? i think my rig belongs there


----------



## psytramp

Here's my rig,

Been brewing on this baby now for 3 years and its never let me down...

Thinking of a hermes project next, we'll see if i can give this up?










Thinking I might put on a brew this weekend...


----------



## psytramp

Cocko said:


> BRUTAL!
> 
> Cheers mate.


Do you have your plans, love it....


----------



## PranK

Damn, some great rigs here. I'm looking forward to having the space for a dedicated frame with burners etc.


----------



## ledgenko

Hey all .. I thought it was about time I showed you all my rig ... and then my upgrade to a better version of 3 V ... although definitely a work in progress .. still much to do to it but am hoping to crack out ANZAC days beer int he upgraded version .. I am really looking forward to smashing out some big volume beers in the new set up and using the old system for trial batches ..

System 1 is a 20l Crown urn (HLT) , 55lt Coleman esky (Mashing Tun) and a 40l S/S stock pot with 2200w Keg king hotsticks. 

System 2 will be a 70l (I think) HLT 1 x 2200w hotstick, 100l Tun Kegking False bottom with recirculating wort via March pump and copper coil in 10l stockpot) and a 100l Keggle with 2 x 2200w hotsticks, hopsock and a hybrid chiller housed in a 6 inch PVC pipe flowing straight into 1 of 3 60l fermenters.

Now I am not gloating but I am fortunate enough to have a cellar where I live which obviously is now empty after living in the house for 12 months :icon_drunk: (although I must say it is a sweet addition to the house - I don't know how I have lived without one before ;-) ) anyway so I am planning on using it to hold my full kegs which don't fit into my fridges ( 2 beer fridges and a fermenting fridge) .. 

It is all electric as the area / brewery is a bit confined and I was concerned about the build up / possible build up of fumes .. I do have an exhaust system planned and have a second hand but new range hood extractor to install. The brewery will be plumbed with hot and cold water taps to reduce the need to walk back and forth to the laundry to get Hot or Cold water .. 

I am pretty happy with the set up but will continue to add to it ... It certainly is the most addictive hobby I have ever had.. 

Cheers


Matt


----------



## mxd

ledgenko said:


> Hey all .. I thought it was about time I showed you all my rig ... and then my upgrade to a better version of 3 V ... although definitely a work in progress .. still much to do to it but am hoping to crack out ANZAC days beer int he upgraded version .. I am really looking forward to smashing out some big volume beers in the new set up and using the old system for trial batches ..
> 
> System 1 is a 20l Crown urn (HLT) , 55lt Coleman esky (Mashing Tun) and a 40l S/S stock pot with 2200w Keg king hotsticks.
> 
> System 2 will be a 70l (I think) HLT 1 x 2200w hotstick, 100l Tun Kegking False bottom with recirculating wort via March pump and copper coil in 10l stockpot) and a 100l Keggle with 2 x 2200w hotsticks, hopsock and a hybrid chiller housed in a 6 inch PVC pipe flowing straight into 1 of 3 60l fermenters.
> 
> Now I am not gloating but I am fortunate enough to have a cellar where I live which obviously is now empty after living in the house for 12 months :icon_drunk: (although I must say it is a sweet addition to the house - I don't know how I have lived without one before ;-) ) anyway so I am planning on using it to hold my full kegs which don't fit into my fridges ( 2 beer fridges and a fermenting fridge) ..
> 
> It is all electric as the area / brewery is a bit confined and I was concerned about the build up / possible build up of fumes .. I do have an exhaust system planned and have a second hand but new range hood extractor to install. The brewery will be plumbed with hot and cold water taps to reduce the need to walk back and forth to the laundry to get Hot or Cold water ..
> 
> I am pretty happy with the set up but will continue to add to it ... It certainly is the most addictive hobby I have ever had..
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> Matt




looks good, 80 ltr batches coming up.


----------



## chopdog

This is a pick of mine, nothing flash


----------



## jeffsonia

Here's my gravity rig. Pumps out 46 ltr batches.


----------



## b0neski

Here's a pic of my all electric 3V setup. I've made 4 batches with it so far. Very glad I've made the change. 
Next project - a stand!


----------



## bignath

b0neski said:


> Here's a pic of my all electric 3V setup. I've made 4 batches with it so far. Very glad I've made the change.
> Next project - a stand!
> 
> View attachment 51797



Awesome man! Love the ghetto stylings with everything apart from the bling.....

Like your sight guage being held in place with the pot handle.
Love the fact your using a collection of milkcrates, bricks, wine barrell, barbecue and step stool as your brew stand.

Really love all the shiny shit. Puts my rig to shame. I do have a nice stand though....


----------



## cam89brewer

So do you really need 3 vessels when doing decoctions ? I find it a lot easier using 2 which also saves cleaning and time.....


----------



## donburke

cambrew said:


> So do you really need 3 vessels when doing decoctions ? I find it a lot easier using 2 which also saves cleaning and time.....




wouldnt you need 4 vessels ?

hlt, mlt, kettle + the vessel you are boiling the decocted mash in


----------



## argon

I just use my 19L Big W for decoctions. Just scoop out the required amount and throw it on the burner. As long as i keep stirring it's fine. So that means i have 4 vessels


----------



## cam89brewer

I use and have always used the same vessel to boil decoctions, use as a HLT and kettle..


----------



## donburke

cambrew said:


> I use and have always used the same vessel to boil decoctions, use as a HLT and kettle..




how do you sparge when the first runnings are in the kettle ?


----------



## cam89brewer

donburke said:


> how do you sparge when the first runnings are in the kettle ?



Oh I totally forgot I used the other 30 L pot..... mmmm embarrassing. Well yeh I use 3 vessels. :lol:


----------



## spog

now that is a nice setup... using a corner configuration,...cuts down on space and stores out of the way ....cheers...spog......


Yippie Ki Yay said:


> Here's a couple of images of my rig halfway through it's rebuild. It was Alu pot on bench, esky on shelf under bench and alu pot on chair in a redneck gravity system setup but I've put a bit of thought into it and come up with a nice new rig. I worked out how to have a gravity system that fits in the shed, is low enough that I can see in the HTL and will pack away into a corner it needs be:
> 
> View attachment 52119
> 
> 
> A 30x30x5SHS frame welded with the two lower stands bolted on. The vessels are painted in ceramic paint and hold the heat really well. The underside of the MLT is insulated also, even though heat rises I had some foam lying around...
> 
> The next step is to mount the motor for the mill on the legs of the bottom stand with a cut-out under the keggle so I can switch it out with the mill.
> 
> View attachment 52120
> 
> 
> There's a pump ready to mount under the keggle also which will link to a HERMS unit and under my desk in the study is a box of wires and PCB thingys that in a few weeks will be The Herminator's Compbrewtor and will be mounted on a piano hinge under the MTL so I can set it running from the armchair! :kooi: It's all going to be automated.... a couple of solenoids are the last thing I need.
> 
> Leather armchair from Borders liquidation sale


----------



## IPWS

Hi guys 

Well Ive been here for a year now and been drinking my way through most of the beers i can get my hands on and now its time to build some gear to make the stuff i miss from back home heres a couple of pics of where it starts will keep you up dated with progress as i go




the cylinders are of 3mm 316ss and total vol is 60 litres each ive got cones being sorted at the moment for the unitank fermenter and the bottom of the HLT and kettle once they arrive time to start welding oh yeah :super:


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

IPWS said:


> Hi guys
> 
> Well Ive been here for a year now and been drinking my way through most of the beers i can get my hands on and now its time to build some gear to make the stuff i miss from back home heres a couple of pics of where it starts will keep you up dated with progress as i go
> 
> View attachment 52142
> View attachment 52143
> 
> the cylinders are of 3mm 316ss and total vol is 60 litres each ive got cones being sorted at the moment for the unitank fermenter and the bottom of the HLT and kettle once they arrive time to start welding oh yeah :super:



Looks Awesome! That'll almost be worthy of a thread of its own!

Who rolled the cylinders / Rolling the conicals?


----------



## hockadays

Looks good, i too am interested in who is rolling your cone and for how much?


----------



## winkle

> got cones being sorted


oh yeah


----------



## IPWS

_WALLACE_ said:


> Looks Awesome! That'll almost be worthy of a thread of its own!
> 
> Who rolled the cylinders / Rolling the conicals?



Ive been waiting for some decent off cuts to come up at work but theres been none yet so my brother says to me we have them all the time and asked what diameter i wanted and next thing there they are hes also got the stainless put aside for the cones an as hes a press operator hes gunna bump them up for me and seeing as how im a stainless fabricator the rest is pretty much under control ive also got a friend tho works for a company that supplies stainless fittings and hes liberated some bits and peices for me aswell.


----------



## Screwtop

Brew Rig Mk V






Deja Vu

Screwy


----------



## TidalPete

That upgrade of yours looks the beez kneez Screwy. :beer: 
Doing an upgrade to my humble brewery myself but nowhere near the scope of yours ATM.
Would appreciate your thoughts/ideas if you can find the time to call on your next trip down this way? Any info regarding *wiring *up a HLT float valve to an existing mashmaster HLT setup would be greatfully appreciated.
PM me at your peril.  

TP


----------



## Batz

TidalPete said:


> .
> PM me at your peril.
> 
> TP




Yellow?


----------



## Lecterfan

Ok - so it's not too flash just yet, but I was like a kid on xmas eve as I waited impatiently for billygoat to help me out on this setup (bloody slave driver made me fall a tree for him and then forced me to drink all his beer)....

So after approx 70 AG stovetop brews (and some bloody nice beers in among that lot on the odd occasion), I have gone full volume, semi 3v (well it IS 3v but I haven't got off my arse to swap from 'mashing in a bag in an eski' to a copper manifold yet so I still have a lot of cloudiness into the kettle...).

Here are the new bits - 'nasa' burner and freshly converted all SS keggle (extra ss bling like pickup tube courtesy of bilygoat):






Here is the ghetto gravity 3v (HLT out of sight behind mash tun/eski):




LIFT OFF!



Did a saison today (wy3711), going to do another one on Friday but through some miracle I hit most of my targets. Although I was previously doing full volume stovetop across two pots my evaporation rate has remained high (less surface area but a better boil) and my losses to hot break/hops are about the same (due to mashing technique I'm assuming - no vorlauf etc)...final brewery efficiency today was %67 (mash efficiency always much higher than this but... meh) according to beersmith so will adjust my recipe and beersmith settings accordingly and see how it goes. Cheers to billygoat, the B.A.R. and everyone on this site providing useful info and motivation!


----------



## NickB

Suppose it's finally time I post mine...



The Brew Rig (L-R) 50L MLT, 95L HLT, (below) 14L HERMS Vessel, 60L Kettle.
Upgrades shortly are 60L kettle to become mash tun, new 95L kettle with 2 x stainless elements.



The Bar and Kegerator.



Other side of the brewery (L-R) Grain Storage Freezer (non-working), Grain Mill on stand (Monster 2-roller), 2x Fermenting Fridges.

Cheers!


----------



## kymba

Screwy are they the blichman disconnects on the ends of your hoses? If yes, how do you rate them ?


----------



## Screwtop

kymba said:


> Screwy are they the blichman disconnects on the ends of your hoses? If yes, how do you rate them ?




No mate, CB Stainless Snaplock.

Screwy


----------



## argon

Screwtop said:


> No mate, CB Stainless Snaplock.
> 
> Screwy



I have sames, like them alot. Although you need to wear a glove when disconnecting them when hot. No biggy. I have a glove that i cut the thumb and forefinger out. Discard the glove and keep the fingers. Easy peasy 2 finger operation and no burnt fingers.


----------



## RdeVjun

argon said:


> I have sames, like them alot. Although you need to wear a glove when disconnecting them when hot. No biggy. I have a glove that i cut the thumb and forefinger out. Discard the glove and keep the fingers. Easy peasy 2 finger operation and no burnt fingers.


Prolly not aesthetically pleasing, however do the plastic camlok lever handles interchange with the stainless ones? If so, maybe that would solve one problem? Or is it handling the hot fitting (and hose perhaps) rather than the levers that causes the burning sensation?
Anyway, just a thought. :icon_cheers:


----------



## sim

argon said:


> Although you need to wear a glove when disconnecting them when hot. No biggy. I have a glove that i cut the thumb and forefinger out. Discard the glove and keep the fingers. Easy peasy 2 finger operation and no burnt fingers.



harden up Argon :icon_cheers:


----------



## argon

RdeVjun said:


> Prolly not aesthetically pleasing, however do the plastic camlok lever handles interchange with the stainless ones? If so, maybe that would solve one problem? Or is it handling the hot fitting (and hose perhaps) rather than the levers that causes the burning sensation?
> Anyway, just a thought. :icon_cheers:



these are the fittings in question. Never used camlocks.
Female on hose




male on pot






sim said:


> harden up Argon :icon_cheers:


But i'm a delicate office worker... plus i don't want to ruin my hand modelling career.


----------



## RdeVjun

argon said:


> these are the fittings in question. Never used camlocks.


Oh, right you are- don't mind me, carry on then! :icon_cheers:


----------



## winkle

argon said:


> these are the fittings in question. Never used camlocks.
> Female on hose
> 
> 
> 
> 
> male on pot
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But i'm a delicate office worker... plus i don't want to ruin my hand modelling career.



Such a promising career it is too.
View attachment 52264

h34r:


----------



## kymba

winkle said:


> Such a promising career it is too.


i was a teenage hand model


----------



## joshuahardie

kymba said:


> i was a teenage hand model



Did you get many hand jobs?





:icon_cheers: 
I'm here all week folks.... try the veal


----------



## Rubix

The Wooly Shed...


----------



## kelbygreen

Nice, thats one neat rig


----------



## Screwtop

Rubix said:


> The Wooly Shed...




Flash! First Ag brewery on PI?????

Screwy


----------



## Rubix

Screwtop said:


> Flash! First Ag brewery on PI?????
> 
> Screwy



Yeah just about mate. If there are any others i haven't met em... Even the local brewery, brews off site!


----------



## browndog

joshuahardie said:


> Did you get many hand jobs?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :icon_cheers:
> I'm here all week folks.... try the veal



he was not the master of his domain..


----------



## IainMcLean

Rubix said:


> The Wooly Shed...



Nice.


----------



## Cocko

Rubix said:


> The Wooly Shed...




Looks awesome rubix..

How do you brew on it? Is the pot you can sort of see below the Mash tun for recirculating? But to where?

Is it a full volume batch sparge system?

Please, talk us through a brew here mate....

Looks killer BTW!


----------



## Rubix

Cocko said:


> Looks awesome rubix..
> 
> How do you brew on it? Is the pot you can sort of see below the Mash tun for recirculating? But to where?
> 
> Is it a full volume batch sparge system?
> 
> Please, talk us through a brew here mate....
> 
> Looks killer BTW!



Hey Cocko,

It's just a two vessel, gravity fed system. Bout as simple as they come mate. Just heat the strike water in the HLT / Boiler, mash in, wait, collect in the pot underneath while i heat the sparge water, batch sparge and commence the boil. Nothing fancy as i said mate, just a nice easy system.

Cheers


----------



## Cocko

Rubix said:


> Hey Cocko,
> 
> It's just a two vessel, gravity fed system. Bout as simple as they come mate. Just heat the strike water in the HLT / Boiler, mash in, wait, collect in the pot underneath while i heat the sparge water, batch sparge and commence the boil. Nothing fancy as i said mate, just a nice easy system.
> 
> Cheers



Awesome, cheers, Love it!

Good work bro! Good farking work....


\m/


----------



## wakkatoo

Lecterfan said:


> Ok - so it's not too flash just yet, but I was like a kid on xmas eve as I waited impatiently for billygoat to help me out on this setup (bloody slave driver made me fall a tree for him and then forced me to drink all his beer)....



Get a pic up of your brewery assistant / house security / big-arse-dog next to your burner & pot for a size comparison.


----------



## Doogiechap

Just upgraded my HLT from a 40L urn to a 80l pot with 2 x Keg King 2200W SS Elements with a cut out float switch this time.
Brewing for the first time in 6 months !


----------



## Fents

looks mad doogie!


----------



## Yob

Not anywhere near as flas as some of those on this topic, but it works well..

My Mark II

Recirc on HLT (brown pump), run on STC1000 gravity fed for the rest. (ATM)

Ghetto Ford Rim as a Keggle stand works incredibly well, I use a 3 ring on it but it can fit a 4 ring, Medium Pressure Reg.

The good missus has released funds for a brewery upgrade so am going to strip the shed and reclad it and have plans for the Mark III brew rig when the shed is complete.


----------



## Cocko

Ok, I just had a mate soldier up my elements, so took some pics..

Didn't wanna post any pix until finished but just cant help myself!

So, stand needs to be painted and control box mounted - between MT and kettle, control box to be completed - not like a herms style, just a box that splits 3 phase in to 3 switches for elements to control the boil - also 2 switches for HLT element and pump..

Thats all, should be done by next weekend I reckon, will post some shots of the completed rig but for now:

*HLT:* Ross pot, tap hole was so off centre I chose to put the sight gauge and thermometer where they are to try and pull it all back to centre to the handles a little bit - sorry Ross, but whoever is drilling your holes should lay off the breaky billy's!  







*MT:* Again, a Ross pot, filled with Beer Belly recirc thingy and a false bottom I already had... wrapped in Wetsuit material I found at work... came up nice like!







*Kettle:* 3x 2400w Elements fitted to a Robinox SS Kettle, BB sockets welded, very nice IMO!










So on the unfinished stand looks like this: Remembering, the project box will be between MT and kettle;




Also, I Just could not decide on one tier stand or 2... as I believe fly sparging is more efficient.. but I guess now..

I can do both B) 













:icon_cheers:


----------



## kelbygreen

haha nice! like the idea of the extension can it hold a full pot of water?? 

oh your still a [email protected]*t


----------



## Cocko

kelbygreen said:


> haha nice! like the idea of the extension can it hold a full pot of water??
> 
> oh your still a [email protected]*t



HAHA! - Its can hold me hanging off it, I am heavier than 70L / kg h34r: so am pretty sure it will be fine.

The stand is built from pallet racking because I could get it free, so weighs a shizen load, and I can literally do push/lift ups on the HLT extension when up with out tilting the stand... should be cool - I seriously reckon the main stand would take about 2 tonne.. which is handy, because, if I buy a massive bulldozer and wish to service it, I can just bang it up on the stand! :blink: 

In response to your second comment, I concur.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## Screwtop

Cocko said:


> Ok, I just had a mate soldier up my elements, so took some pics..
> 
> Didn't wanna post any pix until finished but just cant help myself!
> 
> So, stand needs to be painted and control box mounted - between MT and kettle, control box to be completed - not like a herms style, just a box that splits 3 phase in to 3 switches for elements to control the boil - also 2 switches for HLT element and pump..
> 
> Thats all, should be done by next weekend I reckon, will post some shots of the completed rig but for now:
> 
> *HLT:* Ross pot, tap hole was so off centre I chose to put the sight gauge and thermometer where they are to try and pull it all back to centre to the handles a little bit - sorry Ross, but whoever is drilling your holes should lay off the breaky billy's!
> 
> View attachment 52671
> 
> 
> View attachment 52672
> 
> 
> *MT:* Again, a Ross pot, filled with Beer Belly recirc thingy and a false bottom I already had... wrapped in Wetsuit material I found at work... came up nice like!
> 
> View attachment 52669
> 
> 
> View attachment 52670
> 
> 
> *Kettle:* 3x 2400w Elements fitted to a Robinox SS Kettle, BB sockets welded, very nice IMO!
> 
> View attachment 52673
> 
> 
> View attachment 52674
> 
> 
> View attachment 52676
> 
> 
> So on the unfinished stand looks like this: Remembering, the project box will be between MT and kettle;
> 
> View attachment 52675
> 
> 
> Also, I Just could not decide on one tier stand or 2... as I believe fly sparging is more efficient.. but I guess now..
> 
> I can do both B)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 52677
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :icon_cheers:




Flash Pusti! :lol: 

Screwy


----------



## kelbygreen

thats alright then. now all you have to do is start brewing again. Oh on that note did you end up selling the old rig


----------



## Cocko

kelbygreen said:


> thats alright then. now all you have to do is start brewing again. Oh on that note did you end up selling the old rig



Never stopped brewing.

Old rig is sold, pending payment.

You are a ... well, you know.

Cease.


----------



## Jono_w

Cocko said:


> Thats all, should be done by next weekend I reckon, will post some shots of the completed rig but for now:



How long does it take! Just brew a beer already!


----------



## Cocko

Jonathon said:


> How long does it take! Just brew a beer already!



Touch c&nt, Touch!

ha! :icon_cheers:


----------



## jyo

Looks the goods, Cocko! The fapping has begun!


----------



## Cocko

Screwtop said:


> Flash Pusti! :lol:
> 
> Screwy



HAHA! - I have decided to also run a 3 phase lead to the stand direct and use the whole stand as an element! should work rad!

FLASH ahhhh ahhh... he can save everyone of us!

Oook bye.


----------



## Fish13

Drew9242 said:


> Just thought i would post some pics of my humble rig. As you may notice i work in the timber industry. Well i make truss roofs which is why the rig is all gangnailed together. Doesn't look very fancy but has done the job for many a brew. :icon_cheers:



Atleast i know my butt joining works.  and that termites wont eat your brewstand. Although i don't know how you can stand the smell of the blue wood when it gets hot/wet/ burnt!!!

Yes i work in the timber industry and thats my wood on the stand.


----------



## Fish13

I started on mine this week. Has a flash Side to the HLT. while i am waiting for the water to get to strike temp i can put some snags on or a bit of steak and cook up a feast. Ordered a weldless tap from the states. $43 landed instead of $70. I will need some more soon.. and a 22L esky and some S/S braid for my Mash tun. All gravity feed at the moment. the kettle is a old crab cooker pot on a 3 ring burner. i might try and find my old 12V power pack and get a brown pump and use the 2 far burners on the BBQ.... hmm or just use the boat battery for the 12v power supply...

The HLT side alone was $500  just don't tell the missus her 5 burner bbq is now a 3v beer setup.


----------



## keifer33

fish13 said:


> I started on mine this week. Has a flash Side to the HLT. while i am waiting for the water to get to strike temp i can put some snags on or a bit of steak and cook up a feast. Ordered a weldless tap from the states. $43 landed instead of $70. I will need some more soon.. and a 22L esky and some S/S braid for my Mash tun. All gravity feed at the moment. the kettle is a old crab cooker pot on a 3 ring burner. i might try and find my old 12V power pack and get a brown pump and use the 2 far burners on the BBQ.... hmm or just use the boat battery for the 12v power supply...
> 
> The HLT side alone was $500  just don't tell the missus her 5 burner bbq is now a 3v beer setup.



Any pictures of the progress Fishie


----------



## Fish13

keifer33 said:


> Any pictures of the progress Fishie








oh the brew rig

here


----------



## Yob

fish13 said:


> oh the brew rig



I love the remote control, thats gotta make brewday easier :lol:


----------



## husky

This is the latest iteration of my single vessel RIMS system. It started life as a BIAB system however the bag is no longer required. It still gets used to make disposal of the spent grain easier. 

Originally I wanted to do a HERMS setup however the RIMS seemed a little more compact and earier to make with the materials I had available. Only concern I had was about wort scorching that I had read about was alleviated after my first brew on the weekend. No scorching evident on the elemt after brew day and nice and easy to break the tube down for a clean.

Pot is 75L however biggest brew I have done is a 28L @ 1.060, should be good for a double batch IPA if ever required.

Once I harvest this years hops I will have a go at packing the hop rocket with fresh flowers and running out of the kettle, through hop rocket, through chiller and straight to fermenter. Should be able to pack a kilo or so of flowers in there.


Current setup:


----------



## Fish13

Husky love your setup. I look at a crab cooker for $100 and go there is the start of a manual braumiester if i ever saw one. has a basket, and handles. Just needs a tap and a away you go. maybe a brown pump to recirculate and its done.


----------



## spog

congrat,s to you both...many sleepless nights to come (just had to remind you ..h e ..he ).........cheers...spog..........


fish13 said:


> oh the brew rig
> 
> here


----------



## Sprungmonkey

nice work fish - I have 15mth yr old twin boys - awesome fun - can't wait till they can clean kegs and fermenters


----------



## Fish13

i got 4 of them. all under 4...

Anyway they should be home today


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

fish13 said:


> i got 4 of them. all under 4...
> 
> Anyway they should be home today


Bloody catholic, try the think about jyo method :lol: 

Nev


----------



## Fish13

don't swear at me nev or i may not pay my bill.... 

or bring you fish. Although i am going in for the snip once the signs are green.


----------



## Maheel

i been looking over the rigs here as i think i am going 3V maybe herms or rims using a little brown pump to kick off on a single level brew rig but have a question 

what do most do with the spent grain to get it out of the tun ? do most just manhandle them off the rig to empty ?
some of the tuns look fairly locked into position with piping and temp probes etc.

i was thinking to keep the tun fairly movable for emptying would make like easier ? either my big esky or a keggle tun...

input or the chance to come look at your 3V in BNE would be appreciated 

thanks


----------



## donburke

Maheel said:


> i been looking over the rigs here as i think i am going 3V maybe herms or rims using a little brown pump to kick off on a single level brew rig but have a question
> 
> what do most do with the spent grain to get it out of the tun ? do most just manhandle them off the rig to empty ?
> some of the tuns look fairly locked into position with piping and temp probes etc.
> 
> i was thinking to keep the tun fairly movable for emptying would make like easier ? either my big esky or a keggle tun...
> 
> input or the chance to come look at your 3V in BNE would be appreciated
> 
> thanks



scoop it out into buckets using a plastic dustpan


----------



## Maheel

donburke said:


> scoop it out into buckets using a plastic dustpan



yours is the type of rig i have in mind DB 

do you find the scoop and dump a pain or no drama ?

thanks


----------



## fraser_john

Depends on the mash tun, mine has a lip, so I scoop with a 2 litre jug, but another brewers was fully cut and had no lip, he also had welded on a kind of "spout" and had the mash tun hinged at the base. That way he would bring in a wheel barrow, tip the mas tun over, dump it all in the wheel barrow then off to the garden. Eezy peezy. He also had the keg turned upside down and used the keg spear locator as the point at which he welded in the pickup tube, so there was no "dead space" in the mash tun. He had it well thought out.

If I was rebuilding my rig from scratch, that is how I would build it.

<edit>
whoo hoo, 1600th post
<end edit>


----------



## hsb

I too have a Keg MLT and also use the 'scoop and serve' method to empty it. 
I can remove mine from the rig (removable temp probe/silicon hose-camlock fittings), so I take it down to give it a final clean to remove the bits of grain that can't be flushed. The false bottom means I have to do this or you just can't get all the grain out cleanly. 

I agree about using the keg spear. I would do it that way if I could start over. I would try and have it setup as a 'dump valve', so I could just rinse with the hose with the drain in the base open and let all the remaining grain wash out. It is a small annoyance trying to flush it out the other way.

Hinging is definitely another option, but seems like the harder way to do it when you can just have a big old hole at the bottom.

I would be inclined to keep the MLT mobile until you're really happy with your setup, purely because you might change your mind about how it's all setup.


----------



## kelbygreen

I use a esky and just scoop it out lift it off and hose out the rest onto the lawn. it can be a pain but either way you do it there will be some handling involved


----------



## Maheel

here's a quick mock up 

thinking esky to begin (but it's a bit big at 70L but i have a copper manifold made...) 
use brown pump and silicone hose / snap lock fittings to pump from 
use a hook shaped copper end on silicone to go direct into top of boiler and a copper Tun "sprayer" type thing for sparge etc ?

HLT -> tun
circulate tun via herms on lower shelf ($9 kmart jug element and copper coil) 
TUN -> boiler 

top of HLT is 1500mm ish but i am tall and could scoop if it was a keggle 

thoughts ?


----------



## donburke

Maheel said:


> yours is the type of rig i have in mind DB
> 
> do you find the scoop and dump a pain or no drama ?
> 
> thanks




its no drama, but it is one of the least desirable parts of the brew process, that and cleaning the kettle

i'll scoop until 98% empty, then lift it off the stand and onto the grass, hose it out, grab a sponge with some napisan and give it a gentle wipe, then hose off

its alot easier to clean than the kettle, which gets an overnight soak in hot napisan and a quick hose out the next day


----------



## bignath

my mash tun is an esky. Just pick it up by the handles, and tip into the greenwaste bin.

hose the rest out onto the lawn, backflush through the outlet back through the manifold (always dislodges a few hiding grain shells), tip it upside down to drip dry.


----------



## donburke

Big Nath said:


> my mash tun is an esky. Just pick it up by the handles, and tip into the greenwaste bin.
> 
> hose the rest out onto the lawn, backflush through the outlet back through the manifold (always dislodges a few hiding grain shells), tip it upside down to drip dry.



how big is your grain bill ?


----------



## kelbygreen

yeah with 11kg of grain when its dry mine is not that easy to lift when its wet


----------



## raven19

Maheel said:


> i been looking over the rigs here as i think i am going 3V maybe herms or rims using a little brown pump to kick off on a single level brew rig but have a question
> 
> what do most do with the spent grain to get it out of the tun ? do most just manhandle them off the rig to empty ?



Further info here that might be of interest:
Hard Plumbed Mash Tun thread


----------



## bignath

donburke said:


> how big is your grain bill ?



Usually 8.5-9kg dry, so maybe 16kg when wet due to absorbtion plus the esky.


----------



## mxd

Maheel said:


> what do most do with the spent grain to get it out of the tun ? do most just manhandle them off the rig to empty ?
> some of the tuns look fairly locked into position with piping and temp probes etc.




I pick my mlt (50 ltr keg - 11 to 13 kg grain) up and turn it upside down on the concrete in the back yard. I then use a shovel to toss the grain over the garden bed. Then I get a hose give it a squirt to get the rest of the grain out, then a scrub, then I place it upside down on brewstand.


----------



## NickB

Here's some piccies of The Liquid Lunch Brewery MK3 build - control box almost there - still to add the probes for the STC-1000's, the conduit and cable to the 4x elements and 1x pump. Will be installing a dedicated 32A circuit for the new brewery when I have the time!




Outside view - labels and brewery name to be added. Green switches control the HLT (LHS) and Hex (RHS) elements, red switch is pump, and blue switches are the 2x kettle elements.




Shot of the insides




Shot of the back of the STC-1000's and switches




Shot of the neutral bar and wiring in the bottom of the enclosure


Getting there! Itching to get it up and running, but working tomorrow so not gonna happen!

Cheers


----------



## winkle

NickB said:


> Here's some piccies of The Liquid Lunch Brewery MK3 build - control box almost there - still to add the probes for the STC-1000's, the conduit and cable to the 4x elements and 1x pump. Will be installing a dedicated 32A circuit for the new brewery when I have the time!
> 
> View attachment 53108
> 
> Outside view - labels and brewery name to be added. Green switches control the HLT (LHS) and Hex (RHS) elements, red switch is pump, and blue switches are the 2x kettle elements.
> 
> 
> View attachment 53109
> 
> Shot of the insides
> 
> 
> View attachment 53110
> 
> Shot of the back of the STC-1000's and switches
> 
> 
> View attachment 53112
> 
> Shot of the neutral bar and wiring in the bottom of the enclosure
> 
> 
> Getting there! Itching to get it up and running, but working tomorrow so not gonna happen!
> 
> Cheers



Looks the goods Nick, much tidier than mine (ahem)


----------



## NickB

Well I won't say this isn't the third time I've wired the majority of it, only to rip it all out and start again because it was a bloody mess!!!

And I was under time pressures on yours


----------



## sim

donburke said:


> i'll scoop until 98% empty, then lift it off the stand and onto the grass, hose it out, grab a sponge with some napisan and give it a gentle wipe, then hose off
> 
> its alot easier to clean than the kettle, which gets an overnight soak in hot napisan and a quick hose out the next day



Ay Don, this over night soak... is this made up napisan that you keep re-using (im imagining 60 odd litres)? if so does it go bad? i got my stainless immersion/herms going and now i need to look at how i keep him clean.


----------



## Cocko

NickB said:


> View attachment 53108
> 
> 
> Cheers



Hey Mate,

What have you used as cable relief/fixing cable through the box?

It is 4 core 3 phase, I assume 20 amp, into the box yeah?

Basically asking, how did you go through the box wall?

Cheers

EDIT - looked at pics, sorted, sorry -_-


----------



## NickB

It's a cable gland. Hole was 32mm and the cable diameter would be approx 20mm or slightly larger. The cable is 3 core & earth, but I've cut the white out so it's only an active and a neutral plus earth coming in. It's 6mm cable, will be running off a 32A circuit (or maybe a 40A) (6mm will be fine with more than 50A when in conduit I believe). Will be running 3 x 2200W, 1x 1600W and a pump, plus the two controllers. Will not be running all that at once, obviously as it will exceed 32A, but circuit will be run through a combo CB/RCD so no issues there.

Cheers


----------



## NickB

What are you on about??!!?!?!?!


----------



## Cocko

I have no idea! :blink: 

Cheers tho! 

:icon_cheers:


----------



## pk.sax

Sometimes the Internet comes up with good resources.

http://www.kembla.com/assets/Uploads/gener...rs-Handbook.pdf


----------



## donburke

sim said:


> Ay Don, this over night soak... is this made up napisan that you keep re-using (im imagining 60 odd litres)? if so does it go bad? i got my stainless immersion/herms going and now i need to look at how i keep him clean.



I collect the water exiting my chiller in my hlt and its already hoyt
pump into kettle full to brim. Add half a pack of napisan and leave overnight

i dont recycle this. It gets tipped


----------



## DKS

Just added two little brown pumps to my trayback brewery. Works really well and saves all that lifting. Run both pumps from PC supply no worries. Brew frame next.


daz


----------



## winkle

DKS said:


> Just added two little brown pumps to my trayback brewery. Works really well and saves all that lifting. Run both pumps from PC supply no worries. Brew frame next.
> View attachment 53147
> 
> daz



Nice! You'll be brewing at work next


----------



## Cocko

DKS said:


> Just added two little brown pumps to my trayback brewery. Works really well and saves all that lifting. Run both pumps from PC supply no worries. Brew frame next.
> View attachment 53147
> 
> daz



Very nicely done Daz!

I assume we are about to see a few 'Brown Pump' rigs emerging in this thread!

Cheers


----------



## DKS

winkle said:


> Nice! You'll be brewing at work next


Jeez I wish you hadnt planted that seed.
Daz


----------



## NickB

Onya Daz!

Looks the goods mate!

Cheers


----------



## pjwhite5

Hi All,

Well after what seems like an epic adventure, I have finally finished my brew rig upgrade. Going from a 3 tier to a single level.





Just in time for me to go away, hopefully might be able to get a brew in before I leave, if not I'll have to wait until October.

Cheers

PJ


----------



## Cocko

pjwhite5 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Well after what seems like an epic adventure, I have finally finished my brew rig upgrade. Going from a 3 tier to a single level.
> 
> View attachment 53161
> View attachment 53162
> 
> 
> Just in time for me to go away, hopefully might be able to get a brew in before I leave, if not I'll have to wait until October.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> PJ




Dude, that is a thing of beauty!

If you have been brewing gravity and are yet to brew on a pump rig, please do ASAP - its like brewing for the time ever! - soo good.. I popped my pump rig cherry on the past weekend.. It was so much fun and so quick and easy, I did a piggy back brew!

Q's:

Any reason you chose to spin your MT, as in where the handles are?

What is that sneaky little ball valve down the bottom of the stand?

Is that a 98L Kettle? Are you doing triple batches, as in kegs worth?

Is the second valve on your kettle for Whirlpooling? IF so, what made you/why did you mount it where you did? 

Sorry for all the questions but is is such a nice rig and I am nearing the end of my build, information is key!

Quick edit: Why is you MT the only one with out a thermometer? I would think it would be the main vessel to deserve it...

Cheers


----------



## pjwhite5

Thanks for the kind words,

_Any reason you chose to spin your MT, as in where the handles are?_

I made a bit of a mistake when measuring all vessels when planing the rig, measured once, cut a couple of times, so once I got the frame together the only way I could fit all vessels on was to set up the MT with handles forward. only as an after though I can now hang my mash paddle and a small measuring jug off the handle.

_What is that sneaky little ball valve down the bottom of the stand?_

Yes a little ball valve, to be able to connect a hose to, to allow me to wash/clean as I'm going. The rig is plumbed up to the HLT, with a tap off under the rig and a carbon filter before the HLT

_Is that a 98L Kettle? Are you doing triple batches, as in kegs worth?_

No it a 70 litre from BB

_Is the second valve on your kettle for Whirlpooling? IF so, what made you/why did you mount it where you did? 
_

Yes it is for whirlpooling, I got the 70 litre at the start when i was only doing single batches (20-25L) with the option to do double. I place it there to be able to do single batches.

_Quick edit: Why is you MT the only one with out a thermometer? I would think it would be the main vessel to deserve it..._

The gauges were installed on the MK 1 brewery, My controller utilises PIDs and have a PT100 probe installed in the back, + I found I have to keep calibrating the gauges, the other two are really now only for looks not really for exact temp measurement


I have been AG for approx 4 years now started with 1 pot and a burner, slowly built a 3 tier system with esky MLT, and now built a single level system. I have brewed on a mates system to learn what works or me, so for now I think I have made what I think I need.

Cheers

PJ


----------



## Cocko

pjwhite5 said:


> I have brewed on a mates system to learn what works or me, so for now I think I have made what I think I need.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> PJ



It seems you sure have mate, that is f#cking impressive... Hang on "_for now_"?! HAHA - What the f&ck will be next!  

Thank you so much for a very informative reply/answers, appreciated heaps. Awesome...

Cheers
:icon_cheers: 

Any more pics you wish to post would be ok too BTW h34r:


----------



## bignath

Awesome questions cocko, awesome answers pj.

PJ - really nice rig man! She (assumption) will make many a fine beer!


----------



## pjwhite5

Cheers, Well I hope she make good beer, Same equipment just a different configuration, now just need to re-learn the correct process for this rig.

Next project is the bar and a Rim system to match the rig

Thanks again

PJ


----------



## donburke

pjwhite5 said:


> _Is the second valve on your kettle for Whirlpooling? IF so, what made you/why did you mount it where you did?
> _
> 
> Yes it is for whirlpooling, I got the 70 litre at the start when i was only doing single batches (20-25L) with the option to do double. I place it there to be able to do single batches.



this is clever thinking, wish i'd thought of that 

congratulations on building a fantastic rig, may you have many years of happy brewing


----------



## sim

donburke said:


> I collect the water exiting my chiller in my hlt and its already hoyt
> pump into kettle full to brim. Add half a pack of napisan and leave overnight
> 
> i dont recycle this. It gets tipped



Thanks Don. Soaking my immersion ATM. I'll report back on the reusing front. I cant see it getting too soiled that quickly, and im not short on storage vessels (ex fermentors).


----------



## LesSin

Maheel said:


> i been looking over the rigs here as i think i am going 3V maybe herms or rims using a little brown pump to kick off on a single level brew rig but have a question
> 
> what do most do with the spent grain to get it out of the tun ? do most just manhandle them off the rig to empty ?
> some of the tuns look fairly locked into position with piping and temp probes etc.
> 
> i was thinking to keep the tun fairly movable for emptying would make like easier ? either my big esky or a keggle tun...
> 
> input or the chance to come look at your 3V in BNE would be appreciated
> 
> thanks




I have a 55 litre esky, I cool the grain with hose and feed it to the front lawn by hand full


----------



## hsb

Rejigged mine to be a 2V setup (with a HERMS as well), the HLT wasn't really worth the effort just doing single batches, so I've put the mill on there instead. My kettle now doubles as HLT and I (still) put my runnings in a bucket with volume markings.
The one advantage of wood, just chop a bit off here, pull a few planks off etc. 






Made a Mash paddle out of Mitre 10 Maple, $4.67 of it. Design is loosely inspired by the (puny) GN twin scoop of days gone by. Wish I had a lathe/carpentry skills, as you could knock up some nice cricket bat mash paddles i think, thought about having a v shaped back but it would have looked like the andes with my jigsaw. worked a treat in the mash.


----------



## matho

looks like a well sorted brewery hsb, nice looking mash paddle too

cheers


----------



## hsb

thanks, after a few dud brewdays (stuck mashes, electrical problems etc.) over the last few months i was about ready to chuck it in and turn to the dark side of the urn (spiedel) but i took it out on the brewery instead and all is now well again. back in business! 

the mash paddle was an easy win and my carpentry skills/equipment are definitely average, one day i'll make that ss jumbo tribute paddle lol.


----------



## camelbak28

Hi guys, Here is my Herms, take 2..... Still a work in progress, have cleaned up the wiring a bit and still has a few issues with the heat the rambo burner puts out (into everything else around it), but all in all system works well. Uses 2 PID contollers to regulate the HLT and HE temps.


----------



## BOG

camelbak28 said:


> Hi guys, Here is my Herms, take 2..... Still a work in progress, have cleaned up the wiring a bit and still has a few issues with the heat the rambo burner puts out (into everything else around it), but all in all system works well. Uses 2 PID contollers to regulate the HLT and HE temps.



that's very nice. I like the site glass concept !

BOG


----------



## Truman42

Well after 10 Biabs I decied to upgrade to a 3v herms system using Nevs Hex build and herm it pump. 
Managed to get some shelving from work that was being disposed of and designed something to suit. 
Even has a hose rack to hang all my hoses. Haven't brewed on it yet though.


----------



## browndog

camelbak28 said:


> Hi guys, Here is my Herms, take 2..... Still a work in progress, have cleaned up the wiring a bit and still has a few issues with the heat the rambo burner puts out (into everything else around it), but all in all system works well. Uses 2 PID contollers to regulate the HLT and HE temps.



Impressive, but were I conducting a risk assessment on that rig, I'd ping you for the powerboards facing up and asking for liquid to be spilled on them.

BD


----------



## Screwtop

Truman said:


> Well after 10 Biabs I decied to upgrade to a 3v herms system using Nevs Hex build and herm it pump.
> Managed to get some shelving from work that was being disposed of and designed something to suit.
> Even has a hose rack to hang all my hoses. Haven't brewed on it yet though.
> 
> View attachment 54285




Looks the Ducks Mate! Now for a trial run....... remember to record all gravities, volumes times etc.

Cheers,

Screwy


----------



## stillscottish

Finally got the new Keggle finished and the full system got its first run this week.




Just needs a bit of tidying up and the heat exchanger finished


----------



## winkle

stillscottish said:


> Finally got the new Keggle finished and the full system got its first run this week.
> 
> View attachment 54497
> 
> 
> Just needs a bit of tidying up and the heat exchanger finished


Holy crap! Looking cool.
What did you do with the geriatric mash tun - Museum donation?


----------



## NickB

Good work Campbell. The lure to the HERMS is always too strong. It is for us all....


----------



## beercoder

Hi Guys,

I've been working on a blog for my RIMS brewery which I built about a year ago. http://greyghostbrewery.wordpress.com/

It's my first AG brewery, excluding the plastic bucket system I started out with. There have been continuos upgrades since it's first inception and it will continue to evolve as time goes on.

There are a few pics and a heap of info about the system and my other gear. I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.

Cheers!


----------



## mxd

Rex Banner said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I've been working on a blog for my RIMS brewery which I built about a year ago. http://greyghostbrewery.wordpress.com/
> 
> It's my first AG brewery, excluding the plastic bucket system I started out with. There have been continuos upgrades since it's first inception and it will continue to evolve as time goes on.
> 
> There are a few pics and a heap of info about the system and my other gear. I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.
> 
> Cheers!



nice, love the software you've written, that's my long term (i.e never do it  ) plan


----------



## JaseH

My amber fluid machine :icon_cheers:


----------



## pk.sax

All the fancy shit here really puts my brewery in the flintstones era. So, here it is, finally






Chilling sorted out - yep 
Recirc sorted out - yep
Hopefully no stuck mashes!!! lol

Going to insulate the HLT and mt at some stage...


----------



## pk.sax

Sparge ring (my old manifold, slots a little too wide to be a good manifold, upgraded to falsies so didn't bother with making another)





Flow close to inlet of ring:




At the other end:





reasonably happy


----------



## gava

Hey do the STC-1000 (on/off) handle the HEX? wouldn't you overshoot all the time? Wouldn't it be much easier to get a PID controller?

From what I've seen I constantly over/undershot with a on/off setup... Switched to PID controlled and now sit on my target with about a .2->.4 swing

gav





NickB said:


> Here's some piccies of The Liquid Lunch Brewery MK3 build - control box almost there - still to add the probes for the STC-1000's, the conduit and cable to the 4x elements and 1x pump. Will be installing a dedicated 32A circuit for the new brewery when I have the time!
> 
> View attachment 53108
> 
> Outside view - labels and brewery name to be added. Green switches control the HLT (LHS) and Hex (RHS) elements, red switch is pump, and blue switches are the 2x kettle elements.
> 
> 
> View attachment 53109
> 
> Shot of the insides
> 
> 
> View attachment 53110
> 
> Shot of the back of the STC-1000's and switches
> 
> 
> View attachment 53112
> 
> Shot of the neutral bar and wiring in the bottom of the enclosure
> 
> 
> Getting there! Itching to get it up and running, but working tomorrow so not gonna happen!
> 
> Cheers


----------



## JDW81

practicalfool said:


> All the fancy shit here really puts my brewery in the flintstones era. So, here it is, finally



You think you're in the flinstones era. I still rely on good old newtonian gravity.




I think the batch I made on this particular day was rubbish, owing to me not using my trusty black milk crate. <_<


----------



## yum beer

I think the batch I made on this particular day was rubbish, owing to me not using my trusty black milk crate. <_< 
[/quote]

I pity the fool....what was ya thinken


----------



## JDW81

yum beer said:


> I think the batch I made on this particular day was rubbish, owing to me not using my trusty black milk crate. <_<
> 
> 
> I pity the fool....what was ya thinken



Lesson well and truly learnt. Black milk crates are essential for good home brew.


----------



## Gar

practicalfool said:


> All the fancy shit here really puts my brewery in the flintstones era. So, here it is, finally



Nothing wrong with that lot :icon_cheers: 

I've gotta do the old lift and tip for strike & sparge water but I'm happy... wouldn't mind sorting out a little herms setup for it eventually though.


----------



## MaestroMatt

Gar said:


> Nothing wrong with that lot :icon_cheers:
> 
> I've gotta do the old lift and tip for strike & sparge water but I'm happy... wouldn't mind sorting out a little herms setup for it eventually though.



Gar, what materials did you use for that frame? I'm looking for something very similar.

They look like school desk frames joined together or something....


----------



## Wolfy

JDW81 said:


> You think you're in the flinstones era. I still rely on good old newtonian gravity.


The drop of the edge of the balcony would give you enough pressure to run a hopback and a plate chiller without needing a pump.


----------



## camelbak28

Frothie said:


> My amber fluid machine :icon_cheers:


NIce Set up, Nice control box!


----------



## pk.sax

JDW81 said:


> You think you're in the flinstones era. I still rely on good old newtonian gravity.
> 
> View attachment 54690
> 
> 
> I think the batch I made on this particular day was rubbish, owing to me not using my trusty black milk crate. <_<


hehe.. I'd never part with my red milk crates! One's even got the imprint of a keg stamped in its bottom so they sit real steady 
btw, I considered sitting two chairs face to face and setting a plank or something between them and using that as a brew stand, but then I realised I'd have nowhere to sit anymore!


----------



## bignath

JDW81 said:


> You think you're in the flinstones era. I still rely on good old newtonian gravity.
> 
> View attachment 54690
> 
> 
> I think the batch I made on this particular day was rubbish, owing to me not using my trusty black milk crate. <_<



JD,

that's a nice view you've got there, greeting you as you kick back with a beer or several on brewday.

I get to stare at a jacuzzi that no one uses (that i'd love to sell), the cat's litter box, and the hot water service.


----------



## Gar

MaestroMatt said:


> Gar, what materials did you use for that frame? I'm looking for something very similar.
> 
> They look like school desk frames joined together or something....



Here you go Matt - http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=893065

The frames actually made from Aluminium box section, and off cuts of Aluminium plate for the braces.... If I was to re-design I'd use something more substantial than Signwhite for the shelve faces themselves though.


----------



## Steve_M

Hi,

I've just done my first ag batch biab using a 50l keggle and an italian spiral burner w/stand i just got from Beerbelly. I'm wanting to setup a brew stand with it to get it up of the ground a bit as i have just ordered a plate chiller. Has anyone used one of the 1m Work Bench's from United Storage or a Steel table from the Big Green Shed? What is the heat resistence of them and would they withstand the weight? Or any other recomendations of something similar to use - i'm not very handy on the tools.

Thanks


----------



## Amin

A stack of concrete pavers (or bricks) works for me. I think Dr Smurto has something similar to get his kettle high enough to use a plate chiller.


----------



## Wolfy

Amin said:


> A stack of concrete pavers (or bricks) works for me. I think Dr Smurto has something similar to get his kettle high enough to use a plate chiller.


If I'm not mistaken this is video features DrS's pile-of-bricks: 
(and some hops and wort too)


----------



## white.grant

I recently became the proud owner of a stick welder and put it to use making a home for my rig. Nothing fancy, though I am pleased to have everything in one place for once. 




DSC_0015 by _granty, on Flickr




DSC_0014_01 by _granty, on Flickr

No more buckets, no more milk-crates, no more multiple power leads to trip over


----------



## MaltyHops

How come noone ever incorporates some kind of tray under the
kettle (on the welded frame rigs) for containing any boil-overs?


----------



## JDW81

Big Nath said:


> JD,
> 
> that's a nice view you've got there, greeting you as you kick back with a beer or several on brewday.
> 
> I get to stare at a jacuzzi that no one uses (that i'd love to sell), the cat's litter box, and the hot water service.



I don't live there anymore, but I used to get all kinds of strange looks by passers by. I've got a nice big double garage now and very lazy brew assistant who sleeps on the floor, just close enough to the burner to keep warm.


----------



## christmas

this has been a long, long time in the works, but i can almost taste the first brew.

just got to try and stay away from the thing for another week or so until exams are finished, then finish off the fermenting fridge and get brewing!

..although that said, with the amount of delays it has taken me to get this far, it wouldn't surprise me if that esky doesn't see any grain until september.


----------



## kymba

get some grain in that bitch, now!


----------



## christmas

a mate knocked up the stand for me, and just HAD to bring it over the night before a uni exam.. it's taking all my willpower not to bolt on the pump, thermostat and plate chiller and give it a full water run.

how the hell am i going to stay away from it for a whole week?


----------



## Hairy Back

thought I'd post a photo of my rig, its still in developement, I have a S/ steel bench comming home tomorow and next week a pump so it should be all 1 level


----------



## gava

Ok so I did some upgrades to the brewrig last week(s)

problem was I had 240v and 12v in the same box and wasn't the smallest housing.. 

Solution : seperate the 12v brewtroller box and the 240v kit. here are soem pictures


So the rig at the moment (apart from chiller mounted which is shown later)








The new 12v box, was a little smaller than I should have used but in the end everything fit.













The new home for the 240v box.. Although I need to get a peice of SS cut and fitted to the front the rest is water tight will also get a bracket/stand made up for it to be off the ground

I will also need to change/shorten the power cables since its now under the power points









Mounted chilller , Ran out of zipties so using fencing wire at the moment..







Next on the upgrade list will be a new rig stand!
hope you enjoyed.

gav


----------



## pk.sax

Upgraded mast tun - insulation






Bought 1m length for 30 bucks and it will do two full sized kegs, in my case this mt & the HLT.


----------



## Cocko

Good stuff PF!

My next step:

Stand painted, control box mounted and wired [For now]... HX will be made up in the coming months...

For now:




3x 2400w inside kettle:




Went hard plumbed MT:





And please excuse the blur - but for those days when you need to fly sparge with only one pump:





Stay tuned for final HERMS config.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## Helles

Heres my HERMS system
80lt MT
80lt HLT
2 80's welded together for a boiler


----------



## kelbygreen

wow you going overboard helles! I have near filled my 80lt pot to the brim and my 70lt MT was almost full to the brim, The 50lt HLT never gets over 30lts in it. I would go with pots with less head room for heating benifits then over the top all the way  but least you got room for expansion I guess 

Oh cocko looks like shit like always have a beer and rethink the design lol


----------



## b0neski

Thought I'd post some pics of my new 2 teir setup.
It's wood with cement sheeting which seems to deal with the burner well
Ghetto march pump cover by Dexion.
I'm in the process of putting together a rims heat exchanger and control box.


----------



## beerdrinkingbob

helles said:


> Heres my HERMS system
> 80lt MT
> 80lt HLT
> 2 80's welded together for a boiler



did it brew a sour bear once and you beat the shit out of your kegs?


----------



## wakkatoo

helles said:


> Heres my HERMS system
> 80lt MT
> 80lt HLT
> 2 80's welded together for a boiler



Ironic that there appears to be 9 Richmond stickers on your locker. Reflective of their ladder position at the end of many a year?  :lol:


----------



## Screwtop

Some nice looking rigs on AHB these days, brewers lifting their game :super:

Screwy


----------



## gava

Cocko,

Have you got any picture on how you mounted thses elements? Im looking to upgrade my kettle elements like this wasn't sure the process of it.

Also where did you source your elements from?

gav





Cocko said:


> 3x 2400w inside kettle:
> 
> View attachment 55654


----------



## Cocko

gava said:


> Cocko,
> 
> Have you got any picture on how you mounted thses elements? Im looking to upgrade my kettle elements like this wasn't sure the process of it.
> 
> Also where did you source your elements from?
> 
> gav



Hey Gav,

I got my kettle from Beerbelly and got them to weld on 3x 1" sockets on for me.... The 2400w elements are from them as well, very happy with them thus far [14 brews in]

Nothing exciting, sorry mate:




And then just a project box mounted to a flange on the socket: [Screw through earthed]








Hope it helps.


----------



## Yob

Cocko said:


> Hope it helps.



You running 3 phase or using every power point in your house? 

Id bet it wouldnt take long to get to the biol?


----------



## Cocko

iamozziyob said:


> You running 3 phase or using every power point in your house?
> 
> Id bet it wouldnt take long to get to the biol?



My house is wired 3 phase - original plan was to plug in to the 3 phase socket and use the project box to split the 3 phases to each element....

Apparently, if something goes wrong with 20 amp 415v its not good!  

So, currently, I know how the phases are wired through my house so run leads to different rooms/GPOs.... but have a sparky lined up to have all 3, a power point each, installed in the brewery.

I have been batch sparging, the first runnings is boiling while I am recirculating the second, so I turn off one element, then when kettle is full [58 odd litres], 3 elements back on, it is between 8-12 minutes to the boil! - Brew day is done and dusted in 3 1/2 hours, including clean up!

Cheers


----------



## squirt in the turns

Cocko said:


> Hey Gav,
> 
> I got my kettle from Beerbelly and got them to weld on 3x 1" sockets on for me.... The 2400w elements are from them as well, very happy with them thus far [14 brews in]
> 
> Nothing exciting, sorry mate:
> 
> View attachment 55685
> 
> 
> And then just a project box mounted to a flange on the socket: [Screw through earthed]
> 
> View attachment 55686
> 
> 
> View attachment 55687
> 
> 
> 
> Hope it helps.



Hi Cocko,

I'm about to put together and electric kettle and want to include sockets on the conduit boxes like you've done. Did you source those sockets (C14, I think?) anywhere in particular? The IEC standard rates them for 10A at 70c, so I'm wondering if there'd be overheating issues with it drawing that current for extended periods of time, in close proximity to the hot elements? C15/C16 is rated for 120c so might be a better bet, but I don't have a heap of derelict equipment with those connections lying around to be cannibalised (plenty of stuff I can rip a C14 socket off, though).

Also, are those boxes waterproofed?

Cheers.


----------



## Clutch

I paid for something like this today but won't take delivery until next weekend or so.


----------



## hockadays

how much


----------



## spog

nice, very nice,loks like you will fun with that setup....cheers....spog........


Clutch said:


> I paid for something like this today but won't take delivery until next weekend or so.


----------



## white.grant

Clutch said:


> I paid for something like this today but won't take delivery until next weekend or so.



Very nice.


----------



## Robbo2234

wow that's cool!

how much did something like that set you back?
and do you have a link?


----------



## Spoonta

clean looking rig


----------



## cam89brewer

Well I am sure it wasn't the cheapest thing around but it certainly looks like it has the goods... https://brewmagic.com/brew-magic-v350ms-system


----------



## Cocko

squirt in the turns said:


> Hi Cocko,
> 
> I'm about to put together and electric kettle and want to include sockets on the conduit boxes like you've done. Did you source those sockets (C14, I think?) anywhere in particular? The IEC standard rates them for 10A at 70c, so I'm wondering if there'd be overheating issues with it drawing that current for extended periods of time, in close proximity to the hot elements? C15/C16 is rated for 120c so might be a better bet, but I don't have a heap of derelict equipment with those connections lying around to be cannibalised (plenty of stuff I can rip a C14 socket off, though).
> 
> Also, are those boxes waterproofed?
> 
> Cheers.



Hey Squirt,

I sourced all the parts from Jaycar, I have no idea of the ratings and/or what the 'C' number references you are making, sorry.

I can tell you they don't melt. I was going to go the aluminum boxes, as you will find in a post from QLD Kev in one of the element threads but figured if the box was going to conduct heat, metal would be worse....

Sorry I can't help more, I am sure some knowledgeable chap will jump in and assist!

Cheers



EDIT: Clutch, please post pics of actual unit when it arrives! Well done on the purchase... may it heal your wounds and make great beer!


----------



## jyo

Mate, that is a very tidy looking rig! Fecking awesome. 





Cocko said:


> Good stuff PF!
> 
> My next step:
> 
> Stand painted, control box mounted and wired [For now]... HX will be made up in the coming months...
> 
> For now:
> 
> View attachment 55653
> 
> 
> 3x 2400w inside kettle:
> 
> View attachment 55654
> 
> 
> Went hard plumbed MT:
> 
> View attachment 55655
> 
> 
> 
> And please excuse the blur - but for those days when you need to fly sparge with only one pump:
> 
> View attachment 55656
> 
> 
> 
> Stay tuned for final HERMS config.
> 
> :icon_cheers:


----------



## Cocko

jyo said:


> Mate, that is a very tidy looking rig! Fecking awesome.



Cheers Hom.... Its getting there.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## raven19

Cocko said:


> I sourced all the parts from Jaycar, I have no idea of the ratings and/or what the 'C' number references you are making, sorry.
> 
> I can tell you they don't melt. I was going to go the aluminum boxes, as you will find in a post from QLD Kev in one of the element threads but figured if the box was going to conduct heat, metal would be worse....



On the flip side mate, my big bertha kettle had the plastic boxes housing the electrics, and they started to soften - so I went aluminum boxes. Yes they get warm, but work a treat for me now.

My elements are 2400W ceramics which hold a lot of heat (low density), a large contribvuting factor in my metal housing choice.


----------



## Cocko

raven19 said:


> On the flip side mate, my big bertha kettle had the plastic boxes housing the electrics, and they started to soften - so I went aluminum boxes. Yes they get warm, but work a treat for me now.
> 
> My elements are 2400W ceramics which hold a lot of heat (low density), a large contribvuting factor in my metal housing choice.



Good to know mate, thanks for that.

Any pics? Also, how did you pic up on the plastic ones softening? Touch, I assume.. but how soft were they?

With the metals ones getting warm, wouldn't the plastic socket be copping a bit too?


----------



## raven19

Thread here mate: Raven's Kettle

Post 31 shows current aluminium boxes - still get warm but the IEC plugs work a treat - does not seem to soften at all.

I was finding the plastic box was softening at the base - charring even after long boils!


----------



## cam89brewer

My new 3 tier/3V rig is starting to come together a little messy but I'll get there. My Dad had some spare Gal pipe laying around so managed to end up with the stand for near nothing....


----------



## cam89brewer

Any advice or idea's?


----------



## MaltyHops

Cocko said:


> ...
> With the metals ones getting warm, wouldn't the plastic socket
> be copping a bit too?


If you want to put an IEC appliance inlet on the metal wiring
junction box, you'd need one rated for high temperature
- a C16 one like _THIS_ one (ref. IEC-320 Appliance Connectors)
rated for up to 120C - even better would be a C16A one but
you'd have to order from overseas (e.g. _here_) which is
rated for 155C.

Or if you can get some silicon mains flex, use that to join to the
element conductors & earth and pass it thru a metal cable gland
(see BA members' gallery - you know where that is  ).


----------



## Cocko

MaltyHops said:


> If you want to put an IEC appliance inlet on the metal wiring
> junction box, you'd need one rated for high temperature
> - a C16 one like _THIS_ one (ref. IEC-320 Appliance Connectors)
> rated for up to 120C - even better would be a C16A one but
> you'd have to order from overseas (e.g. _here_) which is
> rated for 155C.
> 
> Or if you can get some silicon mains flex, use that to join to the
> element conductors & earth and pass it thru a metal cable gland
> (see BA members' gallery - you know where that is  ).



Thanks heaps mate! The gland looks awesome but I don't want leads hanging off my pot....

:icon_cheers: 


@ Cambrew- looking good mate! - got any more pics?


----------



## cam89brewer

Cocko said:


> Thanks heaps mate! The gland looks awesome but I don't want leads hanging off my pot....
> 
> :icon_cheers:
> 
> 
> @ Cambrew- looking good mate! - got any more pics?



That is it for now but I will probably put some more up when I do my first batch. :icon_cheers:


----------



## cam89brewer

I originally was just going to be relying completely on gravity and just using simple step infusions like usual but I have recently bought one of those brown pumps and have considered setting it up to recirculate the mash through my urn to increase temps through the mash schedule. Has any one else done anything like this before and without any temperature control?


----------



## Dunkelbrau

What do you guys use for heating? I see a lot of electric rigs. Is that something that is better than gas or just more convenient/cheaper?

I was looking at gas, but can find info on the output required for a pot the size of the craft brewer 70l?

Any help?


----------



## cam89brewer

Jurt said:


> What do you guys use for heating? I see a lot of electric rigs. Is that something that is better than gas or just more convenient/cheaper?
> 
> I was looking at gas, but can find info on the output required for a pot the size of the craft brewer 70l?
> 
> Any help?



Electric is cheaper to run and probably about the same price to purchase, but you will have to get advice on what elements would suite as I use a 4 ring burner for my boiler.


----------



## kelbygreen

italian spiral burner. A 3 or 4 ring would work with a adjustable regulator but spiral is the way to go or the big jet burners if you want to waste heaps of gas and get it to boil faster


----------



## Helles

kelbygreen said:


> italian spiral burner. A 3 or 4 ring would work with a adjustable regulator but spiral is the way to go or the big jet burners if you want to waste heaps of gas and get it to boil faster



I like to waste heaps of gas and be boiling at the drop of a hat


----------



## keifer33

Well after toying with many different ideas I have settled (for now) with a simple BIAB rig with an extra bolt on frame to allow the bag to be attached and drain while I am in a rental. It isnt finished yet with a shelf to be added to the base and a few layers of stain to be added. Just bashing out a batch of American Amber Ale for my pending Wedding to test it out aswell.


----------



## andytork

Still a work in progress, bit the bullet yesterday and picked up a couple more pumps to simplify the plumbing. Finished off the plumbing this morning (I think), only issue is the quick disconnects are leaking, I used o-rings instead of the flat washers, either need fatter o-rings or go back to double flat washers (those QD's really give me the s?i#s)

Waiting on my Relay boards and last of the SSRs to arrive before I can hook up the controller. 

Once I done the first run, I will figure out what the plumbing should look like and add some uprights / brackets to the stand to tidy things up. The stud wall behing leads directy to my study / PC so wil be running a CAT5 from there


----------



## christmas

> only issue is the quick disconnects are leaking



This has been a big issue for me in my brewery build too. One way I minimised the leakage is to make sure the females are "in" connections only - using them for outs was hopeless (especially on the pump output). It's given me some pretty big limitations and is really bloody annoying considering how much I paid for them.

Are you able to quickly run through what you mean about using washers instead of o-rings, or point me in the right direction to find out?

Awesome rig by the way.


----------



## jyo

Keifer, that is an awesome set up. Simple, functional, looks great, awesome!


Some great rigs here, guys. I really have to get a giddy up on my upgrade.



keifer33 said:


> Well after toying with many different ideas I have settled (for now) with a simple BIAB rig with an extra bolt on frame to allow the bag to be attached and drain while I am in a rental. It isnt finished yet with a shelf to be added to the base and a few layers of stain to be added. Just bashing out a batch of American Amber Ale for my pending Wedding to test it out aswell.
> 
> View attachment 55796


----------



## cam89brewer

andytork said:


> Still a work in progress, bit the bullet yesterday and picked up a couple more pumps to simplify the plumbing. Finished off the plumbing this morning (I think), only issue is the quick disconnects are leaking, I used o-rings instead of the flat washers, either need fatter o-rings or go back to double flat washers (those QD's really give me the s?i#s)
> 
> Waiting on my Relay boards and last of the SSRs to arrive before I can hook up the controller.
> 
> Once I done the first run, I will figure out what the plumbing should look like and add some uprights / brackets to the stand to tidy things up. The stud wall behing leads directy to my study / PC so wil be running a CAT5 from there
> 
> 
> View attachment 55797



This is a really nice set up! Do you think you will have to do a fair bit of cleaning at the end of the brew day?


----------



## Wolfy

andytork said:


> Once I done the first run, I will figure out what the plumbing should look like and add some uprights / brackets to the stand to tidy things up.


Looks good, please post some more pictures/details when you have finished, it seems you're doing some interesting things (like open outlets at bottom of the vessels and valves at the top).


----------



## spog

now that is a simple but efficient set up,call it the hangmans brewery :icon_cheers: .....cheers,,,spog..........


keifer33 said:


> Well after toying with many different ideas I have settled (for now) with a simple BIAB rig with an extra bolt on frame to allow the bag to be attached and drain while I am in a rental. It isnt finished yet with a shelf to be added to the base and a few layers of stain to be added. Just bashing out a batch of American Amber Ale for my pending Wedding to test it out aswell.
> 
> View attachment 55796


----------



## Malted

Cocko said:


> View attachment 55685


No disrespect intended but this is not up to the quality of that which I am used to seeing Wayne produce. That is a rough looking weld compared to others I have seen him produce.

"Image of socket welded to pot"


----------



## andytork

christmas said:


> This has been a big issue for me in my brewery build too. One way I minimised the leakage is to make sure the females are "in" connections only - using them for outs was hopeless (especially on the pump output). It's given me some pretty big limitations and is really bloody annoying considering how much I paid for them.
> 
> Are you able to quickly run through what you mean about using washers instead of o-rings, or point me in the right direction to find out?
> 
> Awesome rig by the way.



I will send some pictures of the washers when I find them / buy some more. Should be in next couple of days
I use males on the outlets. Females on the hoses and males are much cheaper 



cambrew said:


> This is a really nice set up! Do you think you will have to do a fair bit of cleaning at the end of the brew day?



That's where my friends caustic soda and a wet / dry vac will come in (not together of course) !



Wolfy said:


> Looks good, please post some more pictures/details when you have finished, it seems you're doing some interesting things (like open outlets at bottom of the vessels and valves at the top).



The valve locations were only to mock it up, although they are plumbed and appear to be working good from the tests. As we all do, will see how it goes and make changes on the fly. This is the first cut of the plumbing. 

Hopefully the rest of the elctronics components will turn up this week so I can do V1 of the controller


----------



## Cocko

Malted said:


> No disrespect intended but this is not up to the quality of that which I am used to seeing Wayne produce. That is a rough looking weld compared to others I have seen him produce.
> 
> "Image of socket welded to pot"



No disrespect to me mate, its a Beer Belly weld!

The photo makes it look a little worse than it is... Next time I have the elements out, I will take another.

The only other pix I have [shitty phone pix]


----------



## Screwtop

andytork said:


> I will send some pictures of the washers when I find them / buy some more. S




Interested also, two of my SS QD's leak, always forget to put the hoses away for identification after brewday. So next brewday I find them again when they leak. Got mine from Ross at Craftbrewer, only two leak out of the 10 that I have, no biggie but bloody annoying. Sometimes if I remove the washers and push them back in they seal ok. Would like to know where to buy replacements/spares from.

Screwy


----------



## TidalPete

Screwtop said:


> Interested also, two of my SS QD's leak, always forget to put the hoses away for identification after brewday. So next brewday I find them again when they leak. Got mine from Ross at Craftbrewer, only two leak out of the 10 that I have, no biggie but bloody annoying. Sometimes if I remove the washers and push them back in they seal ok. Would like to know where to buy replacements/spares from.
> 
> Screwy



When I asked Ross a while ago he claimed he planned on stocking spare seals. Don't know if this has happened yet but plan on asking when collecting my BB grain next Saturday.


----------



## Screwtop

TidalPete said:


> When I asked Ross a while ago he claimed he planned on stocking spare seals. Don't know if this has happened yet but plan on asking when collecting my BB grain next Saturday.



Might try the local air/hydraulics place, should be readily available.


Now Back On Topic...


Screwy


----------



## bum

Malted said:


> No disrespect intended but this is not up to the quality of that which I am used to seeing Wayne produce. That is a rough looking weld compared to others I have seen him produce.
> 
> "Image of socket welded to pot"


That's what my kettle from BB looks like. I recall getting a thorough reaming for suggesting it wasn't the most perfect work to ever grace a brewery a little while ago.


----------



## andytork

Cant find any without pulling out of working QD's (which is not easy without damaging)

I will pickup a few tomorrow on the way home from work, can take some measurements then. Will re-test them, if they work (did last time) happy to grab loads and post to anyone who wants them



Screwtop said:


> Interested also, two of my SS QD's leak, always forget to put the hoses away for identification after brewday. So next brewday I find them again when they leak. Got mine from Ross at Craftbrewer, only two leak out of the 10 that I have, no biggie but bloody annoying. Sometimes if I remove the washers and push them back in they seal ok. Would like to know where to buy replacements/spares from.
> 
> Screwy


----------



## Spoonta

keifer33 said:


> Well after toying with many different ideas I have settled (for now) with a simple BIAB rig with an extra bolt on frame to allow the bag to be attached and drain while I am in a rental. It isnt finished yet with a shelf to be added to the base and a few layers of stain to be added. Just bashing out a batch of American Amber Ale for my pending Wedding to test it out aswell.
> 
> View attachment 55796




looks the goods mate


----------



## Yob

cambrew said:


> I originally was just going to be relying completely on gravity and just using simple step infusions like usual but I have recently bought one of those brown pumps and have considered setting it up to recirculate the mash through my urn to increase temps through the mash schedule. Has any one else done anything like this before and without any temperature control?



You will need temp control on it mate, and also is a good idea to insulate the lines.. I found I lost quite a bit of heat to the lines when recirculating

I started to get dialled in nicely about HERE

Yob


----------



## christmas

Almost there, put a control panel in and waiting on my bulk buy brown pump for plate chiller.

Then it's time for the fermentation fridge, followed by the keezer, and maybe one day in the foreseeable future I will actually start brewing beer. This is taking ages.


----------



## Fish13

well i got mine sort of finished...


----------



## yum beer

fish13 said:


> well i got mine sort of finished...



I thunk your camera is drunk


----------



## Clutch

A close up of mine.


----------



## Fish13

yum beer said:


> I thunk your camera is drunk



yeah the lens was a bit foggy today...


----------



## Rob S

Finally finished my pot in a pot bastardised 2v HERMS.

40L SS pot.
19L Alum Big W pot
0.9mm stainless mesh 

40L Crown Urn with hex inside
Italian spiral burner with Cigweld regulator
etc






Running it now with some napisan through it.

First test run is Thursday morning.....Can't Wait!!!!


----------



## soundawake

Clutch said:


> A close up of mine.



:icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:


----------



## glenwal

Clutch said:


> A close up of mine.



I hate you


----------



## rotten

Clutch said:


> A close up of mine.




That's $7000 worth of kit according to the website  

Is that right if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## andytork

(off topic follow up)

Dont think the pictures will help much, but here is the 2 washer combo (doesn't leak) against the 2.5mm silicone o-ring (does leak). They pretty much look the same but I quess because the male QD has a bevelled edge and the o-ring is not under any real compression there is probably room for leak. there is less free play in QD when the flat washers are installed. Perhaps a 3mm o-ring would work









Screwtop said:


> Interested also, two of my SS QD's leak, always forget to put the hoses away for identification after brewday. So next brewday I find them again when they leak. Got mine from Ross at Craftbrewer, only two leak out of the 10 that I have, no biggie but bloody annoying. Sometimes if I remove the washers and push them back in they seal ok. Would like to know where to buy replacements/spares from.
> 
> Screwy


----------



## raven19

Rob S said:


> View attachment 56028



'God Switch' - brilliant labelling there all round.


----------



## kelbygreen

what if your making a wheat beer rob S?? you have to put wheat in that


----------



## kezza

Recieved some bling from punkin today the start of my 3v rig


----------



## Dan Pratt

here is my single vessel brewing system....

40lt Birko Urn, exposed element, 1/2 ball valve, removed sight glass.



Brown pump with cistern hoses



Top view of vessel - wort return system - bucket in urn brewing



A view of the holes drilled into the copper pipe



The bucket in urn without the wort return.



Splatter guard on top of the bucket base



The cake rack, about 75mm clearance from the element.



Going to try an Aussie Ale this weekend, milling the grain at 1.5mm. from previous uses, flow control will be vital to a good step mash.

75% AUS ale
17% AUS Wheat
5% Flaked Wheat
3% Munich 1

Hops - Galaxy, Cascade & Citra

OG 1052

Wyeast 1056

Strike water 30 litres
Knock out 20litres ferment
4 litres trub

Step Mash Schedule

Mash in 53
Protien Rest - 50/10
Sacc - 66/60
A-amylase - 72/10
Mash out 78

5lt sparge with tap water/boiled water at 78 degree

90 min boil


----------



## Clutch

rotten said:


> That's $7000 worth of kit according to the website
> 
> Is that right if you don't mind me asking?



Brand new, yeah, not including shipping, the Chill Wizard and the transformer.
I bought it used though.


----------



## randomiser

Hi guys,
This is my 3 vessel single tier brew setup.



Inside of boil kettle



Outside of boil kettle



Chiller



Mash tun





Burner


----------



## randomiser

Silicone outlet hose with valve for bleeding air from the line so the march pump can easily prime



March pump


March pump and chiller


----------



## BPH87

Hey Randomiser!

Sweet looking setup you got going there!

Cheers Ben


----------



## randomiser

Cheers BPH,
It has taken a while to get to this stage, but I'm pretty happy with it. I think having a silicone gasket between the valve and the kettle wall, then tightening the nut and washer from the inside is the best way to do weldless connections. I have not had any leaks doing it like this. Other configurations I have seen rely on thread tape to stop wort leaking out. This configuration doesn't. 

I was having trouble priming the march pump too. I trawled through forums looking for a way to bleed air. I have seen posts where people have put a bleed point at the pump discharge. To me this seemed like a bad idea because you would spill beer and make mess in order prime the pump. I also think the vent should be at a high point. With my configuration you open up the valve from the vessel then slowly open the vent valve to let the air escape and the pump inlet line to fill with liquid. When the line is fully primed, close the top valve and you're good to go. I haven't seen anywhere else that uses the same configuration as what I have used and would strongly recommend it if you're having priming issues.

My mate helped with the pump 'stand'. It's just a downpipe clamp drilled into a block of wood. 

Cheers


----------



## BPH87

I am not sure about your priming issues mate, but all the other lads on here would know. Check out Don Burke's & Sim's & the "red rocket" brew rigs. I was pretty keen to design a system around a Sabco "Brew magic" system

Cheers


----------



## mattric

Clutch said:


> A close up of mine....



So how is the Brew magic system? Is she worth the money?


----------



## cat007

Hey

This is to everyone who has a 3 keg single tier setup with pumps and what not.

How do you go about cleaning the mash tun and kettle? Do you take the mash tun and kettle off the rig to clean them?

I'm about to design a new rig to do full keg sized batches - automated with an opentroller DX1 but I'm just not sure if there's a simple way to clean everything, pipes included, without taking everything apart and stripping the brew rig down each time.

How do you get the grains out of the mash tun for example?

Cheers 

Hunt


----------



## adniels3n

Hunt said:


> How do you get the grains out of the mash tun for example?



Pick it up & tip it in the bin. If it's too heavy, use a Wet/dry shop vacuum cleaner.


----------



## pk.sax

Take a mug/scoop and scoop it out into a bucket. Pete in Boronia has his setup with a hinge system so he can tip it upside down in place into a bucket.
Scooping out is fairly quick and painless though.


----------



## Wolfy

Hunt said:


> This is to everyone who has a 3 keg single tier setup with pumps and what not.
> 
> How do you go about cleaning the mash tun and kettle? Do you take the mash tun and kettle off the rig to clean them?
> 
> I'm about to design a new rig to do full keg sized batches - automated with an opentroller DX1 but I'm just not sure if there's a simple way to clean everything, pipes included, without taking everything apart and stripping the brew rig down each time.
> 
> How do you get the grains out of the mash tun for example?


Unless I'm going to disassemble the fittings, I don't take the converted-kegs off the stand - just clean them where they are.
I scoop out the spent grain with _special _decoction jug, put a bucket under the tap (which is in the bottom of the keg) and wash out the rest of the grain with a hose and then give it a wipe with a rag - if I do that while the kettle is boiling it does not usually need anything more (and takes only about 5mins). Kettle is cleaned in much the same way, with the addition of a percarbonate wash that is recirculated though the pump/lines/etc.
Its a good idea to disassemble and strip everything for a thorough clean - how often you do that is a matter of personal preference (and laziness).


----------



## mxd

I've just upgraded my MLT to an 80 ltr insulted pot and my HX (the stainless coil and kettle) 

https://picasaweb.google.com/11425105505970...403/NewMLTAndHX

Gave it a test run (no grain) yesterday, a few leaks but not too bad.

Had 40 ltrs of watr in the MLT and was ramping at 2 degress over 3 minutes (which is similar to my last HX)

I will give it a run with grain this weekend, will try to make it to the Melbourne brewers brewday.


----------



## Tim

I thought I would share a pic of my current brewery. Having started out on a ghetto bucket of death system and then going up to a 3V 60L setup, I have simplified things now and moved towards a single vessel brewery with a removable lauter tun (currently a 20L bucket with a perforated bottom, will upgrade to stainless soon) for full volume mashing aka BIAB style. All up the bits and pieces here probably are pushing towards making a braumeister look economical, but I have been accumulating this stuff over the last 10 years.

Aside form the lauter tun, I still need to tidy up the wiring and potentially put a PID based temp controller for recirculated mashing but as always its work in process and light years ahead of my old bucket and esky system (although that did produce some great beer)

Tim


----------



## Bugglz

Here is my baby, two years in the making! Still have to make a mash return manifold and mount the control box and heat exchanger properly, but you get the idea.


----------



## Fish13

fish13 said:


> well i got mine sort of finished...



The new setup






Still a work in progress. but it will allow me to do full batches now . i think

One of the urns has a temp dial on it and the other has a power setting to the element dial. they are also both made by birko too.
THe temp dial one will be the mash tun and the secondary run off kettle. the power setting one will be the main kettle. My only problem will be sparging if i need too... hmmm i might be able to use the sparge water in the kettle to get my volumes right.

Back to the drawing board.


----------



## Fish13

and done. no leaks or problems. Its now power pack time and brewing


----------



## Edak

Nice work fish, I see you treat the birko like a baby 

If using a pump for recirc try to keep your pipe to a minimum length so you don't lose too much heat energy.

This is my single vessel braumeister clone. I have to put together a build thread for it though.


----------



## Fish13

Edak said:


> Nice work fish, I see you treat the birko like a baby
> 
> If using a pump for recirc try to keep your pipe to a minimum length so you don't lose too much heat energy.
> 
> This is my single vessel braumeister clone. I have to put together a build thread for it though.



yeah still need to get a bench for it to all go on. I will end up getting a STC-1000 for it and look at a PID or something better then an egg timer to get my temps right.


----------



## Kappow

wraped my mash tun with some wood this weekend


----------



## gap

Kappow said:


> View attachment 57162
> 
> 
> wraped my mash tun with some wood this weekend




more info please. i would like to do the same.

Regards


Graeme


----------



## dougsbrew

Kappow said:


> View attachment 57162
> 
> 
> wraped my mash tun with some wood this weekend




Very nice coopering there. i really like when some one turns a peice of appartus intop a peice of art. well done.


----------



## b0neski

Kappow said:


> View attachment 57162
> 
> 
> wraped my mash tun with some wood this weekend



Nice job. I'm thinking of doing something similar with my portakeg. How did you go about this?


----------



## adryargument

Had all week to myself, so i started to knock together the new stand with my new welder.
Loosely based on the Brutus 10 - Built to comfortable fit 3 x 98l kettles with room to upsize.

Stand is approximately 2050 l x 595 w x 700 h

Will be putting on a 2.5mm checkered steel plate for the top and the shelf to spread the kettle weight.

Over the next few weeks i will also be adding:
- Hard plumbing water
- Braudruino controller
- Possible Mash Tippy
- Wheels / pump shields etc


----------



## Kappow

i wrapped with 6mm rubber matt first then the wood is from bunnings its 40x12 tassie oak and the rings are black colourbond with some adjustable latchers pop riveted to the colourbond to hold it all together


----------



## Dan Pratt

Tim said:


> I thought I would share a pic of my current brewery. Having started out on a ghetto bucket of death system and then going up to a 3V 60L setup, I have simplified things now and moved towards a single vessel brewery with a removable lauter tun (currently a 20L bucket with a perforated bottom, will upgrade to stainless soon) for full volume mashing aka BIAB style. All up the bits and pieces here probably are pushing towards making a braumeister look economical, but I have been accumulating this stuff over the last 10 years.
> 
> Aside form the lauter tun, I still need to tidy up the wiring and potentially put a PID based temp controller for recirculated mashing but as always its work in process and light years ahead of my old bucket and esky system (although that did produce some great beer)
> 
> Tim



hi tim, 

i have a similar system with a PID controller wired up to control the temp when recirculating during mashing. Im currently having some issues with getting the bucket inside the urn to recirculate the wort through the grain bed>>> even with quality milled grain at 1.5mm, a bucket with a million 6mm holes in it and the splatter guard seems to be clogging up>>>. ive been trying the step mash from 50 - 66 - 72 - 78. 

The path of least resistance isnt through the grain, its overflowing the bucket and back into the urn, not what im after. 

Have you been able to step mash from temp to temp? and have you been able to recirculate during the entire mash? interested to know what hurdles you have had with the setup your running.

Dan


----------



## Tim

Pratty1 said:


> hi tim,
> 
> i have a similar system with a PID controller wired up to control the temp when recirculating during mashing. Im currently having some issues with getting the bucket inside the urn to recirculate the wort through the grain bed>>> even with quality milled grain at 1.5mm, a bucket with a million 6mm holes in it and the splatter guard seems to be clogging up>>>. ive been trying the step mash from 50 - 66 - 72 - 78.
> 
> The path of least resistance isnt through the grain, its overflowing the bucket and back into the urn, not what im after.
> 
> Have you been able to step mash from temp to temp? and have you been able to recirculate during the entire mash? interested to know what hurdles you have had with the setup your running.
> 
> Dan




Hi Dan
I've had a few similar issues but do a single infusion mash and only recirc at mash out for which I lift the lauter pipe out. I'm finding that recirculating does not really increase the clarity much and the bucket wants to fill rather than drain. 

I was considering a stainless lauter pipe but think a separate mash lautering vessel might be better but use a full volume mash still. 
Efficiency may drop but I get 84% at the moment anyhow. 

I'm just trying to keep it simple but functional on a small footprint. A separate mlt vessel would also get me away from skyhooking which usually ends up messy. 

Tim


----------



## labels

50 Litre brewery I built about three years ago. With HERMS coil, pump, electric heated HLT and LPG heated kettle


----------



## Edak

labels said:


> 50 Litre brewery I built about three years ago. With HERMS coil, pump, electric heated HLT and LPG heated kettle
> 
> View attachment 57170



Holy bejesus how many valves do you have?

Looks awesome! I totally want to make a wooden cover for my homemade braumeister, would look even cooler than the space jacket mine has.

I am guessing that you just run PBW through everything to clean? It looks like it is all fixed together.


----------



## b0neski

Kappow said:


> i wrapped with 6mm rubber matt first then the wood is from bunnings its 40x12 tassie oak and the rings are black colourbond with some adjustable latchers pop riveted to the colourbond to hold it all together



Ok so the wood is just held on by the tension of the colourbond straps? No glue holding the wood on?


----------



## bigfridge

labels said:


> 50 Litre brewery I built about three years ago. With HERMS coil, pump, electric heated HLT and LPG heated kettle
> 
> View attachment 57170



One suggestion for anyone looking to duplicate - fixed pipework should be self draining ie you should be able to turn a valve or similar and the whole pipe network drains to avoid liquid becoming trapped.


----------



## raven19

b0neski said:


> Ok so the wood is just held on by the tension of the colourbond straps? No glue holding the wood on?



Looks very nice! I would suspect hed used some temporary strapping/rope to hold them all in place then go the tigther colourbond straps to fix it all into place? Awesome job - some closer brew p0rn piccies required in this thread me thinks.


----------



## Kappow

raven19 said:


> Looks very nice! I would suspect hed used some temporary strapping/rope to hold them all in place then go the tigther colourbond straps to fix it all into place? Awesome job - some closer brew p0rn piccies required in this thread me thinks.




yep raven right onto it


----------



## labels

Lots of valves. It based on an inlet and outlet manifold connected to the inlet and outlet side of the pump. This allows me to transfer liquid from any place to any place. There are also to long tubes on each manifold that reach nearly to the ground that are for draing and cleaning purpose.

The wood acts as an insulator. It is held in place with two stainless steel bands and are tightened quite tight. The wood (Jarrah) is heavily varnished with marine grade varnish on all sides.

Ther 2nd hand stainless bench was a lucky find. The burner side was already in place and required only minor modification. It originally held a wok / wok burner, now holds the kettle.


----------



## b0neski

labels said:


> The wood acts as an insulator. It is held in place with two stainless steel bands and are tightened quite tight. The wood (Jarrah) is heavily varnished with marine grade varnish on all sides.



Interested to know how you went about tightening the bands. Maybe you could throw a pic up if that would explain it better?


----------



## seravitae

This is a nice and tidy brewery Tim. I like it.



Tim said:


> I thought I would share a pic of my current brewery. Having started out on a ghetto bucket of death system and then going up to a 3V 60L setup, I have simplified things now and moved towards a single vessel brewery with a removable lauter tun (currently a 20L bucket with a perforated bottom, will upgrade to stainless soon) for full volume mashing aka BIAB style. All up the bits and pieces here probably are pushing towards making a braumeister look economical, but I have been accumulating this stuff over the last 10 years.
> 
> Aside form the lauter tun, I still need to tidy up the wiring and potentially put a PID based temp controller for recirculated mashing but as always its work in process and light years ahead of my old bucket and esky system (although that did produce some great beer)
> 
> Tim


----------



## labels

This is how I worked out how to tighten straps around the mash tun. The photo says it all.


----------



## humulus

Tim said:


> I thought I would share a pic of my current brewery. Having started out on a ghetto bucket of death system and then going up to a 3V 60L setup, I have simplified things now and moved towards a single vessel brewery with a removable lauter tun (currently a 20L bucket with a perforated bottom, will upgrade to stainless soon) for full volume mashing aka BIAB style. All up the bits and pieces here probably are pushing towards making a braumeister look economical, but I have been accumulating this stuff over the last 10 years.
> 
> Aside form the lauter tun, I still need to tidy up the wiring and potentially put a PID based temp controller for recirculated mashing but as always its work in process and light years ahead of my old bucket and esky system (although that did produce some great beer)
> Tim


Tim where did you get your stand from?,I love it!


----------



## Rowy

It's got hospital written all over it!


----------



## mattieharding

Kappow said:


> View attachment 57162
> 
> 
> wraped my mash tun with some wood this weekend



Whats the pvc tube next to it?


----------



## Cocko

mattieharding said:


> Whats the pvc tube next to it?



I would assume it is one of these: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...=63362&st=0


----------



## IainMcLean

Occam's Razor - the simplest way is usually the best way! 



labels said:


> This is how I worked out how to tighten straps around the mash tun. The photo says it all.


----------



## b0neski

labels said:


> This is how I worked out how to tighten straps around the mash tun. The photo says it all.



Excellent thanks for the heads up on that one.


----------



## wessmith

labels said:


> This is how I worked out how to tighten straps around the mash tun. The photo says it all.



Ockey straps to do the temporary hold then get a couple of 150mm hose clamps from Pirtec or similar and rivet the stainless strap onto the fittings. Posted a "how to" with pics years ago - will try and find it.

Wes


----------



## labels

wessmith said:


> Ockey straps to do the temporary hold then get a couple of 150mm hose clamps from Pirtec or similar and rivet the stainless strap onto the fittings. Posted a "how to" with pics years ago - will try and find it.
> 
> Wes



That'l work. I used strapping as a temporary hold, the stuff they use to tie down pallets, you can do that stuff up really tight. But for permanent, coiling the ends of strap around around a dowell and using a threaded rod to pull them together means you get them super tight.


----------



## b0neski

labels said:


> That'l work. I used strapping as a temporary hold, the stuff they use to tie down pallets, you can do that stuff up really tight. But for permanent, coiling the ends of strap around around a dowell and using a threaded rod to pull them together means you get them super tight.



Here's a pretty good HOW TO I found on the intertwizzle.
It even explains how to calculate the correct bevel angles on the staves.
Can't wait to get home because I'M PIMPING MY PORTAKEG WITH WOOD BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOYA!


----------



## labels

b0neski said:


> Here's a pretty good HOW TO I found on the intertwizzle.
> It even explains how to calculate the correct bevel angles on the staves.
> Can't wait to get home because I'M PIMPING MY PORTAKEG WITH WOOD BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> BOOYA!



The 'staves' in this case are Jarrah parquetry tiles. They are already chamfered but not enough for the mash tun. I used a router mounted in a router table and the correct bit to chamfer them to the correct angle. Then, using the router table again I routered a wide, but shallow trench (maybe 5mm deep only) down the centre back of each piece so it hugs the circumference.


----------



## b0neski

labels said:


> The 'staves' in this case are Jarrah parquetry tiles. They are already chamfered but not enough for the mash tun. I used a router mounted in a router table and the correct bit to chamfer them to the correct angle. Then, using the router table again I routered a wide, but shallow trench (maybe 5mm deep only) down the centre back of each piece so it hugs the circumference.



Sweet. Good idea on the parquetry tiles.
I have a bunch of spotted gum floorboards. I plan to machine them a bit thinner, then rip them into maybe 3 staves per board.
Hopefully it should fit snugly on the 6mm yoga mat that I'll wrap around the portakeg.


----------



## tinnyhaha

Here's the progress of my herms HLT, dressed up with 400 grit wet and dry ready for the final buff.
After 6 weeks of design, counter design, experimentation with jigs and tools etc. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel


----------



## Cocko

Tinnyhaha said:


> Here's the progress of my herms HLT, dressed up with 400 grit wet and dry ready for the final buff.
> After 6 weeks of design, counter design, experimentation with jigs and tools etc. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel
> View attachment 57313



Ok, so we have, Sight glass and bracket.

Out tap and Thermometer above it?

WTF are the other 2 for on a HLT?

Looks nice BTW!


----------



## Acasta

Cocko said:


> Ok, so we have, Sight glass and bracket.
> 
> Out tap and Thermometer above it?
> 
> WTF are the other 2 for on a HLT?
> 
> Looks nice BTW!


Herms coil?


----------



## adraine

Element and water fill ports?


----------



## tinnyhaha

adraine said:


> Element and water fill ports?



NO NO NO! Its for the herms coil. When I step the mash temp up I'll recycle through a heat exchanging coil in my HLT.


----------



## Cocko

Tinnyhaha said:


> NO NO NO! Its for the herms coil. When I step the mash temp up I'll recycle through a heat exchanging coil in my HLT.



Gas fired HLT then?


----------



## tinnyhaha

Yep! I'm still tossing around the pros and cons of natural or bottle gas though.


----------



## Yob

whatever burns the cleanest after a polish like that


----------



## tinnyhaha

I'm currently using a spiral gas ring and I'm really happy with the results. Heaps of heat and no soot.


----------



## tinnyhaha

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of converting a DAS PLUS keg to a mash tun.


----------



## labels

Tinnyhaha said:


> Here's the progress of my herms HLT, dressed up with 400 grit wet and dry ready for the final buff.
> After 6 weeks of design, counter design, experimentation with jigs and tools etc. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel


 That is some amazing metalwork and dedication, man whatever the final outcome it's going to be pretty awsome - I'm impressed.


----------



## Cocko

I would be asking more about knowledge of a gas fired HX and controlled stepping 





Edit: But yeah, amazing polish and construction - am also hanging to watch it be born!


----------



## tinnyhaha

THANKS FOR THE THUMBS UP GUYS


----------



## tinnyhaha

The only down side for me is the copper herms coil. 
The stainless steel option just got to dame difficult.


----------



## Lakey

Tinnyhaha said:


> Here's the progress of my herms HLT, dressed up with 400 grit wet and dry ready for the final buff.
> After 6 weeks of design, counter design, experimentation with jigs and tools etc. I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel
> View attachment 57313



BLING BLING!


----------



## QldKev

Tinnyhaha said:


> The only down side for me is the copper herms coil.
> The stainless steel option just got to dame difficult.



Have you seen these s/s coils


QldKev


----------



## tinnyhaha

Yes I have Kev. Thanks anyway. I anticipated I need a length of 12meters x 1/2" for a complete temp transfer @ 5 liters per minute.
Great site BTW. I love the pic of the kids cooling of in the pool.

Cheers,


----------



## paulhill

well my rig is not done yet. 
far from it in fact but it will be good to do its first gravity brew tomorrow 

ill be adding pumps and rims as i can afford them 

but hear is what i got done today


----------



## tinnyhaha

Nice work. I especially like the lid concept. I spent weeks searching for my source and then more time juggling size issues.
How did you cut your openings????


----------



## Fish13

Added some more bits and pieces to the urn. Will update it a bit further with the new lauter tun and kettle.


----------



## paulhill

i used a 4" grinder with 1mm thick blades 
went thru a few blades but its quiet easy to do 

if you place the guard of the grinder on the handle of the keg facing out you can use is as a guide 
just slip it around.


----------



## hsb

Same here (used keg lid as the guide)
I'd also recommend not trying to cut too deep as you go. Make lots of rotations and the grinder will slowly but surely cut through. If you force it, it'll just burn through lots of discs. Also stay out of the plane of the blade obviously - saw a youtube video once of a circular saw blade come loose and go flying through front yards, scary stuff.
I've seen some people make up a wooden jig for the grinder but seems like overkill to me, a circle is pretty easy to get using a texter line as a start guide, then the grinder/keg lid to guide you round. Tidy up once you're through.


----------



## paulhill

your so right about the depth thing 

also the grinder makes a great maker 
just run it lightly around the ring at the same angle 





hsb said:


> Same here (used keg lid as the guide)
> I'd also recommend not trying to cut too deep as you go. Make lots of rotations and the grinder will slowly but surely cut through. If you force it, it'll just burn through lots of discs. Also stay out of the plane of the blade obviously - saw a youtube video once of a circular saw blade come loose and go flying through front yards, scary stuff.
> I've seen some people make up a wooden jig for the grinder but seems like overkill to me, a circle is pretty easy to get using a texter line as a start guide, then the grinder/keg lid to guide you round. Tidy up once you're through.


----------



## Cocko

Have just cleaned up after my first brew on my new RIMS system...

I was going to go HERMS but with Punkins rims being such a well priced solution I was swayed... and by Rav, who I thank for his help.

Ok,

98L - 7200w kettle
70L - MLT - Hard plumbed falsie
70L - HLT - Over side element driven.

Only thing I don't like about it is the control panel, PID was deeper then I thought so had to double up the project box.

Other than that, a programmable step mash system had me giggling like a school girl while I brewed today.

In sleep mode:






In BREW mode:






Go team rims!


----------



## donburke

Cocko said:


> Have just cleaned up after my first brew on my new RIMS system...
> 
> I was going to go HERMS but with Punkins rims being such a well priced solution I was swayed... and by Rav, who I thank for his help.
> 
> Ok,
> 
> 98L - 7200w kettle
> 70L - MLT - Hard plumbed falsie
> 70L - HLT - Over side element driven.
> 
> Only thing I don't like about it is the control panel, PID was deeper then I thought so had to double up the project box.
> 
> Other than that, a programmable step mash system had me giggling like a school girl while I brewed today.
> 
> In sleep mode:
> 
> View attachment 57390
> 
> 
> 
> In BREW mode:
> 
> View attachment 57391
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Go team rims!




congratulations, looks the goods cocko, its got that pristine brand new look about it ... 

bet you giggled like a bitch, got any video of that ?

whats the deal with the movable pump ?


----------



## Cocko

donburke said:


> congratulations, looks the goods cocko, its got that pristine brand new look about it ...
> 
> bet you giggled like a bitch, got any video of that ?
> 
> whats the deal with the movable pump ?



Thanks DB!

The rig is about 20 brews in, just the addition of the rims and controller had its cherry popped today, but yeah it is aging well... I do clean the hell out of it after each brew, as I am sure you do yours, you don't spend so much money and time to not do your best to maintain its life.

I do have video of me giggling, very much in a bitch type manner but can't post it due to the fact I brew naked.

The pump: The top 2 taps are on a cam lock so come off, the pump is mounted to a plate of metal, actually it is a rack shelf from my music studio, it was a temporary solution during the build but have found it handy to be able to pick up the pump for cleaning/draining etc... also, when it is inside were it is stored, I store my grain tubs in the space moving the pump creates. 

In bed mode:







EDIT: Yes Grain tubs are empty, BB anyone?


----------



## browndog

Cocko said:


> Have just cleaned up after my first brew on my new RIMS system...
> 
> I was going to go HERMS but with Punkins rims being such a well priced solution I was swayed... and by Rav, who I thank for his help.
> 
> Ok,
> 
> 98L - 7200w kettle
> 70L - MLT - Hard plumbed falsie
> 70L - HLT - Over side element driven.
> 
> Only thing I don't like about it is the control panel, PID was deeper then I thought so had to double up the project box.
> 
> Other than that, a programmable step mash system had me giggling like a school girl while I brewed today.
> 
> In sleep mode:
> 
> View attachment 57390
> 
> 
> 
> In BREW mode:
> 
> View attachment 57391
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Go team rims!




A thing of beauty Cocko, and works to boot!


----------



## kelbygreen

nice rig I would brew naked on that to  least it doesnt have flames like mine they can do damage when you get a hard on


----------



## Cocko

browndog said:


> A thing of beauty Cocko, and works to boot!



Cheers BD! Nothing better than that feeling, when you have spent hours and hours planning, reading and building to have it work perfectly!




kelbygreen said:


> nice rig I would brew naked on that to  least it doesnt have flames like mine they can do damage when you get a hard on



I generally have a hard on. But yeah, electric is the best move I've made, sometimes I bang out a cheeky batch inside, it is right near a door, so just run a fan from kettle to door... \m/


----------



## Wolfman

Cocko said:


> Have just cleaned up after my first brew on my new RIMS system...
> 
> I was going to go HERMS but with Punkins rims being such a well priced solution I was swayed... and by Rav, who I thank for his help.


Looking at one of Punkins rims. Worth the cash Cocko? I only do single batches so just need the small element. Ramp temps were good?



Cocko said:


> EDIT: Yes Grain tubs are empty, BB anyone?



How kind of you to put your hand up for the next bulk buy! You are a true champion!


----------



## Cocko

Wolfman said:


> Looking at one of Punkins rims. Worth the cash Cocko? I only do single batches so just need the small element. Ramp temps were good?
> 
> 
> 
> How kind of you to put your hand up for the next bulk buy! You are a true champion!



Cant speak highly enough about the punkins rims mate, I only went the 2400w element due to 15 amp circuit being required for 3600w and I am already maxing out my 3 phases with the kettle etc... anyway..

Ramp times are about 1* a minute. It is so easy to clean it ridiculous.

Worth the cash, absolutely, for me anyway. I went all stainless on this rig, the only thing that isn't is the element in the rims.. but price up building a all stainless herms HX and I think an out of the box solution at the price is worth it.

I will put my hand up_ you_ if you run the next grain BB   Me, no.


----------



## jyo

Brother, that looks awseome! Nice work. 

I must say, I do like how you have the option to erect the HLT...


----------



## labels

You might want to take into account that all that polishing of stainless steel and you will lose pacification of the surface, in other words you're risking it going rusty. I believe that treating it with a mild acid solution will re-pacify it. I'm not a metalurigist and haven't checked this thoroughly but I'm pretty sure about this.


----------



## Crusty

Cocko said:


> Have just cleaned up after my first brew on my new RIMS system...
> 
> I was going to go HERMS but with Punkins rims being such a well priced solution I was swayed... and by Rav, who I thank for his help.
> 
> Ok,
> 
> 98L - 7200w kettle
> 70L - MLT - Hard plumbed falsie
> 70L - HLT - Over side element driven.
> 
> Only thing I don't like about it is the control panel, PID was deeper then I thought so had to double up the project box.
> 
> Other than that, a programmable step mash system had me giggling like a school girl while I brewed today.
> 
> In sleep mode:
> 
> View attachment 57390
> 
> 
> 
> In BREW mode:
> 
> View attachment 57391
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Go team rims!



When are you selling mate? You'll have to upgrade to the Urn eventually..............  
Seriously though, that's an awesome looking rig cocko, brilliant.


----------



## Cocko

jyo said:


> Brother, that looks awseome! Nice work.
> 
> I must say, I do like how you have the option to erect the HLT...



Thanks bro! The HLT just thinks of you in a bra in a bath...





labels said:


> You might want to take into account that all that polishing of stainless steel and you will lose pacification of the surface, in other words you're risking it going rusty. I believe that treating it with a mild acid solution will re-pacify it. I'm not a metalurigist and haven't checked this thoroughly but I'm pretty sure about this.



Are you talking about mine? :unsure: I haven't polished anything...

Cheers


----------



## labels

Cocko said:


> Thanks bro! The HLT just thinks of you in a bra in a bath...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you talking about mine? :unsure: I haven't polished anything...
> 
> Cheers


 
No, the guys with converted kegs. What you got there is one tiny step away from a commercial setup, pretty awsome looking bit gear.


----------



## Cocko

Crusty said:


> When are you selling mate? You'll have to upgrade to the Urn eventually..............
> Seriously though, that's an awesome looking rig cocko, brilliant.



When am I selling? You missing your rims rig already mate?  

Auto step mashing today was possibly the best moment in my life!  

Cheers!


----------



## Crusty

Cocko said:


> When am I selling? You missing your rims rig already mate?
> 
> Auto step mashing today was possibly the best moment in my life!
> 
> Cheers!



Not missing it mate.
I'm very happy with the beers that I am producing from the Urn & the clean up, well that's a breeze.
The PID's are an awesome bit of gear & the step mashing capabilities are excellent.
Cheers.............


----------



## Wolfy

Cocko said:


> EDIT: Yes Grain tubs are empty, BB anyone?


Keg King's every-day bulk prices are within just a few $ of the BB prices, so I've not been motivated to organize a BB, maybe one day when I run out of malts that they don't regularly stock.


----------



## paulhill

anyone got a link to that off the shelf rims system 
i was planing on building one my self but im lazy at heart so .......


----------



## Cocko

paulhill said:


> anyone got a link to that off the shelf rims system
> i was planing on building one my self but im lazy at heart so .......



http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...=64741&st=0

:icon_cheers:


----------



## bum

Holy shit, Cock! That looks the duck's.


----------



## Edak

Hey Cocko, great looking build you have there. Where did you find that HLT? Was it chef land in Richmond? I ask because it looks identical to the one I used in my braumiser.


----------



## raven19

Cocko said:


> ...I was swayed... and by Rav, who I thank for his help.
> 
> ...
> 
> Go team rims!



Not sure I did too much mate, but I am very happy to see this rig now in action. Coudos on a top build - best post some of these pics on BA too!

(Naked Rimmers's ftw?   :lol: )


----------



## Cocko

Edak said:


> Hey Cocko, great looking build you have there. Where did you find that HLT? Was it chef land in Richmond? I ask because it looks identical to the one I used in my braumiser.




Hey mate, cheers. The HLT and MT are Ross' 70L bangers... Original plan was 3x Robinox but SWMBO, bless her heart, found me cheaper ones as a surprise xmas present.. anyway, they do the job.



raven19 said:


> Not sure I did too much mate, but I am very happy to see this rig now in action. Coudos on a top build - best post some of these pics on BA too!
> 
> (Naked Rimmers's ftw?   :lol: )




Cheers mate, you did enough!

Yep, HERMS has nothing on RIMs as far as double entendres go!


----------



## tinnyhaha

hsb said:


> Same here (used keg lid as the guide)
> I'd also recommend not trying to cut too deep as you go. Make lots of rotations and the grinder will slowly but surely cut through. If you force it, it'll just burn through lots of discs. Also stay out of the plane of the blade obviously - saw a youtube video once of a circular saw blade come loose and go flying through front yards, scary stuff.
> I've seen some people make up a wooden jig for the grinder but seems like overkill to me, a circle is pretty easy to get using a texter line as a start guide, then the grinder/keg lid to guide you round. Tidy up once you're through.




I don't have great skill with an angle grinder and the lids I bought only got have a 6mm lip. 
So I knocked a simple jig using the cap from the keg (with threads ground off)as a pivot point and 2 hose clamps to secure my grinder.
I cut the circle leaving 3 small tabs till the last. Overall it was quick. About 1 minute to cut out the opening and another minute to clean up the edges with a cylindrical sander. The jig took a good half hour to make, not including the trip to Bunnings. 
Attached thumbnail(s)


----------



## zxhoon

did you have the keg filled with water?

just wondering how people prevent the slag from sticking inside and ruining the finish? probably answered somewhere but just popped into my head... derp


----------



## adraine

zxhoon said:


> did you have the keg filled with water?
> 
> just wondering how people prevent the slag from sticking inside and ruining the finish? probably answered somewhere but just popped into my head... derp



I didn't fill mine with anything. Just a soak with sodium meta for 30 mins and a green scotchbrite does the trick.


----------



## Edak

zxhoon said:


> did you have the keg filled with water?
> 
> just wondering how people prevent the slag from sticking inside and ruining the finish? probably answered somewhere but just popped into my head... derp



I didn't think using an angle grinder would create slag, given that slag is a byproduct of smelting or melting. Plasma cutters and welders will create slag. Correct me if I am wrong and i will ferment my words...

I do suggest that if you do grind stainless that you repassivate it with a suitable acid like oxalic acid (bar keepers friend), which will stop it rusting and clean it up nicely.


----------



## tinnyhaha

I didn't fill mine with water either. The grinder left no splatter what so ever, but the welder did.
I needed to touch the interior around the welded sockets with a brass wire brush in my drill on completion


----------



## Wolfy

Don't get all stressed about the various online guides, videos and other things that suggest cutting the top off a keg is something that is difficult to do, that you need a jig or any fancy equipment (plasma cutter).
If I can do it, anyone can, I'm not sure I had even used an angle grinder (for more than 5 mins) before cutting the tops of my kegs - and I still have all my fingers, toes, eyes etc 
... give it a try before you make it overly-complicated, and you'll see how easy it is to do.


----------



## kelbygreen

lol I cut the whole top off mine I should of left the handles on though. And to make it clear ALWAYS release the pressure best to take the dip tube out. You dont want to cut into a fully pressured vessel


----------



## Tim

humulus said:


> Tim where did you get your stand from?,I love it!



Bought it from an online shop or maybe ebay? Was only $100 or so bucks which I thought was pretty good.


----------



## Fents

Shit setup cucko, I'm not jealous at all


----------



## Cocko

Fents said:


> Shit setup cucko, I'm not jealous at all



You started it


----------



## b0neski

Here's the new brew rig on it's maiden RIMS voyage. 
A few hiccups, no show stoppers.
Learnt a few things. Changes to be made.
Overall happy days!


----------



## MaltyHops

b0neski said:


> Here's the new brew rig on it's maiden RIMS voyage.
> A few hiccups, no show stoppers.
> Learnt a few things. Changes to be made.
> Overall happy days!


Well done Si, happy days indeed - that controller is seriously over the top.


----------



## Crusty

b0neski said:


> Here's the new brew rig on it's maiden RIMS voyage.
> A few hiccups, no show stoppers.
> Learnt a few things. Changes to be made.
> Overall happy days!



Really nice mate.
Happy brewing........................


----------



## Cocko

b0neski said:


> Here's the new brew rig on it's maiden RIMS voyage.
> A few hiccups, no show stoppers.
> Learnt a few things. Changes to be made.
> Overall happy days!




Wow!

Just wow!

Contro; panel is amazing.. is it a 32a running in? or did you just OD on the in put connection?

Details, need more?


----------



## JaseH

Some serious rigs getting about now! Nice


----------



## b0neski

Cocko said:


> Wow!
> 
> Just wow!
> 
> Contro; panel is amazing.. is it a 32a running in? or did you just OD on the in put connection?
> 
> Details, need more?



Hey thanks to everyone for the positive comments about my rig.
Cocko, the infeed power is single phase 20 amp.
If you want to see some more details on the control panel I've got a build log HERE
FYI the inside of the panel is more over the top than the outside.


----------



## Cocko

b0neski said:


> If you want to see some more details on the control panel I've got a build log HERE




Dear god....

Amazing mate, amazing!


----------



## Yob

b0neski said:


> FYI the inside of the panel is more over the top than the outside.



Dont hold out now man.. Whip that camera out again!!


----------



## Fish13

zxhoon said:


> did you have the keg filled with water?
> 
> just wondering how people prevent the slag from sticking inside and ruining the finish? probably answered somewhere but just popped into my head... derp



DO not fill it with water. Hot metal and water are a bad combination. The water boils, steam erupts and poor zxhoon gets 3rd degree' burns and serious scalding from erupting water from keg.

Seen it happen although not on a keg.

A fitter/boily/maintanice crew at a flour mill i used to work at was cutting a pipe down. Pipe was part of an old fence. Unknown to him was water in the pipe. cuts pipe and pipe comes off and outcomes boiling hot water. Not pretty.


----------



## wrath

Edak said:


> Nice work fish, I see you treat the birko like a baby
> 
> If using a pump for recirc try to keep your pipe to a minimum length so you don't lose too much heat energy.
> 
> This is my single vessel braumeister clone. I have to put together a build thread for it though.



Hey Edak, 
Where is the brewstand/trolley from? Have been searching for something similar for a while.


----------



## Edak

Cpt Suds said:


> Hey Edak,
> Where is the brewstand/trolley from? Have been searching for something similar for a while.



Hey Cpt Suds, 

The stand is from bunnings, I paid through the a$$ for it though, $199 from memory. I lowered it by about 1ft to make it a better level for lifting malt pipe in and out. It came with wheels and adjustable height (levelling) feet but I chose the wheels so I can move it around as I don't brew in that closed area.

She is solid as a rock and I could lay on it and do a sexy pose but will refrain.


----------



## b0neski

iamozziyob said:


> Dont hold out now man.. Whip that camera out again!!



Build log here.


----------



## tinnyhaha

b0neski said:


> Here's the new brew rig on it's maiden RIMS voyage.
> A few hiccups, no show stoppers.
> Learnt a few things. Changes to be made.
> Overall happy days!




Nice work! Now I realize how far I have to go before I've finished my build.


----------



## tinnyhaha

Tinnyhaha said:


> Nice work! Now I realize how far I have to go before I've finished my build.



Does anyone use an alternative connector to the camlock. 
They appear to be quite bulky for the relatively low flow rates and are quite expensive when purchasing quantity.


----------



## sp0rk

Tinnyhaha said:


> Does anyone use an alternative connector to the camlock.
> They appear to be quite bulky for the relatively low flow rates and are quite expensive when purchasing quantity.


Brass garden hose fittings


----------



## Adam Howard

Tinnyhaha said:


> Does anyone use an alternative connector to the camlock.
> They appear to be quite bulky for the relatively low flow rates and are quite expensive when purchasing quantity.



Quick Release.


----------



## bignath

sp0rk said:


> Brass garden hose fittings



Yep, i use brass hose fittings exclusively.

The small amount of contact a couple of brass fittings has on my brewery is that negligible i couldn't give a **** about it.

I'd love stainless steel fittings everywhere, but i'd also like my bank balance to be higher too...


----------



## b0neski

Tinnyhaha said:


> Does anyone use an alternative connector to the camlock.
> They appear to be quite bulky for the relatively low flow rates and are quite expensive when purchasing quantity.



I recently bought a bunch of camlocs from Gryphon and it worked out a lot cheaper than my LHBS. Not the same quality but they all mate up with existing fittings.
No affiliation yada yada.


----------



## sponge

I really need to stop looking at this thread every so often. It makes me oh so depressed compared to the poor state my brew dungeon is in

Worst bit is, I have everything I need to get some HERMS action happening, and just never get around to wiring/cutting kegs/etc. I guess it helps that I'm happy with how the 3V is going atm, but a single tier HERMS would require some serious tissue action..


----------



## CONNOR BREWARE

Don't take this line out of context Cocko, but your rig is rig bloody beautiful.

Here's my setup. Now you know who bought Randy Robs Brewtroller last year. Test run this weekend, baby boy permitting.


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

sponge said:


> Worst bit is, I have everything I need to get some HERMS action happening, and just never get around to wiring/cutting kegs/etc. I guess it helps that I'm happy with how the 3V is going atm, but a single tier HERMS would require some serious tissue action..



I have everything (even a stand and vessels welded up) but just need to get my arse into gear. don't feel bad. I'm still single vessle'ing. 





CONNOR BREWARE said:


> Don't take this line out of context Cocko, but your rig is rig bloody beautiful.
> 
> Here's my setup. Now you know who bought Randy Robs Brewtroller last year. Test run this weekend, baby boy permitting.




Love your setup mate.


----------



## tinnyhaha

Big Nath said:


> Yep, i use brass hose fittings exclusively.
> 
> The small amount of contact a couple of brass fittings has on my brewery is that negligible i couldn't give a **** about it.
> 
> I'd love stainless steel fittings everywhere, but i'd also like my bank balance to be higher too...



Thanks for the you tube link Big Nath. That rig of your's is a fine piece of engineering. The brass garden hose fittings is a brilliant idea. 
However my local pump and irrigation specialist gave me the heads up on his fittings supplier. This guy is cheap as.
Stainless steel 1/2" BSP ball valves = $12.65
Stainless steel 1/2" male BSP x 1/2"male Camlocks = $3.56
Stainless steel 1/2" hose tail x 1/2" female Camlocks = $8.38


----------



## Muscovy_333

Tinnyhaha said:


> Thanks for the you tube link Big Nath. That rig of your's is a fine piece of engineering. The brass garden hose fittings is a brilliant idea.
> However my local pump and irrigation specialist gave me the heads up on his fittings supplier. This guy is cheap as.
> Stainless steel 1/2" BSP ball valves = $12.65
> Stainless steel 1/2" male BSP x 1/2"male Camlocks = $3.56
> Stainless steel 1/2" hose tail x 1/2" female Camlocks = $8.38




Don't hold back...Who and where is your local pump specialist?


----------



## Cocko

CONNOR BREWARE said:


> Don't take this line out of context Cocko, but your rig is rig bloody beautiful.
> 
> Here's my setup. Now you know who bought Randy Robs Brewtroller last year. Test run this weekend, baby boy permitting.



Thank you kind sir, not sure how it could be taken out of context but I will take any compliment I can take!  

Your rig is looking the goods to me! Nice work! 



BTW: OT: Your site looks awesome, navigates well and absolute best of luck with your business venture into the future.


----------



## tinnyhaha

Muscovy said:


> Don't hold back...Who and where is your local pump specialist?




Its not my pump specialist. Its the company he purchases his fitting requirements from.
All will be revealed after I make my purchase. I can imagine a massive price increase after they 
get stampeded by hundreds eager home brewers.
I will however recommend SUZI'S AUCTIONS for those trying to locate lids for their boilers ETC. 
and F.R.G. Bagnall P/L. for anyone needing pipe coiling ETC. Both offer really competitive pricing.


----------



## QldKev

sp0rk said:


> Brass garden hose fittings



Be careful with the cost of some of the better Brass fittings as they are more expensive than some s/s camlocks, I found out the hard way. The Neta female brass fitting from Bunnings is about $10. T&S Valves charged me for 10 x Male Camlocks + 10 x female camlocks + post = $173. I wish I hadn't purchased some 'cheaper' brass fittings first.

QldKev


----------



## Screwtop

QldKev said:


> Be careful with the cost of some of the better Brass fittings as they are more expensive than some s/s camlocks, I found out the hard way. The Neta female brass fitting from Bunnings is about $10. T&S Valves charged me for 10 x Male Camlocks + 10 x female camlocks + post = $173. I wish I hadn't purchased some 'cheaper' brass fittings first.
> 
> QldKev




Did you buy 15mm Kev??

Screwy


----------



## JaseH

Tinnyhaha said:


> Thanks for the you tube link Big Nath. That rig of your's is a fine piece of engineering. The brass garden hose fittings is a brilliant idea.
> However my local pump and irrigation specialist gave me the heads up on his fittings supplier. This guy is cheap as.
> Stainless steel 1/2" BSP ball valves = $12.65
> Stainless steel 1/2" male BSP x 1/2"male Camlocks = $3.56
> Stainless steel 1/2" hose tail x 1/2" female Camlocks = $8.38



Get the male 1/2" BSP camlocks and 90degree M-F elbows instead of the hose barbs. You can stretch the silicon hose over the male end of the elbow and get full flow. The 1/2" BSP hosetails are a bit restrictive. The elbows also stop your hoses kinking under their own weight.


----------



## cspencer

Tried out my brew rig for the first time on the weekend. Some successes some failures and some re-thought required.

The custom built stand (thanks to the brother-in-law) with MT (left) Heat Exchanger with Copper coil (center) and Kettle (right)
Arduino controlled display/pump/heater




The 4 ring burner bringing strike water up to temp



The start of the Mash Re-circ



after 5-10mins of re-circ



the 90min boil (31lt into the boiler) took about 10mins to bring to a good rolling boil



and the final step into the fermentor (only got 16L as my whirlpool was crap and with out a hop sock too much hop rubbish at the bottom)



Issues I found:
1. The Heat Exchanger has only a $8 Kmart kettle element in a 19L pot, it too way too long to heat the wort via the copper coil, I plan on having a plastic/SS centre pipe to reduce that amount of water.
2. With out any insulation on silicon hose I found that the difference in temp from the mash to the in-let into the pump and outlet of the HX was ~5 degrees. I was trying to get the temp up after mash-in as the to temp probes where ready less than 60 by the time I got these up to 65 I check ed the mash temp and it was at 70 (target was 68)
3. plus a few little leaks here and there, most of which I was able to sort out on the day

I didn't expect a complete success so I was happy with getting some wort in the fermenter, now hope in a few more days I have some beer that is drinkable.

the batch I did was a favorite from my old BIAB Stopetop days, Dr Smurto Golden Ale

steps:
-5.7kg grain all in with 34lt of strike water @ 75 (cold day only 11, beersmith suggest 73.4)
-Re-circ Mash for 60 min (turned out to be more like 90)
-As HX could not increase temp, and I didn't want to add more water I took about 10lt from the re-circ into kettle
-heated this 10lt up to 90+ and then put it back into the re-circ mash which brought temp up to near 78
-mash completed and transfered all wort to kettle and boiled for 90min with hops added
-cleaned grains out of mash tun and 1/2 filled with tap water at 12 degrees
-10mins from end of boil put copper cooling coil in boil
-end of boil, cover kettle with towel sprayed with no-rinse steriliser 
-then re-circ cold water through cooling coil, needed to change this water 2-3 times and added big ice blocks to bring down to 22, this took almost 40mins (is that too long)
-into fermenter with yeast
- clean up

from beersmith my efficiency into boiler was 74%, 50% into fermentor due to huge trub volume

i'm pretty happy with my no-sparge, mash re-circ hx system so far


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

Clayton Spencer said:


> from beersmith my efficiency into boiler was 74%, 50% into fermentor due to huge trub volume




Have you considered using a false bottom in your kettle?? Also, did you use whirlfloc??? If you didn't, that would explain the huge losses to trub.


----------



## dmac80

_WALLACE_ said:


> Have you considered using a false bottom in your kettle?? Also, did you use whirlfloc??? If you didn't, that would explain the huge losses to trub.


i'll second using a false bottom in the kettle, i use stainless mesh splatter guard mesh under the false bottom to stop fine stuff getting through. Reduces trub losses to almost zero when done right..


----------



## cspencer

_WALLACE_ said:


> Have you considered using a false bottom in your kettle?? Also, did you use whirlfloc??? If you didn't, that would explain the huge losses to trub.




I did use Irish Moss in the last 10mins of the boil. I stopped the filling into fermentor very early as there was no cone to speak of from my whirlpool, it was almost at flat as port philip bay on tuesday (taken while out fishing)



the drain through the ball valve also lost suction, i think a small length of silicon hose to make to outlet below the keg will fix that


The false bottom in my Mash tun has too large a hole to stop the trub, I have lots of swiss voile left over from BIAB so I was just going to make up a large hop sock for the next batch. but the idea of a splatter guard is good


----------



## QldKev

Screwtop said:


> Did you buy 15mm Kev??
> 
> Screwy




Yep sure was

QldKev


----------



## NDH

Well she's not quite finished but this is my pride and joy so far,

Brewtroller controlled 4V herms, electric with gas kettle. Most of the s/s fab is finished, just need to powder coat the frame put it back together and see how little I know about brewtroller.

View attachment DSC05265.jpg


Mill is home made, knurled the rollers out of some s/s steam pipe. We wanted to make it as stand alone as possible so its mounted to the top and will be run via 240v Drill.

View attachment DSC05271.jpg


----------



## BPH87

That is bloody awesome NDH!

How big are those kegs?

Cheers


----------



## NDH

The top 3 are 50's and the bottom one is a 20 with a 10lt pot sleeved inside and expanding foam injected in between to insulate it. Has a 1600W element and 1400W element inside. The 1600W will be used or all brews while the 1400W will be switched in for step mashes and the like.

Mash tun will be clad in timber and wrapped with 'band-it' stainless bands.


----------



## BPH87

NDH have you got any pictures of the inside of the herms?


----------



## NDH

about 8-9m of s/s coil, wrapped it around an argon bottle to ge the diameter. Would have preffered more length but that's what you get for free

View attachment DSC05267.jpg


----------



## BPH87

Looks great mate, you have obviously got some pretty awesome fabrication skills


----------



## NDH

absolute 'pot' luck that the K Mark pot happened to fit inside the keg with about 5mm gap underneath for the foam to penetrate. Also meant I can use the glass lid for it along with the HLT/MLT/Kettle.


----------



## BPH87

Is there an element in your HLT? Where did you source your elements?


----------



## NDH

I've got a 2400W sickle element in the HLT that is an urn element. The other 2 are kettle elements I got from an electrical wholesaler (I'm a sparkie by trade). Will run a dedicated circuit to run the thing. Its gonna suck some juice if all 3 elements are firing at once.


----------



## NDH

View attachment DSC05272.jpg


----------



## nathan_madness

Finally getting around to posting some pics of my BIAB 1V rig.

Building the rig with a 70L pot from Craftbrewer.





Complete base with aluminium heat shield.





MK I Hoist just was too hard to lift the bag still and was not quite high enough for the bag when fully loaded.





After the issues with the MKI hoist I was not going to have any issues with MKII. That winch was on special at Super Cheap for $35 can't go wrong I thought. Never know when your brew might call for 500Kg of grain! 





Brewing with MKII hoist and MK I hoist use as hopsock hoist.





Testing the recirculating system. Craftbrewer "Brown Pump" a couple of fittings a S/S racking cane from CB as well and a bit of silicone hose at the top to insert a thermometer in line.





Recirculating system. After some testing I found that it needed to have a speed controller on it so that it would not just fill the bag and not leave any water in the bottom of the pot. I also ordered today a couple of thermometers one that will fit in the Jiffy box and run inside the lagging up to the silicone hose so that I can get rid of that probe thermometer at the top.


----------



## BPH87

nathan_madness said:


> Finally getting around to posting some pics of my BIAB 1V rig.



Looks awesome mate!


----------



## Dan Pratt

That looks great. Thanks for posting those on the thread.


----------



## bum

nathan_madness said:


>


Looks nice and all that but I gotta say it always scares the shit out of me when I see people build rigs where the bottle sits really close to the burner. Please tell me that ali shield has a bottom plate on it at least.


----------



## nathan_madness

bum said:


> Looks nice and all that but I gotta say it always scares the shit out of me when I see people build rigs where the bottle sits really close to the burner. Please tell me that ali shield has a bottom plate on it at least.


Yeah the aluminium shield is above the bottle. After a full 90min boil I can hold my hand on the bottle so there is not much heat there as heat rises.


----------



## bum

As does gas.


----------



## nathan_madness

oname='bum' date='Oct 29 2012, 10:04 PM' post='966913']
As does gas.
[/quote]
LPG is heavier than air so any leaks should just drain away.

LPG


----------



## bum

Well, I guess I must have imagined having ever smelled LPG while standing up.

Happy brewing.


----------



## mckenry

bum said:


> Looks nice and all that but I gotta say it always scares the shit out of me when I see people build rigs where the bottle sits really close to the burner. Please tell me that ali shield has a bottom plate on it at least.



Exactly bum. Scares me too. Thats why I bought the longest line available ~3m I think and I move my bottle the entire 3m from the burner. If its a good weather day - no wind - I'll sit the bottle outside my shed, while brewing inside. Scares me to think about leaks with the Italian Spiral cranked up. :unsure:


----------



## Adam Howard

Here's mine. First run with the HERMS. 






















Awesome wort clarity. Got a really good crush, no flour, chunks of endosperm and husks that looked like rice hulls. Great brew day.

Got a few more things to fix up. Will be installing another shelf under the one the HLT and Mashtun are on to hold the control box and pump. Will be extending the stand with another Rack-It leg to have the burner on a stand and not on bricks.

Fridgemate will end up running the HLT. Also have power input for a March pump once I get around to it. Wired up the PID myself, it worked perfectly.


----------



## citizensnips

heres my first ag set up. biab of course. had my first brew saturday, went great...cant wait to taste dr smurtos golden ale :chug: 

View attachment biab.bmp


----------



## adryargument

NDH said:


> Well she's not quite finished but this is my pride and joy so far,
> 
> Brewtroller controlled 4V herms, electric with gas kettle. Most of the s/s fab is finished, just need to powder coat the frame put it back together and see how little I know about brewtroller.
> 
> View attachment 57898
> 
> 
> Mill is home made, knurled the rollers out of some s/s steam pipe. We wanted to make it as stand alone as possible so its mounted to the top and will be run via 240v Drill.
> 
> View attachment 57899



I read somewhere (possibly the 'yeast' book??) that having a grain mill near your brewing area was a no-no due to certain lactic micro-flora that can be spread with the mill-dust.
Anyone else able to shed light on the subject - i have been looking to put my mill on my brew stand but have avoided it for this reason.


----------



## browndog

Hey Cocko, I've beaten Jonathon to the punch mate, here are the details.
It is a 3V single tier all electric rig. The 80L HLT has a PID controlled 2400W element with a low water warning light and buzzer. The 45L mash tun has a PID with a sensor located in the center of the mash that is used to set the mash temperature. This PID energises a second PID that has a sensor in the outflow of the heat exchanger. Why do it this way? I can set the temperature of the heat exchanger to what ever temp I choose so that I know the wort exiting the heat exchanger will never be hot enough to denature any enzymes. The Heat exchanger is powered by a 2400W element. The 80L kettle has two 2400W elements controlled by two burst fire controllers. Both the mash tun and kettle have false bottoms to filter particulates. Chilling is achieved with an inline 30 plate, plate chiller. All the plumbing and fittings are stainless steel. The vessels are removable from the stand via barrel unions. The march pump has two modes, automatic when it is being controlled by the mash PID and manual for transfering liquids vessel to vessel. I've been building this thing a bloody long time and only finished it as I have sold up old faithful....my precious, to go on a trip to the States. You can see the build thread here build thread.
The beer I brewed was an attempt at one of the fine west coast IPAs I drank while over in the States. I used a Pliny the Elder grist with Warrior for bittering, a whack of late Falconers Flight and some Simcoe to finish off, mashed at 66C for a 1070 SG and 100IBUs. The recipe was worked on BrewMate and I pretty well hit all my targets.



Plumbing, you can see where the plate chiller connects on the left.



Heat Exchanger



HLT



Mash Tun



Kettle



12.5 kg grain



Filling the mash tun



One fully loaded mash tun



Heat exchanger PID SV 70 Mash Tun SV 66



290G hops



Recirculating



The boil




I left a tap open when I started to chill and ended up with about 7L of wort in the mash tun and lost my cool enough to forget to take photos of the chilling part and I've got about two pages of tweaks, configuration changes and additional items to get before the next brew day.

cheers

Browndog


----------



## bruce86

wow just wow browndog that is just plain imprressive :icon_drool2:


----------



## Dan Pratt

bruce86 said:


> wow just wow browndog that is just plain imprressive :icon_drool2:



Here here, well done.


----------



## The Village Idiot

That is some serious shit!!!!!! I am not sure if I hate you or love you browndog...... :unsure: Ever thought of going into production?


----------



## bonj

Well done Browny! Good to see the new brewery in action.


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

In awe!! Great setup BD. 1 Question........ Whats with the HEX photo? The inside of the coil looks bone dry. Was the coil wound too tight?


----------



## browndog

_WALLACE_ said:


> In awe!! Great setup BD. 1 Question........ Whats with the HEX photo? The inside of the coil looks bone dry. Was the coil wound too tight?



If the HX is full you can't see the coil or the element so I took a pic of it dry for the detail.


----------



## bradsbrew

_WALLACE_ said:


> In awe!! Great setup BD. 1 Question........ Whats with the HEX photo? The inside of the coil looks bone dry. Was the coil wound too tight?



The whole thing is empty with what looks like sod. perc grains sticking to the side of the cut down extinguisher. 

Awesome job tony. That control board looks mighty sexy.

Cheers


----------



## browndog

bradsbrew said:


> The whole thing is empty with what looks like sod. perc grains sticking to the side of the cut down extinguisher.
> 
> Awesome job tony. That control board looks mighty sexy.
> 
> Cheers



That white stuff is little nodules of oxide or something as a result of leaving the HX full of water overnight. The HX itself is made from a 5kg aluminium fire extinguisher. Quite proud of the fact that I even folded that box up out of flat sheet Brad.

cheers

Browndog


----------



## NickB

Love your work Tony - very impressive.

Will be ripping off a few of your plumbing ideas I think


----------



## Cocko

browndog said:


> Hey Cocko, I've beaten Jonathon to the punch mate, here are the details.
> It is a 3V single tier all electric rig. The 80L HLT has a PID controlled 2400W element with a low water warning light and buzzer. The 45L mash tun has a PID with a sensor located in the center of the mash that is used to set the mash temperature. This PID energises a second PID that has a sensor in the outflow of the heat exchanger. Why do it this way? I can set the temperature of the heat exchanger to what ever temp I choose so that I know the wort exiting the heat exchanger will never be hot enough to denature any enzymes. The Heat exchanger is powered by a 2400W element. The 80L kettle has two 2400W elements controlled by two burst fire controllers. Both the mash tun and kettle have false bottoms to filter particulates. Chilling is achieved with an inline 30 plate, plate chiller. All the plumbing and fittings are stainless steel. The vessels are removable from the stand via barrel unions. The march pump has two modes, automatic when it is being controlled by the mash PID and manual for transfering liquids vessel to vessel. I've been building this thing a bloody long time and only finished it as I have sold up old faithful....my precious, to go on a trip to the States. You can see the build thread here build thread.
> The beer I brewed was an attempt at one of the fine west coast IPAs I drank while over in the States. I used a Pliny the Elder grist with Warrior for bittering, a whack of late Falconers Flight and some Simcoe to finish off, mashed at 66C for a 1070 SG and 100IBUs. The recipe was worked on BrewMate and I pretty well hit all my targets.
> 
> Plumbing, you can see where the plate chiller connects on the left.
> 
> 
> 
> I left a tap open when I started to chill and ended up with about 7L of wort in the mash tun and lost my cool enough to forget to take photos of the chilling part and I've got about two pages of tweaks, configuration changes and additional items to get before the next brew day.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog




Oh.

Dear.

God.


******* mighty mate!

And to think you did all that in no time at all!  

Seriously, just awesome.


----------



## b0neski

BrownDog,

Good, no pissing around approach you've taken when making this rig.
Excellent job!


----------



## Desert Brewer

Gday all, ive been lurking long enough and thought it was time to post some pics of my setup - i felt bouyed by yesterdays brewday as it went down pretty much incident free - although a couple of points down on the OG - it was good day, the brew is a Pacific Ale Clone - its version 3, i hoping it will be ready to consume on Christmas Day. 

The prep.




The Grist.




The Mash - a 5 step pilsner mash on this occasion.




THe Burner - Italian Spirals.




THe Brew Cave - Like my set up, very low tech but gets the job done. 




The Red Centre !




I do realise that im not hoisting a motor - but it works !




Post boil to 28 degrees via 2 imerrsion chillers and a heat exchanger in 30 - 40 mins




The important temp control - the home energy audit fella nearly had a heart attack !




The previous brewday results - a very tasty all Saaz B (Motueka) Pils 





Happy Brew Days,

Cheers DB.


----------



## kelbygreen

nice DB what I like all practical without the wank factor  

BD rig makes me sick I just think how much cocko faps to it :lol: Very nice setup though wish I had more then -$300 to build something like that lol


----------



## Cocko

kelbygreen said:


> BD rig makes me sick I just think how much cocko faps to it :lol:




I do not...


.. It looks nothing like Julia Gillard h34r:


----------



## adryargument

Doing a maiden voyage on the new rig this morning.
Controller is Matho's braudruino that has been edited to work on a 3v system.
(Has the hand held box to manually control the pump and element separately)

Still need to add the wooden bottom layer and get water plumbed in.
But the kegs are empty, beer needs to be brewed!


----------



## stux

Done quite a few brews on my 98/50L BIAB+Sparge 'rig' now, so perhaps I should post a few pics 

I aim for 65L into the cube, and 60L into the fermenter for 3 kegs (57L) at the end of the day,

My goal has been simplicity/minimalism with simple cleanup/packup/storage requirements, yet being able to actually produce enough beer to keep supply up.

Knocking up the temp to strike...



13.7KG of DSGA



Dump it all in, my Mash Weapon of choice is a 60cm Stainless Masher



Break up any doughballs and get a good flow in the mash



Bingo, 66C pretty exactly.



And we wait for the mash.... I've begun bringing up 20-25L of hot water to the boil in the small pot on a tiny 2 ring burner. It'll take a good long time, but I'll cut the gas when it boils and it'll drop to about 80C by the time it comes to dunk-sparge.


----------



## stux

Pull the bag. I use a 2:1 simple pulley system. Bag was made by SWMBO with extra re-inforcement for the 25+KG load etc... I'll let this drain, then I'll swing it into the little pot, and essentially re-biab with the 25L of hot water. at a very low L:G




I've been remashing the bag in the little pot for about 10 minutes, agitated, and I'll pull the bag now and let drain. I get about 95% efficiency in the sparge this way. Contents will be added back to the boil which is just about to start.... (picture from a different day)



Unfortunately, things get crazy with the mashout, sparge, boil all happening at the same time, so invariably I don't take any pictures 

Burner Pr0n



Whirlpool



Trub Cone - Just a stainless jiggler on some heavy duty silicon hose. Simple, easy to clean, and a totally unmodified pot.



4 little soldiers. Picture from a different brew, I tend to fill the cubes to the brim these days, so I can leave behind more trub. The cubes hold about 17L of wort each, so 68L total, and I plan to leave 1-2L per cube.



Franken Fermenter. 60L inside a 400L fridge, with TempMate. I use a blow-off tube and fermowell to measure wort temperature. There's a heatbelt to bump the temp up, and the fridge knocks it down. These days I use fermenter bags to make cleanup easier, which means I have to syphon out instead of using the tap.


----------



## stux

Bung makes it easy to add hop-tea etc during fermentation. Also means I can siphon easily, etc. Fermowell is used to ensure even temperatures without wild swings/fluctutations, and most importantly prevents the tempmate from bouncing between heat/cool




SS Perlicks + Flow Controllers



I really need to install a better light for viewing beer. Foam is not very dense on this one


----------



## BPH87

That is bloody awesome Stux!

You must drink a shirt load of beer!


----------



## stux

BPH87 said:


> That is bloody awesome Stux!
> 
> You must drink a shirt load of beer!



Nah, I give away a shirt load of beer


----------



## Malted

nathan_madness said:


> Brewing with MKII hoist and MK I hoist use as hopsock hoist.





bum said:


> Looks nice and all that but I gotta say it always scares the shit out of me...


*Me too!
*


----------



## stux

Had some questions via PM so figured I'd answer them here :

I use a caketray to prevent the bag melting. Here's a photo using the smaller port, but I use the same cake tray in the big pot. After a bunch of brews I'm probably going to have to upgrade to a stronger tray of some sort purely because the welds on the current one are breaking.







The 2:1 pulley is quite simple (photo recycling)








And look what I found while digging out those photos, all the misc 'tools' I use during a brew day. Still accurate, except I use a refractometer instead of a hydro...


----------



## Brocksmith

Alright so firstly i should probably start out with a bit about me, i live in brisbane im 22 and am pretty keen on awesome beer. I have never brewed at home myself before but have run through a few ag brews with a couple of friends of mine which has sparked me to get moving on putting my own rig together. I've decided to just jump in and go straight for all grain as I know even if I didn't start here it's where I would want to end up and also along with having read pretty much all of the wikis and other posts on here I think I have a pretty solid knowledge of the process. 
Anyhow finally I have my new brew rig together and in my hands. Admittedly it was a combined effort between my old man and I. I live in Brisbane and he lives in northern nsw so seeing as he had all the tools know how and mates to help out, some of the build was through correspondence which led to him taking some liberties but all in all it has come out pretty sweet and am just waiting to get a sparky around to wire up a 15amp socket.
So here goes






My dad is a sign writer and has a whole heap of stuff lying around and a whole heap of favors which I am very grateful for. As you can see its a 3v rig with the hlt run by an stc 1000 controlling one of the 2200w craft brewer probe elements. Probably the most notable peculiarity here is the range hood above the kettle. This was dads idea in case I wanted to brew inside which I'm terrified of because of how much heat and gas the Rambo churns out.
Everything has cam locks and 3 piece ss ball valves. Also a stand for my laptop/ iPad on brew day. Another liberty he took was to put stickers everywhere warning me that the burner gets hot ... <_< 
Planning to fly sparge by placing the kettle on the ground and running a hose from the MT into it as I use the pump to sparge from the hlt. One thing I worry about was that he may have put the thermowell for the Stc a little high. Will have to wait and see





Hlt. MT just has a 9 inch False bottom and the kettle has a Beer belly hop blocker 





March pump and mash master plate chiller with a bit of hose and a fitting to convert the barb. Brass is simply to connect to garden hose.




Music/brewcave. Used to be a garage before I lived here so floor is actually concrete which helps. Also in the pic is a keg fridge that is mostly put together that I got from a fellow ahb'er. Fermenting fridge is beside it with another stc controlling.
Now to brew some beer!


----------



## squirt in the turns

So much virgin stainless just waiting to be broken in! You must be stoked with that set up, Brocksmith! When's the big day?


----------



## Brocksmith

squirt in the turns said:


> So much virgin stainless just waiting to be broken in! You must be stoked with that set up, Brocksmith! When's the big day?



Was hoping for next week however weddings and work mean it will probably have to wait till the one after


----------



## Yob

Work has begun on a much needed face lift for the brewery.. those that have seen it will know that it was overdue in the 60's  

First step was to get a new roof put on it and get the old asbestos one removed. Done. all shiny and new, love it.

everything in the brewery is going to get moved about but I thought Id start the monumental task with the brew frame.

My idea is to still keep it tiered so that in the case of power failure I can still brew. Time will tell if it stays like that or I go single level.

The steel cost me nothing, a couple of vertical file frames from work. (throwing out)







Base Prep




Bit of leftover sand from another job we had done




Edging.. feck me, I had forgotten how shit it is to mix mortar/concrete by hand in 30'c heat




almost complete, still isnt quite level but will fix that tmoz.




Yet to weld it all up and fit the extras but will crack on with that in due course over the next week or so.. I only have 4 cubes left to ferment so it will have to be up and going within a 3 week period, it 'should' come together easily enough.

Oh how I love a good tinker.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## camelbak28

Once again a work in progress, but i thought i would post a few quick pics of my Brau Clone attempt........ . 

I put my first brew through it last weekend and it ran reasonably smoothly touch wood. Had a small wort fountain as i think the grind was just a bit fine and compacted the mash initially against the top filter plate. (Pic of malt pipe and wort is right at the beginning of the brew and hence not very clear) A pump break of 30 secs every 10 mins for the rest of the brew process corrected this.

As per pics, the controller is not a Matho level set up (this may come in the future) however serves the purpose at this point in time. (uses a STC 1000 type equivalent to manage temp control) 

I can't take credit for the fittings to the keg etc which a mate who has the kit to drill / cut / weld stainless took care of and did a fine job of.

Element was fitted by a company on the south side of Brisbane called Helios.

Not included in the pics is the lid. I found that with the low watt density element, unless the lid (with vents) is used, that it struggles to maintain a vigorous boil. (It does boil but very slowly )(Also not pictured is a camping mat for insulation, that i fitted mid way to assist with temp control) (have now also insulated all plumbing underneath from the tun back to the march pump housing.)

March pump performed excellently for the recirculation and also had no dramas digesting / continuing to work when some particles escaped with the wort fountain to the wrong side of the filter plates. In the plumbing underneath and maybe not clear in the attached photo, i put two taps, one allows the output flow of the pump to be varied and second allows the pump to used to empty the tun under pressure as an alternative to the main tap on the front of the tun.


----------



## bignath

camelbak28 said:


> Once again a work in progress, but i thought i would post a few quick pics of my Brau Clone attempt........ .
> 
> I put my first brew through it last weekend and it ran reasonably smoothly touch wood. Had a small wort fountain as i think the grind was just a bit fine and compacted the mash initially against the top filter plate. (Pic of malt pipe and wort is right at the beginning of the brew and hence not very clear) A pump break of 30 secs every 10 mins for the rest of the brew process corrected this.
> 
> As per pics, the controller is not a Matho level set up (this may come in the future) however serves the purpose at this point in time. (uses a STC 1000 type equivalent to manage temp control)
> 
> I can't take credit for the fittings to the keg etc which a mate who has the kit to drill / cut / weld stainless took care of and did a fine job of.
> 
> Element was fitted by a company on the south side of Brisbane called Helios.
> 
> Not included in the pics is the lid. I found that with the low watt density element, unless the lid (with vents) is used, that it struggles to maintain a vigorous boil. (It does boil but very slowly )(Also not pictured is a camping mat for insulation, that i fitted mid way to assist with temp control) (have now also insulated all plumbing underneath from the tun back to the march pump housing.)
> 
> March pump performed excellently for the recirculation and also had no dramas digesting / continuing to work when some particles escaped with the wort fountain to the wrong side of the filter plates. In the plumbing underneath and maybe not clear in the attached photo, i put two taps, one allows the output flow of the pump to be varied and second allows the pump to used to empty the tun under pressure as an alternative to the main tap on the front of the tun.



Shit man, nice rig!

that'll turn out some nice beer for sure. Very compact and tidy build too, love it.


----------



## Dan Pratt

camelbak28 said:


> Once again a work in progress, but i thought i would post a few quick pics of my Brau Clone attempt........ .
> 
> I put my first brew through it last weekend and it ran reasonably smoothly touch wood. Had a small wort fountain as i think the grind was just a bit fine and compacted the mash initially against the top filter plate. (Pic of malt pipe and wort is right at the beginning of the brew and hence not very clear) A pump break of 30 secs every 10 mins for the rest of the brew process corrected this.
> 
> As per pics, the controller is not a Matho level set up (this may come in the future) however serves the purpose at this point in time. (uses a STC 1000 type equivalent to manage temp control)
> 
> I can't take credit for the fittings to the keg etc which a mate who has the kit to drill / cut / weld stainless took care of and did a fine job of.
> 
> Element was fitted by a company on the south side of Brisbane called Helios.
> 
> Not included in the pics is the lid. I found that with the low watt density element, unless the lid (with vents) is used, that it struggles to maintain a vigorous boil. (It does boil but very slowly )(Also not pictured is a camping mat for insulation, that i fitted mid way to assist with temp control) (have now also insulated all plumbing underneath from the tun back to the march pump housing.)
> 
> March pump performed excellently for the recirculation and also had no dramas digesting / continuing to work when some particles escaped with the wort fountain to the wrong side of the filter plates. In the plumbing underneath and maybe not clear in the attached photo, i put two taps, one allows the output flow of the pump to be varied and second allows the pump to used to empty the tun under pressure as an alternative to the main tap on the front of the tun.



thats freaking brilliant, well done. you should post this with more photos into the single vessel brewing thread. Impressive, whats the volume?


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

what did you use for a malt pipe?

Nice rig too!


----------



## Yob

...continued..




A bit of cutting and welding later




in operation mode




CIP mode




Fly/run off mode




Packed away mode (there is room to store most of it inside the frame)




Where it's going to live.

All in all I'm quite happy with the idea and think that it's a much better setup than what I was using.. still need to decide where to mount the controller/s and add a few other bits and pieces to it but really looking forward to giving it a run.

:super:


----------



## mxd

Yob said:


> All in all I'm quite happy with the idea and think that it's a much better setup than what I was using.. still need to decide where to mount the controller/s and add a few other bits and pieces to it but really looking forward to giving it a run.
> 
> :super:



looking good, just mount it onto of the MLT or HLT

https://picasaweb.google.com/11425105505970...719148958863042


----------



## Yob

was thinking of mounting it/them in chequer plate or something else bling... not sure yet maybe upgrade to PID...

so... many... options... h34r: 

:icon_cheers:


----------



## camelbak28

Thanks for the feedback lads.

Have include a pick of the malt pipe and filter plates etc. My mate that did the welds on the keg made these at the same time. Took him about 6 months in his spare time, but worth the wait. I purchased a short role of stainless steel mesh off ebay to make the filter plate screens and cut to size. Purchased the malt pipe seal from Craft Brewer (Braumiester genuine part)

Only other mod on the fly has been the addition of the silicon tubing on the underside of the cross piece that holds the malt tube down. This is to provide support / resistance to the outer edges of the top filter as it is pushed up by water / grain bed. The top filter plate moved slightly off horizontal which caused a wort fountain on my trial run. The silicon tubes will stop one side pushing up etc under pressure and it should remain flush (in theory anyway!!) (and it did for the remainder of my first run when i made this mod.) Will eventually work on a better permanent fix time permitting.

System is made to make 20-25 Litre batches. 

Malt pipe is similar dimensions to the real deal however is a slightly larger diameter and slightly shorter. In hind sight i could of gone a little taller, but seemed right at the time when i did a mock up of what i thought would work and calculated.


----------



## Dan Pratt

Bloody impressive, great build!


----------



## Yob

Had the sparkie here today to finish off the brewery/brewhouse 40 amps of safe wiring now supplys the brewhouse







I dug up this photo as a comparison to show what was running my brewery before this upgrade




That was running 3 fridges and half the brew gear  used to frighten the shit out of me :lol: 

:icon_cheers:


----------



## MastersBrewery

Yob said:


> Had the sparkie here today to finish off the brewery/brewhouse 40 amps of safe wiring now supplys the brewhouse
> 
> View attachment 58897
> 
> 
> View attachment 58896
> 
> 
> I dug up this photo as a comparison to show what was running my brewery before this upgrade
> 
> View attachment 58898
> 
> 
> That was running 3 fridges and half the brew gear  used to frighten the shit out of me :lol:
> 
> :icon_cheers:




good to see you'll be brewing for years to come yob .... the old wiring looked a little hit and miss, lucky there were no shocking brew days!


----------



## Yob

... continued




While not complete it is now in a servicable condition and Im struggling to find a reason not to test it today




Close up of the control panel, still need to release the angles and apply silicone to the joins, but it is all on the high. Still a bit of tidy up to do with the cables too but not too stressed about it, they are all out of the way.

Well chuffed B)

ed: schpellong


----------



## DU99

Looks good Yob  shame to get it dirty


----------



## Yob

mate, everything is filthy as it is, had the tradies here all week removing the old asbestos roof etc so everything needs a damn good clean first anyway, maybe I'll do a homemade PBW run through everything and rinse it so it's all good to go for tmoz.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## stillscottish

Finally got the brewery tidied up.











Little Brown Pump






Herms unit - Cheap Kmart pot, old kettle element, $15 copper coil.


----------



## stillscottish

Control boxes





Heavily modified Marga.


----------



## Batz

stillscottish said:


> Finally got the brewery tidied up.
> 
> View attachment 58976
> 
> 
> View attachment 58977
> 
> 
> View attachment 58978
> 
> 
> 
> Little Brown Pump
> 
> View attachment 58979
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Herms unit - Cheap Kmart pot, old kettle element, $15 copper coil.
> 
> View attachment 58980




Now that's a vast improvement on that _'thing'_ you brewed with last time I was there. Looking good Campbell :super:


----------



## Yob

stillscottish said:


> Little Brown Pump
> 
> View attachment 58979



Borg or what? What have yo done to that poor little pump?


----------



## stillscottish

Yob said:


> Borg or what? What have yo done to that poor little pump?



Just a little bit of stainless bling


----------



## Kingbrownbrewing

This is the 5th rebuild of my brewery, and I have told myself it will b the last. For at least a week or two.
The upgrade is the control box and less recently, a new mash tun which turned this:






To this:





The PIDs are ridiculously accurate, fairly happy with my testing results so far. Can't wait to brew on it.


----------



## Rowy

Looks like **** all difference just shinier!


----------



## Kingbrownbrewing

Thats correct.

"Upgrades" I call them.


----------



## bigandhairy

Rowy said:


> Looks like **** all difference just shinier!


I think you need to look a bit harder, the differences are obvious. 

bah


----------



## MastersBrewery

bigandhairy said:


> I think you need to look a bit harder, the differences are obvious.
> 
> bah




yep .... some low life hid his OTS element h34r:


----------



## Kingbrownbrewing

Its still there, I have to attach a hook for him to live on to the right.

At the moment it is hanging off the control box, so not ideal.


----------



## Screwtop

King Brown Brewing said:


> This is the 5th rebuild of my brewery, and I have told myself it will b the last. For at least a week or two.
> The upgrade is the control box and less recently, a new mash tun which turned this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The PIDs are ridiculously accurate, fairly happy with my testing results so far. Can't wait to brew on it.




Very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Inspectors Pocket Brewery MK VII is being planned for here using similar box and controllers.


----------



## Truman42

Some awesome brew rigs you guys have.

Heres my latest upgrade, a new keg mash tun and some new plumbing so I can switch between filling the MLT from the HLT and recirculating through the herms. Looking forward to trying it out.


----------



## spudfarmerboy

Truman said:


> Some awesome brew rigs you guys have.
> 
> Heres my latest upgrade, a new keg mash tun and some new plumbing so I can switch between filling the MLT from the HLT and recirculating through the herms. Looking forward to trying it out.
> 
> View attachment 59005


Where is the pump located, you would want it installed in the hose coming from the bottom of the mash tun, so it can then pump the wort through the herms and back into the top of your mash tun.


----------



## Screwtop

Truman said:


> Some awesome brew rigs you guys have.
> 
> Heres my latest upgrade, a new keg mash tun and some new plumbing so I can switch between filling the MLT from the HLT and recirculating through the herms. Looking forward to trying it out.
> 
> View attachment 59005




Looks the goods! Similar to plumbing arrangements here. After working long shifts (sometimes 16 days straight) have had some time off. Great to be back into brewing again.


Cheers,

Screwy


----------



## Truman42

spudfarmerboy said:


> Where is the pump located, you would want it installed in the hose coming from the bottom of the mash tun, so it can then pump the wort through the herms and back into the top of your mash tun.



The pump is at the bottom as shown in the pic below. The wort gravity feeds down through the herms coil and back up to the pump so it self primes. I ran it this way with my other esky mashtun and it worked well. I've also got the pump body at the top so it keeps as much wort out of the pumps housing as possible as I had previous problems with wort sticking the spline bush thingy.

@Screwtop.... Yeh I know the feeling mate. I moved house so had to pack up the brew rig and havent been able to brew for a few months now. It sucks having to buy over priced craft beer.  



> Looks the goods! Similar to plumbing arrangements here


 Where do you think I got the ideas from...


----------



## IPWS

Finally got round to finishing the HLT last week and the Kettle today. 

Will insulate the Mash/Lauter Tun this weekend and will finish it next week so long as i can get it blasted. 

I have had them glass bead blasted to give a matt finish cause i couldnt work up the energy to polish them.


----------



## Punkal

I see you also caught Hansel


----------



## mfeighan

Ok im finally finished tinkering with my brewery for now  Has been a progression from BIAB -> HERMS -> RIMS i am happy with this setup, No close up on the welds on the stand as i did that myself. Control box runs on a 10A circuit (im pretty sure i draw a small amount more with the pumps) but the HEX controlled by auberins PID will always get priority and the HLT will only go on if the hex is off. Setup on a timer so strike and hlt are ready for brew days. 

Full setup here



MT during sparge, no idea if i am doing it "right" but it works for me



first runnings of Kolsch the other weekend


----------



## QldKev

IPWS said:


> Finally got round to finishing the HLT last week and the Kettle today.
> 
> Will insulate the Mash/Lauter Tun this weekend and will finish it next week so long as i can get it blasted.
> 
> I have had them glass bead blasted to give a matt finish cause i couldnt work up the energy to polish them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 59046
> View attachment 59045




Should be big enough for a few cubes :lol:


----------



## Yob

IPWS said:


> View attachment 59046




Do you find that the tap gets easily blocked?


----------



## IPWS

Yob said:


> Do you find that the tap gets easily blocked?




hes like a hop sock only hangs around for the boil then i fish him out


----------



## Diesel80

Truman said:


> Some awesome brew rigs you guys have.
> 
> Heres my latest upgrade, a new keg mash tun and some new plumbing so I can switch between filling the MLT from the HLT and recirculating through the herms. Looking forward to trying it out.
> 
> View attachment 59005




Sh1t Truman you have moved on somewhat from struggling with a 18L urn.

Looks good.

Cheers,
D80


----------



## Yob

First run on the new rig yesterday... I had to clean everything first, did a wet run and figured it'd be a waste if I didnt throw some grain in it 




Pleased with how accessible everything is now




discovered underleting rocks




Just needs a few trimmings and a bit of paint but overall very happy and a significant upgrade to how I was using the equipment previously.


----------



## IPWS

Well Mash Tuns insulated just got to try and squeeze some time this week to fit the outlet, close off the bottom, put some legs on and bead blast it. Mash plates already done thanks to a sheet of unwanted perf that was about to be scraped.


----------



## Yob

whats the foamy stuff?


----------



## IPWS

Yob said:


> whats the foamy stuff?



Its expanding foam comes in an aerosol can from bunnings 750ml for $11 and triples in vol once out of the can i used to use a similar product in NZ was available as a two pot mixture in 5 litre cans but was always easier and cheaper to use these cans for small vessels


----------



## Malted

Man I love this stuff that Punkin sells! If I was making a complete new 3V system I would use this stuff throughout. 
$100 stick welder, 2.0mm 316 rods, a keg, some triclover flanges = awesome kettle element fitting! (Wiring not done of course).




How awesome is this for cleaning?


----------



## wbosher

You guys would love to see pics of my setup...it's a 50L stockpot. If I get around to it I'll post a pic, it's pretty awesome. :lol:


----------



## Brocksmith

Put my first brew through yesterday. 
Everything went fairly smoothly, made a few mistakes as was to be expected i guess.

Was aiming to brew a robust porter however I think it is going to end up a bit more like a baltic porter now.

Mash in went really well and hit 66 degrees and stayed there for the hour suprisingly with nothing other than a sleeping bag for insulation ha.











Fly sparge went fairly well probably should have returned it a bit more and gone a bit slower but ended up with a pre boil gravity of 1.058 and an efficiency of 70%.






Was meant to finish the boil around 1.062 however I must have boiled way to vigourously (I thought this was the aim) as there was a fair bit of foam for most of the time and i ended up with an og of 1.072 and around 16 litres of wort so instead of a 6%ish porter i think its now going to be more like 7.5%. Also forgot to add the brew brite... I'm a little concerned about the fact i only had one packet of 1056 to pitch with this boozier beer. All in all the plate chiller worked well and got the wort down to 28ish on a pretty stinking hot brisbane day and i shook the hell out of it and pitched it once it got down to 20degrees.

Tasting nice and sweet could probably have done with more hop to back up the extra booze now but time will tell.

Also milo tin as a sparge return plate failed pretty hard


----------



## tinnyhaha

I've finally finished my herms coil roller and the results are impressive


----------



## MastersBrewery

Tinnyhaha said:


> I've finally finished my herms coil roller and the results are impressive




you wouldn't have some details on the roller I have a 15m coil of ss tube could really do with reducing it's diameter by around half


----------



## tinnyhaha

Hi,

Yep! I'll post some pics over the next couple of days. 
The coil turned out 2mm over my target size of 300mm but I found the control I have over dimensions is amazing.
The coils are perfectly parallel and uniform as you can see in the attached pic but my concern is that the tude becomes distorted in section.




Cheers

Tinny


----------



## spog

"distorted in section" not sure what you mean,just to satisfy my curiousity please explain.

cheers..spog...not pauline hanson (please explain)...


----------



## tinnyhaha

Well Pauline.......ahh. sorry spog, the section of the actual tube is oval rather then round as expected.
I would like to add that the 15mtr. coil had been supplied with tube that was slightly oval already and it increased as the coil became smaller in diameter.



Cheers 
Tinny


----------



## dicko

Brocksmith said:


> Put my first brew through yesterday.
> 
> 
> Was aiming to brew a robust porter however I think it is going to end up a bit more like a baltic porter now.
> 
> 
> Was meant to finish the boil around 1.062 however I must have boiled way to vigourously (I thought this was the aim) as there was a fair bit of foam for most of the time and i ended up with an og of 1.072 and around 16 litres of wort so instead of a 6%ish porter i think its now going to be more like 7.5%.



Hi Brocksmith

You could have topped up the fermenter with cool boiled water to get back to your required gravity and volume...

Btw good looking rig..

Cheers


----------



## browndog

So I have done 5 runs on the new rig now and am starting to get the bugs ironed out and some familiarity with its pecadillos. There are pics of the rig a few pages back if you want to see it. I had to make a couple of major changes to the way it ran due to a bit of a lack of foresight on my behalf. The first major issue was the way I set the herms up, I set it up using two PIDS, one controlled the temperature of the HX, the other (set in on/off mode) monitored the mash temp and turned the pump and HX PID on. Pretty obvious with hindsight that the HX was going to have horrible lag as when the mash got up to temp and shut off the HX, the HX would then cool down until the mash PID called for it again. So I did some rewiring and made the HX PID operate independant of the mash PID with the mash PID only energising the pump. So now I have the HX running at 70C and say with an initial mash in temp of 59-60C the HX has the mash up to 66C in about 15 minutes.....perfect. Major issue two was the plumbing. I set the mash tun up with a 12inch false bottom, the tun will hold about 12kg of grain with 2.5L per kg of strikewater for a double batch. As per normal after circulating to clear the wort, the wort would then be pumped into the kettle. I found that grain particles were gathering in insideous groups in the plumbing just waiting to be pumped into the kettle, doing a double sparge didn't help the fact. The solution? a 3ft piece of 1/2" tubing that I simply stuff into the outlet in the tun (see pic). Then I removed the redundant T Piece, tap and S/S tubing simplifying the system somewhat.
So with those bits sorted it was time to fix the other stuff, much to my chargrin, false bottoms on kettles don't work, I don't know why I thought it would. Over the years I've tried every conceivable method of kettle pick ups and hadn't tried a false bottom so I'll leave it at that. It sucked too much hop through and blocked the plate chiller and when you regularly brew with 300g of hops this is a bugger. I ended up putting in a T piece with a couple of bent tubes running to the sides the kettle (see pic) This works OK but I may play with it a bit more. Fixed some leaks and added some support for some of the plumbing. My efficiency is running about 72% at the moment, down 10% from my old system and that is due to the losses involved in big pots and using lots of hops, I can live with that.
What's left to do? I'm not happy with the performance of the two 2400W elements in the kettle, even though the pot is 500mm wide, I'd like to see a stronger boil and I reckon I may get this by using heavy duty flex in place of some of the cheap $5 leads I have wired into the system. I've yet to develop a cleaning regime that flows nicely and cleaning has taken me from 30 mins to an hour on different brews. 
What do I like about it, well as anyone with a herms knows, you dial in the mash temp and walk away, there is no adjusting strikewater for winter or summer temps, no having to add cold or boiling water to the mash to make adjustments and having the ability to do a double batch is magic. I guess also as a dedicated tinkerer there is a certain satifaction you get when something you have made from scratch looks good and works as it was intended and the thing makes awesome beer !! how good is that!







cheers

Browndog


----------



## NickB

Looking good Tony! Keen to try a beer from your system in the new year! Might even have to join the IBUs as I'm moving out that way soon.....


----------



## browndog

NickB said:


> Looking good Tony! Keen to try a beer from your system in the new year! Might even have to join the IBUs as I'm moving out that way soon.....



woohoo, where abouts mate?


----------



## Adam Howard

How come you don't just energise your HX element based on the outlet wort temp from the HX? You seem to have overcomplicated the whole temp-controlled recirculated mashing thing. Thirsty Boy sent me a very enlightening PM after I chucked up a post saying I wanted to control a HX via mash temp and not wort temp.

Also on the topic of kettle draining, I'm looking into getting one of THESE

As you can see by the photos you can get a 100% kettle drain with negligible hop and break matter through a chiller and into a fermenter even with 650g of hops in one batch! I'll be ordering a custom one based on the outlet height of my ball valve on the kettle.


----------



## Screwtop

Brocksmith said:


> Put my first brew through yesterday.




Now that is a perfect open mash post sparge, no sludge covering the grist, no channeling !!!!

Screwy


----------



## Screwtop

browndog said:


> So I have done 5 runs on the new rig now and am starting to get the bugs ironed out and some familiarity with its pecadillos.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog




All these years and I still read every one of your posts Tony! There's always something to learn! Have made many alterations to Inspectors Pocket Brewery over the years also. The proof is definitely in the pudding eh!!!!!

Regards,

Screwy


----------



## NickB

browndog said:


> woohoo, where abouts mate?




Assuming the bank does what it's supposed to, Collingwood Park


----------



## browndog

Adamski29 said:


> How come you don't just energise your HX element based on the outlet wort temp from the HX? You seem to have overcomplicated the whole temp-controlled recirculated mashing thing. Thirsty Boy sent me a very enlightening PM after I chucked up a post saying I wanted to control a HX via mash temp and not wort temp.
> 
> Also on the topic of kettle draining, I'm looking into getting one of THESE
> 
> As you can see by the photos you can get a 100% kettle drain with negligible hop and break matter through a chiller and into a fermenter even with 650g of hops in one batch! I'll be ordering a custom one based on the outlet height of my ball valve on the kettle.



Thanks for the link, that does seem to the ducks nuts but I think the trade off would be a fairly slow run off, there's always a trade off. Regarding the HX, now I have a probe inside the HX that keeps the HX and the exiting wort at the temperature I want. I reckon I have created an ideal system and I am more than happy if people can shoot holes in it because I've tried and can't. For starters, if you are only measuring the outlet wort temp then you really have no idea what is happening inside your mash, you can't tell because you don't have a probe in there measuring the temperature right. All your nicely heated wort (which I assume you would have your HX set to your mash temp) so you are assuming all the wort exiting the HX at say 66C is making your mash a homogenous 66C. By having a probe in the center of the mash I know exactly the temperature in the center of the mash, no guessing, and with the added benefit of knowing the temperature of the HX, there is no worry that the wort could be heated to enzyme denaturing temperatures. All in all, it is just an extra level of control and rather than overcomplicate things, just makes it easier to control the process.


----------



## browndog

Screwtop said:


> All these years and I still read every one of your posts Tony! There's always something to learn! Have made many alterations to Inspectors Pocket Brewery over the years also. The proof is definitely in the pudding eh!!!!!
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Screwy



Indeed Michael and we are well overdue for a beer or two mate.


----------



## pike1973

NickB said:


> Assuming the bank does what it's supposed to, Collingwood Park


It would be great to get another brewer in our great little club, I'm sure you would be welcome.
Adz.


----------



## NickB

Yeah, I'd feel like a traitor to BABBs though.....

Maybe I can be in both. And GOLDClub....and PUBs... And....


----------



## sponge

NickB said:


> Looking good Tony! Keen to try a beer from your system in the new year! Might even have to join the IBUs as I'm moving out that way soon.....






NickB said:


> Assuming the bank does what it's supposed to, Collingwood Park



There's another IBU's...?

Who wudda thunk it?!


----------



## NickB

Ipswich Brewer's Union I believe....


----------



## Adam Howard

browndog said:


> Thanks for the link, that does seem to the ducks nuts but I think the trade off would be a fairly slow run off, there's always a trade off. Regarding the HX, now I have a probe inside the HX that keeps the HX and the exiting wort at the temperature I want. I reckon I have created an ideal system and I am more than happy if people can shoot holes in it because I've tried and can't. For starters, if you are only measuring the outlet wort temp then you really have no idea what is happening inside your mash, you can't tell because you don't have a probe in there measuring the temperature right. All your nicely heated wort (which I assume you would have your HX set to your mash temp) so you are assuming all the wort exiting the HX at say 66C is making your mash a homogenous 66C. By having a probe in the center of the mash I know exactly the temperature in the center of the mash, no guessing, and with the added benefit of knowing the temperature of the HX, there is no worry that the wort could be heated to enzyme denaturing temperatures. All in all, it is just an extra level of control and rather than overcomplicate things, just makes it easier to control the process.



Well the way I had it explained to me is that measuring the 'mash' in a recirculated system is only measuring the temperature of the grain bed. Once the enzymes are solubilised they are in the wort and not the grain/mashbed. Due to the recirculation the temperature of the mash will always lag behind the temperature of the wort coming out of the HX and because the enzymes are in the liquid that is recirculating you want the outlet temp of the wort to be the governing controller of temp because heating that to the required step temp will be ensuring the enzymes are operating at the temp you want. For instance, basing the energising of an HX on mash temp will overheat the wort coming out of the HX much higher than your desired step.

I have a Mashmaster thermometer in my tun but control my HERMS vessel via wort out temp. I find that when it ramps to the next step the temperature of the grainbed lags a few minutes behind the temperature of the wort, this isn't a big deal because I've made sure that the hottest the wort is going to be is my desired mash temp.

Not saying what you're doing is the wrong way at all, it just seems overly complex.


----------



## mxd

Adamski29 said:


> Fridgemate will end up running the HLT.



hey Adam, 

becareful with the fridgemate running the hlt, I released smoke from mine as they "may" not be made to switch 10 amps, you may need to put a SSR between the fridgemate and the hlt power point.


----------



## QldKev

Adamski29 said:


> Well the way I had it explained to me is that measuring the 'mash' in a recirculated system is only measuring the temperature of the grain bed. Once the enzymes are solubilised they are in the wort and not the grain/mashbed. Due to the recirculation the temperature of the mash will always lag behind the temperature of the wort coming out of the HX and because the enzymes are in the liquid that is recirculating you want the outlet temp of the wort to be the governing controller of temp because heating that to the required step temp will be ensuring the enzymes are operating at the temp you want. For instance, basing the energising of an HX on mash temp will overheat the wort coming out of the HX much higher than your desired step.
> 
> I have a Mashmaster thermometer in my tun but control my HERMS vessel via wort out temp. I find that when it ramps to the next step the temperature of the grainbed lags a few minutes behind the temperature of the wort, this isn't a big deal because I've made sure that the hottest the wort is going to be is my desired mash temp.
> 
> Not saying what you're doing is the wrong way at all, it just seems overly complex.



This is my understanding of the process too. I control the heat exchanger by the temperature of the exit of the HERMS. I also have a probe in under the false bottom at the end of the pickup. When performing bigger steps (say 66 to 77) I've seen a lag of up to 5c. So in my case if I was using the probe under the false bottom to control the output temp I could potentially see 77+5=82c wort temps pouring into the mash. When it hits the mash bed I assume it would drop back to a more reasonable temp, but some grain is constantly being pushed to 82c and that's astringency country. I assume the mash bed half way up would be warmer than the bottom during ramping, but I still think there would be the same effect. 

QldKev


----------



## winkle

NickB said:


> Yeah, I'd feel like a traitor to BABBs though.....
> 
> Maybe I can be in both. And GOLDClub....and PUBs... And....



:icon_offtopic: 

OMG you are turning into BribieG!  
_(just more proof that nature abhores a vacume)_


----------



## NickB

Not quite, I'm not moving further south that's for sure!


----------



## Adam Howard

mxd said:


> hey Adam,
> 
> becareful with the fridgemate running the hlt, I released smoke from mine as they "may" not be made to switch 10 amps, you may need to put a SSR between the fridgemate and the hlt power point.



Cheers bloke. Haven't bothered to hook that circuit up yet. Seems unnecessary now with the HERMS. I use the thermostat of my urn to get pretty close to my exact strike temp and then let the HX do the rest once I start recirc'ing.


----------



## squirt in the turns

Adamski29 said:


> Cheers bloke. Haven't bothered to hook that circuit up yet. Seems unnecessary now with the HERMS. I use the thermostat of my urn to get pretty close to my exact strike temp and then let the HX do the rest once I start recirc'ing.



If that works for your system then all good - no need to fix it if it ain't broke. That said, it's just more satisfying to control all your temperatures from one panel, don't you think?

The relay in the MashMaster Fridgemate is rated to 10A: http://mashmaster.com.au/UserFiles/2321-Fi...eMKIIColour.pdf

I'm pretty sure at some point I've used one to control a 2.4 KW element without issue. Like many others, I use an STC-1000 for my HLT, which like the Fridgemate is going to have a tiny 10A relay in it for the heating circuit, but never complains (smokes). Could be mxd got a bad sample?

I wouldn't bother with an SSR for the HLT, it's just not going to switch that fast. Also, AFAIK (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) you can't get an SSR that can take a 240v AC signal, only DC. You'd have to crack the Fridgemate open and solder additional connections from its DC relay output to the SSR. If you really want to use a beefier relay it'd be far simpler to get a relay with a 240v coil like this one.


----------



## Yob

Really feckin glad I came back to do some finishing touches the other day on the new brew rig, I came back and siliconed all the joins around the STC controller section...


today I looked the other way fro a few seconds too long when re-filling the HLT and yep.. waterfall.. managed to save the phone which was just sitting there and thankfully the rivulet coming off the brewstand all missed the keggle  (currently boiling my Imperial IPA)

a lucky escape... but a good test of the waterproofing  dry as a nuns poonani where it matters B)


----------



## braumiesterblake

Whhhooeee some fancy stuff on here! Here is mine. My brewbuddy welds and I get to betatest stuff, but I liked this design enough to keep it. In the dead of winter the top burner is a little meek, but otherwise, this runs like a champ. 80% Efficiency is typical. 

I just changed my plan to allow my plate chiller to be in my basement where i have access to water and a drain all winter long. This also saves my back.

My other new toy is that NOR-CAL false bottom. It was pricey, it is overbuilt.

Next up is a pump for recirculating and speeding the cooling.


----------



## davo_03

Thought it about time I try n start posting more. Here's a quick snap of my 3 tier gravity system running. Should be getting a lil brown pump adden to it when I get back home, just to aid the vorlof (hmm no idea how to spell that one) n maby even chilling after boil.


----------



## lukiferj

Here is a brew stand I whipped up on the weekend for my BIAB in an urn setup. I have holidays next week so will be taking it for it's maiden run. It will be my first AG. Still have a few things I would like to do with it but will give it a run and see how we go. My 19 litre Big W extract special looks so small next to a crown urn.


----------



## BPH87

lukiferj said:


> Here is a brew stand I whipped up on the weekend for my BIAB in an urn setup. I have holidays next week so will be taking it for it's maiden run. It will be my first AG. Still have a few things I would like to do with it but will give it a run and see how we go. My 19 litre Big W extract special looks so small next to a crown urn.


Nice job mate! Mine just sits on a milk crate.

Is that laminex or ply? If you have not done so already you might need to seal it otherwise the steam will bugger it.


----------



## lukiferj

BPH87 said:


> Nice job mate! Mine just sits on a milk crate.
> 
> Is that laminex or ply? If you have not done so already you might need to seal it otherwise the steam will bugger it.


I did think about that. It's laminex. If I get a chance I will seal it this week, otherwise as long as it does the job next week I will get to it in the next couple of weeks. Cheers for the feedback.


----------



## Camo1234

OK... It's time to post up my 4v Herms Rig that I am in the middle of building!

I have all the gear and having its first brew tomorrow in a bodgy set up to see how I want to set it up permanently.

The rig consists of the following gear:

HLT: 100 ltr pot from CB with 2 x 2000W Elements

Mash Tun: 100 ltr Mash Tun from Beer Belly

Herms: 5 ltr Birko Urn with Herm-IT coil from Nev and Herm-IT Controller

Boiler: 100 ltr pot from CB with Itailian Spiral Burner and high pressure reg.


I scored a stainless bench from work so that will be the bench that it will all eventually be mounted on.

At the moment I will just use the boiler on the ground as I havent mounted it to the bench and don't have the pump mounted yet either.

Plenty to fine tune here and mount permanently but plenty of fun ahead.... Here comes bigger batches! (massive step up from my BIAB in an Urn days!)


----------



## MastersBrewery

Camo1234 said:


> OK... It's time to post up my 4v Herms Rig that I am in the middle of building!
> 
> I have all the gear and having its first brew tomorrow in a bodgy set up to see how I want to set it up permanently.
> 
> The rig consists of the following gear:
> 
> HLT: 100 ltr pot from CB with 2 x 2000W Elements
> 
> Mash Tun: 100 ltr Mash Tun from Beer Belly
> 
> Herms: 5 ltr Birko Urn with Herm-IT coil from Nev and Herm-IT Controller
> 
> Boiler: 100 ltr pot from CB with Itailian Spiral Burner and high pressure reg.
> 
> 
> I scored a stainless bench from work so that will be the bench that it will all eventually be mounted on.
> 
> At the moment I will just use the boiler on the ground as I havent mounted it to the bench and don't have the pump mounted yet either.
> 
> Plenty to fine tune here and mount permanently but plenty of fun ahead.... Here comes bigger batches! (massive step up from my BIAB in an Urn days!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gear.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Herms.jpg


lookin smick there, more pics when yer done!


----------



## Crusty

Camo1234 said:


> OK... It's time to post up my 4v Herms Rig that I am in the middle of building!
> 
> I have all the gear and having its first brew tomorrow in a bodgy set up to see how I want to set it up permanently.
> 
> The rig consists of the following gear:
> 
> HLT: 100 ltr pot from CB with 2 x 2000W Elements
> 
> Mash Tun: 100 ltr Mash Tun from Beer Belly
> 
> Herms: 5 ltr Birko Urn with Herm-IT coil from Nev and Herm-IT Controller
> 
> Boiler: 100 ltr pot from CB with Itailian Spiral Burner and high pressure reg.
> 
> 
> I scored a stainless bench from work so that will be the bench that it will all eventually be mounted on.
> 
> At the moment I will just use the boiler on the ground as I havent mounted it to the bench and don't have the pump mounted yet either.
> 
> Plenty to fine tune here and mount permanently but plenty of fun ahead.... Here comes bigger batches! (massive step up from my BIAB in an Urn days!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gear.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Herms.jpg


Wow Camo....... :icon_drool2:
Great looking set up mate.
Will be following this thread.
The Herm - It controller is supposed to be pretty good.
Post plenty of pics of all the gear, especially some close up shots of it all in action.
I can feel myself getting pulled back into re circulation.......... h34r: No must resist, yes do it, no, get out of my head...............AARRGGHH!!................Help.


----------



## Camo1234

King Brown Brewing said:


> This is the 5th rebuild of my brewery, and I have told myself it will b the last. For at least a week or two.
> The upgrade is the control box and less recently, a new mash tun which turned this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The PIDs are ridiculously accurate, fairly happy with my testing results so far. Can't wait to brew on it.


Hey Mate.... Where did you get the casters from? I am looking around for some for my brew stand and they seem to be bloody expensive! I need 6 casters but not sure what load capacity I need to go for... I have a 100ltr 4v system so should could have weights around 200kg in theory but not sure if I really need casters that heavy duty?


----------



## Crusty

This guys calling it Rims, directly heating the wort I guess.
Anyone see any problems running a Rims this way. It seems a pretty easy way to set one up.
Just have your temp probe measuring the outlet from the kettle.


----------



## Yob

potential for oxidization? There is a fair surface area on that... isnt that why they general have an enclosed tube type thing AKA Punkin's RIMS tube and a HERMS system also has an enclosed coil..

FK Knows man, just thinking out loud here, happy to be corrected if'n my thinking comes out my ass


----------



## pk.sax

There must be a really good element in that kettle!
I remember my dumb housemate that put milk straight into the kettle.... That was a kettle wasted and the housemate shortly got rid of.


----------



## Kingbrownbrewing

Camo1234 said:


> Hey Mate.... Where did you get the casters from? I am looking around for some for my brew stand and they seem to be bloody expensive! I need 6 casters but not sure what load capacity I need to go for... I have a 100ltr 4v system so should could have weights around 200kg in theory but not sure if I really need casters that heavy duty?


Got the stand made up by a professional, couldnt tell you bro, however there are shops that only stock castors, I think there is one in geebung.


----------



## bonj

I bought my castors from supacheap. Just figure out the maximum weight you'll be putting on the stand (including the stand, and don't forget the MLT/HLT/kettle contents), and divide by the number of castors you want and round up to the nearest load rating.


----------



## cat007

Does anyone have any genius and simple ideas to raise/lower a corner of their brew rig? My garage isn't flat and has ridges all over the show - so when I move it around the garage, or in summer when I brew outside, I'd like to be able to make sure that all 4 corner castors are adjusted so the rig is flat and level....

For my workbench I just used some M20 bolts and welded nuts to the legs so the head of the bolt is the foot - and I screw it up/down to make the bench level.

Not sure if this is the best way, or if it'll even work with castors though....??

Thoughts?


----------



## brad81

http://www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au/en/Exhibitors/80605/QHDC-Australia-Pty-Ltd/Products/527178/QHDC-Australia-Height-Adjustable-Castors

Might be what you are looking for.


----------



## bradsbrew

Jockey wheel?


----------



## cat007

Hmmm those adjustable castors look awesome - they also look expensive haha. I'll find out how much they're worth.

Cheers
Hunt


----------



## Camo1234

Bonj said:


> I bought my castors from supacheap. Just figure out the maximum weight you'll be putting on the stand (including the stand, and don't forget the MLT/HLT/kettle contents), and divide by the number of castors you want and round up to the nearest load rating.


Cheers! I thought each wheel needed to be rated at the total weight..! That will make the casters alot cheaper now!


----------



## cat007

Hi again.

Just wondering about hard vs soft lines for my 4V brew rig. I was going to use hard lines for the 80% of the lines that won't need to be moved and then some soft of soft (silicone) lines for the remainder 2 lines.

Then I just realised how much of a PITA the hard (stainless) lines/pipes will be to clean etc.

I know soft lines won't look as pretty - but in the grand scheme of things - they'll work just as well and are easier to clean.....?

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Is it worth using hard lines/pipes if only really for bling factor? Or should I just use soft lines?


----------



## Logman

I think a big factor is how easily you can hose out your brew area - I use all silicone and just push them onto barbs (no QD's) and spill a small amount each day - luckily there is a main drain outside the garage and I can hose it straight into there, if it went on the grass it would be a problem with ants etc eventually - same goes for cockroaches in the garage, I've only got to not hose a bit properly and they're in there like a shot.

If you're brewing on a patio or backyard pool area or anything like that I can see the value of hard lines for sure....


----------



## TidalPete

Hunt said:


> Does anyone have any genius and simple ideas to raise/lower a corner of their brew rig? My garage isn't flat and has ridges all over the show - so when I move it around the garage, or in summer when I brew outside, I'd like to be able to make sure that all 4 corner castors are adjusted so the rig is flat and level....
> 
> For my workbench I just used some M20 bolts and welded nuts to the legs so the head of the bolt is the foot - and I screw it up/down to make the bench level.
> 
> Not sure if this is the best way, or if it'll even work with castors though....??
> 
> Thoughts?


No reason why the bolt/welded nut combo won't work on your brewframe.I have a slanted garage floor (drainage) & used adjustable feet that fit into the ends of RHS framework for my storage along the walls http://www.google.com.au/search?q=adjustable+feet+for+cabinets&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=qhsPUfPEAanBiQf7ioF4&ved=0CEgQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=945 which is just a fancy bolt & nut job.
A cheap & easy way out is a block of wood & a wedge. Fast to adjust but not pretty.


----------



## cat007

Yeah I think I'll just go the threaded rod welded to the castor and with a nut welded to the inside of the frame legs. Cheapest and easiest.

In regards to the hard/soft line question - if I have hard lines going to various items - lets say for example the MLT - how do you disconnect the hard line from the MLT as the hard line won't be able to be pulled away from the MLT.....?


----------



## TidalPete

Hunt said:


> Yeah I think I'll just go the threaded rod welded to the castor and with a nut welded to the inside of the frame legs. Cheapest and easiest.
> 
> In regards to the hard/soft line question - if I have hard lines going to various items - lets say for example the MLT - how do you disconnect the hard line from the MLT as the hard line won't be able to be pulled away from the MLT.....?


You would use ss unions to allow relatively quick separation from your ss lines, valves, etc for ease of cleaning.
My brew rig isn't hard-plumbed. I just use silicone hose with ss QD's which are reasonably cheap & convenient. Camlocks are good if you have the room for them.


----------



## Camo1234

OK guys... Playing around with a few design thoughts for the plumbing and I have come up with the below design.... I am a mechanical numb nut so feel free to point out issues with the design or ideas that would suit better.

I am building a single level system so need to pump everything around.... I am thinking of two pumps...

I am stuck on the line connections at the moment for the area that is circled in red in the diagram... I would like the HLT pump to be able to run through the line that goes to the HX but also to be able to shut it off and run the mash pump whilst cirulating during mash...i would also have another 3 way before this point where the mash pump would either pump straight up to the HX or go to the boiler during a fly sparge at which point the HLT pump would be running through the HX.

What would be the best plumbing for these 3 way points? Would a 3 way ball valve do the trick or is that just for splitting one line into 2 rather than deciding on which of two lines go into one??? (It sounds like it should work, just in reverse, but not sure if I am missing something?)

Keen to hear your thoughts on the set up and any suggested plumbing changes or what plumbing I should use for the 3 way connections?

Camo


----------



## breakbeer

Looks like more than 1 vessel to me, but I failed Maths


----------



## Camo1234

breakbeer said:


> Looks like more than 1 vessel to me, but I failed Maths


Single level... Not single vessel.... But I failed English so not sure


----------



## breakbeer

bahahahaha, looks lyk eye need sum moar skoolin


----------



## TidalPete

Hunt said:


> Yeah I think I'll just go the threaded rod welded to the castor and with a nut welded to the inside of the frame legs. Cheapest and easiest.
> 
> In regards to the hard/soft line question - if I have hard lines going to various items - lets say for example the MLT - how do you disconnect the hard line from the MLT as the hard line won't be able to be pulled away from the MLT.....?




Forgot to mention ---- Welding the widest flat washer practicable to your bolt head should give more stability?


----------



## hsb

Here you go, alley oop


View attachment 60398


----------



## gazeboar

Man, these rigs are beautiful. I look at mine and smile, considering that my entire rig consists of a Birko urn, strainer and a thirty dollar utility cart :lol:


----------



## MastersBrewery

gazeboar said:


> Man, these rigs are beautiful. I look at mine and smile, considering that my entire rig consists of a Birko urn, strainer and a thirty dollar utility cart :lol:


yeah but it makes Beer don't it!!


----------



## gazeboar

MastersBrewery said:


> yeah but it makes Beer don't it!!


It sure as hell does  I like the simplicity. Maybe I can do one of these three vessel systems further on down the track as a fun project.


----------



## hsb

Does anyone here have a chilling coil permanently fitted in their kettle? I'm thinking of putting one in mine, with compression fittings. (So I could take it for a good clean now and then.)
I no chill for a lot of beers but would chill anything hop-forward like IPAs, ESB's etc.

I just wondered if there's any downside to having all that (stainless) tubing full of air inside the kettle, does it effect the boil negatively?

I would just leave the coil in/out open, no valves, can't see a need. I would just hook up the hose at the bottom and run tubing back to my HLT from the out to reuse the water for clean-up.
I'd prefer a permanent setup so I can fine-tune my whirlpooling, and it's not like I'll be using the coil anywhere else, so might as well plumb it in permanently.

I seem to recall donburke might have one that you don't use? Any downsides? Just taking stock before taking the plunge and drilling holes in my lovely kettle.


----------



## razz

_I thought about it before changing my chilling routine __hsb, I can't see any problem with having one in the kettle as you see it. http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/hot-liquor-tank_
_This is a pretty good set up if you need some ideas._


----------



## hsb

Thanks razz, I suppose it'll just be vacant space inside the kettle when not in use, might get a nice little warm breeze coming up through it whilst I'm boiling.
I've flip-flopped on which way to go - immersion to counterflow to plate chiller back to an immersion chiller, just fixed in place.
I could always switch the setup around down the road to make it an HLT-based HERMS as in the link. I'm liking the flexibility. Out come the power tools this weekend...


----------



## razz

I didn't go for it at the time because the ss coils weren't readily available. In hindsight it's very easy to clean out the kettle without having to manoeuvre around the coil. I've gone with copper immersion coil before whirlpool and then plate chiller to the fermenter.


----------



## Aussiedrifter

Thought I'd add photos of my home made electric setup.


----------



## Helles

hsb said:


> Does anyone here have a chilling coil permanently fitted in their kettle? I'm thinking of putting one in mine, with compression fittings. (So I could take it for a good clean now and then.)
> I no chill for a lot of beers but would chill anything hop-forward like IPAs, ESB's etc.
> 
> I just wondered if there's any downside to having all that (stainless) tubing full of air inside the kettle, does it effect the boil negatively?
> 
> I would just leave the coil in/out open, no valves, can't see a need. I would just hook up the hose at the bottom and run tubing back to my HLT from the out to reuse the water for clean-up.
> I'd prefer a permanent setup so I can fine-tune my whirlpooling, and it's not like I'll be using the coil anywhere else, so might as well plumb it in permanently.
> 
> I seem to recall donburke might have one that you don't use? Any downsides? Just taking stock before taking the plunge and drilling holes in my lovely kettle.


I dont have permanent coil in kettle
I do have a copper coil witch i leave in during boil
Only problem i have is when i boil, water and steam heat up in coil and it spits boiling water at me
I put a removable 90 deg bend on inlet and outlet to point it at the floor instead of me


----------



## Cocko

Aussiedrifter said:


> Thought I'd add photos of my home made electric setup.


Man! That is some nice looking kit right there, good work!

Send me your address and I will find some one with a label maker to sort out your control box 

Seriously though, very nice rig!


----------



## Aussiedrifter

Cocko said:


> Man! That is some nice looking kit right there, good work!
> 
> Send me your address and I will find some one with a label maker to sort out your control box
> 
> Seriously though, very nice rig!


Ha. Thanks mate. Yer I do need some labels. That is the one thing that annoys me when I brew.


----------



## stux

Aussiedrifter said:


> Ha. Thanks mate. Yer I do need some labels. That is the one thing that annoys me when I brew.


Control Panel Labels (site currently closed... back later)


----------



## Camo1234

First run with the full new system on the weekend... Punched out 70 ltrs of LCPA and hit all my targets with my first attempt at fly sparging 

4 Vessle Herms with 2 x Little Brown Pumps and 2 x 3 way ball valves so that there is no need to swap hoses during the brew... Awesome to be able to switch between recylcing through the HX and Fly sparging etc.










As always still more things to come... need something to control the HLT (The Herm-It Controller has a setting for HLT but I need to talk to Nev about whether this can be used) and also need to mount a control box to house the Herm-IT controller and various pump switches.... and still trying to decide whether I mount the boiler on the brew trolley or leave it where it is.... Had my first ever boil over with this brew and was very glad that it wasn't on the brew stand!

Also need to work on the ramp speed of the HX... it takes bloody ages to ramp... something like 1c every 2-3 mins!

Camo


----------



## Aussiedrifter

Camo1234 said:


> First run with the full new system on the weekend... Punched out 70 ltrs of LCPA and hit all my targets with my first attempt at fly sparging
> 
> 4 Vessle Herms with 2 x Little Brown Pumps and 2 x 3 way ball valves so that there is no need to swap hoses during the brew... Awesome to be able to switch between recylcing through the HX and Fly sparging etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> photo 3.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> photo 2.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> photo 1.JPG
> 
> As always still more things to come... need something to control the HLT (The Herm-It Controller has a setting for HLT but I need to talk to Nev about whether this can be used) and also need to mount a control box to house the Herm-IT controller and various pump switches.... and still trying to decide whether I mount the boiler on the brew trolley or leave it where it is.... Had my first ever boil over with this brew and was very glad that it wasn't on the brew stand!
> 
> Also need to work on the ramp speed of the HX... it takes bloody ages to ramp... something like 1c every 2-3 mins!
> 
> Camo



Nice setup mate. Where's the mess though? My brew days never look that clean, I have stuff everywhere : )


----------



## Cocko

Camo1234 said:


> First run with the full new system on the weekend... Punched out 70 ltrs of LCPA and hit all my targets with my first attempt at fly sparging
> 
> 4 Vessle Herms with 2 x Little Brown Pumps and 2 x 3 way ball valves so that there is no need to swap hoses during the brew... Awesome to be able to switch between recylcing through the HX and Fly sparging etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> photo 3.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> photo 2.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> photo 1.JPG
> 
> As always still more things to come... need something to control the HLT (The Herm-It Controller has a setting for HLT but I need to talk to Nev about whether this can be used) and also need to mount a control box to house the Herm-IT controller and various pump switches.... and still trying to decide whether I mount the boiler on the brew trolley or leave it where it is.... Had my first ever boil over with this brew and was very glad that it wasn't on the brew stand!
> 
> Also need to work on the ramp speed of the HX... it takes bloody ages to ramp... something like 1c every 2-3 mins!
> 
> Camo



****.

Amazing.

:icon_drool2:

Get the kettle in place and you will learn how to avoid boil overs..... I would also add, that your HX vessel size is too big, assuming you are running Nev's coil too, this will be the reason for slow ramping... 2c.


----------



## Camo1234

Aussiedrifter said:


> Nice setup mate. Where's the mess though? My brew days never look that clean, I have stuff everywhere : )



hahaha... that was when I was running water through it.... There was plenty of mess by the end... .my first boil over on top of numerous leaks due to not enough tape on the threads lead to a few leaks and plenty of mess from the boil over!


----------



## Camo1234

Cocko said:


> ****.
> 
> Amazing.
> 
> :icon_drool2:
> 
> Get the kettle in place and you will learn how to avoid boil overs..... I would also add, that your HX vessel size is too big, assuming you are running Nev's coil too, this will be the reason for slow ramping... 2c.



cheers mate... I am thinking I will end up mounting the kettle with the spiral burner and maybe add some sort of heat sheild so that I don't burn the insulation on the MT.... I also think I will need to look at giving one of the normal set ups a go for Nev's coil... I don't fancy my own electrical work with 240v which is why I went with the 5 ltr urn but am thinking that I will give one of the rockets a go and get a sparkie to check it over for me before I plug her in..... Will also free up some space on the brew frame.

Was awesome to see 3 full cubes at the end of the day! I reckon I could manage 4 cubes if I controlled the boil over... But I also not want a 140 ltr kettle! (trying to tell myself to stop!)


----------



## Cocko

Camo1234 said:


> cheers mate... I am thinking I will end up mounting the kettle with the spiral burner and maybe add some sort of heat sheild so that I don't burn the insulation on the MT.... I also think I will need to look at giving one of the normal set ups a go for Nev's coil... I don't fancy my own electrical work with 240v which is why I went with the 5 ltr urn but am thinking that I will give one of the rockets a go and get a sparkie to check it over for me before I plug her in..... Will also free up some space on the brew frame.
> 
> Was awesome to see 3 full cubes at the end of the day! I reckon I could manage 4 cubes if I controlled the boil over... But I also not want a 140 ltr kettle! (trying to tell myself to stop!)


Good call on the 240v mate, not really something to be toying with!

Please keep us updated with any further additions/modifications - pix.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## cat007

Regarding the comments about the HX being too large, I was always under the impression that a larger HX would mean less spikes in temperatures and an overall more even temp mash. Wouldn't a small one mean the element is turning on and off all the time?


----------



## Crusty

Hunt said:


> Regarding the comments about the HX being too large, I was always under the impression that a larger HX would mean less spikes in temperatures and an overall more even temp mash. Wouldn't a small one mean the element is turning on and off all the time?


It does but the temp correction will be much quicker.
Too large a volume of hex water results in too slow a ramp speed. The smaller the volume the better.


----------



## mxd

Crusty said:


> It does but the temp correction will be much quicker.
> Too large a volume of hex water results in too slow a ramp speed. The smaller the volume the better.


 +1


----------



## bullsneck

Here's my latest project. It will get a run next weekend.


----------



## MastersBrewery

bullsneck said:


> Here's my latest project. It will get a run next weekend.
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg


That urn looks like a little bit of over kill for sparg water, though the extra is probably useful for cleanup, nice setup, very tidy


----------



## hsb

Looks like I've just been fleeced on two welded sockets.
I was unable to stay until the end of the job, had to leave someone else to pay.

When I return, the internal threads in both sockets are useless. One doesn't even accept a fitting of any kind.

Called the 'provider' who claims everything is fine. Refuses to enter into discussion that there is a problem. And is now ignoring calls.

One of the fittings, they'd grinded away the compression fitting to try and shoehorn it in there and left it perched without any thread bite.

So angry right now, out of pocket, and left with a butchered kettle. Totally furious!

Giving a final chance before I name and shame and look into what action I can take.


----------



## bradsbrew

hsb said:


> Looks like I've just been fleeced on two welded sockets.
> I was unable to stay until the end of the job, had to leave someone else to pay.
> 
> When I return, the internal threads in both sockets are useless. One doesn't even accept a fitting of any kind.
> 
> Called the 'provider' who claims everything is fine. Refuses to enter into discussion that there is a problem. And is now ignoring calls.
> 
> One of the fittings, they'd grinded away the compression fitting to try and shoehorn it in there and left it perched without any thread bite.
> 
> So angry right now, out of pocket, and left with a butchered kettle. Totally furious!
> 
> Giving a final chance before I name and shame and look into what action I can take.


Geez, I hope it wasn't Phil Jones?


----------



## Edak

Ouch HSB, that would infuriate me.

Sorry to hear that. I hope you get things fixed up without too much hassle


----------



## kymba

Weldesss fittings are pretty cool, hey!


----------



## hsb

His response has been to stonewall with "it was fine when i left it", inferring I've somehow ruined the thread myself.
That's what's made me most angry. H

He made a mess the first time with the first one and returned a week later with a tapping tool to 'fix it'
Now he claims its all fine when clearly there was a problem. He ruined the thread welding it from the inside.

It wasn't Phil Jones, whoever that is, I'll name and shame - with pictures - tomorrow.
Still totally fuming. My kettle now has two shit sockets attached for just $180.

What recourse do I have? Sweet fa I'm assuming. I have his ABN/personal details and plenty of evidence. But all I can do is make plain the quality of the work and service provided I guess.


----------



## Crusty

hsb said:


> Looks like I've just been fleeced on two welded sockets.
> I was unable to stay until the end of the job, had to leave someone else to pay.
> 
> When I return, the internal threads in both sockets are useless. One doesn't even accept a fitting of any kind.
> 
> Called the 'provider' who claims everything is fine. Refuses to enter into discussion that there is a problem. And is now ignoring calls.
> 
> One of the fittings, they'd grinded away the compression fitting to try and shoehorn it in there and left it perched without any thread bite.
> 
> So angry right now, out of pocket, and left with a butchered kettle. Totally furious!
> 
> Giving a final chance before I name and shame and look into what action I can take.


This shit really pisses me off & it's so darn common these days.
Name & shame if they want to ignore your calls.
Hope you get it sorted.


----------



## Cocko

Phil jones for PM


----------



## MastersBrewery

just had some welding done myself on an old 18 gal keg recently, after grinding it all back with a flap disc I have a few pin holes, so will be returning early next week to get them to touch it up with a weld or 2, saying that is was the internal weld that had 3 or 4 pin holes .... external weld was A1. Let you guys know how it turns out.

edit: Typo ... too much samplin the wares I thinks


----------



## goomboogo

I'm with Cocko. Phil Jones is the gift that keeps giving. The fact good old Phil wasn't the culprit on this occasion doesn't matter. Don Burke, come on down and tell hsb about phil.


----------



## bum

Cocko said:


> Phil jones for PM


The PM isn't supposed to have a Phil Jones, apparently...


----------



## Cocko

bum said:


> The PM isn't supposed to have a Phil Jones, apparently...



Pretty sure that red headed thing is a PJ... just sayin.


----------



## Spoonta

thats fucked it is not that hard to weld in sockets get it fixed some were and send him the bill


----------



## bullsneck

MastersBrewery said:


> That urn looks like a little bit of over kill for sparg water, though the extra is probably useful for cleanup, nice setup, very tidy


It's the urn from my BIAB days. Works a treat. I heat up all my water on a timer then transfer into the BM. Left over water goes into sparge.


----------



## Wolfman

Crusty said:


> It does but the temp correction will be much quicker.
> Too large a volume of hex water results in too slow a ramp speed. The smaller the volume the better.


So what's people's thought on the best volume for your HEX?


----------



## spog

hsb said:


> His response has been to stonewall with "it was fine when i left it", inferring I've somehow ruined the thread myself.
> That's what's made me most angry. H
> 
> He made a mess the first time with the first one and returned a week later with a tapping tool to 'fix it'
> Now he claims its all fine when clearly there was a problem. He ruined the thread welding it from the inside.
> 
> It wasn't Phil Jones, whoever that is, I'll name and shame - with pictures - tomorrow.
> Still totally fuming. My kettle now has two shit sockets attached for just $180.
> 
> What recourse do I have? Sweet fa I'm assuming. I have his ABN/personal details and plenty of evidence. But all I can do is make plain the quality of the work and service provided I guess.


$180.00 is a lot of money,takes a long time to earn a spare $180.00,tradies etc who DO NOT back their work aint worth shit. 
name and shame them.harsh,yes but giving a fck takes but a moment of your time and pays dividends...cheers..spog..


----------



## QldKev

Wolfman said:


> So what's people's thought on the best volume for your HEX?


The smallest volume you can fit your coil into. Less water the quicker it heats up when the element cuts in, and less thermal mass means less overshoot.


----------



## bradsbrew

Wolfman said:


> So what's people's thought on the best volume for your HEX?


Nev's coil in a 1.7L $8 kettle works well.


----------



## bonj

hsb said:


> His response has been to stonewall with "it was fine when i left it", inferring I've somehow ruined the thread myself.
> That's what's made me most angry. H
> 
> He made a mess the first time with the first one and returned a week later with a tapping tool to 'fix it'
> Now he claims its all fine when clearly there was a problem. He ruined the thread welding it from the inside.
> 
> It wasn't Phil Jones, whoever that is, I'll name and shame - with pictures - tomorrow.
> Still totally fuming. My kettle now has two shit sockets attached for just $180.
> 
> What recourse do I have? Sweet fa I'm assuming. I have his ABN/personal details and plenty of evidence. But all I can do is make plain the quality of the work and service provided I guess.


http://www.badtradie.com.au/


----------



## bonj

bradsbrew said:


> Nev's coil in a 1.7L $8 kettle works well.


How do you find the temperature stability with that? When I was testing my HERMS controller I used a 1.7L kettle and with a 2.4KW element it proved a very unruly beast to try and tune the PID. Way over powered. I know that with the coil and the constant heat exchange with the wort would change that, but I still think a larger mass of water or a smaller element would be more stable... keen to hear your experience with it though.


----------



## bradsbrew

Bonj said:


> How do you find the temperature stability with that? When I was testing my HERMS controller I used a 1.7L kettle and with a 2.4KW element it proved a very unruly beast to try and tune the PID. Way over powered. I know that with the coil and the constant heat exchange with the wort would change that, but I still think a larger mass of water or a smaller element would be more stable... keen to hear your experience with it though.


It can under and over shoot by 1 or 2 deg during the recirc but this is only for a short time, less than a minute, where 35-40L of wort is being circulated through the mash. So i cant see the short term temp readings effecting the whole mash temp.

Cheers


----------



## Yob

Im using a 2/3 full Big W pot, ghetto style, my overshoot is about 0.3'c - 0.4'c reliably, hence Im still using an STC-1000 and havnt felt the need to go PID. Mash tun temps when ramping are generally 1'c - 2'c behind and I get ramp times of about 1'c per 70 seconds.. all in all, within cooee of other smaller blinger systems.. close enough for me not to rebuild/buy better/other.

It may have something to do with the proximity of the immersion element sitting right in the middle of the copper coil.. dunno why it works so well, just know Im happy with it.

it was looking a little tarnished on the weekend so I set up 10 lt of starsan and recirculated that for an hour.. damn near looks brand new. 

:icon_cheers:


----------



## bonj

There has been content on the bad tradies site before. It is most commonly used as a means for getting tradies to behave themselves, fix their dodgy work, or apologise for being jerks. If he won't fix his dodgy work, put him up on bad tradies and watch him squirm... then offer to remove it if he plays nice this time.


----------



## hsb

Gotcha. Thanks but if the tradie pays $200, do I get it, or the site? Looks like the latter which doesn't rate with me?
Site is now suddenly offline too??


----------



## dougsbrew

another chance to resolve. i hope you mean get your money back. i wouldnt let that guy
go anywhere near my pot again.


----------



## hsb

Yes. No chance of that. Refund or an independent assessment/repair/bill from someone who knows what they're doing is what I intend to ask for.
Though this guy seems quite prepared to tough it out to steal from me at present. I'm a dog with a bone though, not letting it slide.
If you can't do the job, don't take it. If you make a mess of it, then be a man about it and take responsibility. Disgusted.


----------



## bonj

You may also try threatening the small claims tribunal, or equivalent in your state.


----------



## dougsbrew

good call bonj, its a pita for them to take time out of their day and be faced with losses awarded ontop of that.
last time i was there i think it cost $60 to have case heard, which ended up being awarded back to me(defendant had to pay).


----------



## hsb

Cheers. Taken it to NSW Fair Trading. I'll let them decide. Quite happy to waste his time, seems like the least I can do.
Won't name and shame in case it prejudices that process, but will keep it in reserve and strongly recommend avoiding tigwelding dot com dot au.


----------



## benno1973

Yep, small claims often makes them think twice about trying to hold out. Talk to Fair Trading and get some advice from them first, they'll give you good advice as to whether you have a case. Then take it back to Mr Tigweld and threaten to take it to small claims if he doesn't refund or pay for repair. Often they'll give in at that point, but don't be afraid to book a small claims hearing if he doesn't.


----------



## hsb

Spoken to Fair Trading. Followed their directions to the letter. Assembled multiple pieces of evidence, emails/photos/voicemails etc.
The next stage for me is the $37 NSW Tribunal Lodgement fee.

In the meantime he has taken his website offline and disconnected his mobile phone! Pathetic!
I've got a full grab of the website as well prior to its "sudden disappearance."

I've also got a nice collection of shots from his Facebook collection, the moron. Let alone his ABN and other registered business details.

I feel like I've already wasted more of his time and money than if he'd have just faced up to his second-rate work in the first place but I've got a fair way to go until I'm done with him.

The downside is no brewing at all at the moment. A wasted Easter break  My annual lambic still just a dream sat in bags of grain in the cupboard too.


I'd appreciate advice from anyone with metalworking skills as to what the options are with a socket with ruined internal threads. Can the whole socket be ground off and replaced/patched? Or is it stuffed? In which case I'll be seeking replacement cost compensation.


----------



## bum

I wouldn't be doing anything with it apart from getting quotes for repair. Actually changing anything could put you in a bad position later on.


----------



## Camo6

Here's a pic of my 4v herms build. Almost finished, just need to add some silicone hose, pump shields, RO water filter and a scale for the sight glass. Will be using stc1000's for the electric elements for now until I gain the know how to build a decent control unit with PIDs. Thanks to all those brewers who contribute their knowledge and experience on this site. And to those same brewers a big 'fark off' from my wife who could have had her new bathroom by now.


----------



## browndog

Must have spent some hrs and elbow grease on those kegs......shiny..........mmmmm...........


----------



## MastersBrewery

Camo6 said:


> Here's a pic of my 4v herms build. Almost finished, just need to add some silicone hose, pump shields, RO water filter and a scale for the sight glass. Will be using stc1000's for the electric elements for now until I gain the know how to build a decent control unit with PIDs. Thanks to all those brewers who contribute their knowledge and experience on this site. And to those same brewers a big 'fark off' from my wife who could have had her new bathroom by now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20130405_180324 resize.jpg


that is lookin, bloody awesome!


----------



## Camo6

browndog said:


> Must have spent some hrs and elbow grease on those kegs......shiny..........mmmmm...........


Yeah, with all the hours I've spent in the backyard SWMBO has allowed my arms to become very efficient. :unsure:


----------



## Camo6

Brewrig almost finished. Gave it a 'pre' trial run and have a few leaks to attend to.

Also not happy with plumbing arrangement at hex in. When disconnecting, the wort return siphons back through the coil making a mess. Will probably spend the extra dough and get a three way tap.

Am I overlooking a simpler solution?

Otherwise all seemed ok. Hex ramp seemed adequate. HLT kegking element (early one) didn't blow up straight away. Kaixin pumps worked beautifully though the MLT one was hard to prime. That's more taps I have to buy.

Now to find the time to brew. Kegs are empty and the only thing in the 'cellar' is a barleywine I'm trying not to touch (much).

And before anyone mentions the names on the kegs, I tried to return them to their rightful owners but they didn't want em as some bugger had cut the tops out of them. h34r:


----------



## spog

wow,that is a very shmick looking rig.obviously a lot of work has gone in to it and a lot of brews to come out of it.well done ...cheers..spog..


----------



## dicko

Camo6 said:


> Brewrig almost finished. Gave it a 'pre' trial run and have a few leaks to attend to.
> 
> Also not happy with plumbing arrangement at hex in. When disconnecting, the wort return siphons back through the coil making a mess. Will probably spend the extra dough and get a three way tap.
> 
> Am I overlooking a simpler solution?
> 
> Otherwise all seemed ok. Hex ramp seemed adequate. HLT kegking element (early one) didn't blow up straight away. Kaixin pumps worked beautifully though the MLT one was hard to prime. That's more taps I have to buy.
> 
> Now to find the time to brew. Kegs are empty and the only thing in the 'cellar' is a barleywine I'm trying not to touch (much).
> 
> And before anyone mentions the names on the kegs, I tried to return them to their rightful owners but they didn't want em as some bugger had cut the tops out of them. h34r:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20130406_131922 resize.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20130406_140611 resize.jpg


Thats a good looking rig Camo.
Is that an RO water filter on the end?
If it is, where did you get it and how much did it cost, if you dont mind.

Cheers


----------



## djar007

Camo6 said:


> Brewrig almost finished. Gave it a 'pre' trial run and have a few leaks to attend to.
> 
> Also not happy with plumbing arrangement at hex in. When disconnecting, the wort return siphons back through the coil making a mess. Will probably spend the extra dough and get a three way tap.
> 
> Am I overlooking a simpler solution?
> 
> Otherwise all seemed ok. Hex ramp seemed adequate. HLT kegking element (early one) didn't blow up straight away. Kaixin pumps worked beautifully though the MLT one was hard to prime. That's more taps I have to buy.
> 
> Now to find the time to brew. Kegs are empty and the only thing in the 'cellar' is a barleywine I'm trying not to touch (much).
> 
> And before anyone mentions the names on the kegs, I tried to return them to their rightful owners but they didn't want em as some bugger had cut the tops out of them. h34r:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20130406_131922 resize.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20130406_140611 resize.jpg


Thats an amazing setup mate. Very nice and neat. A real showpiece.


----------



## Camo6

Thanks all for compliments. Yeah a bit of time went into it but most of that was R&D. Makes you appreciate the articles section and dedicated threads. With all the conflicting personalities on this site threads can get a bit backlogged with BS. I can understand why some find it easier to start a new thread than sift thru 34 pages of opinions, and we all know what they say about opinions. Regardless, there is so much common sense, experience and ingenuity on this site that it sometimes makes up for the glut of self opinionated crap that tends to tie up threads. Oops, I'm ranting. Serves me right for digging into the barleywine before it was matured.

@Dicko, the RO system was acquired from ebay from Magneticworld for $128 inc del from qld. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251123261075?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Thanks to Malted for the link. Nice solid bit of kit. Still waiting for a replacement inlet JG fitting damaged in transit but Ian was very quick to reply and express post a new one last Friday.


----------



## Camo1234

Camo, what is the size of your hex? Ie how many litres?

Also what ramp speed do you get?


----------



## Camo6

Hey Camo,

Vessel size was about 4 to 4.5l I think. Trialed hex a while ago and was getting about 1.3c per minute recirc'ing water at full flow. Will do a final trial hopefully next weekend.


----------



## kahlerisms

Where'd you have your frame built, Camo? I'm looking to build a pretty similar rig as I want to move up from BIAB for volume reasons.


----------



## Camo6

Built the frame myself kahlerisms. Paid about $125 for 13m of 50x50x2mm tube. A metal cut off saw and a gasless MIG borrowed from work. A couple of flap discs to tidy up some of the welds, a couple of coats of primer. A couple more of spray enamel then I ended up doing two more coats of high temp paint. For the amount of money I spent on spraypaint I probably could of had it powder coated. I ended up running the spiral burner under it for a few hours to try and cure it.

The design itself is very close to Franko's awesome Red Rocket Brewery brewstand dimensions. http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/10984-frankos-brewstand-construction/page-2?hl=brewstand. Heaps of good info in that thread. Thanks to Franko for the inspiration. Mines a little bit longer and a little bit shorter and I mitered the corners to enclose the tube. I'd love to put some alu checkerplate down but have already run overbudget.


----------



## dicko

Camo6 said:


> @Dicko, the RO system was acquired from ebay from Magneticworld for $128 inc del from qld. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251123261075?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Thanks to Malted for the link. Nice solid bit of kit. Still waiting for a replacement inlet JG fitting damaged in transit but Ian was very quick to reply and express post a new one last Friday.


Thanks Camo,

That little system looks the goods, I will chase one up pending "finance approval" :lol:

Cheers


----------



## Malmbas

Looks pretty damn awesome Camo.

How did you connect the ball valves to your pump inlet/outlets? Those mag drive pumps don't have a thread do they?


----------



## dicko

What was that question again??? :lol: :lol:


----------



## Camo6

Sorry Malmbas, I missed that post. The kaixin pumps came with half inch threaded inlet/outlet. They were the high temp ones linked in the kaixin pump thread. One of the threads was a bit iffy but as a mechanic I used my usual method of tightening it till she strips then backing off half a turn. 

@Dicko, tested that RO unit mate and was unaware of the slow flow rate. About 9l an hour. I bypassed the ro membrane and will prob just use the carbon filters for now. Just a heads up.


----------



## cat007

So I've planned my system as a 4V system with a separate HEX - however it has been brought to my attention that I can just use the HLT as the HEX.

I was under the impression from previous discussions that by using the HLT as a HEX you run the risk of slow ramp times (due to the fact that the HLT holds a lot more water than a standalone HEX so will take longer to heat up) and also the chance of overshooting your mash temp?

Has anyone had any experience with either of these options?


----------



## Edak

Slow ramp times is true for hlt as hex, but also inaccurate temps with overshoot. I would advise against it.

EDit - clarified


----------



## dicko

Camo6 said:


> Sorry Malmbas, I missed that post. The kaixin pumps came with half inch threaded inlet/outlet. They were the high temp ones linked in the kaixin pump thread. One of the threads was a bit iffy but as a mechanic I used my usual method of tightening it till she strips then backing off half a turn.
> 
> @Dicko, tested that RO unit mate and was unaware of the slow flow rate. About 9l an hour. I bypassed the ro membrane and will prob just use the carbon filters for now. Just a heads up.


Thanks for that Camo6. A slow rate wouldn't worry me too much as I generally prepare all brew ingredients the night before brew day including water but I am still thinking about one.

Cheers


----------



## KingKong

Picked up the stainless steel frame for my BIAB set up free from a mate who spotted it about to be chucked out. Great height and solid as a rock.

Very pleased !! Makes my set up start to look a tiny bit fancy...


----------



## Edak

KingKong said:


> Picked up the stainless steel frame for my BIAB set up free from a mate who spotted it about to be chucked out. Great height and solid as a rock.
> 
> Very pleased !! Makes my set up start to look a tiny bit fancy...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_0822.JPG


nice find!

One can always use more stainless steel


----------



## KingKong

Thanks Edak. Brewing today with cool gear felt easier!

Im sure its just in my head !


----------



## Crusty

KingKong said:


> Picked up the stainless steel frame for my BIAB set up free from a mate who spotted it about to be chucked out. Great height and solid as a rock.
> 
> Very pleased !! Makes my set up start to look a tiny bit fancy...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_0822.JPG


Nice find Kong & your Biab setup looks awesome.
What size pot is that & where did you get it from?
How does the 4 ring burner go with double batches & are you using an adjustable reg?
I Biab in an urn & would like to do double batches but I'm a bit worried about stray flames going up the sides of the pot.


----------



## lukiferj

Nothing wrong with a bit of BIAB bling!


----------



## KingKong

Crusty said:


> Nice find Kong & your Biab setup looks awesome.
> What size pot is that & where did you get it from?
> How does the 4 ring burner go with double batches & are you using an adjustable reg?
> I Biab in an urn & would like to do double batches but I'm a bit worried about stray flames going up the sides of the pot.


Thanks Crusty. Finished my 7th AG BIAB in the set up today. The rig is slowly getting better. Im not using an adjustable regulator. Just a standard reg for now. Its a 50L SS pot I purchased online. Ive got a 100L as well for when I start on doubles. The burner kills 38L boils , not sure how a double would go with out a bigger reg. Im farely confident it would handle it though. Flames are controllable and dont go up the sides. Saying that I dont leave the insulation on while the burner is going.


----------



## mckenry

KingKong said:


> Thanks Crusty. Finished my 7th AG BIAB in the set up today.


7 AG's ?? Time for a brew swap!


----------



## KingKong

mckenry said:


> 7 AG's ?? Time for a brew swap!


Sounds good McKenry . My gear is pretty portable , maybe even a brew day? Only thing I need is a some where to put the pulley above the pot.


----------



## mckenry

KingKong said:


> Sounds good McKenry . My gear is pretty portable , maybe even a brew day? Only thing I need is a some where to put the pulley above the pot.


Yeah, why not. I have a big enough shed !


----------



## Crusty

KingKong said:


> Thanks Crusty. Finished my 7th AG BIAB in the set up today. The rig is slowly getting better. Im not using an adjustable regulator. Just a standard reg for now. Its a 50L SS pot I purchased online. Ive got a 100L as well for when I start on doubles. The burner kills 38L boils , not sure how a double would go with out a bigger reg. Im farely confident it would handle it though. Flames are controllable and dont go up the sides. Saying that I dont leave the insulation on while the burner is going.


Cheers Kong..................... :beerbang:


----------



## hsb

6 weeks on from my bodged welding experience that has shafted my kettle... (welded socket with ruined thread)

Lodged a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.
Had to do extensive 'detective work' to get an address for this (mobile) rogue trader but eventually did (no address = no grounds to lodge complaint)
He was trying to hide it out. Pulling his online presence/cancelling mobile phone etc.

He has left it until last possible moment to respond to the Fair Trading dispute and has engaged the lawyers to deny all charges.
Pretty stupid imo. since he must have spent more than it would have cost to resolve the dispute but his choice.

So, next step is the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal. $37 to lodge an application.

The excuses I've received to date have been

- Nothing wrong with it.
- You broke it, was fine when I left it. (Can you break a stainless thread with a stainless fitting?!)
- Kettle itself (a Robinox Forje) is 'wrong type of stainless steel' ?!

Pretty testing to stick it through alone but I'm determined, and can't use (or sell as HLT/crab cooker) the kettle in the meantime.
Not nice to experience a betrayal of trust like this but I'm clearly not the first or the last to be shafted by a cowboy like this.

Have got advice (on quality of work performed) from one professional welder but difficult for me to source expert opinion to confirm what it is obvious - that the guy made a mess of it.
I'm in Eastern suburbs of Sydney so no easy access to welding shops afaik, and being such a specialist type of weld.

Fingers crossed for the Tribunal, nervous about whether the plain facts will be so plain in a quasi-courtoom.


----------



## kahlerisms

Go HSB! All the best, mate.

I'm standing up to a certain car manufacturer at the moment as a result of some not-good-enough behaviour myself.

All the best with your hearing. Sounds like some of the issues so far are contradicting each other. Keep us up to date!


----------



## hsb

Will do. Appreciate the support. Good luck with your own battles.
What this cowboy left me with, and his stance since, has been such a downer but I'm trying to do things the right way right down the line in response.

With some strategically donated beers I think I can source some high quality legal advice of my own. My suspicion is this guy just thinks he can stonewall/ignore it all and I'll just go away.
If he'd have refunded me immediately, perhaps I might have, but having now paid to have my kettle ruined, well, I'm not going anywhere! To the bitter end!! Cheers!!!


----------



## Bridges

Keep fighting the good fight hsb. Don't let the bastard beat you!


----------



## djar007

Here is three pots I just got for eighty bucks. After I give them a big clean up I am going to setup my first 3v system. I am doing heaps of research and am just trying to work out what style frame to build. I dont really want to be moving these too much as they are 140 litre. Should make my brew days a little more intense than the previous BIAB efforts. Very excited to see what I can come up with. Will post pics are my build progresses.


----------



## QldKev

djar007 said:


> 2013-05-16 14.13.28.jpg
> 
> Here is three pots I just got for eighty bucks. After I give them a big clean up I am going to setup my first 3v system. I am doing heaps of research and am just trying to work out what style frame to build. I dont really want to be moving these too much as they are 140 litre. Should make my brew days a little more intense than the previous BIAB efforts. Very excited to see what I can come up with. Will post pics are my build progresses.


Check out this thread, I did a few 140L pot BIAB runs. You could run 3 simultaneously


----------



## djar007

Thanks Kev. That looks really cool. . Looks I better go to spotlight and get some swisse voile. Lucky I pick up heaps of grain this weekend. Looks like I will be chewing through it now.


----------



## kahlerisms

Where did you get your pots so cheap?


----------



## jezza79




----------



## jezza79

there is my rig up above.
as you can see i am shit at computers!


----------



## djar007

I posted the link in the ebay section. They were on grays. The are cleaning up well. Bit hard to get into to clean. But a bargain I think.


----------



## keifer33

I'd say a 140l is easier to get into that say a 50l


----------



## vortex

A few pics of my single tier stand I welded up on the weekend. Brewery will be semi automated RIMS. 70L MLT and Kettle, 48L HLT. Planning to upgrade the Kettle to 98L and move the current 70L to HLT.




Brew stand progress by auvortex, on Flickr




burner mounted by auvortex, on Flickr

Random fabrication shot:



Brew stand burner end by auvortex, on Flickr

Some of the stainless to be used:



BREWPORN! by auvortex, on Flickr

RIMS tube:



RIMS Tube by auvortex, on Flickr

HLT element cover



Brewers Hardware Element Cover by auvortex, on Flickr

Trub filter



Trub Filter by auvortex, on Flickr

Random shot of the BeagleBone (v1) to be used to control the automation:



BeagleBone with OneWire sensor. by auvortex, on Flickr

Relays to be used for controlling the RIMS and HLT elements. May need to look at changing to SSR's if the PID software makes these too noisy..



Relay board by auvortex, on Flickr


----------



## NickB

Holy....... Wow. Very nice. BeagleBone?

EDIT: Just saw the link. Nice.


----------



## Edak

That is all super cool, so much bling! The only issue is the relay board, you will most likely have issues with mechanical relays. 
1. Electrical noise from spark gap. 
2. Burn out the relays using PID
3. Noise! 

Numbers 1 and 2 will be the killers.


----------



## hsb

My CTTT application is lodged!

NSW Fair Trading were, ultimately, as much use as a chocolate immersion chiller. The conclusion of their 'conciliation process' was to post me photocopies of empty forms and Fact sheets. Nice people on the phone but got that sinking public service feeling in their commitment to actually helping me. Fingers crossed the CTTT are more invested. Oi oi, should be fun anyway, make this twat put on his wedding suit and pay for City parking at the very least. Cheers. :beer:

The BeagleBone looks the biz, SSR are so cheap, might be easy to swap if above doesn't work out?


----------



## vortex

hsb said:


> The BeagleBone looks the biz, SSR are so cheap, might be easy to swap if above doesn't work out?


I'm using that relay board because it's I2C, so it uses only a couple of pins for data (SDA/SDL) plus VCC and Ground. If I go to all SSR's, I'd have to use a lot more pins - though I'm actually wondering if a couple of the mechanical relays could be un-soldered and SSR's connected to their triggers. That way I can keep using the I2C interface - and consequently the software I've already written to control them.

I'm sure there would be a lot more to it than de-soldering the mechanical relay and soldering up a wire with connector to control an SSR though.


----------



## Edak

You will find that replacing the relays with SSR's will probably work, then you can use I2C for SSR's


----------



## vortex

Edak said:


> You will find that replacing the relays with SSR's will probably work, then you can use I2C for SSR's


The board wasn't too expensive so I'll give it a bash with two of the relays that will be used for heating elements.


----------



## Edak

My point was not that the board was expensive or cheap, rather if the relay fails then you will likely have a messed up brew. In the Matho Controller thread people had huge issues with the mechanical relay that ran the pump and the electrical noise it generated each time it switched on/off. I just want you to avoid this problem.


----------



## vortex

Edak said:


> My point was not that the board was expensive or cheap, rather if the relay fails then you will likely have a messed up brew. In the Matho Controller thread people had huge issues with the mechanical relay that ran the pump and the electrical noise it generated each time it switched on/off. I just want you to avoid this problem.


Thanks for that, I appreciate the input. I was essentially justifying it to myself by reminding myself out loud it was cheap - so if I do kill it removing two of the mechanical relays it's not the end of the world 

I'll have a go at de-soldering a couple of the relays tonight and see how it goes.


----------



## hea473

Has anyone got a *MASHPILOT' Turnkey Brewery? the beer :huh:* *belly ones*


----------



## Clutch

I considered it, contacted them, arranged to see one, flew from Brisbane to Adelaide to see it, and there wasn't one to view.

Bought the Sabco instead.


----------



## soundawake

Clutch said:


> I considered it, contacted them, arranged to see one, flew from Brisbane to Adelaide to see it, and there wasn't one to view.
> 
> Bought the Sabco instead.


 Geez that would have been frustrating.How's the Sabco going?


----------



## Clutch

Running like a dream. Could do with a few mods, but it's pretty awesome.


----------



## pommiebloke

Clutch said:


> I considered it, contacted them, arranged to see one, flew from Brisbane to Adelaide to see it, and there wasn't one to view.


That's pretty ordinary. I would have been spewing.


----------



## pk.sax

Seeking advice.

I recently began brewing again, biab in a massive keggle. It has reminded me how happy I was the first time to ditch the bag. Time to make another mash tun.

Q: round or square? It is friggin cold here, so probably be an esky this time around. I'm not too keen on a herms atm, that'd just make it all take that much longer to get things sorted... Any reason for a round one over a square one?
The other option is to once again set up a direct fired mash tun with fb and simply recirculate, but that is harder to calibrate and depends so much on getting the gas just right. While that used to be easy brewing outside in nice warm qld, it's not that ideal down here. Maybe I should set up a herms after all! I have nowhere to brew inside, only outside. And I'd end up mking a frame if I'm to make a herms or rims. Power situation is a bit precarious though, old house with too much wired up... Trips wayyyyy easily in winter.

Well, anyone with a bit of advice about my particular predicament would be very welcome.


----------



## MastersBrewery

practicalfool said:


> Seeking advice.
> 
> I recently began brewing again, biab in a massive keggle. It has reminded me how happy I was the first time to ditch the bag. Time to make another mash tun.
> 
> Q: round or square? It is friggin cold here, so probably be an esky this time around. I'm not too keen on a herms atm, that'd just make it all take that much longer to get things sorted... Any reason for a round one over a square one?
> The other option is to once again set up a direct fired mash tun with fb and simply recirculate, but that is harder to calibrate and depends so much on getting the gas just right. While that used to be easy brewing outside in nice warm qld, it's not that ideal down here. Maybe I should set up a herms after all! I have nowhere to brew inside, only outside. And I'd end up mking a frame if I'm to make a herms or rims. Power situation is a bit precarious though, old house with too much wired up... Trips wayyyyy easily in winter.
> 
> Well, anyone with a bit of advice about my particular predicament would be very welcome.


I think most people would say there is little difference square or round. I personally have a round one, I would say I would have a deeper grain bed than if I was using a convention esky, I am hoping this is of advantage when I later move to herms or rims.
2c


----------



## Dunkelbrau

Finished widening the hole to fit the false bottom today, also roughed up the outside a bit with some flap discs!

All the gear is ready, just need a stand!


----------



## Truman42

Looked in the skip at work the other day and someone had thrown out a steel framed work bench the perfect size for a new brew stand.

So from this.




I turned it into this




Still need to get some rubber to cover the ply and arrange the cables better but I did a brew on it today and it was bloody great. The brew controller turns 90 degrees against the end of the stand when not in use.


----------



## Edak

Great find you lucky bugger. Never seen anything interesting put into a skip before.


----------



## Edak

Out of curiosity, was there no way to put the control panel on the other side of the stand so that your cables didn't hand all over the place?


----------



## Truman42

Edak said:


> Out of curiosity, was there no way to put the control panel on the other side of the stand so that your cables didn't hand all over the place?


That isnt where I sit it when I brew. I just wheeled it there to get it closer to the light for the photo.

I intend to run all the cables down under the controller and along the frame to the back but I am yet to buy/make some sort of cable management setup. If I move it to the right of that upright in front of the HLT it will block my access to the HLT for filling.


----------



## djar007

Awesome job Truman. I love it. What about hose wrap for cord managing. As in hydraulic hose wrap.


----------



## hsb

So FWIW I finally won my case with the NSW Consumer Tribunal against the welder who made a mess of my kettle  
One Money Order to pay a nice big Invoice for a brand new kettle has now been made!
I think it's fair to say the Tribunal Member had quite some trouble understanding brewing ins and outs but fair play to them for sticking with me.


Now I (again) have a choice.

I have a HERMS Rig. Only usually run single batches but have space for doubles. (50-50-70)

I no chill 20L into cubes and pitch at my convenience.

What I originally did was buy a nice big stainless coil that fits into a kettle with the intention of using it as an optional chiller.
I still have the coil, I could still pay a little extra to ship it and have it fitted (*properly/expertly*) to my new kettle.
It is a 50ft, 1/2", 304 Stainless Coil, 10" Diameter. Terminates in 90 degree bends top and bottom (ie; to go through kettle wall via socket/compression fitting)

That would mean I have the option of using it, but I do have a well worn routine of No Chilling so under no pressure to do so, and would only consider it for hoppy beers, not worth it for the Belgians.
So 2/3 of the time it would just be empty/unused on brewday. It's only for the big US hop hits that I got it in the first place.

The alternative is to take a hint! (such as 4 brewless months of pursuing the moron who tried to fit the coil first time out) and just get a kettle, no coil, continue to No Chill merrily, and flog the coil for a few quid. Possibly spend the proceeds on alternative type of chiller.

I'm leaning towards the latter, sell coil, move on.


Certainly looking forward to brewing again after what'll end up being 1/2 a year forced onto the sidelines. :beer:


----------



## donburke

hsb said:


> So FWIW I finally won my case with the NSW Consumer Tribunal against the welder who made a mess of my kettle
> One Money Order to pay a nice big Invoice for a brand new kettle has now been made!
> I think it's fair to say the Tribunal Member had quite some trouble understanding brewing ins and outs but fair play to them for sticking with me.
> 
> 
> Now I (again) have a choice.
> 
> I have a HERMS Rig. Only usually run single batches but have space for doubles. (50-50-70)
> 
> I no chill 20L into cubes and pitch at my convenience.
> 
> What I originally did was buy a nice big stainless coil that fits into a kettle with the intention of using it as an optional chiller.
> I still have the coil, I could still pay a little extra to ship it and have it fitted (*properly/expertly*) to my new kettle.
> It is a 50ft, 1/2", 304 Stainless Coil, 10" Diameter. Terminates in 90 degree bends top and bottom (ie; to go through kettle wall via socket/compression fitting)
> 
> That would mean I have the option of using it, but I do have a well worn routine of No Chilling so under no pressure to do so, and would only consider it for hoppy beers, not worth it for the Belgians.
> So 2/3 of the time it would just be empty/unused on brewday. It's only for the big US hop hits that I got it in the first place.
> 
> The alternative is to take a hint! (such as 4 brewless months of pursuing the moron who tried to fit the coil first time out) and just get a kettle, no coil, continue to No Chill merrily, and flog the coil for a few quid. Possibly spend the proceeds on alternative type of chiller.
> 
> I'm leaning towards the latter, sell coil, move on.
> 
> 
> Certainly looking forward to brewing again after what'll end up being 1/2 a year forced onto the sidelines. :beer:


hsb, any chance you could take of a photo of the coil, it might suit me,

it has the same surface area as my existing coil but has a larger id which would improve flow

what is the total height of the coil ? and how far out from the centre of the coil do the inlet and outet extend ?

ps. good news on justice prevailing


----------



## mckenry

sell coil, get a plate chiller. I have a 30 plate (I think) and its awesome. One pass to 18° in summer!
Mind you, I live in Bowral and the water out of the tap is chilly all year round, so YMMV.

Glad you won your case too!!!


----------



## hsb

Thanks all. I will grab the tape measure/camera tonight don but here's a picture that should give a rough idea of inlets.
I believe it is between 10 and 11" in height, but will measure up to be sure. Consider it yours don if it suits and we can agree a price etc..





I think I will go the plate chiller route if and when I feel the need.

And a big thumbs up to NSW Justice. The flake that messed up the welds didn't show for the Tribunal = easier for me dummy.


----------



## Truman42

Homebrewers 1
Dodgy welders 0

Awesome...


----------



## yum beer

ah yes, Charlie, winning.


----------



## hsb

Yes! Winning is good!

Having touched down from a European flight less than 24 hours before and standing under the bright glare of the office lights in a Judge Judy type setting, mumbling and bumbling as I tried to explain that you can't "weld holes" and that beer really does give you botulism if you No Chill it too much  I felt more like Hunter S Thompson than Charlie Sheen, with a long mac and three week beard on, alone in my universe of one. The strangest thing was I did, hash, win!


----------



## Tonypepperoni

I'm pretty new to ag brewing, but this is my sv rig. It's pretty much up and running now and I've done 3 brews on it so far. The next step is a decent controller.


----------



## brewologist

That rig looks sweet mate.

What size pots are you using, kettle and malt pipe?

Awesome.


----------



## keifer33

Nice work Mr T Pepperoni.


----------



## Tonypepperoni

Cheers,
The main pot is around 45ltrs and the malt pipe is about 16. Can just squeeze 6kgs in the malt pipe and the last brew I ended up with a lick over 21ltrs with a 1.073 sg. So I'm pretty happy with it so far. At the moment I'm not chilling and cubing. The part I'm most happy with is the trolley/frame. Very handy for the clean up.


----------



## Truman42

Here she is all dressed in black and with the controller parked up for storage. Used 3mm rubber matting which certainly looks better than just the ply and easier to clean up spills. I just need to add a cover for the pump.


----------



## brewologist

Hey Truman,

That is one tidy looking rig mate.

Very nice.


----------



## tricache

Got my keggle and mash tun esky finally finished yesteday. Now just to work out the method of doing a brew with it (moving liquid around ect) but all and all I'm pretty happy with it!


----------



## Fents

tricache said:


> Got my keggle and mash tun esky finally finished yesteday. Now just to work out the method of doing a brew with it (moving liquid around ect) but all and all I'm pretty happy with it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> keggle1.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> keggle2.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> mashtun1.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> mashtun2.jpg


If you can start with gravity, no need for pumps you will be up and running in no time. Then when you are versed enough you can add a pump if you like.


----------



## Fents

Truman said:


> Here she is all dressed in black and with the controller parked up for storage. Used 3mm rubber matting which certainly looks better than just the ply and easier to clean up spills. I just need to add a cover for the pump.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> brewstand2.jpg


Hats off truman, sure you ask a shitload of questions but that sure is one tidy rig. Hope you make some ace beers from it.


----------



## Edak

Looking great Truman and Tony, tricache yours is good too but less porn.


----------



## pk.sax

Tricache, that's pretty close to what I'm wanting to do. Any chance of details on the esky conversion?

i.e., how did you remove the existing drain plug, any special hex key or tool?, did you have to pack the 1/2" pipe? whatcha using for the braid? Fittings involved? Test run yet?

Cheers, PK


----------



## tricache

Edak said:


> Looking great Truman and Tony, tricache yours is good too but less porn.


It's kind of like me...not that great to look at but does the job :lol:


----------



## tricache

practicalfool said:


> Tricache, that's pretty close to what I'm wanting to do. Any chance of details on the esky conversion?
> 
> i.e., how did you remove the existing drain plug, any special hex key or tool?, did you have to pack the 1/2" pipe? whatcha using for the braid? Fittings involved? Test run yet?
> 
> Cheers, PK


The existing plug came out easy, it is just a large plastic nut on the inside so I just undid it with a shifter.

My exact parts for the esky :-
Weldless Ball Valve - http://www.ibrew.com.au/collections/brewery-plumbing/products/ball-valve-with-bulkhead
40mm Cooler Threaded Nipple Fitting - http://www.ibrew.com.au/collections/brewery-plumbing/products/threaded-nipple
12 inch Bazooka Filter - http://www.ibrew.com.au/collections/sparging-equipment/products/mesh-screen

I used a washer on the outside just to get a nice tight fit on the esky and I have filled it up with water with no leaks, I am going to test the whole system out with hot water on the weekend but I know the keggle doesn't leak as I have already done a boil test in that.


----------



## Edak

Hey Tony, 
Where are you from? You can't just come in, show off your porn as your first post and not expect us to ask....

Welcome to the forum by the way


----------



## brentice

im a big fan of porn.... True


----------



## Tonypepperoni

Edak said:


> Hey Tony,
> Where are you from? You can't just come in, show off your porn as your first post and not expect us to ask....
> 
> Welcome to the forum by the way



Sorry mate, haha. I'm from melbourne. Not quite up with the forum etiquette, so if there's anything else I should know please let me know.


----------



## Edak

Yeah no worries, it was a joke with hidden compliments. Just wait for all the people to ask where you got the bits and bobs to build that masterpiece.


----------



## Tonypepperoni

Haha, thanks for the compliments. Happy to share any info I have.


----------



## billygoat

tricache said:


> Got my keggle and mash tun esky finally finished yesteday. Now just to work out the method of doing a brew with it (moving liquid around ect) but all and all I'm pretty happy with it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> keggle1.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> keggle2.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> mashtun1.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> mashtun2.jpg


What sort of element is that, wattage etc?
Cheers


----------



## stretch69

Hey PK,

I made a mash tun by following this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftY_HZAFJFc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I haven't tested it yet coz I'm still working on the keggles


----------



## pk.sax

Thanks mate, I kinda abandoned it eventually because the esky was too big for my needs, 100qt esky... But that looks so easy to do I might make up the bits for some crazy beer some day. I have exact same brand esky so good to know the tap comes out easy, I'd been trying to undo it from the inside where the nipple is hex faced inside. Obviously that was very frustrating.

Currently, rocking an insert with perc bottom in a pot that I'll give a go tomorrow if everything works out. Cheers.


----------



## pk.sax

Current brew rig. The day was saved by a shelf!


----------



## WarmBeer

Wrong thread, PF.

The ghetto thread is over here.


----------



## pk.sax

I s'pose I'll have to chrome my ali pot!


----------



## seamad

Changing from a single batch 1 vessel system to a double batch electric 3V rims system. Have all the pots/plumbing but not the control box or the electrics. Out of four kegs only 2 left with about a jug or so between them so decided to try it out today.
Can use my 1V control box as it has ramp/soak pid and pump control. Heated up sparge water in urn first as it's insulated then switched to the mash tun, only had a cheap 10A plug to wire the 3600W rims to... Was only doing a mild so should be OK.
Water up to dough in and the plug already drooping and smoking. 30 mins at 69 then 10 at 72 and78. Started pissing down, rig out in the open. Quickly drained the MT and got the sparge water in the MT and ramped up the pump speed a bit to quick so compacted the bed, went and got my sailing wet weather gear on, stirred the mash up and got things flowing nicely. Turned the rims tube back on again, got out of the rain after covering the control box and pump. Checked after 5 minutes and temp has dropped, checked plug and melted.Started transfer to kettle, still pissing down so get pump running hard...compacted again. Eventually got it into the kettle. Was going for 72% eff, ended up with 85% into kettle so that's good. Still pissing down so decide to bring kettle just inside. Pot and 55l of wort bit of an effort to get onto my wok burner, but really good boil. Kettle will be electric when finished but the rambo burner boiled it easy, plus they are awesome for wok cooking.
As I was already over gravity decided to make 2 beers instead of a double of mild. 60 min addition was 20 ibu of styrians, put bit over 2 litres boiling water into cube with 1g/L styrians and filled cube. Boiled the remaing wort till 10 points higher than the mild and drained into cube with 1gL each of cascade and citra. Might dry hop some citra in that one too. Fermenting mild with 1968 and will try the BRY-97 in the other, will be interesting to compare the 2.
Need to insulate the MT and kettle and finish the control box before the next try out.
Pretty happy though, clean up was easier than the single rig too I think.


----------



## tricache

Brew setup got a run on the weekend and worked like a GEM!! 4 hour brew day including mandatory beers and clean up afterwards. I can now say the AG bug has bitten and I'm not looking back any time soon!


----------



## lukiferj

tricache said:


> Brew setup got a run on the weekend and worked like a GEM!! 4 hour brew day including mandatory beers and clean up afterwards. I can now say the AG bug has bitten and I'm not looking back any time soon!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 58192_10151771529719400_175496348_n.jpg


Nice one tricache! Is this a 2v setup? ie using your hlt as you kettle as well.


----------



## yum beer

tricache said:


> Brew setup got a run on the weekend and worked like a GEM!! 4 hour brew day including mandatory beers and clean up afterwards. I can now say the AG bug has bitten and I'm not looking back any time soon!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 58192_10151771529719400_175496348_n.jpg


Does allowing the grain to rest on a chair before brewing make any difference to the final product, perhaps better efficiency?


----------



## tricache

lukiferj said:


> Nice one tricache! Is this a 2v setup? ie using your hlt as you kettle as well.


Yep and then move the wort back into the kettle, was slightly hesitant in doing it this way but works no problem at all.



yum beer said:


> Does allowing the grain to rest on a chair before brewing make any difference to the final product, perhaps better efficiency?


You have to make your grain comfortable, comfy grain is happy grain and happy grain makes for good beer.


----------



## lukiferj

Nice. You'll be counting down the days until the next brew day now


----------



## yum beer

tricache said:


> You have to make your grain comfortable, comfy grain is happy grain and happy grain makes for good beer.


I'm buying my grain a banana lounge and perhaps a hammock for the hops... :beer:


----------



## yum beer

Yeah, I know, I'm sorry.....hops don't need a hammock...


----------



## tricache

yum beer said:


> I'm buying my grain a banana lounge and perhaps a hammock for the hops... :beer:


I was going to get a lava lamp and put on some barry white for my yeast starter...that should get them multiplying B)


----------



## yum beer

tricache said:


> I was going to get a lava lamp and put on some barry white for my yeast starter...that should get them multiplying B)


That could lead to some 'funky' flavours, proceed with caution; or protection.


----------



## fishy

Hi all,

Just made a thread in the DIY section here http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/74654-4v-electric-herms-build/ but thought I'd chuck a couple of photos in here too! Here's my 99% finished rig, brewed for the first time on the weekend on it. 

Cheers 

Fishy


----------



## stretch69

That thing is nuts!


----------



## Bridges

Great looking rig fishy! control panel reminds me of something...






Cool.


----------



## skelly22

Fishy's rig is nuts and I have nothing to compare, but here is my new Keggle that I use for BIAB. Made a couple brews last week and it worked great as an upgrade from my 19L BigW pot from NickJD's method. I use an STC1000 to get the mash temps and use the element to add a bit of heat when needed during the mash. It looses heat a bit too quick so needs a bit of decent sealed insulation. Cut the keggle myself, and all I can saw is thank god for flap discs!! Have since given the "gantry" a cold gal paint job.


----------



## fishy

Nice one skelly! I got to the point where I was making no progress due to the smallest things on my rig - I almost gave up and I started looking at a bunch of the BIAB setups and wondering whether I should have put my energy into a single vessel build! I'm still considering building one down the track for sure, they are sweet!

Cheers


----------



## Blitzer

How are you hanging that over the side element in your keg?


----------



## skelly22

fishy said:


> Nice one skelly! I got to the point where I was making no progress due to the smallest things on my rig - I almost gave up and I started looking at a bunch of the BIAB setups and wondering whether I should have put my energy into a single vessel build! I'm still considering building one down the track for sure, they are sweet!
> 
> Cheers


Cheers Fishy- yours is a great looking piece of kit so it was worth all the effort! I'm v happy with my keggle. works great and is dead simple. i just leave the bag hanging while bringing the work to boil and give a good squeeze before the end and all ready to boil. easy to clean too!!






Blitzer said:


> How are you hanging that over the side element in your keg?


Blitzer- I got one of the these elements with a hook on it. I have a 40mm rim around the top of the kettle and I sit the hook on that. I also have a length of cord on it so I cant knock in to the keggle and blow the element/electrocute myself. I could leave it hanging in the middle of the pot, but last 2 brews i kept it on the edge and the boil still had good circulation.


----------



## Edak

Bridges said:


> Great looking rig fishy! control panel reminds me of something...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cool.


Lol keep firing assholes!


----------



## GalBrew

Just putting the finishes to my new rig. 3v, 70L/50L/70L, still need to install the Hx and build a control panel.


----------



## KingKong

GalBrew said:


> Just putting the finishes to my new rig. 3v, 70L/50L/70L, still need to install the Hx and build a control panel.
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg


Breed a couple of winners Galbrew? Group 1


----------



## GalBrew

That was my grandad who owned a couple of nags, back in the late 70's early 80's. Not quite group 1, but they look nice in the bar. A few wins, but the probably made better glue??


----------



## KingKong

Be a good way to name a few 'winning' beers ! ! Im sure they have some great racing names and stable names.


----------



## Camo6

Had some time off this week and made a few updates to the brew rig.

All hosetails replaced with quick disconnects from Nev, added some hose insulation and insulated the HLT and HEX with armaflex from Lukec. Tempted to insulate the MLT but not sure how it would stand up so close to the spiral burner. I think its rated to 200*c so would probably be OK. Anyone had any problems doing this?


----------



## Danwood

Here's a couple of doodles of my proposed 98l recirculated BIAB rig.

If any learned brewers out there can see any faults I can't, speak up please.

The pump is a LBP, which probably is not powerful enough for my needs. The head will only be 60-70cm with 2x 90 degree elbows in the line, but I want an even distribution of heat through the mash and maybe a bit of mash agitation too. I'll see how I go and upgrade if needed.

The kettle baffle plate (for trub/hops later on) will hinder the pick-up while recirc ing, but I was thinking the occasional erratic stir should help filter crap back into the pick-up.

Geordi in Melbourne are fabricating the wort return probe, just waiting for a quote.

Cheers,

Dan


----------



## kymba

Hey danwood, I was going to get all fancy with my rig like yours, but ended up going with this. It's a 98L 'ex' BIAB rig that now uses a decommissioned 50L keg as the 'bag'. The keg can hold over 20kg of cracked grain with some persuasion 

I have a craftbrewer green pump and it has just enough enough grunt to recirculate nicely through the copper manifold and the cuts on the top of the keg...mind you it is also pushing the wort though a 3m hex coil so a lbp may be ok

one thing - make sure that you are able to hoist the basket out, because 20kg of wet grains weigh a bit more than 20kg of them dry 

what batch size/s are you looking at doing?


----------



## Cocko

Kymba,

Can you please explain wort flow on your rig?

Looks awesome and I am very keen to know what is happening here....

So, the keg has the grain in. It runs out the top? into the pot? then confused?

Please explain?

By no means questioning that it works, just do not get it from the pix.

I am looking at building a rig in a big vessel, and this may be the answer... if I can make sense of it.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## kymba

yeah cox you got it...after it runs out the slots and back into the big pot it goes through a hex then returns back through the copper manifold in the bottom of the keg

you'd go alright at lifting the keg out of the pot as you have a strong forearm, apparently


----------



## Cocko

Awesome.

Gotcha....

Great built Kymba. Seriously, well designed mate.

A little bit jealous, TBH. Any chance of a vid of brew day? yc.


----------



## kymba

i just cbf with all the 'malt pipe' bs that was flying around and simplified it

raise it up, turn the elbow 180 degrees then sparge like a mad c*nt


----------



## Danwood

kymba said:


> Hey danwood, I was going to get all fancy with my rig like yours, but ended up going with this. It's a 98L 'ex' BIAB rig that now uses a decommissioned 50L keg as the 'bag'. The keg can hold over 20kg of cracked grain with some persuasion
> I have a craftbrewer green pump and it has just enough enough grunt to recirculate nicely through the copper manifold and the cuts on the top of the keg...mind you it is also pushing the wort though a 3m hex coil so a lbp may be ok
> 
> one thing - make sure that you are able to hoist the basket out, because 20kg of wet grains weigh a bit more than 20kg of them dry
> 
> what batch size/s are you looking at doing?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_211343.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_211432.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_211519.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_211552.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_212223.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_212301.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20130828_212840.jpg


Mine's fancy ?? You're the one with the system capable of producing quadruple-mega-uber barley wines...20kg of grain...Jeez ! Nice set up.

I have a perforated 20l stockpot as the basket (I'd love a larger SS mesh basket one day) with a bag inside. I could probably get around 10kg of grain at a push.
I was thinking I might be able to squeeze out 3 cubes if I really pushed the limits (60-70ish litres post boil)...I'd be adding the hops veeerrrry carefully though, with spray bottle in hand. Boil-overs suck balls !!

The CB pump is the same as the green Keg King/Kaixin pumps, I'm guessing? They're what I'd be looking at if an upgrade is needed, maybe a Chugger if I'm feeing flush. Both mag drive and around 20l per min, as opposed to the 8l per min of the LBP.
I have a controller to limit the pumps speed too.

I thought the probe was the best way to ensure a decent spread of heat throughout the mash, especially if I need to fire up the burner if temp drops too much (I'm shopping for materials for an insulating jacket atm) or if I'm using a larger grain bill as the mash will be thicker.

Hoisting is no problem. I already have a double pulley rigged up.

The to-do list is

Drill pot - 3 way ball valve, thermometer and lid wort-return holes.
Affix SS work surfaces - Both under the Birko HLT (sat on the pot lid for the photo) and large one to the right of the pot.
Affix pump and controller to a heat protected plate (although the car wheel rim {thanks to Yob for the idea} which the 4 ring is mounted in does a great job of focussing the heat....burns nice and blue too..no sooting)
Connect everything up and get used to my new brewery !!!
Cheers,

Dan


----------



## Danwood

Oh, and Kymba...a bit less crotch in any photos you post in the future please 

And is that pot from a bulk buy a while back ? Looks very similar to mine. If so, how's it going ?


----------



## kymba

hey dan, as long as you use pellets you can knock out a quad batch in this sized pot no worries, you just need to go a bit over gravity then top up to final volume after the boil, but i think this size pot is awesome for triples

yeah pretty sure the pump is the the same as a kaixin

The pot wasn't from the bulk buy, I got it from DNSS hospitality on ebay and it is a POS. The base delaminated a while ago and i thought i could weld it back on, but it is a sandwiched piece of aluminium so no welding. I tried bolting it on but that was shit as it expands a fair bit on the burner so i fkd it off all together. Now the bottom of the pot has 16 SS M8 button head bolts through it

I also run the burner during mash steps and it is too easy, not like with the bag

lastly, you'll need more than a double pulley if you move to a bigger malty pipe. mine is reduced 4 times and i still have to swing from it to get it to budge

oh, and sorry about the sausage, i was sucking my gut in and forgot to move the hot dog aside


----------



## Yob

Version 3.0 or something.. not sure..

upgraded MT to 80l with a new manifold, upgraded Kettle to 120l, still faffing about getting it to seal at the tap properly but should be good to go for a run tmoz.




Element in HLT blew last brew and KK replaced it with their new one no questions asked so the HLT got a touch up today too.. only thing that hasnt been touched today is the HEX h34r:







Really looking forward to giving this a burl tmoz

:icon_chickcheers:


----------



## Yob

well that was different... ended up a little short on volume, couple of L, nothing serious, small cockup with the wort return twisting and spraying wort up the wall, half my losses probably right there.. no measuring stick as yet so just sort of winged it.. I had reduced my eff. to 70% and had a pre boil estimate of 1058 and was 1065, with almost 1075 post boil.. h34r: probaly should have added a few liters but without a measuring stick I wasnt to know.

Ive got 2 cubes out at the end of the day so im happy, these big pots behave so different at whirlpool, perhaps I should leave longer to compact better or adjust pickup to allow for more losses, I was picking up more trub at the end of the second cube than Im used to from a keggle. Perhaps the addition of a WP pump return would help? I was pretty much over the manual WP with me big old spoon pretty quickly.

anyway, tits, next brewday will aim for 75lt output... today was enough to keep me out of trouble for a while though.. Stoked


----------



## Muzduk

Not sure if these have been posted before but anyway thought they may be good for esky mash tuns especially .
Check out the farmers mailbox website. $7.95 ea atm


----------



## browndog

fishy said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Just made a thread in the DIY section here http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/74654-4v-electric-herms-build/ but thought I'd chuck a couple of photos in here too! Here's my 99% finished rig, brewed for the first time on the weekend on it.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Fishy


Where did your graphics come from? they look amazing.


----------



## fishy

Browndog, did it in photoshop - drew the arrows and stuff with the shape tools and then got the keg image/graphic from google images I think. Not too much to it, could be done in any image editing or drawing program. Choice of a cool looking font is probably most important thing!


----------



## popmedium

fishy said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Just made a thread in the DIY section here http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/74654-4v-electric-herms-build/ but thought I'd chuck a couple of photos in here too! Here's my 99% finished rig, brewed for the first time on the weekend on it.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Fishy


Pardon my french but that is the sickest ******* controller ever. You should put a tonne of LED's around the edges with things like "Polarity reverser" and "Engage Neutron Shield"


----------



## boybrewer

Well its been a couple of years in the making and this is my brew stand which evolved from a 3 tier 3v gravity fed system to a single tier herms system .


----------



## kahlerisms

beer belly said:


> Well its been a couple of years in the making and this is my brew stand which evolved from a 3 tier 3v gravity fed system to a single tier herms system .


DO you have a better pic, Beerbelly? Hard to make much out in your photo and I'd like a better look


----------



## djar007

Does anyone have a link for a some sort of t or y piece to use one gas bottle for two burners. Just trying to sort it out but can't find anything at masters.


----------



## Yob

http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Fulham_Gas_Hose_Nozzle_Y_Shape.html

http://www.gasproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Fulham_Gas_Hose_Nozzle_Tee.html

Dont know about locally, maybe try some camping stores?

:icon_cheers:


----------



## boybrewer

kahlerisms said:


> DO you have a better pic, Beerbelly? Hard to make much out in your photo and I'd like a better look


Yeah I will try and upload a better one .


----------



## boybrewer

Here is a better image. On the right is the mash tun in the middle is a seven Lt pot for the herms and on the left is the boil kettle , I use a nasa burner from which I get around 5-6 brews out of a 9kg gas bottle . I use a cheap immersion heater in the hx that I have been using for the last few years . I would like to have a second pump for at the moment I transfer the first runnings into a fermenter and then sparge . As with two pumps ideally I could transfer and sparge to and fro from the HLT and MT at the same time. The PID is one from China and works a treat . I use to run an STC 1000 but it would overshoot the temp all the time .

Cheers


----------



## suorama

6kW kettle.



inside.



6kW HLT



1kW Mash tun







Control cabinet. When I got it.



And now.








And inside.



HLT and Mashtun. Kettle peep at right part.
(These pictures are all not of this day photos.)

Workflow:

I deside how much I use strike water and which temperature and input that to machine.
I push "Take Water in" button and go to milling malt.
Water start warming at setpoint when water level is above heater elements.
When malt is milled and water is ready, I start flow water to masch tun.
When water level is above false bottom, I start feed malt in mashtun too. I also start stirrer.
When all malt and water in in to mashtun I check rest temperature and close mashtun lid.
Then I take second water to HLT and adjust right temperature to next step. I ususally use one saccarification temperature and mash out.
That 1kW is enough to even raise temperature in mashtun, but I normally not do that. But yes, I are tested it.
I can use stirrer all the time but now I make couple last brews like stirring everything to smooth and then recirculate. Wort is much clearer with taht way.
When first rest is ready, I flow next water to mashtun. And take sparge water to HLT. This point I least start recirculating
Then I open valve to kettle. Start sparging etc.
I fist use 4kW power but after halfway I start using full 6kW and go back 4kW when rolling boil is started.
Hop schedule depens recipe.
When boiling is ready I shut down heaters.
I open kettle valve and start pumping that boiling hot wort throught my Therminator to lastime sterilisation.
Then I start taking water to HLT beacuse my income water goes throught Theminator.
When HLT is full I must change water flow to drain. But I collect warm wash water even littlebit.
I have a drilled well so water from there is ~4°C. That means quite rapid chilling

Sizes of vessels is something like 80 L HLT, 80 L Mashtun and 90 L Kettle.

I have one pressure valve to take water. Three motorized ball valves. First one to drain water from HLT. Second drain wort to kettle. And last one drain kettle to fermenter.
I have two pumps, one to recirculate and drain mashtun and one to recirculate and drain kettle. HLT drain with gravity.
I have two stir motors one with HLT and one with Mashtun.
I can take off mashtun and HLT if I want when I need only kettle. So all works independently.

What next:
I made HOPmatic to automated hop scheduling.
I automatized recipe handling. So I need only crush malt and put it in to mashtun and push start. Then I can go to work or sleep or what else.
Because of SSR:s there is not big noises. Only "PAM" heard when I start machine. Rest noise is motor "Swirrr" and Valves "naks" or "srsrsrsr". =)

What you like?


----------



## sp0rk

Just starting to gather up the parts to upgrade from BIAB to 3V
At this point I'm looking at;
a 50L Keggle for my HLT
48L bunnings icebox as the mashtun
and an 18 gallon keg for the kettle



Wanting to mostly do single batches but will look at pushing out doubles for parties or low ABV session beers for quaffing during summer
I've got about $500 put away for the upgrade, I was thinking about building a single tier stand, but the stainless table and existing stand from my BIAB rig will do for now (can upgrade later)
I'm thinking at the moment for the electrics a Keg King 2200W element to power HLT, either a PID or STC1000 to control the HLT and a keg king green pump to transfer between vessels

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated


----------



## Yob

Made a start last night on the HLT upgrade, I wanted to increase my volume, old HLT could have done the trick with some faffing on brewday but then I wouldnt have got a build 




New Ali 70l pot, fitted 3 piece BV and bottom of Sight tube




Top of sight tube fitted.. slightly (1mm) too high as the lid sits on the thread.. meh




Mounted the recirc pump (still need to make and fit the pickup for it)




Its all in a better position than the last HLT for the stand system I use now.




Still need to fit that pump pickup




The rig as it will be, Im planning on finishing up the stand too, clad and paint, hide wires etc.

Ive bought the insulation for the HLT and may re do the HEX in the same stuff just so it all matches. Overall, pretty pleased with how this rig is progressing, I should be able to pump out 4 x 20l cubes at a time so will really get bang for buck on brewday :beerbang:

:icon_cheers:

*ed: typo


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

What do you have connected to your temp probe yob? looks like a good setup you will have there.


----------



## SimoB

Yob, looks like you have 2 stc. One for HLT what's the other one for?

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk


----------



## Yob

_WALLACE_ said:


> What do you have connected to your temp probe yob? looks like a good setup you will have there.


2 RCA Jacks so the STC can be easily disconnected and the kettle moved for a wash without dismantling or disturbing the pump.



SimoB said:


> Yob, looks like you have 2 stc. One for HLT what's the other one for?


For the HEX unit mate, one dedicated to each task.

:icon_cheers:


----------



## SimoB

Oh cool, I'm fairly new to the larger set ups. Assuming that's for recirculating the mash?

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk


----------



## Yob

SimoB said:


> Oh cool, I'm fairly new to the larger set ups. Assuming that's for recirculating the mash?


Correct  Step mashing is so easy h34r:

...So I pulled the HLT all apart to fit the insulation and re assembled and now Ive got this, only need to fit a pickup for the recirc pump and fix 1 minor leak. and shied round the handles.

ed: oh and mark the 10lt increments...




HLT VII

:beerbang: :super:


----------



## mxd

sp0rk said:


> Just starting to gather up the parts to upgrade from BIAB to 3V
> At this point I'm looking at;
> a 50L Keggle for my HLT
> 48L bunnings icebox as the mashtun
> and an 18 gallon keg for the kettle
> 
> 
> 
> 20131008_173423.jpg
> 
> Wanting to mostly do single batches but will look at pushing out doubles for parties or low ABV session beers for quaffing during summer
> I've got about $500 put away for the upgrade, I was thinking about building a single tier stand, but the stainless table and existing stand from my BIAB rig will do for now (can upgrade later)
> I'm thinking at the moment for the electrics a Keg King 2200W element to power HLT, either a PID or STC1000 to control the HLT and a keg king green pump to transfer between vessels
> Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated


with the 80 ltr kettle I would look at n 80 ltr esky, that way you can do tripples of 5.5% and doubles of 8%+

You can still do tripples with the 50 it just may mean 3 or 4 batch sparges.


----------



## spog

G,day all.today using my Ipad I shot a video of my "brew rig",grain mill and brew cave.
Decided to video it to try and cover the 3 topical threads in one because posting pictures with descriptions for each topic would take too long and doing so is honestly beyond me (technology is nowhere near my ability).
So what I am asking is this.I tried to post the vid ( 13+ mins) here but the IPad ,whatever told me it was too long and gave me options,one of which is to post on YouTube.
If I post this vid on Youtube how does it get directed to AHB which is where I want it to be available.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, C,mon help this tech useless idiot out.

Just gunna trot down to the brew cave( no internet in the cave) and sink a few and will check back later.


....cheers in advance...spog.....


Sent from my IPad using my fingers and pressing the post button. he he he....


----------



## Camo6

Not that tech savvy but couldn't you just copy and paste the address bar location of your youtube vid into a post in this thread?

Now I'm going to the shed for a top up.


----------



## MartinOC

djar007 said:


> Does anyone have a link for a some sort of t or y piece to use one gas bottle for two burners. Just trying to sort it out but can't find anything at masters.


I got a brass "T" piece from BBQ's Galore (or the like) & was able to run two 4-ring burners off a single 45Kg bottle. If I can figure out how, I'll take a piccie & post it later.


----------



## Yob

MartinOC said:


> I got a brass "T" piece from BBQ's Galore (or the like) & was able to run two 4-ring burners off a single 45Kg bottle. If I can figure out how, I'll take a piccie & post it later.


You need to go into the "More Reply Options" button on the bottom right of the reply tab, pretty easy from there








:icon_cheers:


----------



## MartinOC

Woohoo! My first piccie-post! Thanks Yob..

As you can see from the image, I've currently got one side of the "T" blanked-off with a brass cap/plug, as I only run one burner ATM.


----------



## djar007

exactly what i needed too Martin. Thanks for the pic.


----------



## Fents

full stainless, 100L RIMS, fully programmable, 3200W element, custom built by the legendary Jono from here.

The thought and detail that has gone into this is just crazy. I just love brewing on this.


----------



## Camo6

Thats one horn looking unit fents. Could you give us a ballpark figure on what something like that costs?


----------



## Fents

Camo6 said:


> Thats one horn looking unit fents. Could you give us a ballpark figure on what something like that costs?


you will have to ask the man himself mate. - http://www.digitalebrewery.com/


----------



## eamonnfoley

Fents said:


> you will have to ask the man himself mate. - http://www.digitalebrewery.com/


Awesome. Removable mash tun - how does it work exactly? Does it drop in, so that the top of both pots are level ? Or does it just sit on top. But if it did that, how do you get the mash volume?


----------



## pacey

Yob said:


> Correct  Step mashing is so easy h34r:
> 
> ...So I pulled the HLT all apart to fit the insulation and re assembled and now Ive got this, only need to fit a pickup for the recirc pump and fix 1 minor leak. and shied round the handles.
> 
> ed: oh and mark the 10lt increments...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HLT VII.JPG
> 
> HLT VII


Hi Yob,

I've got a 70 litre pot from Craftbrewer ( http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=4246 ) and the same insulating foam (from Clark Rubber). I am going to use the pot as my Mash Tun. Looking at your pic, you've answered my first question about which side to stick against the pot.  (Shiny side out) Also, I hadn't thought about insulating the lid, so thanks for the idea.

My other question is; how are you fixing the foam to the pot? Tape? Glue? Or Other? I was planning to just use a strap ( http://www.bunnings.com.au/tie-down-cambuckle-zenith-25mm-4m-300kg-lc-tdc0425_p4210599%C2 looped around the pot to hold the foam in position, in case I wanted to remove the foam for cleaning, or repurposing the pot to be a kettle, or even BIAB later on. I guess I'll stick the foam to the lid, though, probably using double sided tape. 

I'll just have the handles and a single outlet for the valve/tap to cut around. I'll monitor temperature with a thermopen, so I don't have a thermometer to cut around.

Any other advice on preparing the pot to be a suitable mash tun? (I've got a 20 litre urn as the HLT, which I transfer using a 5 litre jug, and I use a keggle for the boil)

Thanks. I appreciate the help.


----------



## Camo6

Fents said:


> you will have to ask the man himself mate. - http://www.digitalebrewery.com/


Cheers mate. I think its best if I drool over his gallery for now. Re-doing the bathroom atm and the wife has expensive tastes. Very neat unit mate, worthy of its own thread with pics and vids. Hint hint!


----------



## Yob

pacey said:


> My other question is; how are you fixing the foam to the pot? Tape? Glue? Or Other?


Sorry missed this.. the insulation I got is self adhesive, I peeled the backing off like a transfer.. it was tricky to get in the right place and a bit scary as you only got the one shot.. as luck would have it I managed to get it right (well me and the father in law).

I just completed marking the volumes and was astonished with my luck, the insulation has horizontal and vertical grooves on it and 10 horizontal grooves ended up being 10L so was a piece of piss to mark out.

Worked out that it has 6L under the sight glass first and went up from there, also marked where the element was covered to and marked that in red (just below the 10L mark)

waiting for a little bit of silicone to set and will punch out my first 75L batch tmoz (3 cubes) :beerbang:

I marked it to 60L (+the 6 under) and figure that'll do h34r:




:super:

ed double piccie


----------



## Cocko

Fents said:


> full stainless, 100L RIMS, fully programmable, 3200W element, custom built by the legendary Jono from here.
> 
> The thought and detail that has gone into this is just crazy. I just love brewing on this.



The most out standing piece of craftsmanship I have EVER seen... this rig, is possible the best thing going around.

Oh, BM you say? - BETTER.

Fark me this thing is amazing... lucky enough to be with it today, have just got my tee clean from the drool!

Well done Jono and Fents. You are both absolute Carnts.

Cheers.


----------



## MastersBrewery

Nice work there Yob! On a side note with the system above; Jonathon should give up trying to brew. I think he's found his niche in building awesome brew gear. Seriously is the bloke deliberately trying to make the rest of us look completely useless in the shed? Top work guys keep it coming!

ED: Jono I'd buy that, I'd almost sell my car for something resembling that.


----------



## Jono_w

Cheers Guys.
Thanks for the kind words Fents and Cocko. 
Nothing better than building a brewery for Fents and getting to do a brew with him and take a cube home!!
If that's how it's going to be I might just give up my day job.

MB:
I definitely think I'm more comfortable behind the TIG torch that counting yeast cells.


----------



## bradsbrew

Jonathon said:


> Cheers Guys.
> Thanks for the kind words Fents and Cocko.
> Nothing better than building a brewery for Fents and getting to do a brew with him and take a cube home!!
> If that's how it's going to be I might just give up my day job.
> 
> MB:
> I definitely think I'm more comfortable behind the TIG torch that counting yeast cells.


C'mon Jono what's a ball park figure on one of those babies.


----------



## WoopWoop

My little brewery in action:






Next upgrade is refinement of the temperature control, and re-calibration of the volume sight glasses.
Then, I'll be building a stand for the whole set-up.


----------



## Dunkelbrau

Ive been meaning to rig up a brew stand the last few months, but wedding plans, brewing and work mean that i havent had the time. Ive got some time off coming at christmas, so i'm drawing up some ideas.

I have some questions about materials - my brother has a shit load of 25x25mm 1.6mm galvanised steel rhs, but im using gas burners, and have been warned about the dangers of heating gal coating with regards to the zinc. (i am also welding the stand)

I guess my question is did anyone else use galvanised steel and if so, how did you get around the zinc fume issues?

Im looking at single tier with pumps long term, but will wait until i get bigger pots to start a HERMS setup.

I also want some shelves to store some bits, hooks for the mash paddle etc, and just making it generally tidy with my plate chiller and shit stored nicely and able to clean in place.


----------



## Camo6

I avoided using gal when I built my frame because of this same reason and since I was buying the steel, painted was a lot cheaper anyway. Maybe if you were to use the right primer and high temp paint you might avoid the issue but I've found even high temp paint tends to blister around a decent burner. Designing a heat shield might help as well but when you add up the costs it's probably easier to buy painted steel. I bought 50x50x1.6mm blue for around $100 IIRC.
Welding gal can also be a pain to prep and lets off some pretty nasty fumes. I wish I cared about this 10 years ago when I used to stick weld galvanised steel in an old dairy on the farm. I'd feel like crap the next day, God knows what other damage it's done. God knows what other damage it's done. God knows what other damage it's done.
I'd be inclined to find another use for the gal to be on the safe side. My 2c.


----------



## Dunkelbrau

Hmm, maybe i should build a bar frame out of it haha


----------



## joel0395




----------



## Camo6

joel0395 said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1386409049.483540.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1386409079.133385.jpg


Nice kegerator Joel. Better chuck it in this thread too. Are they Kegking kegs?


----------



## Danwood

My frame is re-purposed gal steel. I thoroughly ground the gal from around the weld points and it didn't smoke and spit much when welded.
I gave the whole frame a couple of high temp paint coats, and as suggested above, the paint has blistered around the really hot points. 

Never mind, I'm very happy with the outcome. 

I'll post pics when it's finished, nearly there. SS work surfaces and a couple of other things...


----------



## TheWiggman

Jurt said:


> I guess my question is did anyone else use galvanised steel and if so, how did you get around the zinc



If you're worried about it, get a flapper disc or 2 on a grinder and grind off all the gal that may come in contact with flames or get super hot. Get it back to shiny steel and you'll be sweet. Or fork out a few bucks for different steel


----------



## Crusty

My new rig turned up yesterday morning.
This was a gift from my Mum who passed away in October this year.
It certainly reignited my passion for brewing & I am looking forward to finally being able to do double batches.
There is no doubt about the quality of these units, they are extremely well built & the attention to detail is second to none.
I will be getting the 20lt Malt Pipe for experimental beers after Christmas. Looking forward to the first double batch of DSGA.

Braumeister - 50lt


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

Beautiful Crusty............ Sorry to hear about your mum.


----------



## Crusty

_WALLACE_ said:


> Beautiful Crusty............ Sorry to hear about your mum.


Thanks Wallace.
Cheers mate.


----------



## lukiferj

Awesome Crusty. Look forward to hearing about your new brewing adventures


----------



## Cocko

Money well spent, mate.

Will raise a glass to your Mum, never easy but somehow inevitable, all the best, mate.

Keep us posted on how you enjoy the BM, especially in compared to your RIMs rig... and BIAB'ing.

Cheers.


----------



## Mardoo

Well that's an awesome way to remember her: think about her while doing something you love using something she bought you. There will be a lot of love in your brews.


----------



## Cosh

I thought I'd post up some details of my brewing rig. I built it about a year ago and I've since done about 20 brews on it; about to put down my first Saison today.

It's a simple gravity 3V with an igloo cooler mash tun and false bottom. The HLT is a crown urn with a camping mattress for insulation. The kettle is a 40L aluminium pot and the burner is a 4 ring cast iron with an adjustable gas regulator.

It's all manual, no pumps; I measure out all the water with a 3 litre plastic jug.

So far it's been pretty good; no real failures to speak of. 

The only issues are:
- if it's windy the burner blows out, and
- The mash tun valve connection is a bit leaky (my fault)

So I'm looking for everyone's thoughts and suggestions on how to improve. The next upgrade I was considering was a new mash tun, but I'm not sure what other options there are.


----------



## CoopsOz

Thanks for posting the pics of your setup Cosh, I want to advance from my current BIAB setup and a setup such as yours looks like an achievable goal.

Did you weld up the trolley yourself?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## soundawake

Crusty said:


> My new rig turned up yesterday morning.
> This was a gift from my Mum who passed away in October this year.
> It certainly reignited my passion for brewing & I am looking forward to finally being able to do double batches.
> There is no doubt about the quality of these units, they are extremely well built & the attention to detail is second to none.
> I will be getting the 20lt Malt Pipe for experimental beers after Christmas. Looking forward to the first double batch of DSGA.
> 
> Braumeister - 50lt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20131220_192458.jpg


What an awesome gift!!! I'm so sorry about to hear about your mum. I lost my mother in April this year, she went from being perfectly seemingly healthy last Christmas to being diagnosed with cancer in Jan and she died in April, 13 weeks later. No two ways about it - losing your mother is tough. I hope you brew hundreds of amazing beers on that BM.


----------



## Cosh

CoopsOz said:


> Thanks for posting the pics of your setup Cosh, I want to advance from my current BIAB setup and a setup such as yours looks like an achievable goal.
> 
> Did you weld up the trolley yourself?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


no, my dad did all the welding, I just designed it and cut up the steel. It's all made from shs and galvabond sheeting. Also has lockable castors so I can move it around.


----------



## Crusty

soundawake said:


> What an awesome gift!!! I'm so sorry about to hear about your mum. I lost my mother in April this year, she went from being perfectly seemingly healthy last Christmas to being diagnosed with cancer in Jan and she died in April, 13 weeks later. No two ways about it - losing your mother is tough. I hope you brew hundreds of amazing beers on that BM.


Thanks mate.
I am also sorry for your loss & hope you are coping as well as can be expected.
It's a tough time & was especially so on Christmas day. It has left a massive void in our lives as it would be in yours.
All the best.
Cheers


----------



## flymanor

where do you get these 50L kegs to convert to HLT/Boiler? A lot of people seem to have them.

Ta


----------



## Lord Raja Goomba I

You can buy them ready made from Keg King as well.

Not all 50L kegs are legally acquired (or of questionable legality), but some are. It's a matter of being careful with what you buy.


----------



## squirt in the turns

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> You can buy them ready made from Keg King as well.
> 
> Not all 50L kegs are legally acquired (or of questionable legality), but some are. It's a matter of being careful with what you buy.


I'll just throw this out there again: (full) 50 litre kegs for sale: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/67524-ebay-v5/page-328#entry1125323

I'm keen but don't need 6. Might help out a few brewers who have posted here about kegs (plus myself obviously  )

I questioned the legality of owning those kegs in my post in that thread. No mention of it of the auction itself, but I'd assume the buyer would legitimately own them. Mods, if it's inappropriate to re-post this here, apologies and please remove my post.


----------



## flymanor

squirt in the turns said:


> I'll just throw this out there again: (full) 50 litre kegs for sale: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/67524-ebay-v5/page-328#entry1125323
> 
> I'm keen but don't need 6. Might help out a few brewers who have posted here about kegs (plus myself obviously  )
> 
> I questioned the legality of owning those kegs in my post in that thread. No mention of it of the auction itself, but I'd assume the buyer would legitimately own them. Mods, if it's inappropriate to re-post this here, apologies and please remove my post.


i would be keen on at least one, depending on what the final cost was. Keep me posted


----------



## djar007

Here is my brewstand. Will grind the welds back and probably powdercoat or paint with high temp paint.been a while since I welded. And stick welded too so pretty rough. But it will look alright when its done. Setting up a brutus style rig with a bcs. Got most of the gear but on the hunt for some pumps.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n30xyue20bbss9e/20140127_171001.jpg


----------



## MastersBrewery

djar007 said:


> Here is my brewstand. Will grind the welds back and probably powdercoat or paint with high temp paint.been a while since I welded. And stick welded too so pretty rough. But it will look alright when its done. Setting up a brutus style rig with a bcs. Got most of the gear but on the hunt for some pumps.
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/n30xyue20bbss9e/20140127_171001.jpg


Much cleaner than my stick welds, the big reason I haven't built a brewstand yet. I am so much better with a mig, but don't have one.


----------



## Camo6

Looks good djar, mines of a similar design and you could park a truck on it. I painted mine in pressure pack high temp enamel but couldn't fully cure the whole thing. The paints still fairly hard wearing though. If I was to do it again I'd go down the powder coating route (actually I'd go stainless but couldn't warrant the cost back then!).


----------



## djar007

I had thought about stainless.that would be cool. Might get a quote on it in the interests of blowing tje budget on a cheap build so far.


----------



## pk.sax

Wondering if anyone uses a hermit setup to do the boiling as well?

I've been hemmed into a place with ZERO outside are for nearly half a year but recently scored a birko, turned out its 20l  can't use to boil but would work as an HLT though. Hence, maybe I move soon but not knowing what I end up with I'm looking to see if anyone has first hand used a HEX to boil their wort and what was that like?


----------



## Fat Bastard

Just off the top of my head, to do that, you'd need something that boils hotter than water in the HX, like radiator fluid ( not something I'd want near my beer) or steam, which would be very cool (hot).
Anyone ever managed to use steam on a HB scale?


----------



## pk.sax

Hmnnnn. Sounds like I might have to use an ots element. I had that thought about the fluid but hoped someone had worked out something. Some readily available additive perhaps that works with a cheap high density element.
Else, I suppose a rims might work. (Watch cocko get excited)


----------



## Cocko

Cant see it working, myself.

But RIMS are known for being the best possible HX available and produce the best possible wort. Ever.



Ever.


----------



## djar007

My brew rig coming along. Needs paint and then the drilling of pots and plumbing starts.anyone have any sources for stainless coil for the hlt.


edit: fixed upside down pic


----------



## mckenry

djar007 said:


> 20140207_155712.jpg
> My brew rig coming along. Needs paint and then the drilling of pots and plumbing starts.anyone have any sources for stainless coil for the hlt.


needs turning the other way up, to keep the wort in too


----------



## StalkingWilbur

First brew on the new stand. Should work pretty nicely if we ever decide to upgrade to a 2/3v system.


----------



## Grainer

djar007 said:


> brew rig build 1.jpg
> My brew rig coming along. Needs paint and then the drilling of pots and plumbing starts.anyone have any sources for stainless coil for the hlt.
> 
> 
> edit: fixed upside down pic


looking good.. I recommend castors like mine..


----------



## djar007

I have them. Going to paint and then weld them on. So I can take it with me if the wife decides to make me choose.


----------



## DoctorBob

3 years on still loving my gravity rig....33L HLT, 33L mash, 60 L kettle, turkey burners under each, and a gas manifold so they all run off one gas bottle.

Can knock out 46L in 4hrs or 2 x 46L in about 6 hrs. No pumps, no electric.

Wanted a Blichmann but a bit expensive so made my own version..trying to upload a piccie

If i did it agian i'd have a bigger mash tun and HLT, as above 10kg grain (5.5% beers), i have to reduce the batch size or the efficiency drops right off


----------



## BlueMutt

Still set up Ghetto style for the moment on the old welding stand, but I had the first run with some new gear yesterday, hit all the targets, 110ltrs chilled and into the fermenters.
150ltr Kettle. 
88ltr Mash tun.
All stainless valves and fittings on the pots.
Keg King HP burner, which idles along to boil 100 plus ltrs.
New HLT on the way.
New HERMS under construction with a 2200w Keg King element.
A few lengths of 40x40 steel, castors and a stainless folded bench top are the next purchase for the stand. Which will be built in two halves and bolted together so It can be transported.
I will also run an continuous flow hot water mounted of one end of the frame, so its a matter of just plug your water into the filter and you have everything controlled via valves. Including a hot wash down hose.
Will post updates shortly.


----------



## Donske

Finished my brew stand on the weekend, not near as nice as most in this thread but it's solid and has enough space built it for upgrading the kettles/mash tun.


----------



## djar007

Nice one. I hid my welding with some high temp paint I got from the local market.Three cans for 5 bucks. So I bought six. Just in case. Anyway, looking to get some pumps.Cant decide on which ones I want yet. Like the chuggers and love the march pumps. I have a kaixin and for the price they are awesome. Was going to hard plumb it all but as suggested will use silicon hose and hard plumb as I work out where I am happy with everything. Total build cost so far has been

$129.00 for the steel. 
$5 Paint.
$18 castors from Bunnings.
$160 each for the two 95 litre pots.
$ 600 for the Blichmann MT ( worth it imo)


----------



## Donske

djar007 said:


> Nice one. I hid my welding with some high temp paint I got from the local market.Three cans for 5 bucks. So I bought six. Just in case. Anyway, looking to get some pumps.Cant decide on which ones I want yet. Like the chuggers and love the march pumps. I have a kaixin and for the price they are awesome. Was going to hard plumb it all but as suggested will use silicon hose and hard plumb as I work out where I am happy with everything. Total build cost so far has been



Yeah, I'll grind back the welds and paint soon, that's purely cosmetic at this point so it can wait, I've got some brewing to catch up on first.

Just need to find a medium or high pressure reg for the burner under the boil kettle stand and I'll be happy for a while.


----------



## BlueMutt

Donske said:


> Yeah, I'll grind back the welds and paint soon, that's purely cosmetic at this point so it can wait, I've got some brewing to catch up on first.
> 
> Just need to find a medium or high pressure reg for the burner under the boil kettle stand and I'll be happy for a while.


I have just had the first run with the Keg King adjustable reg and it was perfect, just dial the pressure you want. At under $30 with a 1500mm braided hose its an easy decision for the HLT set up I'm doing next.


----------



## SimoB

Hey all, got a new hems rig. Thought I should post it in the right spot.







View attachment 68799












Still waiting for another set of castor wheels... 1 side is currently jacked up by timber..

Will get a control box with PIDs at some stage just using STC at the moment.

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk


----------



## CoopsOz

I'm in the process of upgrading from a BIAB setup to a 3v. I've got the electric keggle HLT with STC, false bottom keggle for mash tun and 98 litre beer belly kettle fired by a turkey fryer. Still need to build a stand and buy some pumps but it is getting there. I'd hate to think how many dollars you blokes have got in your setups because tallying mine up so far is a bit of a shock.


----------



## Edak

CoopsOz said:


> I'm in the process of upgrading from a BIAB setup to a 3v. I've got the electric keggle HLT with STC, false bottom keggle for mash tun and 98 litre beer belly kettle fired by a turkey fryer. Still need to build a stand and buy some pumps but it is getting there. I'd hate to think how many dollars you blokes have got in your setups because tallying mine up so far is a bit of a shock.


The trick is not to tally it up, keep no record of it and nobody will ever know, especially SWMBO, etc. :beerbang:


----------



## Tahoose

Coops is that a $2 funnel from Kmart, I have one exactly like it and I reckon it's probably the most useful thing in my brew kit


----------



## Dunkelbrau

Edak said:


> The trick is not to tally it up, keep no record of it and nobody will ever know, especially SWMBO, etc. :beerbang:


Haha it's all worth it when you look at how much a carton of beer is these days! Pays for itself within a few batches really.. And it's a hobby, why work to die unhappy!


----------



## CoopsOz

Tahoose said:


> Coops is that a $2 funnel from Kmart, I have one exactly like it and I reckon it's probably the most useful thing in my brew kit


I think it came from bunnings, it's a bit small as a hopper but it will suffice until I get my hands on a water cooler bottle.


----------



## spog

CoopsOz said:


> I think it came from bunnings, it's a bit small as a hopper but it will suffice until I get my hands on a water cooler bottle.


Stick with the funnel instead of a water cooler bottle. Why?
IMO if you get a blockage or the power fails or whatever you don't have a large amount of grain in a large hopper to rescue,lifting the funnel off the the mill would be easier as it has a smaller outlet and easier to put your finger over and not spilling precious grain.
Maybe making a hopper with a sliding flow restricter / gate would be an option,but that depends on your ability in the workshop.
Cheers...spog....


----------



## sponge

I've just splurged and purchased an enclosure with 2 x PIDs/SSRs/PT100's etc from Auberins to upgrade my current 2 x STC1000 HERMS setup. Should also be getting a new pump (probably chugger) to upgrade one of my brown pumps for my birthday in April if the mrs isn't telling fibs..

My lordy those PIDs (and accessories) get expensive quickly, and then postage just tipped it over the edge.

Looks like I'll be working the streets for a few weeks to try and sew up this hole in my back pocket.





In saying that, I don't think working the streets is the best way to stitch up a hole in the back of a pair of pants.. :unsure:


----------



## Camo6

Gotta agree with you there sponge. My shopping carts full of pids, sensors, heatsinks and the like, just holding off hitting the button. I'm pricing up cheaper alternatives when it comes to SSR's, LED's and the like as the postage and conversion rate from Auber's is giving me heartburn.


----------



## sponge

I had my shopping cart full for quite a while, and in a random act of brewing genius, I decided to give my bank account a slap around the head.

I was having a look at a few cheaper options, but decided that with this I'm just going to get it right the first time and didn't mind splurging on something that should last for many a brewing year. I've oversized at this stage so that I'll have enough current capacity for when myself and the mrs end up building our own place and I can have upgrade to a couple of 3.6/4.8kW elements if need be.

In saying that, if I had my time over I probably would've looked to split some postage with another local brewer, but my fingers were a little excited last week.


----------



## sponge

As a side note, I ordered my gear last Thursday and has it arrived at my desk this morning.

Pretty impressed by delivery time if I do say so myself as I've never had gear from the states arrive that quickly before..


----------



## manticle

Hey Gava,

If you could try and keep your retail stuff in the retail section it would be greatly appreciated. Might sound anal but for tidiness, fairness to all retailers and fairness to sponsors (who have to abide by similar rules and pay for the privilege) it's better for everyone.

Cheers.


----------



## gava

manticle said:


> Hey Gava,
> 
> If you could try and keep your retail stuff in the retail section it would be greatly appreciated. Might sound anal but for tidiness, fairness to all retailers and fairness to sponsors (who have to abide by similar rules and pay for the privilege) it's better for everyone.
> 
> Cheers.


Fair enough..


----------



## BlueMutt

Built up a new HEX last night with a 2200w element, a custom wrapped copper coil and thermowell. I wrapped it in some Aircell 65 Insulbreak.


----------



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_

BlueMutt said:


> Built up a new HEX last night with a 2200w element, a custom wrapped copper coil and thermowell. I wrapped it in some Aircell 65 Insulbreak.


You'll regret using a kegking element.


----------



## NickB

Pretty sure the issues with those was sorted Wallace.....


----------



## fcmcg

Ah....no Nick....
the thread resurfaced yesterday


----------



## BlueMutt

> You'll regret using a kegking element.


I have used one for distilling for some time now, which runs for up to 6hrs at a time with out dramas, yet..
If it craps itself I'll go something like a stainless version of a hot water element.
Now I'll be nervous each time I mash.


----------



## djar007

My rims setup coming together. 3000w element. Starting to think I may have this finished by the end of the year. With a little luck.


----------



## spog

The finished product looks like something out of a James Bond movie,doesn't have a timer on it I hope.
Cheers...spog..


----------



## djar007

Sixty bucks off Grays online. Couldn't say no.


----------



## pk.sax

You planning to hibernate to the Himalayas with your own little power source!!!


----------



## Camo6

Does the plutonium core heat the wort directly?

(Nice build. Looks similar to the dairy sock filter housing I want to turn into a torpedo.)


----------



## gava

spog said:


> The finished product looks like something out of a James Bond movie,doesn't have a timer on it I hope.
> Cheers...spog..


was thinking the same thing..... should put a MASH count down timer on it to look like a bomb.

-gav


----------



## djar007

Suffer in ya jocks lads. It's stainless and its sexy. Sorry it's not in plumbing pipe. Overkill. Not as far as my wife knows.


----------



## hughman666

New brew-rig. Pump and rims stick keep the mash recirculated and temp steady.

High pressure burner for the boil.

Pretty simple and effective.


----------



## major_mitt

Started brewing around August last year. Did one kit and then about 10 extracts.

This is my new 3v system with pump and whirlpool set up. Apologies for the garage related mess, I was a bit excited.


----------



## pk.sax

Re-rigged it today, did a test boil, small leak from the all thread going into the ball valve. I'll eventually do something about it.

More importantly, I measured the dead space with the pickup - going into a plate chiller under gravity/siphon. 1L.

Thought I could bring that down so crimped the pickup tube with some multi grips and now the hole is smaller and right down to the bottom. See how it goes. Will be using a pump in the brew so should be even better.


----------



## Yob

Also tinkered, hooked up the new march pump with centre inlet, put an inline flow restrictor on it.. Damn they hum.. Will be sure to know it's running from a distance 




Ed: Rotated picce to save neck injuries


----------



## New_guy

hughman666 said:


> New brew-rig. Pump and rims stick keep the mash recirculated and temp steady.
> 
> High pressure burner for the boil.
> 
> Pretty simple and effective.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1394941968.334676.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1394941982.448752.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1394942003.168862.jpg


Hi Hughman666,
Is that frame from the big green shed? Looks a tidy setup - wheels come standard or did you add them?


----------



## SimoB

New_guy said:


> Hi Hughman666,
> Is that frame from the big green shed? Looks a tidy setup - wheels come standard or did you add them?


Yeah it it's mate... I have the same one 


Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk


----------



## SimoB

Wheels come in a pack of 2. Rack it shelving

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk


----------



## pk.sax

Yeah, I'm gonna grind that pickup back a little to make it face down more and be a little bigger. Flow was rather slow with so much restriction. The pump was managing to recirc it fairly well, I might eventually add legs to the basket to raise it a bit more. Maybe... This was my first ever double batch and I missed the volume big time but was on target or so with the gravity (pre-sparge gravity was too high for my refractometer to measure 20 Brix max). That was 10 kilo of pale malt in one go and the basket was about 3/4 full.

I have a feeling it would be a good idea to get a separate kettle to control volume better.


----------



## New_guy

SimoB said:


> Wheels come in a pack of 2. Rack it shelving
> 
> Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk


How do the wheels go? can they handle the weight when kettle full??


----------



## breakbeer

Yob said:


> Also tinkered, hooked up the new march pump with centre inlet, put an inline flow restrictor on it.. Damn they hum.. Will be sure to know it's running from a distance
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DSC_0350.JPG


Just a heads up

I bought a pump from Gryphon (struggling to remember the name of it) & while it's not a March pump it's a very similar design.
I mounted it the same way as in your pic & it was loud as all hell. Posted a video on here & everyone said it was way louder than it should be. 2 brews in & it was completely farked.
Turns out they're not supposed to be mounted vertically & I had wrecked it. 
I could hear it pumping from the other end of the house when mounted vertically. The replacement pump now just hums very quietly.
Hopefully yours is designed to be mounted that way, but I'd check to be sure


Edit: the pump I have is called an Ultimiser, check the Gryphon website to see the design


----------



## pk.sax

That's interesting. I've never mounted mine that way since I still brew with the kettle on the burner stand on the ground. Why would a magnetic pump be noisy with the impeller sitting on its axis? Looks like Yob's got a chugger.


----------



## breakbeer

I was a bit stumped myself, was using little brown pumps until I bought the Ultimiser. First brew in & it was REALLY loud, that's why I posted a video so I could get other opinions.
Nev sent me a message & said they're not designed to be mounted that way 
Chugger might be different, just thought I'd pass on my own experience with a similar pump


----------



## Yob

Keen to know how others mount theirs... Mines a March 809..

@ PF, Ive got a chugger head on it.

Im sure Ive seen many pics with March Pumps mounted as mine :unsure: :blink:

Will be a prick to mount horizontally in my stand... If I have to do it that way that is.

Info appreciated


----------



## pk.sax

That's interesting yob. Did the chugger head just slot straight in? With the depth of the head and mounting screws etc?

I ask since I've got a march model mdx pump/fasco motor combo with a head that isn't brewing rated and more annoying the inlet and outlet are actually set up for thin hose + hose clamps, not threaded. Was ogling the chugger heads but not sure it'd fit the march pump.... The size of my pump is the same as any march brewing pump.


----------



## idzy

Yob said:


> Keen to know how others mount theirs... Mines a March 809..
> 
> @ PF, Ive got a chugger head on it.
> 
> Im sure Ive seen many pics with March Pumps mounted as mine :unsure: :blink:
> 
> Will be a prick to mount horizontally in my stand... If I have to do it that way that is.
> 
> Info appreciated


It could be worth testing with the outlet at a higher point of gravity than the inlet and seeing if that decreases the noise / performance. You could just test it without mounting it.

Similar to pictured:





Cheers,
Idzy


----------



## Yob

Yep head just screwed right on, 2 min job to swap heads. 

I don't really care if it makes noise..it's a brew shed right?  just don't want it to blow up mid brew on swap day.. Which it bloody will if everything isn't right. 

I thought march pumps were known for being noisy anyway?

Ed, I ran water through it last night and had a hell of a flow rate


----------



## idzy

Yob said:


> Yep head just screwed right on, 2 min job to swap heads.
> 
> I don't really care if it makes noise..it's a brew shed right?  just don't want it to blow up mid brew on swap day.. Which it bloody will if everything isn't right.
> 
> I thought march pumps were known for being noisy anyway?
> 
> Ed, I ran water through it last night and had a hell of a flow rate


Might be worth changing:


> 1. The Pump should be mounted horizontally on a foundation and secured by Anchor Bolts.


http://www.marchpump.com/reference/
http://www.marchpump.com/site/files/966/110094/376709/629697/0750-0404-1000_R6.pdf

EDIT: The reason for my meddling curiosity/comments is that I am about to mount a new one myself


----------



## Yob

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=11157.0

He suggests in there that vertical isn't so much the issue as where the outlet is.. Think I will stillness to tweak it according to those pictures.. Slight differences but makes more sense to me now


----------



## Cocko

Yob,

I run a chugger and found I thought it was noisy at the start..... a few brews in rested my foot up on the stand to do something and the noise dropped by half.

I have also run a March and they are noisy but there is every chance it is generating a vibration through your stand also.... In the end, I took 4 old airlock o-rings and put them between the pump mount and stand, dropped the noise by about 1/3.

Just a thought.


----------



## billygoat

I have run a March 809 for over 5 years and its not noisy at all.


----------



## Yob

Noisy was probably the wrong description, humming is more apt... But noisy compared to the 24v silent LBP that's for sure


----------



## gava

Well I've brewed on my new system so I guess its a BrewRig now so I'll put it in the old Brew Rig thread.. think I have a few in here by now..

Rig Size : 75lt
Power Consumption : 20amps
Elements : 2 x 4800watt (one on at a time)
Controlled : PIDS + Manual
Dual Pump







-Gav


----------



## timmi9191

Hlt is incomplete and it's not plumbed yet, but it's on the way


----------



## SmallFry

Finally re-configured the brewhouse with my new wort return manifold

40lt esky, March pump and HERM-IT setup




The wort returns from the HERM-IT through a hole in the side of the esky. I had a mate of a mate make me up a S/S plate, and silicone 401'ed it in place. It's pretty stable




From the inside


----------



## SmallFry

Continuing on

The wort return in place. Yes, indeed, that is a shower head arm you see. It's fully adjustable up and down, so I can place it just above the height of the mash




Shower arm is connected to a cam-lock, which hold the whole thing in place




To swap from recirc to sparging, I've only got to move one hose from the HERM-IT setup over to the HLT, and adjust the flow rate.




Hope my setup helps those thinking of doing something similar. Initial test produced beautiful, clear wort into the fermenter. Then I just run some PBW or Sodium Perc through it to clean.

Last warning, don't run the HERM-IT up to 90 degrees, thinking you'll get better cleaning from hotter water. All you end up with is a wonky looking HERM-IT casing from the moulded PVC :unsure:


----------



## Cocko

Look Killer SF!

From my understanding it is not recommended to run a pump like that, other way up is fine but head facing down is a no no, _from what I have read... _


----------



## mb-squared

gava said:


> Well I've brewed on my new system so I guess its a BrewRig now so I'll put it in the old Brew Rig thread.. think I have a few in here by now..
> 
> Rig Size : 75lt
> Power Consumption : 20amps
> Elements : 2 x 4800watt (one on at a time)
> Controlled : PIDS + Manual
> Dual Pump
> 
> 
> 
> -Gav


Gav, that is a sweet looking setup. I still can't get over the hard-plumbed water lines. So jealous. You might as well take the wheels off that beauty. Looks like it has found its home.

I've been looking at your hoses and both pumps appear to be terminating in the same pot. What's going on there?


----------



## SmallFry

Cocko said:


> Look Killer SF!
> 
> From my understanding it is not recommended to run a pump like that, other way up is fine but head facing down is a no no, _from what I have read... _


Thanks, Cocko.

Yeah, I'd read something saying the same on here, but have a tendency not to believe what I read on the internets. Call me cynical for some reason?

I'll try mounting it with the motor shaft horizontal, probably just strapped to the shelf initially. Only cause you said so


----------



## Cocko

Ha!

It mentions it on the Chugger FOQ's video too.... He says you can go vertical, just not head down.

That MT looks awesome mate!


----------



## gava

mb-squared said:


> Gav, that is a sweet looking setup. I still can't get over the hard-plumbed water lines. So jealous. You might as well take the wheels off that beauty. Looks like it has found its home.
> 
> I've been looking at your hoses and both pumps appear to be terminating in the same pot. What's going on there?


It is good plumbing up the water and chiller, chiller more so.. They leak a touch so I still have them turned off at the wall and just turn them on for brew days but so much easier.
when im chilling its great, no getting hose hooking it up bla bla, I just flick a switch and it starts to chill. assuming i have water in my tank. Oh i didn't think about that until now. ill have to sort that out when/if it happens.

Pump config.
pump 1 is used to resirculate the HLT water to keep it uniformed throughout the pot , has my HERMS Coil

pump 2 Is resirculating the wort around my HERMS coil within the HLT.


----------



## mb-squared

ah, of course. funny enough, that is exactly how I run my system! in fact, it looks like we follow the same brew day process -- you just have a much sweeter looking rig


----------



## djar007

I am having trouble locating the coil for my herms. I really want stainless and compression fittings through the side of the pot. My rims is working great with good ramp times but I am going to use it for the hot water only because of risk of scorching. Does anyone know anywhere in Melbourne I could get some stainless steel pipe and what size is preferred for stainless. Would like to go half inch straight to a compression fitting. Just can not find the stuff anywhere.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Go to Tulla Valve in Tullamarine (I believe that's close to you also)... I picked up some awesome 316SS fittings/valves/pickup tube for my keggle for cheap, cash on Saturday is king! Some piccies of what I got for $60 below (yes it's 3/4" cos the previous keggle owner cut a large hole).

7/39 Barrie Rd, Tullamarine VIC 3043
(03) 9330 4545


----------



## djar007

Thanks very much mate. Perfect.


----------



## Camo6

If that doesn't work out Geordi in Cheltenham will sell 1/2" or 12mm annealed SS straight tube in up to 3m lengths I suspect. Offer to pay cash. Transporting or bending it is another matter.


----------



## MastersBrewery

I picked up a 50' roll from the states on ebay a fair while back, but note it's no longer listed, pity was a damn good buy, and I still have half of it left for other projects


----------



## Burt de Ernie

This is my rig......its a wee bit different from the rigs I have seen here!

Hey Smallfry.....I also use a shower rose arm for my sparging!


----------



## mb-squared

Burt de Ernie said:


> This is my rig......its a wee bit different from the rigs I have seen here!


I'll say! I'd love a detailed writeup of that one. Looks ingenious.


----------



## gava

mb-squared said:


> ah, of course. funny enough, that is exactly how I run my system! in fact, it looks like we follow the same brew day process -- you just have a much sweeter looking rig


How big are your pots? does your HLT say 65.5c and your MLT say 65.6c? i'm doing some wet tests with roughly 1/3 of my MLT filled and I need my HLT about 3 to 4c higher than my MLT to get the correct temp. I'm going to put more water in the MLT and do further tests... 

-Gav


----------



## Doubleplugga

Second brew underway. A bit of a cupboard clean out pale ale. Gava, I love how your rig is set up inside.


----------



## gava

Doubleplugga said:


> Second brew underway. A bit of a cupboard clean out pale ale. Gava, I love how your rig is set up inside.
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg


That looks swweet!! I love having my brewery in the house but some days I do miss brewing outside.

When your mashing how full is your MLT and does your MLT ramp up and have the same temp as your HLT? 

Just doing some tests right now and the HLT has to be a few degree above required temp, saying that my MLT is only 1/3 full so alot of head space.

-gav


----------



## Doubleplugga

MLT has around 7.5 gallons in it at the moment but last brew it was half full, 10 gallons or so. All my recipes at the moment I do in pounds, gallons etc. it's not really that full at all mate plenty of room left for those big RIS and Barley wines!

It sits pretty much spot on 1 degree Celsius lower than the HLT. I have put this down to heat loss through the hoses as it is recirculating. So I simply set the HLT PID to 68 degrees Celsius for a 67 degree mash.


----------



## gava

Just had an idea, since the probes are quick disconnected I just changed the MLT to the HLT probe and let it heat the HLT (HERMS) that way.. connect the HLT to the MLT just so I can see what temp its up to.. seems to be working...

So I can see brew day.

1) Probe connected to HLT get up to temp.
2) dump water into MLT top up HLT to cover herms if required
3) swap probes over and start mashing.

may have to label the probe ends so I dont get mixed up though.. probably coloured tape..

-gav


----------



## mb-squared

Hey Gav, my MT runs about 1 degree behind my HLT. I keep my HLT filled to the brim during my mash, even though I don't need that much water for sparging. The reason? The more heat mass, the more stable my temps.

When I first started with this rig, I did what I think you are suggesting: that is, let the temp probe on my MT govern the heat on my HLT. I thought I was really clever to think of this. But then the first time I did a temp ramp, I realized why I shouldn't do this. Like I said, when holding steady temp, the MT runs about 1 degree behind my HLT. But when ramping, the MT can fall several degrees behind the HLT during the ramp. If you have your temp probe on your MT, then you'll run the temp of your HLT well beyond where you want to be. Once your temp probe says you've reached your desired temp, your controller will turn off the heat to the HLT but the temp in the MT will just keep climbing. I overshot my desired temp by several degrees doing this. 

So, the upshot is, whenever I have a temp ramp programmed in to my brew day, I make sure to keep the temp probe on my HLT.

BTW, doubleplugga, that is one very sweet setup. gawd, between you and gava, I'm feeling very inadequate  

Oh well, I keep telling myself that I've been able to achieve what all you kal-clone guys have for a lot less. But I do wish I had all that shiny blingyness that you guys have


----------



## gava

mb-squared said:


> Hey Gav, my MT runs about 1 degree behind my HLT. I keep my HLT filled to the brim during my mash, even though I don't need that much water for sparging. The reason? The more heat mass, the more stable my temps.
> 
> When I first started with this rig, I did what I think you are suggesting: that is, let the temp probe on my MT govern the heat on my HLT. I thought I was really clever to think of this. But then the first time I did a temp ramp, I realized why I shouldn't do this. Like I said, when holding steady temp, the MT runs about 1 degree behind my HLT. But when ramping, the MT can fall several degrees behind the HLT during the ramp. If you have your temp probe on your MT, then you'll run the temp of your HLT well beyond where you want to be. Once your temp probe says you've reached your desired temp, your controller will turn off the heat to the HLT but the temp in the MT will just keep climbing. I overshot my desired temp by several degrees doing this.
> 
> So, the upshot is, whenever I have a temp ramp programmed in to my brew day, I make sure to keep the temp probe on my HLT.
> 
> BTW, doubleplugga, that is one very sweet setup. gawd, between you and gava, I'm feeling very inadequate
> 
> Oh well, I keep telling myself that I've been able to achieve what all you kal-clone guys have for a lot less. But I do wish I had all that shiny blingyness that you guys have


When you changed your probes over, did you retrain/configure you PID controller for that setup?

Also where are your guys probe placements? is it on the ball valve outs? like the electric brewery? Mine are in the front of the vessel. I was wondering if this would pose any inconsistency with temp. I'd say with the HLT it wouldn't since its got an active whirlpool but in the MLT with the slow mashing it could throw it off a little?

As I say, its not the flash brewery that produces good beer, but damn it looks sweet 

yes the Kal-Clone is a little pricey, helps that I sell half the stuff  so didn't cost me as much..

-Gav


----------



## mb-squared

gava said:


> When you changed your probes over, did you retrain/configure you PID controller for that setup?


On my rig, I have a two thermowells, one on the ballvalve out of the HLT and one on the MT. I only have one probe and so "switching probes" simply means moving it from one thermowell to the other. As far as my controller (BCS-460) is concerned, it is just reading the HLT temp. Because of the temp differential mentioned above, I (like doubleplugga) set my HLT temp to be 1 degree higher than the intended temp of my MT.

Also where are your guys probe placements? is it on the ball valve outs? like the electric brewery? Mine are in the front of the vessel. I was wondering if this would pose any inconsistency with temp. I'd say with the HLT it wouldn't since its got an active whirlpool but in the MLT with the slow mashing it could throw it off a little?

I have mine on the ball valve out.

Curious about your "slow mashing" comment about the MT. My recirc rate is the same for both the HLT and the MT -- good healthy flow and, in the MT, there's a very noticeable whirlpool. In fact, the only way to keep the temp of the MT in the vicinity of the HLT's temp (especially when ramping up) is to run your wort pump wide open. Don't you do the same?


----------



## TheWiggman

My system's finally in a publishable state. Photographed during the fly sparge. HERMS with a PID on each liquor tun. For additional pics, hilarity and drama, check out my build post. 
Love the system as is but, am now struggling to think of things to upgrade.


----------



## mb-squared

a stand to get that BK off the floor?


----------



## TheWiggman

mb-squared said:


> a stand to get that BK off the floor?


I dunno, seems to be standing up ok by itself


----------



## Northside Novice

Get a room


----------



## Yob

TheWiggman said:


> You could always insulate those lines


----------



## gava

mb-squared said:


> On my rig, I have a two thermowells, one on the ballvalve out of the HLT and one on the MT. I only have one probe and so "switching probes" simply means moving it from one thermowell to the other. As far as my controller (BCS-460) is concerned, it is just reading the HLT temp. Because of the temp differential mentioned above, I (like doubleplugga) set my HLT temp to be 1 degree higher than the intended temp of my MT.
> 
> Also where are your guys probe placements? is it on the ball valve outs? like the electric brewery? Mine are in the front of the vessel. I was wondering if this would pose any inconsistency with temp. I'd say with the HLT it wouldn't since its got an active whirlpool but in the MLT with the slow mashing it could throw it off a little?
> 
> I have mine on the ball valve out.
> 
> Curious about your "slow mashing" comment about the MT. My recirc rate is the same for both the HLT and the MT -- good healthy flow and, in the MT, there's a very noticeable whirlpool. In fact, the only way to keep the temp of the MT in the vicinity of the HLT's temp (especially when ramping up) is to run your wort pump wide open. Don't you do the same?


My 'slow mashing' comes from my old system which had larger ID for the HERMS and the ball valve, I had to restrict the flow to get a better heat exchange.. the term slow mash came from that not the best description i know  .. My new system behaves different and I'm doing test with it being restricted and full open. When the ball valve is restricted I can feel I do get a better heat exchange but the ramp rate isn't great. I think I'll adjust how I use the system like yours with the MLT fully open.

I have built my control panel so I can use a standalone Heat Exchange later on which will hopefully help with RAMP times so at the moment I'm doing some more wet tests.
I have found a benefit of my youngest getting up at 5am, We go in the games room where my brewroom is off so I can do early morning testing and brewing. although this morning I must admit I swore a little when I heard him.

Whats your brew day schedule?
I like to underlet so I was thinking of this..

1) Fill HLT full (75lt~)
2) Get grain temp adjust HLT to allow for grain temperature absorption.. roughly 75c
3) Dump cracked grain into MLT
4) Transfer water from HLT to MLT (underlet) stop when water is about 5cm over grain bed (depending on recipe) MLT should now be mashing temp
5) top of HLT to cover HERMS Coil (maybe fill back to the top)
6) Get HLT to mashing temp
7) Start Mash recirculation
8) step mash, mash out etc....

Might create a new topic maybe for this?


cheers
Gavin.


----------



## mb-squared

hi Gavin, I'm up with my kids early too 

as for brew day schedule, I do what Kal does: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/brew-day-step-by-step?page=3

The only difference is that my HLT is not as big as his, so I start with my HLT full and my MT filled to desired level (for my water-grain ratio), and then I recirculate until temps in both pots are at mash in temps. From then on out, my process is identical to his. I have found that I hit my numbers every time and I get the same high efficiencies that he does. So I aint fixin what aint broke


----------



## gava

mb-squared said:


> hi Gavin, I'm up with my kids early too
> 
> as for brew day schedule, I do what Kal does: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/brew-day-step-by-step?page=3
> 
> The only difference is that my HLT is not as big as his, so I start with my HLT full and my MT filled to desired level (for my water-grain ratio), and then I recirculate until temps in both pots are at mash in temps. From then on out, my process is identical to his. I have found that I hit my numbers every time and I get the same high efficiencies that he does. So I aint fixin what aint broke


When you add your grain you dont notice any loss of temp at all? or does it just ramp back up quick enough not to care?

-gav


----------



## mb-squared

I typically dough in at protein rest temps so I haven't gotten too concerned about a degree or two at the beginning of the mash. I dough in at 120F (sorry if you use C, I use F), slowly open the valve on my wort pump to wide open (over ~10mins) to make sure I don't compact the grain bed (which I NEVER stir), then hit 'go' on my BCS-460. It handles everything until sparge time, beginning with ramp to sachrification, sachrification rest, ramp to mash out, then it sounds an alarm and/or sends me an email, telling me to switch my hoses around for the fly sparge.

I work from home most days and it isn't uncommon for me to brew on work days, thanks to the BCS running the brew day for me


----------



## gava

mb-squared said:


> I typically dough in at protein rest temps so I haven't gotten too concerned about a degree or two at the beginning of the mash. I dough in at 120F (sorry if you use C, I use F), slowly open the valve on my wort pump to wide open (over ~10mins) to make sure I don't compact the grain bed (which I NEVER stir), then hit 'go' on my BCS-460. It handles everything until sparge time, beginning with ramp to sachrification, sachrification rest, ramp to mash out, then it sounds an alarm and/or sends me an email, telling me to switch my hoses around for the fly sparge.
> 
> I work from home most days and it isn't uncommon for me to brew on work days, thanks to the BCS running the brew day for me


Sounds straight forward, I had a brewtroller on my last rig it was nice the only thing I can't do with my PIDS that I miss is the auto volume, i.e. press start and my water in turns on and fills my HLT to my required level, then on sparge will start and stop when the required amount of water has left the HLT. looked at the BCS units was a little dear for me back then.

-gav


----------



## spog

[
Side view,little brown pump.
Electric kettle elements,I retained the 2 led lights from the kettle so I can see that they are powered.
Off cuts from silicone tubes to shroud the kettle connections from spills.







attachment=70008:image.jpg]
Control box,2 x 240 volt switches for element power,PID,fuse.
1st 12v switch for PID .
2nd 12 v switch for pump.
Underneath Lhs grill for air intake,rhs for computer fan outlet.
The computer fan comes on as soon as the system is powered up so it runs constantly.








Storage inside brew cupboard,various sized pots,scales,cleaning tub which the immersion chiller sits in.
Extra container for holding milled grain,sieves etc.
The cupboard is made from salvaged 300 x90 mm beams ( base).
290 x 32 Oregon sides and top.
Oregon drawer and door frames with cedar panels.
The control box is cedar trimmed with brass angles,with sassafras and Huon pine lid.


----------



## spog

My mill made from 2 bedside cupboards.



Inside,the collect bin with the hopper stored away.


Hopper fits into a hole in the top,the hopper holds roughly a kilo of grain.









The back which at the bottom sits in a slotted base board and is held in place by 2 butterfly toggles to allow access to the motor and rear mill adjustment knobs.


----------



## BlueMutt

Slowly making progress on the rig, new stand welded up, yet to fit castors and complete painting. Some hard piping for gas and liquid with some 3 way valves will go on this week end.
Next will be a control panel and second pump, not 100% on how to go about setting up PIDs etc, although I have a sparkey to help once I gather the info and parts. Any good guide links appreciated.


----------



## tricache

Wow some crazy builds going on lately...everyone seems to be going for the full control unit mini brewery kinda thing! :icon_drool2:


----------



## Burt de Ernie

mb-squared said:


> I'll say! I'd love a detailed writeup of that one. Looks ingenious.


MB,

Its still a work in progress and I`m currently adding an upgrade of a HERMS unit that will double as the chiller.

Once I am done honing the system (confirm it actually works ..LOL)I will give you the low down.


----------



## bradwhite087

G'day fellow brewers,

I thought I would upload my automated gas PID BIAB system. It has been a long and somewhat painful process which at some point I thought was not going to be successful, but with a little persistence I finally got there 

If anyone is thinking of going down the same/similar path, I am happy to help where I can.

Enjoy!





The system about to be fired up!




The pilot light 




Valve used to control the pilot light




Servo motor with heat shield, used to rotate the main valve for gas flow to the burner




The results of the system, I know its a bad photo, but it was overshooting by 0.53 degrees C. I managed to calibrate and now it is within 0.3 degress C which I am stoked with


----------



## MastersBrewery

NICE!


----------



## Ninegrain

I finally built my wooden BIAB stand a few weeks ago. Built it out of extra pine and merbau decking left over from some jobs. So materials was practically free  incorporated a crane and bunnings rope hoist for the bag. Essential for the double batches I plan on doing 


Limited space in my laundry where I brew. It's all electric so can boil indoors, just have to have a extraction fan right next to it with ducting straight out the window :/ (or the sample alarm is on REAL quickly)




And kettle in place. It's a 70l craftbrewer pot wrapped in insulation with the usual 3 piece bv. Looking forward to the first brew on it soon, will be much better than using milk crates and physical effort for bag hoisting!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## catcher

The beginning of my 3V system


----------



## Clarkholio

Some awesome 3v systems here. Great to get some idea's and progress from my BIAB urn. Thanks guys and keep the pics and beers flowing :chug:


----------



## silverbrew

Never done AG before and here is the beginnings of my BIAB rig lol


Not very impressive I'm sure but I hope she will make great beer


----------



## JB

Good onya Silverbrew, looks like it should do the job just fine. Enjoy the voyage!


----------



## New_guy

Silverbrew said:


> Never done AG before and here is the beginnings of my BIAB rig lol
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1398223116.297701.jpg
> 
> Not very impressive I'm sure but I hope she will make great beer


Looks great mate, mine looked the same 12 months ago. Few brews under your belt and you will be away.


----------



## BlueMutt

Fitted up some 3 way valves and new hose for the first run on the new stand.
I hard piped from the valves to the pump in copper for the meantime, will go ss once I have a liitle more coin saved up.
Plan on another pump so I can pump boiled wort back through the HLT which has a copper chiller coil fitted and will be full of cold water and snow or ice. (one advantage of living in the MTNs).


----------



## pk.sax

Latest state of affairs. Bulkhead comp fitting from Connor brewing sorted out the leak. Put the free urn in action as HLT. Need to replace the tap on it or I'd go mental measuring with 1/2L jug.

Mash pot/kettle now has a problem. Adding the ss pickup tube from Beerbelly that goes in further and makes the mash 'pipe' sit askew. This is causing recirc water to overflow. Mine recircs from bottom to top with nothing covering the 'pipe'. I'll have to put legs on the mash basket so it sits above the pickup tube.

Also, need to upgrade to herms. The temperature swings a lot with the recirc. Turning on the burner just takes it way too high. A bit tiring to keep adjusting flame/flow rate/check pipe level.

I know who I'm visiting when I get to melb next...


----------



## stew.w

Started this thread a few years ago. Still using essentially the same setup as before but I have added a rims tube, pump and electric hlt with temperature control. Just gotta add the plate chiller that ive had for about a year, no chill is just too convenient. Got the hlt from a bakery, it was a flour bin but makes a very good hlt


----------



## Beertard

sorry double posts always happens when i post photos to forums from my dodgy mobile. please delete


----------



## Beertard

My cheap and simple gravity fed rig, the old bbq frame was modified to suit some upgrades which will be coming soon, a 40l crown urn for the boil and rectangular esky.
The hotplate is good for the HLT, strike and sparge water but barely enough for the boil, the wind shield and insulation help.
It's high enough with adjustable wheels and legs to fill a fermenter bellow the boil pot.

edited to add an extra picture.


----------



## Ranga

BlueMutt said:


> Fitted up some 3 way valves and new hose for the first run on the new stand.
> I hard piped from the valves to the pump in copper for the meantime, will go ss once I have a liitle more coin saved up.
> Plan on another pump so I can pump boiled wort back through the HLT which has a copper chiller coil fitted and will be full of cold water and snow or ice. (one advantage of living in the MTNs).


Hey Bluemutt nice rig mate. I just tried the copper coil in the HLT for cooling trick, plenty of ice and water. After 5 minutes all ice melted and temp in HLT/Cooler up to 55c. F**k, empty water, replenish with cold water..... Great idea but, an hour later.... Wort temp still 38c. For me, back to the drawing board. Good luck.


----------



## pk.sax

Run it through 1 pass with normal tap water back into the kettle, then second pass through coil in ice - slowly.


----------



## slcmorro

So, it may not be the most beautiful or sophisticated setup, but I have upgraded from my first AG setup to my 2nd. Kinda... and I love it! 

The keggle is a decommissioned CUB keg (obtained legally) also donated to me by the very generous vic45, with a 1/2" ball valve supplied from iBrew.





A semi-retired mate of mine did the metal work, and I couldn't be happier!

The firepot you see is my original keg, also donated to me by vic45 from B.A.R which I have done many a BIAB brew in. Great little keg, now serving a new purpose.










The burner mounted in the keggle stand was just a 4ring burner I got from Grays Online for $65 shipped from memory, and it cranks out a decent flame. It's still got the standard reg on it, and it works just fine. Prior to this keggle stand, I just used to put the old keg on top and fire away to strike mash water and do my boil. Gets a good rolling boil up in about 10 mins from mash temp, and maintains it with just the two middle burners going.


----------



## catcher

Not much has happened, mainly due to lack of $$$ but getting 4 burners and stands in next few weeks then will progress further.


----------



## pk.sax

Something weird has happened to this thread. It seems the 'brewing rigs' thread has been added to the 'showing off' thread rather than the other way around.

Might just be the phone and the app but desktop dwellers might be able to tell. I was searching for the 'brewing rigs' thread earlier and couldn't find it either.


----------



## slcmorro

Happened back on the 4th of June, when my thread I made was merged into this one by the mods. Just renaming it would work I'd imagine.


----------



## Beertard

I was wondering about that too, I don't recall posting in the showing off thread but it's not that out of the ordinary for me to not remember.


----------



## Camo6

Got around to making a bracket for my new brew controller today. Figured I could squeeze a batch out this avo to test it all out. Ramp/soak PID worked perfectly and with all the led's it was easy to watch from the kitchen window. Next project is to clad the carport I brew under, Melbourne's weather isn't ideal for outdoor brewing ATM.


----------



## Cocko

Camo6 said:


> Got around to making a bracket for my new brew controller today. Figured I could squeeze a batch out this avo to test it all out. Ramp/soak PID worked perfectly and with all the led's it was easy to watch from the kitchen window. Next project is to clad the carport I brew under, Melbourne's weather isn't ideal for outdoor brewing ATM.



Amazing.

Good work Mate, [GWC]

thanks for sharing... Seriously, awesome.


----------



## Truman42

Camo6 said:


> Got around to making a bracket for my new brew controller today. Figured I could squeeze a batch out this avo to test it all out. Ramp/soak PID worked perfectly and with all the led's it was easy to watch from the kitchen window. Next project is to clad the carport I brew under, Melbourne's weather isn't ideal for outdoor brewing ATM.
> 
> 
> 
> 20140629_143727.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20140629_160916.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20140629_172840.jpg


Mate that is truly awesome. What a work of art. Can you share some info on how you made your herms vessel? My PVC pipe job has started to warp after too many boil overs when I stop flow to transfer to kettle and forget to switch it off. Time to upgrade.


----------



## Mardoo

wow..........0_o


----------



## spog

The last pic wtih glowing lights in the gloom looks as if aliens have landed in the carport . 
Nice rig though. Yep cladding the walls will make brewing more comfortable gotta be freezing in that weather,but that's the passion of brewing.
Cheers....spog...


----------



## Truman42

I brewed on Sunday and fark me it was cold even in the garage. Everytime I came inside the house with the heater going I didnt want to leave again. And standing out the front in the rain hosing off vessels wasnt fun either.

Only plus side is that the water in my rain tank was that cold it pulled my lager wort down to 10C through the plate chiller so I could pitch straight away instead of having to wait 24 hours for it to cool down in the fridge.


----------



## fraser_john

Finally finished water testing my last week, waiting on my craftbrewer order to fire the first brew up on her..full rebuild of stand, HEX location, new pump, new plumbing, electric kettle (not shown)


----------



## Camo6

Truman said:


> I brewed on Sunday and fark me it was cold even in the garage. Everytime I came inside the house with the heater going I didnt want to leave again. And standing out the front in the rain hosing off vessels wasnt fun either.
> 
> Only plus side is that the water in my rain tank was that cold it pulled my lager wort down to 10C through the plate chiller so I could pitch straight away instead of having to wait 24 hours for it to cool down in the fridge.


Thanks all for the praise. It's nice that someone else appreciates all the time I spend in the backyard instead of renovating the house. 
Truman the hex us part of a still a mate's dad made when he worked in the food industry. I had to modify it a bit and if I was to source another I'd use 100mm tube or one of Nevs new housings. I'll send you a bit more info on it when I get home.


----------



## Truman42

Camo6 said:


> Thanks all for the praise. It's nice that someone else appreciates all the time I spend in the backyard instead of renovating the house.
> Truman the hex us part of a still a mate's dad made when he worked in the food industry. I had to modify it a bit and if I was to source another I'd use 100mm tube or one of Nevs new housings. I'll send you a bit more info on it when I get home.


I was just trying to find Nevs new housings on his website but cant seem to find them?

found it..


----------



## Bribie G

I wonder whatever happened to Sherman?


----------



## vykuza

I have been brewing a few BIAB batches in the warehouse to get some kegs filled up, as I'm running very dry.

Realised I forgot my pulley, so I improvised. Magic moment was when I used side shift to move it over a bucket for a dunk sparge!


----------



## Tahoose

Wish I could brew at work... One day, when I buy a pub


----------



## mofox1

Nick R said:


> I have been brewing a few BIAB batches in the warehouse to get some kegs filled up, as I'm running very dry.
> 
> Realised I forgot my pulley, so I improvised. Magic moment was when I used side shift to move it over a bucket for a dunk sparge!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> draining.jpg


Oh FFS, that's just showing off. Which, given the thread, I guess is appropriate...

Anyone know how to engineer a scenario where I can use a fork lift in a brewing scenario at work? I currently work in IT at a bank. 

All I've managed to do tonight is cut my thumb wide open. Plenty of improvement here.


----------



## pk.sax

Call it come to work safe day.

Then drive in with a big ass safe on a forklift.


----------



## idzy

Nick R that looks kinda like a set of nuts...lol


----------



## Hpal

My electric BIAB rig with PID controller, have only done one run so far and needs a bit of parameter tuning, went well though and can do a double batch


----------



## spog

Good idea you have used with the bolts to hold the bag in place.
Cheers...spog...


----------



## barneey

Here is my brewery.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

I just put a hole in my swcond BIAB bag!!! Are those Craftbrewer ones resistant to vigorous mash stirring with a thin plastic mash paddle!?


----------



## brando

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> I just put a hole in my swcond BIAB bag!!! Are those Craftbrewer ones resistant to vigorous mash stirring with a thin plastic mash paddle!?


Here's my tip... don't use a bag... just use a sheet of swiss voile instead! I've done about 30 AG brews since I started out, and they all have been done with the same sheet of voile. I just have a round sheet about 5-6 foot diameter, which the MIL hemmed at the edge for me. No holes, and still going strong.

BIAS I call it


----------



## spog

Barneey,that is a fantastic setup,I am jealous very jealous.
Cheers....spog....


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

brando said:


> Here's my tip... don't use a bag... just use a sheet of swiss voile instead! I've done about 30 AG brews since I started out, and they all have been done with the same sheet of voile. I just have a round sheet about 5-6 foot diameter, which the MIL hemmed at the edge for me. No holes, and still going strong.
> 
> BIAS I call it


Where can I get said voile?! =D Spotlight or lincraft?


----------



## Camo6

barneey said:


> Here is my brewery.


GTFO Barneey! What a setup. Love the use of the scales on the MT. What's the aqua thingamy jig on the left - autoclave?


----------



## Crouch

That setup looks pretty amazing barneey!!


----------



## barneey

Cheers

The "aqua thingamy jig" is indeed an autoclave, useful for yeast preparation.

The rest of the equipment is based around a 3V system 150 boiler, 80 MT & 80 HLT, 110 conical, only trouble is it produces rather a lot of beer for only one person (good for green hop time of year tho), hence the Braumeister 20ltr unit (now sold to make way for the 50ltr unit build).


----------



## pedleyr

barneey said:


> Cheers
> 
> The "aqua thingamy jig" is indeed an autoclave, useful for yeast preparation.
> 
> The rest of the equipment is based around a 3V system 150 boiler, 80 MT & 80 HLT, 110 conical, only trouble is it produces rather a lot of beer for only one person (good for green hop time of year tho), hence the Braumeister 20ltr unit (now sold to make way for the 50ltr unit build).


Need any new mates to help you drink some of the beer?

Great looking setup mate.


----------



## StalkingWilbur

Geez. And here I was excited about a second (full size, there's also a 20L urn being used for sparge water hidden away) vessel I got a little while ago. Some of these rigs are awesome!

Plans for a third vessel + herms are already under way. 

It wasn't so long ago that I thought BIAB would keep me satisfied for years to come. What a fool I was.


----------



## Rieewoldt

StalkingWilbur said:


> Geez. And here I was excited about a second (full size, there's also a 20L urn being used for sparge water hidden away) vessel I got a little while ago. Some of these rigs are awesome!
> 
> Plans for a third vessel + herms are already under way.
> 
> It wasn't so long ago that I thought BIAB would keep me satisfied for years to come. What a fool I was.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1406411663.213055.jpg


Nice! How does that burner go?


----------



## CoopsOz

How does the stepped top shelf effect the structural integrity?


----------



## Crouch

Still not 100% functional, the control panel still needs to be built but the plumbing is pretty much complete (ignore the setup of the hoses in this pic  )






Right to Left

HLT with HERMS (5500w)
MT
BK (5500w)


----------



## surly

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> Where can I get said voile?! =D Spotlight or lincraft?


Hey mate, I bought my voile from (lincraft I think?). The one that is downstairs at Northland.
Was in the section with that sheer stuff for hanging in front of windows. This was a year or so ago, so no guarantees it is still there.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Legend! Thanks


----------



## Mardoo

I got mine at Spotlight in the curtain section. Buttload of different types. Just ask a cute sales asst. She'll help you


----------



## Grott

F.....................k, I'm impressed


----------



## Bribie G

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> Where can I get said voile?! =D Spotlight or lincraft?


Spotlight in the curtains section.

EEEk there's a man in the store, there's a man in the store.........


----------



## JDW81

Bribie G said:


> Spotlight in the curtains section.
> 
> EEEk there's a man in the store, there's a man in the store.........


I always get odd looks when I go in to buy a length of calico for my annual christmas pudding run.


----------



## Bribie G

Reasonably well organised chaos, can even fit a car in the garage. Or so they tell me.




I'm also a sheet o voile fan. Learn to tie a hangman's noose and you are well set.


----------



## StalkingWilbur

CoopsOz said:


> How does the stepped top shelf effect the structural integrity?


There are support beams under each section. There's plenty of strength there. 

It was originally designed as BIAB brew stand. You can see the upright on the lower section, there's an arm above that with a pulley system. If I did had known how quickly we would move up then I would've just built a flat bench.


----------



## StalkingWilbur

Kayne said:


> Nice! How does that burner go?


With the standard reg it was underpowered for a double batch. Would only reach a boil with the lid on and then maintained a very soft boil with the lid off. 

With a variable pressure reg it cranks


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Mardoo said:


> I got mine at Spotlight in the curtain section. Buttload of different types. Just ask a cute sales asst. She'll help you


Sent the mrs to Lincraft but they were unhelpful. Apparently they had stuff called "something" voile but not swiss and it didnt say 100% polyester and was $10/metre so she didnt get it. I found old thread with a spotlight code ill try there this week.


----------



## Scooby Tha Newbie

Look in the seconds bin at spotlight. $6 enough for three bags and four hop sox. 



Then learn to sew.


----------



## CoopsOz

StalkingWilbur said:


> There are support beams under each section. There's plenty of strength there.
> 
> It was originally designed as BIAB brew stand. You can see the upright on the lower section, there's an arm above that with a pulley system. If I did had known how quickly we would move up then I would've just built a flat bench.


I like the step. I'm currently running electric kegs as my HLT and mash tun but I've got a significantly larger gas fired beerbelly 100l kettle. The different sizes are making it difficult to plan my build. I'm very tempted to copy your design, after I have a little bit of welding practice.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Anyone got a close up shot? Is the voile more densely woven than standard keg king grain bags or less? Mrs said the stuff she saw had larger holes in the weave than the grain bag I sent her with there but I assumed it would be the opposite?


----------



## Scooby Tha Newbie

I've not bought a bag bf so can't tell you if it's a smaller weave. Bit here is a close up.


----------



## surly

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> Sent the mrs to Lincraft but they were unhelpful. Apparently they had stuff called "something" voile but not swiss and it didnt say 100% polyester and was $10/metre so she didnt get it. I found old thread with a spotlight code ill try there this week.


I have a pic on my old phone somewhere of the tag. I can look it up.

There was more than one type there when I bought mine. The staff said they didn't have Swiss Voile, but I found it a couple of mins later.


----------



## surly

Found it:


----------



## Yob

barneey said:


> Here is my brewery.


I have only 2 words for this.. They are either ******* awesome or you c**t 

Seriously inspirational, maybe in 20 years I can have something as nice as that


----------



## surly

I haven't managed to get past his mash paddle.
Might take a while for the rest to sink in..


----------



## Judanero

Barneey.... wow.

So very, very jealous!


What is under the autoclave?


----------



## lael

Barneey - that is a very nice brewcave... I mean lab. 

Is that a seperable heat plate exchanger to the left of the autoclave? How long does that take to chill 100L mind if I ask how much and where you got it? I like the idea of being able to clean inside of a plate chiller.


----------



## barneey

Both the timber clad items are to house pots, the large one in use is for the 150lt boiler the one under the autoclave was a project (not finished) - a 70ltr pot would sit in the timber clad + cooling / heating pipework coiled around the pot, sort of a self contained ferment chamber. Once I got the stainless freezer cabinet + maxi controller and the conical(s) it became a redundant project. 

The plate heat exchanger is indeed a fully take apart item, which I refurbished, only cost £30.00 on another forum, I sold that on to another member with his own micro brewery (it was too big for my set up), what is easy to use is the copper "straight" CFC, pictured just below the control panel, basically 15 & 22mm pipework with silicone tube ends, so to clean remove the silicone tube ends & your left with a piece of straight pipe which can be brushed + then the whole lot flushed through. I do also have a copper plate (that can be dismantled) with I`m also testing.

The big lump of stainless on the boiler is a BH external filter.

What isn't on show (well only the top) is the Rimms system (just behind the mash pot).

The control panel is based on the electric brewery one , just with a few more timers + PIDS to control thing.

As I mentioned in another thread the system only really gets used at Green Hop time of year, the rest of the time I use the BM unit with a smaller conical as it fits in with my family life better.

Cheers


----------



## Forever Wort

Wow Barneey, that is intense!

For a point of contrast, this is my "rig" ...


----------



## Crouch

Forever Wort said:


> Wow Barneey, that is intense!
> 
> For a point of contrast, this is my "rig" ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> brewrig.jpg


I love this picture ... it sums things up so perfectly. Well done mate!

Cheers


----------



## Bribie G

I want that table.


----------



## mxd

Forever Wort said:


> Wow Barneey, that is intense!
> 
> For a point of contrast, this is my "rig" ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> brewrig.jpg


mmm, coffee and reading is a couple of issues I see with this setup


----------



## GrumpyPaul

Bribie G said:


> I want that table.


which one there are 3 in the picture???


----------



## bazfletch3

mxd said:


> mmm, coffee and reading is a couple of issues I see with this setup


Looks far too relaxed, organised and controlled for my liking........ Wheres the look of panic when you realise you've just done something incredibly stupid?


----------



## mofox1

bazfletch3 said:


> Looks far too relaxed, organised and controlled for my liking........ Wheres the look of panic when you realise you've just done something incredibly stupid?


Yep - I thought there was something wrong with that pic too.


----------



## Forever Wort

Luckily my dutiful photographer wasn't around for that part!


----------



## TheWiggman

Tap left open on fermeter, forgetting to put strainer in to protect bag, knocked over coffee press, accidentally tripping over potplant and landing 50 Shades of Grey in the kettle... still plenty of room for error and brew day entertainment.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

My new favorite based on last weekends experience. Tipping grain in to water/keggle and remembering you brew in a bag and the bag is still on the table!!!


----------



## The Judge

I like that according to this forum, Barney is still an "amateur brewer".


----------



## barneey

Putrino said:


> I like that according to this forum, Barney is still an "amateur brewer".


  Maybe on this forum, but not elsewhere on the UK ones. :lol: + I like building things


Cheers


----------



## H0U5ECAT

So... now the brewery shed is complete and roof is in, I need a new project.

Stepping up from kits into AG, what am I looking at to set up a 3v?
Similar to Crouch's rig, what's in this and what's missing from the setup?
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/uploads/albums/gallery/album_1212/gallery_31581_1212_78341.jpg

is there a simple checklist?


----------



## Crouch

Hey MOU5ECAT ... the last few nights I've been putting together a complete list of the parts I used, their cost and their source ... so far the bill has run to around $2600, that is likely to go up a little as I'm sure there are things I have forgotten (not including tools which I already had in my workshop)

Edit: that includes everything including the control panel, bench, plumbing etc.


----------



## Porkchop

Ghetto brewing


----------



## Grainer

Oh just cause I can ...


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Porkchop said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1406880018.566926.jpgGhetto brewing


Is that a RIMS config? Doesnt look very ghetto to me... unless it is, then I dont know what youd call my "rig"... homeless?!


----------



## H0U5ECAT

Thanks Crouch,
if its not too much to ask, can i get a copy of that?
no need to tell me prices, just a list of goodies and any recomendations on what you would change/upgrade.

Thanks well in advance


----------



## Spookhud

My 4v herms


----------



## Crouch

thats a pretty sweet looking setup Spookhud!!


----------



## Spookhud

Thanks, still a work in progress built from what iv learnt here


----------



## pk.sax

After years of being kicked around and stored in nooks, finally brewery has some dedicated space  the man cave has happened.


----------



## pk.sax

practicalfool said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1407032836.083731.jpg
> 
> After years of being kicked around and stored in nooks, finally brewery has some dedicated space  the man cave has happened.


----------



## gava

Spookhud said:


> My 4v herms
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1407029278.320333.jpg


looking sweet, almost a steampunk brewery


----------



## Camo6

Spookhud said:


> My 4v herms
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1407029278.320333.jpg


That looks great! I think I bought one of those for my house in Fallout 3. Seriously, that is a piece of art.


----------



## Edak

gava said:


> looking sweet, almost a steampunk brewery


This comment made my day. I really like the steampunk genre. 

Need to get a pic of the brew shed I just inherited at the new house. First to pretty it up though.


----------



## sjp770

Spookhud said:


> My 4v herms


That is a piece of art!


----------



## mje1980

The grand masterpiece.


----------



## TheWiggman

Spudhook like to postcount ratio - 11:3. Surely a site record. For comparison, Manticle would need another 64000 likes to achieve this.

Well deserved though.


----------



## sibrew

Heres my low budget rig. All up around $300 spent. Including shelving from masters. Runs a 12v brown pump to lift from HLT to esky, gravity to boiler. 2× 2000w elements in the HLT and Boiler. HLT is a bit small at 19l but works fine as I batch sparge, so i just fill it twice heats up very quickly.


----------



## pilgrimspiss

My DIY Keggle RIMS. Got it down now. Sitting at about 85% efficiency. Pretty happy overall.

Cheers
Matty


----------



## mb-squared

hey matty, that is a sweet looking setup. I especially like how you don't have to move any hoses when going from recirc mash to fly sparge. very well thought out!


----------



## Crouch

pilgrimspiss said:


> My DIY Keggle RIMS. Got it down now. Sitting at about 85% efficiency. Pretty happy overall.
> 
> Cheers
> Matty


I also love the setup with the hoses ... great looking system.


----------



## pilgrimspiss

mb-squared said:


> hey matty, that is a sweet looking setup. I especially like how you don't have to move any hoses when going from recirc mash to fly sparge. very well thought out!


I heat my strike water in the mash tun via RIMS recirc while heating sparge water in the HLT at the same time. Saves a heap of time heating. Mash in the old way with bucket and paddle, no underletting. Also have a more consistent temp mashing in as the mash tun is warmed up to stirke temp as well.Then I run sparge water through the RIMS tube. This cleans the RIMS element SUPER well. Saves me more time at the end of the day for drinking!!

Cheers
Matty


----------



## bazfletch3

Hi all

Just thought I’d throw some pics up of my (slow) control panel build to date; it’s not finished, but I stood back last night and had a "Geez that doesn’t look too bad" moment, so I thought I’d share - along with a couple of learnings I’ve had so far.

Basically like many others, I’m putting together my version of the Electric Brewery setup; just a slightly more budget conscious version 
I've cut out a few things, used a couple of lit switches rather than separate components, used a combined Volt/Amp meter, and a smaller box (300x200x150).












[SIZE=10.5pt]The main thing that’s been bloody tricky has been planning and laying out the components within the box. I went with the smaller box half because I could get it pretty cheaply compared to the next size up, and half because for the foreseeable future space will be a bit of an issue, so smaller is better. It will end up turning out pretty well, but for anyone else going down this path, if you can afford the cash and space, GO A BIGGER BOX!!! I wasted hours messing around with a layout in MS Viso shifting stuff around until I found something that worked - what I didn’t comprehend beforehand was that:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]My 300 x 200 front panel is actually only 295x195, and is slightly smaller than the box itself.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]The box has a 20mm lip all the way around which makes the "usable" part of the front panel in terms of mounting stuff only 255x155[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Any deep components can’t be too close to the edge that swings open, as the component will swing out and hit the lip of the box; this meant that instead of mounting my 3 PIDs horizontally, I had to mount them vertically[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]The door latch takes up a bloody lot of space by the time it swings open! You'll see that even with careful placement of the components I still had to cut and file some of the latch to make everything work[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Apart from this, my biggest enemy has been finding the bloody time to mess about with things, there’s just not enough hours in the day! In the short term, the control panel will be the best part of the whole brewery! And I won’t be using some things as yet (I don’t have pumps yet, we're still doing things the old fashioned way with gravity!), but I figure if I was going to build a box I may as well do it properly the first time. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]The other thing which was an eye opener was that when I drew up my circuit wiring, there is 53 separate wiring interconnects, for what I thought was a pretty basic control circuit![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Anyways, it’s not brewing beer just yet, but it’s getting close - only the internal wiring left, which finally actually brings me back to something I’m good at! (I make a shit of a metal worker!)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Cheers[/SIZE]

Baz


----------



## Donske

I love seeing the control panel builds, I'd have started one myself but electricity scares the shit out of me and I love the ramp times I'm getting with gas HLT and kettle. I will be adding a basic HERMS unit but even that will be a green pump, kettle element and STC1000.


----------



## TheWiggman

mje1980 said:


> The grand masterpiece.


Oh man that is unreal, right down to the detail like the ball valve screwed on in the wrong direction. A testament to no need for flashy shit to make good beer.


----------



## Danwood

mje1980 said:


> The grand masterpiece.


Makes me think of a Salvador Dali painting, for some reason.

Must be the colorful insulation.


----------



## sibrew

Tuesday night, chilling my citra ipa.


----------



## TheWiggman

Looks like the laundry is encroaching on your brewing space.


----------



## gava

bazfletch3 said:


> Hi all
> 
> 
> Just thought I’d throw some pics up of my (slow) control panel build to date; it’s not finished, but I stood back last night and had a "Geez that doesn’t look too bad" moment, so I thought I’d share - along with a couple of learnings I’ve had so far.
> 
> 
> Basically like many others, I’m putting together my version of the Electric Brewery setup; just a slightly more budget conscious version
> 
> I've cut out a few things, used a couple of lit switches rather than separate components, used a combined Volt/Amp meter, and a smaller box (300x200x150).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_2496.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_2497.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_2498.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_2499.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_2501.JPG
> 
> [SIZE=10.5pt]The main thing that’s been bloody tricky has been planning and laying out the components within the box. I went with the smaller box half because I could get it pretty cheaply compared to the next size up, and half because for the foreseeable future space will be a bit of an issue, so smaller is better. It will end up turning out pretty well, but for anyone else going down this path, if you can afford the cash and space, GO A BIGGER BOX!!! I wasted hours messing around with a layout in MS Viso shifting stuff around until I found something that worked - what I didn’t comprehend beforehand was that:[/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=10.5pt]My 300 x 200 front panel is actually only 295x195, and is slightly smaller than the box itself.[/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10.5pt]The box has a 20mm lip all the way around which makes the "usable" part of the front panel in terms of mounting stuff only 255x155[/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10.5pt]Any deep components can’t be too close to the edge that swings open, as the component will swing out and hit the lip of the box; this meant that instead of mounting my 3 PIDs horizontally, I had to mount them vertically[/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10.5pt]The door latch takes up a bloody lot of space by the time it swings open! You'll see that even with careful placement of the components I still had to cut and file some of the latch to make everything work[/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10.5pt]Apart from this, my biggest enemy has been finding the bloody time to mess about with things, there’s just not enough hours in the day! In the short term, the control panel will be the best part of the whole brewery! And I won’t be using some things as yet (I don’t have pumps yet, we're still doing things the old fashioned way with gravity!), but I figure if I was going to build a box I may as well do it properly the first time. [/SIZE]
> [SIZE=10.5pt]The other thing which was an eye opener was that when I drew up my circuit wiring, there is 53 separate wiring interconnects, for what I thought was a pretty basic control circuit![/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=10.5pt]Anyways, it’s not brewing beer just yet, but it’s getting close - only the internal wiring left, which finally actually brings me back to something I’m good at! (I make a shit of a metal worker!)[/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=10.5pt]Cheers[/SIZE]
> 
> Baz


I can foresee some frustrating wiring going into this control panel, looking good though.

gav


----------



## bazfletch3

gava said:


> I can foresee some frustrating wiring going into this control panel, looking good though.
> 
> gav


About 2/3rds wired up with not too much skin missing from my knuckles yet 

Ive got "ahem" rather large hands too which isnt the best!


----------



## The Judge

pilgrimspiss said:


> My DIY Keggle RIMS. Got it down now. Sitting at about 85% efficiency. Pretty happy overall.
> 
> Cheers
> Matty


Looks good. But why all the quick disconnect couplings? Looks like your valving controls direction of flow, so no need for disconnecting piping.


----------



## pilgrimspiss

Putrino said:


> Looks good. But why all the quick disconnect couplings? Looks like your valving controls direction of flow, so no need for disconnecting piping.


Thanks putrino. As you can see from the milk crate pump stand, I still have to add a few things to the rigs frame. I remove the hoses to clean the RIMS tube and pumps. As I work away I like to clean all the vessels and leave them upside down. I prefer camlocks and hoses to hard piping and tube for inspection. Personal preference.
Cheers
Matty


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

mje1980 said:


> The grand masterpiece.


Faark thats a thing of beauty !
Rarely am I this impressed.
Nev


----------



## The Judge

pilgrimspiss said:


> Thanks putrino. As you can see from the milk crate pump stand, I still have to add a few things to the rigs frame. I remove the hoses to clean the RIMS tube and pumps. As I work away I like to clean all the vessels and leave them upside down. I prefer camlocks and hoses to hard piping and tube for inspection. Personal preference.
> Cheers
> Matty


Ahh makes sense. I operate pretty similarly in fact


----------



## theover

iklkkilku


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## TheWiggman

Hi Theover's son or daughter.


----------



## benken25

Here is a pic of my 4v herms system I I have been building for a while . First 2 brews were on the weekend and went well


----------



## mb-squared

nice view! much better than brewing in my carport.


----------



## dave81

My current setup/ extra bits for my upcoming 3v system.i should not look at this thread anymore I keep changing my mind, deciding on different budgets and getting in trouble from swmbo


----------



## poggor

Nice one Dave! not unlike my Brew HQ. 
I used to have a shed with all my gear spread out. But then someone moved in and now shed is full. 
So I have had to adapt- all my brew kit fits into a 1.2x1m space at the top of the back stairs (i live in an apartment). 

Check it out:




Couple of fermenters
Brew pot
Capper
Wort chiller
bits and pieces
Bout 80 full bottles
and a couple of dozen empties...


----------



## MastersBrewery

give it a couple of years lads that shelving space will need to double...... at least!!!


----------



## slcmorro

Just had a little pulley system added to the brewhouse, with a rope brake and 1-1 pulley. Fairly happy with it for $20


----------



## pk.sax

Nice. I use similar to lift the mash basket out of the pot too. Simple.


----------



## slcmorro

Yeah. So simple, so effective, so cheap


----------



## Trevandjo

Hope this doesn't come across the wrong way. 

How safe is it brewing with BBQ gas indoors? I'd like to do the same in my shed but have always thought there was a toxicity problem. 

Pulley system looks the goods. 

Cheers 
Trev


----------



## slcmorro

That's a fair point and a genuine concern mate, not something to be shirked at.

This is the reason I deem it safe enough to brew in the shed. This door remains fully open when doing so.


----------



## Trevandjo

Sweet. Nice shed.


----------



## mb-squared

and if you are really concerned, you can always get one of these: http://www.bunnings.com.au/family-first-carbon-monoxide-alarm_p4210604


----------



## slcmorro

Thanks mate. Not setup the way I want it yet (we shifted 2 weeks ago an I haven't been bothered/too busy) but it's getting there


----------



## slcmorro

Trevandjo said:


> How safe is it brewing with BBQ gas indoors? I'd like to do the same in my shed but have always thought there was a toxicity problem.


By the way, I brewed in a much smaller space at the other house with just a regular 2440 x 900 door open for ventilation and it was fine.


----------



## billygoat

slcmorro said:


> Just had a little pulley system added to the brewhouse, with a rope brake and 1-1 pulley. Fairly happy with it for $20


You need to fix the insulation, some of it might fall into the keggle.


----------



## slcmorro

Will probably just pull the dangly bits off. 

That can be interpreted many ways.


----------



## theover

mine not finished yet


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Mr B

Theover said:


> mine not finished yet
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That looks interesting. Got a bigger pic?


----------



## Judanero

And/or more pics! Looks like a nice setup.


----------



## Mardoo

Theover said:


> mine not finished yet
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Second, third and fourth Mr. B's sentiment. Bigger pix plz!


----------



## theover

will take more soon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## The Village Idiot

New Stainless Bench assembled, BBQ cover purchased to protect the investment...... now for some plumbing and a possible divorce as I am sure there needs to be more added. HERMS maybe, camlocks .......


----------



## RustyT

First half of my Herms Rig finished. Just need to plum it all together. Very happy with the finish so far.


----------



## scottfrompubs

Theover said:


> will take more soon
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


SENSATIONAL! I love the swing bend panel! Are you using tri-clovers to connect the pipe?


----------



## RustyT

Started work on my HLT Today, Got the element installed, herms coil bent to the right shape, and 2 of the 3 weldless bulkheads installed. Just waiting on my compression fittings and barbs so show up and I can finish it off and get brewing.


----------



## theover

Ready for brewing 








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## StalkingWilbur

That's out of control! Looks awesome.


----------



## Curly79

Jesus!! Are you gunna build a shed around it ?


Sent from my iPhone using Aussie Home Brewer


----------



## HardEight

Got a diagram/drawing of the layout/plan?
It looks very interesting... but hard to work out what's what.


----------



## chubbytaxman

I have been setting up my grain mill, stand and hopper last weekend.

I have designed the hopper along the same lines as Chad from on here (thanks Chad)




Idea is it goes together without screwing / glueing etc ..




Then organise somewhere to mount the mill, motor and hopper




Finally assembling the whole shebang ...




Motor is from Motion Dynamics (Retailer on this site) ... Awesome bit of kit

All I need now is a power supply and I am off ...


----------



## mofox1

chubbytaxman said:


> I have been setting up my grain mill, stand and hopper last weekend.
> 
> I have designed the hopper along the same lines as Chad from on here (thanks Chad)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 10612955_10203793043680033_4740835786559723586_n.jpg
> 
> Idea is it goes together without screwing / glueing etc ..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 10454306_10203784073295779_8651029876178793287_n.jpg
> 
> Then organise somewhere to mount the mill, motor and hopper
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 10690257_10203836033834760_6306175398774330796_n.jpg
> 
> Finally assembling the whole shebang ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 10641028_10203836674490776_4866749362405211177_n.jpg
> 
> Motor is from Motion Dynamics (Retailer on this site) ... Awesome bit of kit
> 
> All I need now is a power supply and I am off ...


Niiiice. Where did the coupler come from?


----------



## chubbytaxman

mofox1 said:


> Niiiice. Where did the coupler come from?


Hey mofox1

I got that "Lovejoy" from BSC here in Brisvegas - Northside.
For the poultry outlaid sum of $23.10 pick up from store.
12mm one end (fitting the aluminium rod from the motor) and 12.7mm the other end (mounting to the mill shaft).

Cheers

chubby


----------



## RustyT

HLT is almost done, just need one more barb for the Heat exchanger outlet. Pump and valves mounted. Hopefully be able to do a few tests this weekend!


----------



## andrewl

Geez Theover,
That's a thing of beauty!!!!!!


----------



## jeddog

Its been a while since my last post thought I.d show my brewrig. Tomorrow I will be brewing 60lts of "Cup Day IPA"


----------



## Hugh Jarse

Maiden brew on rig today. All electric 3v system. Cooler mash tun (about to be upgraded to 50l pot). First brew was a nice and simple SMaSH, split into two before boil. Built control panel based on Electric Brewery. 4500w elements running off a 20amp supply. Very happy with how system went for its first run.






Massive thanks to Nev from Online Brewing Supplies for all the fittings and hose. Awesome customer service, great products and fast postage.
Also massive thanks to Chris from Eaton Laser for the tags. High quality product and awesome customer service.
Couldn't speak highly enough of the service from the above two..... I have no affiliation with either of them as I have finished my build...........


----------



## mb-squared

Hey Hugh, looks great! I really like how you've done your hoses, all colour coded and no need for hose changes when going from mash to sparge. sweet setup! 

One question about your panel. You have an "element select" switch, but I see that both of your elements are on in the pic. How could that be?

Cheers


----------



## Hugh Jarse

Thanks mb. Color coded hoses was more only for the initial set up when I was doing the hoses but I like them and think I will leave them as is, makes it nice and easy. Only a couple of hose changes for recirc through CFC with return ice water back to esky.
It looks from the pici that both elements are firing but I can assure that isnt the case. I can verify that both the breaker in the panel and also the breaker in the fuse box trips when required! If I fired both elements at once this would be the case. Panel was certified by a qualified sparky before use just in case.


----------



## Camo6

mb-squared said:


> Hey Hugh, looks great! I really like how you've done your hoses, all colour coded and no need for hose changes when going from mash to sparge. sweet setup!
> 
> One question about your panel. You have an "element select" switch, but I see that both of your elements are on in the pic. How could that be?
> 
> Cheers


I'd suspect HJ's element LEDs are wired in the pid output circuit, so while the pids are commanding the SSRs they're not necessarily powering the element. This is how mine are wired anyway.

Nice work on the panel BTW.


----------



## spog

Found this beauty on Bonsai Brewing
.


Wouldn't mind this in my shed.


----------



## Mr B

spog said:


> Found this beauty on Bonsai Brewing
> .
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg
> Wouldn't mind this in my shed.


Mmmmm, but 13 valves though..........


----------



## a1149913

jt


----------



## Curly79

I have no idea how that works but look forward to the day that I do


----------



## Screwtop

Been a while so here's the latest, just about to upgrade again.


----------



## Robbo2234

Hey screw top where did you get that pot on the right from?


----------



## Screwtop

Robbo2234 said:


> Hey screw top where did you get that pot on the right from?


Belonged to a fellow AHB'er from Brisbane. He had it made it's 82 L.


Screwy


----------



## zeggie

Finally doing the finishing touches to my 4V HERMS and nearly ready for it's first brew

82l cheapo stainless pots off ebay
herm-it coil and thermostat in 6l breville urn
40l crown urn as HLT
Bunnings rack-it shelving brewstand
Kegking pump
Rays outdoors megajet burner

Going to initially use an STC-1000 but will upgrade to a PID eventually


----------



## Yob

That's what I told myself too...


----------



## welly2

Curly79 said:


> I have no idea how that works but look forward to the day that I do


I'm going to make a stab in the dark and guess each display corresponds to a different vessel and shows the required heat and current heat. And perhaps the lights are to show when the pump is running and when the heater is running?

That's all I've figured out though. Not sure if this is a RIMS or a HERMS system. I'm guessing probably a HERMS because it doesn't have an external RIMS tube. I only (possibly) know this because I've been looking at RIMS systems lately as something to think about.


----------



## waggastew

After 5 years of homebrewing, 95 batches ranging from K+K, kits and bits, stovetop partial, stovetop BIAB I have finally graduated to 'proper' AG brewing. I was never in a hurry to graduate as I have young kids, managed a few medals at the Nats with partials/BIAB, but I finally took the leap.

Just finished the main setup today. I have gone for a 3V gravity system with the following setup:

Stand is a a Bunnings shelving unit, currently using MDF shelves. Have mounted mill on lower tier and can also store stuff as well.
40L urn HLT controlled by a KegKing temp controller plugged into a thermowell. Also have a powerpoint timer so HLT can heat early for wakeup brews
60L Techniice mashtun fitted through with a Beerbelly false bottom (I ended up drilling a new hole as could not get a good seal through bung)
70L Forje pot modified by Beer Belly to fit a ball valve
Megajet burner from BCF (20% discount day) with high pressure adjustable reg
18m copper immersion chiller run by a pond pump put sequentially in 3 rubber tubs (tap, tap, tap + ice bricks)

Still have to get a stands welded for the burner (so it sits at right height for fermentor, its on bricks till then) and the HLT (upturned esky will have to do until then!)

Most time consuming bit was etching the volume markers on the HLT and kettle. First brewday is planned for next Wednesday when I have the house to myself. Planning to brew my Nat winning AIPA. Before then I need to calibrate the thermometer on the HLT and refractometer, and make sure I have fully sussed Beersmith


----------



## jonnir

Looks good mate!


----------



## waggastew

jonnir said:


> Looks good mate!


Thanks! I think I have been out to the garage to look at it about 10 times in the last few hours......


----------



## MastersBrewery

Well here it is, most of you who were around remember me hounding matho about his controller, he relented and created an all new, easy for simpletons like me, arduino based controller. That controller has made it's way around the world and is available in 6 or 7 languages. With financial constraints it took a little longer than some, but in the end well worth the effort. 5 brews in I'm still trying to dial it in and for me step mashing at will is sublime, I used to stand hunched over my esky cooler pumping my OTS element up and down for 10 mins to get to the next step. This thing is a breeze.


----------



## drifting79

gday fellas

I just got my PID controller set up and thought i would share my brewery setup im about 20 brews in, for now this is the finished product but im sure it will morph plenty of times in the future
stc for the hlt, pid for the herms,HS 5500 pwm for boiling control, 2 kaixins, cfc, RO with a 60 ltr resevoir so i can make water over night fitted with a float valve, this is very easy to clean one of the design parameters that i wanted to have .
Also as i rent its all modular so if and when we have to do the bolt its not a pita to transport


this enables me to drain the herms if nessecary without removing anything


----------



## mb-squared

damn cooperville, that's some serious gear!


----------



## TheWiggman

Baby scales, perfect for measuring yeast?


----------



## drifting79

The baby scales are something I scored for five bux whilst residing in Tokyo perfect for weighing my grain
to measure hops I have a set of scales that are perfect for weighing your cocain on!!!!


----------



## Porkchop

Just moved into a new house. Brewery is set up now I should probably go unpack boxes inside after a well earned beer.


----------



## squirt in the turns

Really wish I had a stainless table/brewstand like cooperville, Porchop and some of the other set ups here. I'm on that Rack It shelving from Bunnings, ply shelves sealed with PU. Functional but lacks the bling factor and ease of cleaning.


----------



## elcarter

HLT 3800W (Camco) element with PTI 100 - Sucks the amps but works well

Techni Ice 60L esky mash tun. 

Herms 20L Birko urn + lots of copper coil - This replacement urn's too big needs tweaking was advertised on ebay at 10L .

96L boil pot with rolling stand.

Brew controller with illuminated switches for HLT, Pump, Herms.
PID (rex 700 + SSR) for PTI 100, Stc's for Herms control and mash tun temp readings.

New addition is the key station. Idea is as (if) the vessels grow in capacity the key station should not need modification.

Wheel barrow is perfect for the gran transport to feed the chickens.

Don't mind the ghetto grain mill hopper. It's been 8 months but it works


----------



## Mardoo

Love your valve panel there. Pretty cool!


----------



## drifting79

Got my table from ikea it's great table


----------



## sean_0

A few weekends worth of welding:




It's got mounting points for my chiller, Hermit HEX and one burner. Had a collapsible structure but it was annoying the hell out of me dragging it out of the shed every time. This has *wheels*

Built from 40x40x3 scrap box steel I came by cheaply.


----------



## The Holy Ale

Good work! I wish I could make something custom like that but a handy man I am not.

Here's my compact rig. Simple but effective. Currently doing no-chill BIAB but this would make a great HLT if I want to try 3V down the track.

Bought a rope and pulley today to make pulling the bag less of a PITA. Looking forward to tomorrow's brew day a little more now.

edit: Wow that pic is really big, need to learn how to make it thumbnail.


----------



## pikey84

Hi guys - thought I'd put this up here, just finished the first brew on my new DIY electric, recirculating, temp controlled BIAB rig. 

http://youtu.be/10n1D3FOCOE

Pretty happy with how day went - but forgot to add Irish moss so could end up with a slightly more cloudy pacific ale than I was intending.

Cheers
Pikey


----------



## [email protected]

Here's my setup. Looking to upgrade to a RIMS system in April. Ready for a brew tomorrow!!!


----------



## SBOB

pikey84 said:


> Hi guys - thought I'd put this up here, just finished the first brew on my new DIY electric, recirculating, temp controlled BIAB rig.


might want to look into some slight refinements to your electrical work... electrical tape isnt the most 'water-proof' option to have your joins when its around brew equipment.. 
also, a ground connection for those elements might save you entering a 'darwin award' listing in the future


----------



## spog

Pikey,a nice simple setup there ,try to figure out some sort of anti bump guard to go around the pump and outlet hose.
You don't want the outlet snapped off during a brewing session.
Cheers....spog...


----------



## Fat Bastard

I _think _it's nearly finished...added a bunch of cheap Chinese tri-clamp fittings as I was sick of bashing my knuckles on stuff doing the twist and pull hose barb hand jive, and a timer so the HLT is ready to go when I drag my carcass out of bed on brew day mornings. I just need to get some flash engraved signs for the controller, like I said I was going to do a year ago.


----------



## pikey84

Thanks for feedback SBOB and spog - are you two related?



SBOB said:


> might want to look into some slight refinements to your electrical work... electrical tape isnt the most 'water-proof' option to have your joins when its around brew equipment..
> also, a ground connection for those elements might save you entering a 'darwin award' listing in the future


Haha - yep have the heat shrink piping already to go before next brew day, but not sure how i am going to waterproof the kettle switches yet - I will have to look as to how to wire up a ground - any suggestions? 



spog said:


> Pikey,a nice simple setup there ,try to figure out some sort of anti bump guard to go around the pump and outlet hose.
> You don't want the outlet snapped off during a brewing session.
> Cheers....spog...


Ideally I am going to mount Pump & temp controller inside the crate so that they can still be accessed - should eliminate that possibility


----------



## MattSR

Gratuitous Braumeister pic. 50L Braumeister, Stainless Counterflow Chiller, Chugger pump and camlock fittings!


----------



## Exile

Took about 8 months to almost finish my rig, couldn't wait to organise a stand for it yet and put my first all grain brew thru it about 2 weeks ago. Still needs some tuning with beersmith


View attachment 79040


View attachment 79041


View attachment 79042


View attachment 79043


View attachment 79044


View attachment 79045


----------



## droid

sometimes the answer is right under our nose... The old bike lift may live to shine again as my brew rig thingy


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

droid said:


> sometimes the answer is right under our nose... The old bike lift may live to shine again as my brew rig thingy


Hope you pulled your garage door down only for a few seconds to take a photo and don't brew in an enclosed space with gas all the time mate?

Nice rig though!


----------



## droid

door down just for pic, all good but a timely reminder nonetheless, cheers


----------



## The Judge

Part of the rig - the grain mill. "Artisanal" hand crank and recycled camping chair.



In keeping with the black and jarrah framework of this:


----------



## TheWiggman

What purpose does the pot on the ground serve Putri... Judge?


----------



## spog

The Judge said:


> Part of the rig - the grain mill. "Artisanal" hand crank and recycled camping chair.
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1425285088.968406.jpg
> In keeping with the black and jarrah framework of this:
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1425285130.352536.jpg


The mill stand should be in the Ghetto thread,good stuff.
Love the Jarrah brew stand and the Wainscot on the pot.


----------



## The Judge

TheWiggman said:


> What purpose does the pot on the ground serve Putri... Judge?


Pot on the ground is the boil kettle, on a 3 ring gas burner.
Also, did you spot the name change?


----------



## Porkchop

The stainless steel table is from ikea.


----------



## spog

The Judge said:


> Pot on the ground is the boil kettle, on a 3 ring gas burner.
> Also, did you spot the name change?


Art is anal.


----------



## Cocko

TWSS.


----------



## technobabble66

spog said:


> Anal is art.





Cocko said:


> TWSS.


FIFY


----------



## Adam Howard

Here's my new brew rig. 





Converted a 50L keg into a bottom draining HLT using a tri-clover fitting, installed sight glass and Herm-IT 2400w element, running off a 16amp Keg King temp controller and stainless probe.

Other two vessels are the 58L Keg King keggles. Currently brewing with gas but looking at going electric by the end of the year. Particularly now that Auber Instruments is making a dial controller for boil kettles! http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=444

Managed to get 88% efficiency out of it on the first batch, next batch running on Wednesday. Very excited to be brewing again after a year and a half break.

Other additions down the track will most likely be changing the HEX to a stainless vessel rather than PVC. Also want to get an SS Brewtech conical.


----------



## Jordyt01

Here are some pics of my new (nearly) finished brew rig. 

Taken me a while to build. But so glad it's nearly finished. Can't wait to start brewing on it.


----------



## mb-squared

that's a sweet looking rig. enjoy the ride!


----------



## Dan Pratt

Adamski29 said:


> Currently brewing with gas but looking at going electric by the end of the year.


check out the Blichmann Boil Coils

http://www.blichmannengineering.com/products/boilcoil


----------



## H0U5ECAT

Franko said:


> Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational
> 
> Franko


Can anyone help me and give me a run through on franko's setup?
This is a gas setup right?
Looking to build something similar.


----------



## H0U5ECAT

Franko said:


> Here's the RedRocket she finally had her launch last week and is now fully operational
> 
> http://cdn.aussiehomebrewer.com/uploads/monthly_03_2010/post-1472-1269426849.jpg
> Franko


Can anyone help me and give me a run through on franko's setup?
This is a gas setup right?
Looking to build something similar.


----------



## Bridges

Pratty1 said:


> check out the Blichmann Boil Coils
> 
> http://www.blichmannengineering.com/products/boilcoil


Or get them local with local support...


----------



## Adr_0

Adamski29 said:


> Here's my new brew rig.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Converted a 50L keg into a bottom draining HLT using a tri-clover fitting, installed sight glass and Herm-IT 2400w element, running off a 16amp Keg King temp controller and stainless probe.
> 
> Other two vessels are the 58L Keg King keggles. Currently brewing with gas but looking at going electric by the end of the year. Particularly now that Auber Instruments is making a dial controller for boil kettles! http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=444
> 
> Managed to get 88% efficiency out of it on the first batch, next batch running on Wednesday. Very excited to be brewing again after a year and a half break.
> 
> Other additions down the track will most likely be changing the HEX to a stainless vessel rather than PVC. Also want to get an SS Brewtech conical.


Sweet setup!

Stilldragon/Punkin has dial controllers (fine with 4800W) in a kit for $40:
http://www.stilldragon.com.au/diy-controller-kit/

Keep in mind the SSR in this kit will NOT work from a PID controller which uses a 12V pulse output - this SSR is actually a solid state voltage regulator, and has a 0-500k potentiometer input which is directly coupled to the 240V side. Anyway, works great for a dial/variable output but make sure you don't connect one to a PID accidentally.


----------



## MastersBrewery

H0U5ECAT said:


> Can anyone help me and give me a run through on franko's setup?
> This is a gas setup right?
> Looking to build something similar.


Yes it's gas, though only the BK and HLT, the mash is herms, Note the urn underneath. Though if your after gas control this thread would be a good place to start


----------



## rockeye84

Old busted ass bbq rig, only run about 10 batches thru it before I decided to build a better one.




Electric brewery clone system. Bout 40 batches deep, only issue has been cheapo elements crapping out. Was well worth the $$


----------



## lukec

This is my setup. Ive had bench in storage for 3 1/2 yrs and after moving house i have the room to set it up properly. I also scored the rangehood and exaust fan for free


----------



## Camo6

lukec said:


> This is my setup. Ive had bench in storage for 3 1/2 yrs and after moving house i have the room to set it up properly. I also scored the rangehood and exaust fan for free


Nice one Luke. A step up from the back porch by the looks of it. Did you stay local?


----------



## lukec

Yeah, just a small upgrade from the back porch. Moved to The Basin so not to far away





Camo6 said:


> Nice one Luke. A step up from the back porch by the looks of it. Did you stay local?


----------



## spog

lukec said:


> This is my setup. Ive had bench in storage for 3 1/2 yrs and after moving house i have the room to set it up properly. I also scored the rangehood and exaust fan for free


Nice S/S bench,and brewing area as well .
Now about that back wall,I'm thinking tiles,easy to clean.........


----------



## mofox1

lukec said:


> Yeah, just a small upgrade from the back porch. Moved to The Basin so not to far away


Nice playgroud there - the kids love it and it's *almost* local.


----------



## lukec

I haven't decided yet. Also think marine play painted as I hate tiling.

The bench and rangehood were free as we were doing demo in a CBD high rise. Got a sparkie to give me plenty of power and did the plumbing myself as its my trade.




spog said:


> Nice S/S bench,and brewing area as well .
> Now about that back wall,I'm thinking tiles,easy to clean.........


----------



## H0U5ECAT

So, I'm hopefully about to aquire some SS vats for my all grain setup.
What are other peeps thoughts on these?

1 x approx 75 ltr for boiling w/ ball cock float HLT vat 
1 x approx 200 ltr double walled w/ agitator vat (mash)
1 x approx 100 ltr double walled Boil Kettle Vat

All have drainers at the bottom and stainless steel ball lock valves

porn or overkill?


----------



## Tahoose

How much and where from?


----------



## mb-squared

Not sure what exactly you have in mind, but typically you'd want your HLT to the biggest vessel (or at least as big as your BK). The Mash Tun doesn't need to be as big, and certainly not the biggest in my experience.


----------



## H0U5ECAT

Tahoose.... I'll never tell.


----------



## beercoder

MT definitely shouldn't be the largest, but I'd swap it all round so HLT is 100L, MT is 75L and Kettle is 200L if those are the sizes you are stuck with (otherwise get 3x 200L pots!). You should be able to do 100L+ batches easily with this config, though you'd need to refill the HLT and heat it from scratch during the Mash to get enough sparge water to fill that 200L kettle, and heating that much water in an hour or so to sparge temps might be a challenge without a hefty heat source.


----------



## H0U5ECAT

Wouldn't the mt be the biggest? Grain and water take up more space than water alone.


----------



## mb-squared

no, HLT should be bigger than your MT. For example, I brew 50L batches and typically mash with 25~30L of water + ~10kg of grain = ~40L of total volume in the MT (in fact I think it is usually closer to 35L -- I'm just going off of memory here at work). But your HLT needs to have your full boil volume + whatever amount the grain absorbs (assuming that your preheat your water in your HLT). It's gotta be big. The BK needs to be bigger than your final volume to allow for a good rapid boil -- and that takes some room too.


----------



## beercoder

exactly what mb-squared said, though you can trade size in the HLT if you are happy to do two separate heating sessions:
1. Heat enough water for the Mash prior to starting
2. Heat enough water for the sparge during the Mash.

I tend to heat as much as possible during step 1 on my 100L system but it's not enough for a full batch. When I add the extra water for step 2, the water in the HLT is already partially heated so I can easily heat enough sparge water before the mash has ended.


----------



## Camo6

Put simply: your kettle needs to hold your mash liquid and sparge liquid combined.

One way to avoid needing a large hlt is to go a stand alone HERMS and use that to heat your mash water while the hlt heats the sparge.


----------



## MastersBrewery

Have to agree with mb hlt should be at least as big as BK and if you stretch final volume of bigger beers you'll be topping up the hlt during mash. On brew day too much hot water has never been uttered by a brewer.


----------



## GalBrew

Also keep in mind that if you have to do multiple hot liquor steps and multiple sparges (if you batch sparge) because your vessel volume won't allow it to all happen in one step, it is a massive PITA and will drag your brewday out. Design your system to require the least amount of work if you can.


----------



## beercoder

I typically do one heating session for a 60L batch but if I want to push my system to the limits and get an extra 20L I need to do two HLT steps. So I agree with everyone else here, just pointing out the issues that occur due to various limitations in a system.

I guess the thing you really need to decide before designing your system is, what is the largest batch size you want to produce, then work backwards from there...


----------



## H0U5ECAT

So if I switched around the agitator to fit the current bk, ergo, 200 bk and 100 mt, then it should be a decent set up?


----------



## MastersBrewery

H0U5ECAT said:


> So if I switched around the agitator to fit the current bk, ergo, 200 bk and 100 mt, then it should be a decent set up?


If the MT was set up as Camo said; with separate HERMS or even rims you'd be ok, what sort of brew length are you looking to achieve?


----------



## H0U5ECAT

I always like to go in overkill.
What can the general 50ltr 3v systems pull out of a boil?
40ltr? 30ltr?


----------



## beercoder

Before I upgraded to my 100L system I used 50L kegs and could get 40L in a batch if I used no-foam and a bit of top-up water. It can be very dicey though and boil overs can be painful if you get scalded by boiling wort.


----------



## beercoder

Another thing to take in to consideration is how you are going to clean everything once you are finished. Depending on how you clean your system is going to depend on how much hot water you're going to need. 

During the boil I refill my HLT and heat it to about 80 degrees C which I then use to run through the entire system with some sodium-percarbonate. First, fill the MT to the top and recirc, then move it to the kettle and let it sit for 10 mins or so. I then dump the water out at give the kettle a good scrub while its slowly emptying.

This is another reason to have a larger HLT. As my vessels are all the same size, it's no concern, but if you have different sizes, you're going to need enough hot water to potentially fill your largest vessel for clean up.


----------



## poundy

Building new Hermes, here is a shot of the framework.


----------



## Camo6

poundy said:


> Building new Hermes, here is a shot of the framework.


That looks horrible. You're lucky I'm willing to give you scrap prices for it. I'll pick it up this arvo... h34r:


Top notch mate. Is the step for a shelf?


----------



## poundy

The step is where the ends of the burners come to, will also mount some valves there on the pump manifold


----------



## Camo6

Very nice. Are you running gas only for the vessels? Keen to see more pics as it progresses. Welcome to the forum.


----------



## poundy

Running 2 high pressure lpg burners, will post some more if a fit up when I finish pickling the welds, prob in about 3 beers time


----------



## poundy

Wheels on burners in place


----------



## poundy

70 L vessels onboard, now just waiting on my Chinese fittings and Valves


----------



## Weizguy

Maybe my brewrig belongs in the ghetto thread. Just took a couple of snaps during and after making the (doppel)weizenbock today.

Note the strategic bricks separating the ground from the burner and kettle. On the right is the mash table with the hand-cranked grain mill.

Please to ignore the bottles stacked in the background (both full and empty). Future capacity, I call it. Also ignore the possum mess, including bottles knocked over.
Had an awesome time spraying the possum with a water pistol/gun and chased it from the brewery area.


----------



## Kingy

Nothin wrong with bricks les lol


----------



## krausenhaus

I've finally finished my new 1V rig and can start brewing again after an eight-month hiatus.




It's recirculating in the sense that I send the wort back through a whirlpool inlet rather than directly through the grain bed. I set it up this way because rapid chilling is more important to me than the benefits of filtering through the grain bed, and so now I can spin the wort around an immersion chiller and (hopefully) cool things down really quickly. The stand is made from slotted angle.




I've built a small control panel with PID, timer, alarm and switches for heating element (circular 3600W), wort pump (March with SS chugger head) and a 24V chill water pump that recirculates through a tank.




I made a basket out of a 19L Big W pot and a holesaw (not a fun process) that sits on legs and will have a bag in it. When it's time to get it out, the basket lifts up, rotates and hooks onto a frame to drain.

Really keen to give this thing a go on the weekend!


----------



## Rustin

Its all started!!! Frames all finished...


----------



## mckenry

Rustin said:


> Its all started!!! Frames all finished...


1 post in close to 4 years. 1 like to go with it. Champion !


----------



## Rustin

Second post! Ha!
Have just got the tanks mounted on the frame now.


----------



## tugger

Does this count as a brew rig.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Course it does mate!! Good work, not much mess/spillage on the ground though, I smell a rat ;-)


----------



## Weizguy

Update pics:

Brewery mostly submerged. Lucky I have a lot of my gear stacked or shelved. About knee deep.


500l Chest freezer (*edit - contains about 8 kegs). Must have lifted up and tipped on it's side. Looks like the new ride-on mower may be up to shit as well.


We'll see what the insurance guys say...


----------



## spog

Whoa that sucks , any of your grains get damaged from moisture ?
Freezer and mower stuffed as well, fark.


----------



## Weizguy

spog said:


> Whoa that sucks , any of your grains get damaged from moisture ?
> Freezer and mower stuffed as well, fark.


Grain is OK, except maybe some old wheat malt that I was prob gonna throw out.
I have two freezers in that room, and 4 fridges that were working. I think my 6-tap font is in the drink, as it was sitting on top of the freezer.
I rescued the 2 X LPG bottles last week, and the gas burner. I also have a keg fridge in each room (one is included in the tally for the room with the freezer), So 2 fridges in total and 2 large freezers. As soon as I can get the mower out, I'll call the mower guy (just up the road) to assess the ride-on and the push mower. Lucky I have been through this a few times, but it's still not easy I have a fairly new partner (about 5 years)who's gone through it twice with me and still has a big reaction. Not polite to say over-reaction.
Some of the fridges may be OK, but not sure if they will last if they get the OK (like last time), and the old laundry sink is rusted away now, apart from the stainless tubs.

Been talking to council for a few years, and now they want me to give them an extra easement over my land. I think I need to see some fixing on this first. No wonder so many lawsuits go against the council.
Septic tank is due for inspection. Good luck as it's submerged. Council said it was fine to go where it is...

fk - rant over. (oh and the washing machine...)


----------



## Yob

Shit man, tough gig


----------



## spog

That's a hard hit,hope all works out.


----------



## Weizguy

Nah, it'll be OK. We're resilient, us lowlanders. Thanks for your best wishes.

Insurance will prob go up again, but they're pricks anyway. I missed a payment a while back, and they cancelled the policy. Prob not as simple as that, but the upshot was that I had to commence a new policy, with a much higher excess, as my former $100 excess payment was no longer available.
Last flood, they sent some gimp out to fix my septic tank pump, and thought it was OK for an electrician to fix my plumbing on the pump. Then theybelieved him when he denied responsibility for the shoddy work that caused the plumbing to leak. He lied and said it looked like I had swapped the pump and had backed into it with a car. No wonder I have issues. Someone should set those bastards on fire. I certainly won't cry for them.


----------



## drifting79

I can't stand insurers and there policies it's all for them and they think there doing you a favour until you want to make a claim 
Hope she all dries out good for you
Ever considered moving


----------



## Weizguy

Have considered moving, but that's not compatible with my plans to establish a farm here.
You see, it's acreage and it's good when it's good.
I told GIO (yeah I named them) that I do not want their electrician back here ever again. Not after his poor work and worse, his unethical behaviour.
We also had the bushfire in August 2013, iirc.
Maybe the insurance mob would be happy for a claim on fencing. There's about 1.3 km of fencing that was burned by that fire.


----------



## spog

GIO = greed is okay. Cnuts


----------



## Yob

dont get me started on the greedy..

Least the stainless FV's are ready when you are 

Shit man.. is ya yeast OK? :blink: If you've suffered loss there, let me know and I''ll send a recovery package STAT B)


----------



## Weizguy

Thanks for you kind offer, mate. I'm OK for yeast, as most of my cultures are in the upstairs part of the house (or are are above the tide mark in the brew area).

Maybe I should point out that the house is above the flooded area and on brick walls, raised above the water. Just the septic tank, hot water system and washing machine (as well as brew/keg fridges and a few old uninsured project vehicles are in the drink).





Photo taken from dry land in the driveway. I normally park beside the house, but it's over a foot deep right now, as you can see with the old KIA in the pic.
Also note the inflatable boat that I needed to buy to travel between house and dry land.
Will talk to the council again today, and the local member, and insurance. Had the newspaper out here a few times in the past, and got to be a page 3 pinup, but no changes to the situation.


----------



## menoetes

Sheesh Lez,

I can sympathise - this was my place across the weekend...






...and here's my brewspace;






...at least most of the bottled beer is OK.







Now the tidy up begins


----------



## The Judge

krausenhaus said:


> .... Gary Busey.....





Gimme 2.


----------



## Adam Howard

Man, heart goes out to the flooded out brewers!

Have made some alterations to my rig that still has some evolution to come.

Changed the Rack-It shelving to bring the HLT down to a more ergonomic height, there's now space above it for another shelf. Built an immersion chiller out of 18m of copper with an additional whirlpool arm and also got a Keg King hop spider. 








Trimmed the mashtun to make emptying it easier and added a wort return to it rather than having to run hose through the lid. 




My dad also made a sweet mash paddle out of an old piece of Tassie Oak.




Want to add more shelving for grain bins and bottles and some Rack-It hooks for hose storage.

Brewing a Red Rye IPA tomorrow with homegrown Cascade. Gonna be schweeeet.


----------



## Rustin

Have just finished welding all the stainless pipework up.









Also got the Electrical control box finished, which is all ready to be mounted now.


----------



## Brooa

Well I feel a bit insignificant beside all you blokes, here is my setup none the less.

My fermenting fridge (Well, it used to be a fridge).





My Keg & Maturation fridge. Front





& Inside.





And finally, The Bar.


----------



## jonnir

Love the setup mate!


----------



## Exile

was going to like it until i noticed you where a broncos supporter :lol:
but i do like your bar


----------



## welly2

Just finished my 20L mini-rig. Willow 15L mash tun with a 9" false bottom. 20L ss pot and my recently refurbished Crown urn will suffice as the HLT.




I've got a 2200w external heating element that I'll dip in the kettle and I think that should all work a treat! Will find out on Thursday brew night. Shame my wort chiller doesn't quite fit the kettle, I'll just have to no-chill it instead.

Edit. I tell a lie, the wort chiller fits perfectly. Not sure why I thought it didn't.


----------



## mattlea266

welly2 said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1433855116.547191.jpg
> 
> Just finished my 20L mini-rig. Willow 15L mash tun with a 9" false bottom. 20L ss pot and my recently refurbished Crown urn will suffice as the HLT.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1433855266.762227.jpg
> 
> I've got a 2200w external heating element that I'll dip in the kettle and I think that should all work a treat! Will find out on Thursday brew night. Shame my wort chiller doesn't quite fit the kettle, I'll just have to no-chill it instead.
> 
> Edit. I tell a lie, the wort chiller fits perfectly. Not sure why I thought it didn't.


Hey welly2
I have a similar rig for experimental 10l batches. Curious about the fittings you used for the false bottom and valve. Did you have to drill the cooler hole out? Been using a bag and batch sparging but been having problems getting flow( lifting the bag fixes this but thats not ideal). Keen to give your idea a go.


----------



## welly2

mattyl said:


> Hey welly2
> I have a similar rig for experimental 10l batches. Curious about the fittings you used for the false bottom and valve. Did you have to drill the cooler hole out? Been using a bag and batch sparging but been having problems getting flow( lifting the bag fixes this but thats not ideal). Keen to give your idea a go.


Actually no drilling at all. My mash tun has been replaced with another 15L mash tun after a slight mixup of false bottoms! See this post: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/86940-new-mini-mash-tun/

I picked up an Esky 15L cooler from Bunnings and removed the tap and seal. It's a pretty standard drilling and fits any off the shelf 15mm (or is it 1/2"?) parts. Used a 3 piece ball valve, a bulkhead and a hose barb. All went together really easily. The false bottom is a 10" false bottom from ibrew and it couldn't have fit any better.

I'll be doing my first batch tomorrow with it but if the previous mash tun is anything to go on, this should be even better without any grain getting where it shouldn't (ie. under the false bottom) which is the problem I had with the last one. Tested it last night with hot water and the heat loss without any kind of extra insulation went from 64.9c (out of the hot water tap) to 62c in an hour. I'll wrap it in a dooner tomorrow as I did last time where I didn't get any heat loss at all.


----------



## MAX POWER

welly2 said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1433855116.547191.jpg
> 
> Just finished my 20L mini-rig. Willow 15L mash tun with a 9" false bottom. 20L ss pot and my recently refurbished Crown urn will suffice as the HLT.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1433855266.762227.jpg
> 
> I've got a 2200w external heating element that I'll dip in the kettle and I think that should all work a treat! Will find out on Thursday brew night. Shame my wort chiller doesn't quite fit the kettle, I'll just have to no-chill it instead.
> 
> Edit. I tell a lie, the wort chiller fits perfectly. Not sure why I thought it didn't.


That is sweet. I might have to copy that. I have most of the stuff lying around.

How big is your crown urn? I have a 10L. May even see if I can hook up a mini herms using a LBP. Will probably have to make up a coil that fits both urn and pot.


----------



## Matty3450

50 ltr braumeister with whirlpool chiller setup


----------



## Camo6

Upgraded the mash tun today. Now to look into a 3600W element for the HERMS. Might even get to brew sometime this year.


----------



## Ashul

Hey guys , just to show up our 10 V rigs set up this saturday !


----------



## Mardoo

Heh, awesome.


----------



## nvs-brews

Tested out my new rig yesterday..
Its not flash but seems to work a treat

30L urn = $5
50L HLT + 40L TUN + Big ass kettle with a ring burner = $250
Gravity stand = A carton of beer
60L fermenter = $25

replaced the 50lt HLT with the urn..

used a 2 ring gas burner + a 2400watt submersible element for the kettle..

took some adjusting along its maiden journey BUT i ended up with exactly what i wanted
35L @ 1047, happy with that!

1 leak to fix on the ball valve of the tun..
all in all chuffed!


----------



## billygoat

Ashul said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1437794593.255467.jpg
> Hey guys , just to show up our 10 V rigs set up this saturday !


Nice dog.


----------



## Milk-lizard84

Slowly piecing together my brew rig. I started biabing but wanted something more involved.
Still need a few bits and pieces to finish but thanks to a few local Wa brewers I have been able to piece it together fairly cheaply.


----------



## nvs-brews

Milk-lizard84 said:


> Slowly piecing together my brew rig. I started biabing but wanted something more involved.
> Still need a few bits and pieces to finish but thanks to a few local Wa brewers I have been able to piece it together fairly cheaply.


Brett? that you?


----------



## The Judge

Nice brew sculpture Milk Lizard, but isn't that ring burner going to heat the bejesus out of it?


----------



## Milk-lizard84

nvs-brews said:


> Brett? that you?


Yeah it's me mate. Thought id post a pic after seeing your set up.


----------



## Milk-lizard84

The Judge said:


> Nice brew sculpture Milk Lizard, but isn't that ring burner going to heat the bejesus out of it?


Nar so far so good. Used it a couple of times and its sweet. Does back on boil overs to the checker plate though so will have to scrub it occasionally.


----------



## Forever Wort

Latest addition: big ass hopper. No more ******* around with plastic.


----------



## nosco

Any chance of some close up pics? Im curious to see how you attach the hopper to the mill.


----------



## nosco

Or maybe I should ask what mill you have and where you got the hopper lol


----------



## adryargument

Getting back into it after a 2 year hiatus.


----------



## mb-squared

I like the view from your brewery dryargument.


----------



## Dae Tripper

First run of the new brew rig with a Paul. Needs some tweaks but it made some beer!


----------



## mckenry

Dae Tripper said:


> First run of the new brew rig with a Paul. Needs some tweaks but it made some beer!


Are they safety socks?


----------



## Dae Tripper

For concrete abrasion resistance


----------



## sp0rk

We've just relocated from Coffs to Muswellbrook and I've gone from brewing in a large garden shed to a double garage, so I have a heap more height to work with now
I'm planning on either using Bunnings GSS or Rack It shelving for my new brew stand/storage
I'm looking to eventually upgrade to 100L or 120L vessels so I'm trying to decide whether the GSS shelves will do (they hold 250kg, I don't know if that is per shelf or total) or should I fork out the extra for the Rack It shelves (they'll hold 750kg)
Any thoughts?


----------



## booargy

sp0rk said:


> We've just relocated from Coffs to Muswellbrook


I feel sorry for you


----------



## sp0rk

booargy said:


> I feel sorry for you


So do I 
Didn't have much choice, it's where the mrs got allocated a teaching job as part of her scholarship
I'm sure going to miss the top notch riding trails here in Coffs (I'm still living here working until I find something down there)


----------



## rockeye84

Just finished this build!


----------



## mb-squared

nice looking setup rockeye. looks like it'll be fun to brew on that bad boy. but no exhaust fan? going to get sweaty in there.


----------



## Rieewoldt

It's in esperance. Sweat is a treat


----------



## Elad

I have just finished putting my rig together, it has a 20ltr HLT/ Herms, a 47ltr mashtun with a auto sparge,and a 47ltr boiler with a whirlpool. I can ramp the temperature with the gas burner if needed.
Since I took these pctures I have stained the wood on the stand and finished the wiring


----------



## rockeye84

Yeh looking forward to my 1st batch. If you look closely there is a suction duct between the two lights. Lill bit piss weak but better than nothing.


----------



## heyhey

Long time lurker, occasional poster and I just thought I'd chuck up a couple pics of the ghetto brew rig and brew gear I've been using for a while now. It's had a few evolutions over time and is now a 4V HERMS.


----------



## TheWiggman

Awesome, where'd you buy those control panel labels from?


----------



## heyhey

haha, they're not labels, it's just permanent marker





A few more pics now I've got photobucket working.

The idea is to setup a new rig capable of putting out 50L batches so I can fill my 45L ball lock kegs in one batch. I'll recycle some fittings and be moving it all onto the stainless bench I've put on castors. The current steel bench was supposed to be my grinding bench, but I got distracted and needed something to mount the brew rig on.





Bar




Excuse the Drys, some mates just like drinking sparkling water


----------



## MastersBrewery

Hells bells, if your calling that ghetto,can we have a tour when you build something you call "good". Nice work!


----------



## nosco

rockeye84 said:


> Yeh looking forward to my 1st batch. If you look closely there is a suction duct between the two lights. Lill bit piss weak but better than nothing.


Thats pretty piss poor. I dont know how you can live with yourself. I can see that duct from a mile away lol. Theres a reason why i havnt ppsted my "rig" before


----------



## nosco

Im gonna get ally decals done in permanent marker font.


----------



## droid

officially 4v herms this sunday brew day :beerbang:
soon the bike lift will go and a stainless brew bench on wheels will come



then...that's it..no more stuff... h34r:


----------



## droid

_loving it right now_
_

_


----------



## Weizguy

Pretty!

Droid, do you have a fridge or upright freezer for the fermentor yet? Ambient ferment?
Also wondering if you're planning a pump to get the wort into the cylindro-conical vessel if you choose a fridge/ temp-controlled fermentation chamber?


----------



## droid

hi Les,

oh yeah there is one other thing to buy... h34r:

...there are two fridges going at the mo and one has 40ltrs of lager fermenting in a 50ltr keg and the other has 40ltrs (2x20ltr kegs) of lager conditioning. The conditioning fridge doubles as a serving fridge so around 3or4 deg of whatever in a 20ltr keg on tap eh

neither fridge will accept the conical's size, so for now it'll be working with the seasons in a pantry in the middle of the house - the plan is a 60ltr APA this weekend and then leading up to Christmas maybe a Wheat, then into the hotter months - some Saisons and at some point a bigger commercial fridge to get cracking on lagers ((coz i'm loving them...)) And of course it'll be getting cooler anyway by then haha and I wont need the fridge so much - <insert :huh: >​ fridge arrives in winter...

The conical will stay out in the shed to be cleaned and sanitised with everything else then taken into the pantry on brew day. I'll gravity feed through the chiller from kettle (but can pump) and fill a 20ltr cube, then go and dump that 20ltr in the conical and come back and repeat. Not too much of a drama and might be enough aeration from that to not bother with the fish-tank pump/stone thingy

once fermented then bring a pump inside to transfer to 20ltr kegs - bob's your uncle:chug:


----------



## droid

oh if you were wondering more about putting an empty conical in the fridge but then how do you fill it if it's high in the fridge with no room? - pump up through the outlet


----------



## heyhey

Where did you get the conical?


----------



## droid

off a forum member mate, brand new 2nd hand

here's the http://conical-fermenter.com/home.php to the site if you wanted to know more about them


----------



## scooterism

heyhey said:


> Long time lurker, occasional poster and I just thought I'd chuck up a couple pics of the ghetto brew rig and brew gear I've been using for a while now. It's had a few evolutions over time and is now a 4V HERMS.
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1444722831.342470.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1444722879.426306.jpg


This man-cave is OP..


----------



## scooterism

droid said:


> _loving it right now_
> _
> 
> _



Call me paranoid, but I would secure that gas bottle..


----------



## Mardoo

You mean like drop the lift to scissor it in?


----------



## Mr B

Mardoo said:


> You mean like drop the lift to scissor it in?


I think that he means to chain it in with a padlock so people wont reach past all the shiny stainless stuff to pinch it.

Could be wrong though.


----------



## Moad

sp0rk said:


> So do I
> Didn't have much choice, it's where the mrs got allocated a teaching job as part of her scholarship
> I'm sure going to miss the top notch riding trails here in Coffs (I'm still living here working until I find something down there)



OT but there are some trails in Singleton or if you want to venture further there is Glenrock, killingworth and awaba around Newcastle or Ourimbah (central coast).


----------



## sp0rk

Moad said:


> OT but there are some trails in Singleton or if you want to venture further there is Glenrock, killingworth and awaba around Newcastle or Ourimbah (central coast).


I've been told to head north to Scone, the hang a right and head to Gundy, Timor and the other spots up through Barrington


----------



## Drekavac

Made my first post after years of lurking around on here so thought I'd share my new rig which is almost complete (pending a thermocouple issue).


----------



## Judanero

Very nice mate! Are those fermentors underneath wrapped in insulation for your fermentation or something else?


----------



## mb-squared

nice looking setup Drekavac. You'll have to post a 'brew day process' at some point so we can get a better idea of how you've plumbed it up. There are not many hard-plumbed systems around here so it'd be cool to see/learn how you did yours. Cheers,


----------



## Drekavac

Judanero said:


> Very nice mate! Are those fermentors underneath wrapped in insulation for your fermentation or something else?


Sure are. I'm working on a glycol system using a HERMS coil in the fermenter and a few peltier devices controlled with an arduino to control the temperatures. Entirely experimental, not sure if it's going to work yet.


----------



## Drekavac

mb-squared said:


> nice looking setup Drekavac. You'll have to post a 'brew day process' at some point so we can get a better idea of how you've plumbed it up. There are not many hard-plumbed systems around here so it'd be cool to see/learn how you did yours. Cheers,


Thanks! I was thinking about posting some info about it to help out anyone else doing something similar.


----------



## husky

Finally got the new creation up and running. It's designed as a single vessel brewery that can brew up to 40L although will generally only be used for 20L.
Some info:

Utilises a small Allen Bradley PLC and panel view for ultimate flexibility and endless fun factor designing new programs. Currently has programs for pre heating, mashing using a ramp hold program as well as a boil program.
5000W low power density heater. Runs on PID control for pre heat and mash and runs a % power for the boil to achieve desired boil off rate).
Cooling water jacket for chilling to around 30 degrees post boil. Gets down below 80 degrees in a couple of minutes to stop isomerisation.
Tangental in/outlets to give a good whirlpool
Super easy to clean!

There are three temperature transmitters measuring mash temperature. The mash runs on PID control and will hold a mash temp within .05 of a degree through the whole system by using a fast recirc back to the top of the grain bed as well as across the heater.

The main aims were to achieve excellent mash temperature control, utilise a PLC for endless mini projects and to be easy to clean. After putting down the first brew on Friday it definitely does all of the above! Very happy


----------



## spog

My BiABasket rig.







Complete with a salvaged wall oven for home roasting grains,it's on swivel castors so I can wheel it out of the way when required .
In pic # 2 you can see my mash paddle,a $ 7:00 potatoe masher from Coles.
The trolley was made from builders salvage.
100X 50 Jarrah base slats that the castors are fixed to then 300X 75 Oregon slabs for the base,170X32 Oregon for the walls and the same for the top then edged with hardwood . 
The doors are Oregon frames with Cedar inserts.
The whole setup holds all my brewing gear from a big tub that the immersion chiller is stored in,the nest of stock pots,grain bucket,scales paper towels and the small SPC fruit cups that I put my hops into on brew day.


----------



## goid

My brewrig 98% complete. No more lifting and moving pots full of water/wort. WooHoo!


----------



## antiphile

Relax, guys. It's obviously just a setup for some photospread. Way too tidy to be a working brewery. I'm waiting for baarney to show us the pics of the real space his missus lets him use for brewing!


----------



## Milk-lizard84

So after months of cobbling together bits I have got my rig to a working order.
It has a 50l hlt with a 2400w 5 star element with a sight glass and pick up tube.
The mashtun is a 75l insulated esky with a beer belly rectangular false bottom. Had some trouble initially with the tap fittings but they are solid as a rock now.
The boil kettle is a heavy duty 70l stainless pot with a gas burner.
Run in through it's paces last week with good results. Still have to tweak a few things and get some form of controller for the herms unit I'm getting soon.
Looking forward to the next brew.


----------



## Tahoose

Looking good, you'll love the herms.


----------



## Curly79

Been making a little stand for a Keggle BIAB setup to try to brush up on my Arc Welding skills. Havnt welded since trade school 16 years ago![emoji15]. Gunna put a Mongolian burner in underneath there. More pics to follow. Cheers Lads[emoji106]


----------



## Mr B

Curly79 said:


> Been making a little stand for a Keggle BIAB setup to try to brush up on my Arc Welding skills. Havnt welded since trade school 16 years ago![emoji15]. Gunna put a Mongolian burner in underneath there. More pics to follow. Cheers Lads[emoji106]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1452928680.656992.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1452928735.715483.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1452928773.971093.jpg


Nice work there

Not sure if it would really be an issue or if it is a completely sealed piece, however do you have a pinhole for pressure equalization in the top frame?

Cheers


----------



## Curly79

Pretty sure there's more than a pin hole there somewhere mate. My welding skills are pretty ordinary at the moment. They did get better as the day went on luckily. [emoji12]


----------



## Mr B

Curly79 said:


> Pretty sure there's more than a pin hole there somewhere mate. My welding skills are pretty ordinary at the moment. They did get better as the day went on luckily. [emoji12]


Hehe, think we are on roughly the same skill level 

It all holds but...

Cheers


----------



## Ruger

A question for those with a 3v unit made from kegs, how big of a batch do you brew?


----------



## hooper80

Ruger said:


> A question for those with a 3v unit made from kegs, how big of a batch do you brew?


I aim for 44 lt every brew. But I have also had a quarter of another keg welded onto of my kettle to allow for boil over.


----------



## Weizguy

Bought a new brew fridge yesterday, and when I say bought, I mean it was an old vaccine fridge at a pharmacy and was available for free.
Picked it up with a brew-mate, Troy, with his car and trailer. Took it back to his house for examination and testing, as it's still difficult to get to my brew area due to flooding/storm runoff water.



Being technically adept with refrigeration equipment (which is an admirable quality and much encouraged), he quickly determined which component was causing the fridge to function abnormally, and had it up and running in about 20 minutes, or it felt like about that short a time. I hope he'll correct me if I'm way off the mark.


edit: A Goggle search has this to say about this fridge model: "Vestfrost VF-_*FKG410*_ all the way from Denmark is regarded within the industry as one of the most reliable refrigerators of all time, truly an A1 buy."
True dat!

Tested the fridge for fermentor fit (the clamp/ring for the conical's lid seemed to be the widest point), and the fridge was not deep enough, so Troy suggested a wooden collar, like a keezer might have, and an offer of having a look at it later.
Later that evening, he sent me pics of his work, with the now spacious fridge and the lid clamp fitting well in the unit.





Great job, Troy. Thought I'd show some respect here for your work. [ A+, exceeds expectations.]


----------



## Curly79

Nice one. Those hops shouldn't need watering until next summer by the way. Where abouts are you Les?


----------



## Ruger

hooper80 said:


> I aim for 44 lt every brew. But I have also had a quarter of another keg welded onto of my kettle to allow for boil over.


Cheers mate

What heating elements do you use?


----------



## hooper80

Ruger said:


> Cheers mate
> 
> What heating elements do you use?


Two of the round elements, non weld. They work good. I've been told the long straight ones are no good.


If you want to do double brews in a keg it's a total pain in the arse!! Unless u get more keg welded on top of it. I actually wish I had of gone a lill bit higher. I have to man the hop break with a spray bottle but once it's over it boils away perfectly. If u do do something like this, go high enough so u can reach the bottom of the keg to clean.


----------



## Weizguy

Curly79 said:


> Nice one. Those hops shouldn't need watering until next summer by the way. Where abouts are you Les?


Medowie, near Raymond Terrace (where the Williams River flooded) and Port Stephens, NSW


----------



## Curly79

All done. Might try it out next weekend. Cheers [emoji481]


----------



## Camo6

Nice! Metallic charcoal?

I see you've allowed provision for a bigger kettle. Neat job.


----------



## Curly79

Hammer tone Charcoal Camo. Cheers mate.


----------



## Jaded and Bitter

60L HLT, Herms and new 80L Kettle maiden voyage. The Mash tun isn't new but I fitted a temp probe to the centre of the manifold.

Couple of leaks. Fixed those for the second time I used it. Going to clad the HLT with insulation and wood and make some covers for the STC1000's.

Still worked a treat, heated water up to strike in about 30-40 minutes while I was farting around with other brew stuff.

Herms held temp within 0.5 degree, steps took 10 minutes with 3 m of copper coil, heating element was on almost full time during step so plenty of heat exchange.

With the plate chiller and motorised grain mill brew days are so much nicer.



See the three way pump for strike, herms and sparging, depending on which valve is open. Currently Herms mashout step.


Sparging


Sparging


Herms coil, yes only 3 m of 1/2 inch. It works fine.


50L of brew liquor nearly done


----------



## drifting79

Jaded and bitter 
I love the simplicity of your back verandah modular kit


----------



## Jaded and Bitter

cooperville said:


> Jaded and bitter
> I love the simplicity of your back verandah modular kit


Cheers Buddy  Yep storing it away helps the hobby survive B)


----------



## Weizguy

Spent some time this week buying some modular racking. so I can mount my brew fridge up above the flood mark. OK, it seems this is not really achievable at my place due to height of the fridge and the limit of how high I can place it, but for minor flooding, it'll do.
The room is till messy after the flood in December, but I'm getting it tidy. You can pretty much see the high water mark on the wall behind the racking.
The Rack-it end pieces and box section rails allow this to be 2.4 metres long and have space for the ferment chamber and my keg freezer.




You can see how high the water got on the freezer, but it's not quite that bad, as the freezer tilted forward and hence the high-tide mark is actually higher on the front than the back. Still, I'm mildly amazed that the keezer runs at all.



On the left of the racking, I plan to locate the ferment fridge, with built-in temp controller and custom labelling. Keezer on the right. It appears that the high mount position will not allow room for a font on top.


.

The mash rig is on the left of the racking setup, and will allow chilled wort to be pumped directly to the fermentor, ideally.

Took some time today to reorganise the space, and awaiting a pallet jack to get the fridge up to rack height.

Thoughts/ feedback/ridicule?


----------



## droid

Nice Les! I like the use of the same font for "Les Ale". What will you call the first brew to run through the conical and fridge? High Tide Hefe?


----------



## Weizguy

The Les Ale was originally Medisafe, and was put together my fellow brewer, refrigeration tech and Newcastle Show Brew Comp Prize Winner, Troy (aka Osprey Brewday)

First beer? I need something to boost brew stocks with good drinkability, so maybe a guzzling Bitter or swilling Cream ale. May be named. "The tide is high and Les is Bitter", or " Port Stephens Council's Creamin' Ale Neglect", for example.


----------



## tugger

One of the twins at work, I have set up one of my grainfathers in a corner at work next to the chilled water tank. The counter flow chiller works great with 1c water input.


----------



## Engibeer




----------



## SBOB

Pretty sure, based on my experiences, that lack of mess means you dont brew 

btw, nice sous vide machine (i have the anova one)


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Getting the brewery back together with a few upgrades. Still building the brew rig for the 50L brau and 114L kettle.
The ss fermenter has a FTSs kit for controlled fermentation

Edit: How do I flip the photo using samsung s5? Sorry


----------



## MastersBrewery

Nice to see you back in the saddle after the move Gav.


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Few pics to update. Still a fair way to go but the bulk of it is bought and done.
Im going to start a topic on the ss brewtech ftss once i get glycol and go through the ins and outs of the 17 gallon system.at the moment it will get 60L of wort to 10 deg c at 27c ambient in about 5 hours but wont go any further.


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Few more pics of the updated Rig.


----------



## Weizguy

Today's update. I may have bent the fridge a little bit while trying to elevate it to the appropriate height.
Once the freezer was empty, it was breeze to pop it up on the racking, one end at a time. Just cleaned the freezer out too, due to beer spillage inside (leaky keg).
Problem may be that I can no longer mount a font on top (unless I build a set of stairs in front of the racking?), so may need a keezer collar and shanks.
View attachment 88372

Conical is in the fridge and the fridge is powered on. Almost time to mount the pump that will push wort into the fermentor

View attachment 88373


Keezer is still grubby since the flooding, but you see where I used a scraper to clean the mud off the bottom edge of the freezer. Dings in the freezer are from when it floated and tipped forward in the flood. Should have cleaned it.


----------



## Weizguy

stupid double post. Mods please delete.


----------



## Weizguy

The base of the fridge and freezer are 50cm off the ground. Could not be any higher due to limitation in headroom




The top of the keezer is chest height.


May not be high enough in case of flood, but will weather a minor flood, at least. Photos do not have enough contrast to see the black racking well.


----------



## Fraser's BRB

Due to lack of space, my brew rig needs to pack away when not in use. As such, brew day is not as efficient as it could be, but I've got my method pretty much sorted.

Most gear came very cheaply through mates and contacts at work. The counter flow chiller works really well, get about 22 deg in the hotter months, today it got it down to 18 deg on one pass (this is my neighbour on the chiller, told him I'd make him famous).

It's not pretty but it works.


----------



## nosco

3rd run on my new 98lt biab kettle. Its great being able to do double batches properly. Its lucky my dear old mum is good at sewing as the bag struggled on the first 2 brews. Had a few tears along the bottom and along the straps at the top. It really struggled with 13kg of grain for the red IPA on the last brew.

It now has a double layer of voil on the bottom an reinforcing straps around the bottom and the top straps. No signs of stress with 10kg of grain today.
I also have a new improved pick up tube, Hod Pod element enclosure with tri clover clamp from Brew Hardware and 3 xxlarge voil hop bags.
Ive improved my process and my beer heaps in the last 6 months. I scored a new fridge that i will get going asap, im using o2, etc, etc...

Loving brewing atm


----------



## nosco

More pics


----------



## Kingy

Good times. What size element is in there nosco


----------



## nosco

5500w. This one is my first one. Its a Camco one. I bought an all SS one from Brew Hardware but the thread on the Camco one has rusted to the point that i cant get it into my old kettle. Its an Electric Brewery setup. Its a pretty ordinary setup but the poor practices of a noob brewer also helped.

Its plenty powerful enough. I have to turn it down to about 70% (dimmer switch control from Still Dragon). Its a bit uneven though. 2 smaller ones either side would be better. The xxl hop bag contributes to that too


----------



## Beamer

Hey all,
Taking another step up from biab this time and hoping to save some time on double batch mondays.

Its not the prettiest but then again beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.


----------



## nosco

Hell of a lot tidier than my brewery. Ill get to 3v one day.


----------



## Beamer

Haha nosco thats not on brewday, only put it together this morning after a horror brewday monday. Needed some streamilining. I was lucky enough the old boy had that awesome esky sitting in the garage that he no longer used.


----------



## dunney

Pretty stoked with my new rig. It's previous live was as a shelf holding musical instruments at school. I'm sure it prefers its new role as my beautiful mobile brew rig. A weekend of welding and it holds all my brew gear.


----------



## droid

as things stand at the moment

moving left to right
76l Kettle gas fired
76ltr infusion mash tun
20ltr birko urn with cheaky peak herms coil inside
100ltr HLT w/ twin 2200 elements

no more major upgrades for me until the distant future where I aim to have a 200 or 300ltr system for a small commercial venture ~ waaay off in the distance


----------



## Curly79

Looking pretty sweet mate. I love the big HLT. What sort of tank is that?


----------



## droid

hey Heath, it's a Cordivari I think for milk. It also has "INOX" on it got if of Truman aka Troy


----------



## Beamer

droid said:



> as things stand at the moment
> 
> moving left to right
> 76l Kettle gas fired
> 76ltr infusion mash tun
> 20ltr birko urn with cheaky peak herms coil inside
> 100ltr HLT w/ twin 2200 elements
> 
> no more major upgrades for me until the distant future where I aim to have a 200 or 300ltr system for a small commercial venture ~ waaay off in the distance



If you need someone to scrub floors and clean fermenters in the commercial venture ill be willing!!


----------



## droid

ha - I'll talk to ya in 8-10 years


----------



## MastersBrewery

droid said:


> ha - I'll talk to ya in 8-10 years


I'd ask you to post pic's when it happens, but the nursing home will probably have banned my network privilages


----------



## Beamer

droid said:


> ha - I'll talk to ya in 8-10 years



It"ll be sooner, waiting by the phone!!


----------



## Mattrox

Going through its 1st cleaning.


Brew Day tomorrow.


----------



## Fraser's BRB

Just read this thread from page 1. So much stainless brew p0rn.

I'm inspired, amazed and upset all at the same time. So many options, so little space, time and money...


----------



## Andyburgs

Only 4 batches into all grain but I'm loving it. Would love to upsize already.


----------



## malt junkie

Andyburgs said:


> Only 4 batches into all grain but I'm loving it. Would love to upsize already.


On my third and 4th system, Brauclone (up to 80L) and an urn, Biab, for those lovely summer wheat beers, and starting to pull together system 5 4v herms. Trust me it gets pricey, keep brewing on what you got, over the next year do some collaboration brews with guys that have different systems, check out some commercial systems too. Once you've done all that, make sure cold side is sorted, most here when they up-size to greater that 60L go stainless throughout. There are so many options to explore throughout the journey, enjoy!!


----------



## Hpal

nosco said:


> 5500w. This one is my first one. Its a Camco one. I bought an all SS one from Brew Hardware but the thread on the Camco one has rusted to the point that i cant get it into my old kettle. Its an Electric Brewery setup. Its a pretty ordinary setup but the poor practices of a noob brewer also helped.
> 
> Its plenty powerful enough. I have to turn it down to about 70% (dimmer switch control from Still Dragon). Its a bit uneven though. 2 smaller ones either side would be better. The xxl hop bag contributes to that too


I have a 72Lt BIAB kettle with a camco 4500w PID controlled. Have a boil set on about 75% power and I think it'd do 100L no worries


----------



## nosco

id love a PID contoller but cant afford some decent pumps atm. If i was to do it all over again i think id get 2 smaller elements for the bigger size pot for a more even boil. Brewing on a budget sucks sometimes.


----------



## Hpal

Yep, My setup is way more elaborate than I will ever need though, I should have made it simpler but thought auto mash temp control would be more easily achievable than it has been. I like being able to dial in the boil intensity though.


----------



## The Judge

Brew rig moved into new brew zone. Makes splitting my mashing and boiling over two nights much easier when it's all contained inside, as opposed to when I had to brew in my backyard.


----------



## bradsbrew

That kegerator is way too close to the brewrig.


----------



## Camo6

bradsbrew said:


> That kegerator is way too close to the brewrig.


Hahaha!


----------



## jeremy

The Judge said:


> Brew rig moved into new brew zone. Makes splitting my mashing and boiling over two nights much easier when it's all contained inside, as opposed to when I had to brew in my backyard.
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1473388520.552417.jpg


Damn, if I am not mistaken I saw that bench at Bunnings the other day for $99, but wasn't sure it would be strong enough! And my setup is half the size of yours!

This is the boy I believe:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/romak-900-x-1500-x-540mm-garage-workbench_p2760456


----------



## The Judge

Yeah that's it! Sturdy as. I will replace the mdf for mesh down the track and probably add a drip tray to the whole thing. Can recommend this bench.


----------



## malt junkie

The Judge said:


> Yeah that's it! Sturdy as. I will replace the mdf for Stainless down the track and probably add a drip tray to the whole thing. Can recommend this bench.


FTFY, tell the wife after you've installed it.


----------



## jeremy

Nice one! After spending 2 weeks comparing the Bunnings "Rack-it" system with the equivalent Masters system, and several other options, a stainless steel bench popped up on Gumtree for $75. Perfect!

So this is my "Before" and "After" systems:












Still more work to do, I might start another thread to see if people can help me out with it!

Cheers,

Jeremy.


----------



## spog

Nice score with the bench and just in time I say, the top in the first pic looks like it's not far off shitting itself.


----------



## jeremy

I have replaced that benchtop once since that photo, and my replacement benchtop started to do that again after the first boil-over. Suffice it to say I am glad to finally be on a stainless surface. Particle board does not a good brew bench make!


----------



## Meddo

Not a complete doco but thought I'd throw up a few piccies given the discussion about benches / Rack-It etc. System is a recirculating 1V (obviously), at the moment struggling a bit for mash conversion for some reason (last two have been 77% although the one before that was at 84% - so I know it _can_ do better...). I suspect that more open space in the bottom of the malt pipe would help, although I haven't been having any problems with flow-rate through the grain bed.

71 litre cheeky peak SS kettle
38 litre cheap ebay SS malt pipe
KK pump, 3-piece ball valves and camlocks
Bunnings rack-it 900x600 shelf with wheels
MillMaster Mini mill and hopper
Ghetto malt pipe hoist and wort return distributor

Loving the wheely rack-it system, I put four little timber offcuts on the base of the mill mount to act as keys into the mesh shelf - means it doesn't move around at all when milling into a bucket under the mesh.

At the moment it's just running off a KK 2200W element and pre-built KK STC1000 equivalent. I've got the parts for a matho's controller and 2x romar 2400W elements that I'll get wired and fitted in the next couple of weeks once I've got my last assignment finished. Really looking forward to quicker ramp times and a more rollicking boil. I also really need to get the volumes etched into it ASAP.


----------



## The Judge

Pretty rad score there Jeremy!


----------



## mofox1

Yo meddo, what are you using for your mash tun insulation?

Looking pretty schmick there btw.


----------



## Meddo

mofox1 said:


> Yo meddo, what are you using for your mash tun insulation?
> Looking pretty schmick there btw.


This stuff, same thing that Pugwash used on his. Does a pretty good job from what I can tell and easy to work with. Couldn't get my silver tape to stick to it though so used the cheapest straps Bunnings had to keep it secure.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ideal-diy-floors-900mm-black-anti-fatigue-rib-foam-matting-roll_p6610195


----------



## Denobrew

Here is a picture of my system. Still a work in progress.


----------



## Mr B

Denobrew said:


> Here is a picture of my system. Still a work in progress.


Nice setup. Particularly like the mash tun, nice work with the bottom drain and the legs/base. Hmmmm.........


----------



## Zorco

Denobrew said:


> Here is a picture of my system. Still a work in progress.


Spoon hook: check. You've got some organised thinking there.


I've taken notes mate
[emoji16]


----------



## Denobrew

zorsoc_cosdog said:


> Spoon hook: check. You've got some organised thinking there.
> 
> 
> I've taken notes mate
> 
> Here's a video of a brew day a few weeks ago if you're interested cosdog
> 
> https://youtu.be/vQRgK-EK1OI


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

With Your gravity fly sparging, if you add a ball valve to the inlet to the top of the mash tun, open the HLT outlet ball valve 100% and throttle the flow with the newly added valve you'll probably find it easier with the flow towards the end, cheers!


----------



## Mardoo

Great advice. Thanks!


----------



## Denobrew

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> With Your gravity fly sparging, if you add a ball valve to the inlet to the top of the mash tun, open the HLT outlet ball valve 100% and throttle the flow with the newly added valve you'll probably find it easier with the flow towards the end, cheers!


Thanks DJ, I find fly sparging the most labor intensive, anything that will help is good advice. Cheers Tim


----------



## Nebes

What about a blichmann auto sparge arm then you only have to adjust the outlet of your mash tun


----------



## Denobrew

Nebes said:


> What about a blichmann auto sparge arm then you only have to adjust the outlet of your mash tun


Another great idea. Tidal Pete recommended I take a look at my recirculation and that there could be room for improvement, I'll take your advice on board and see what I can manufacture. Cheers Tim


----------



## Zorco

Denobrew said:


> zorsoc_cosdog said:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoon hook: check. You've got some organised thinking there.
> 
> 
> I've taken notes mate
> 
> Here's a video of a brew day a few weeks ago if you're interested cosdog
> 
> https://youtu.be/vQRgK-EK1OI
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ripper video mate. The gear looks excellent. It was a good watch while I negotiated my hangover on the lounge this morning too!
> 
> I've learnt a few things from gash as well! A top bloke. I wonder if he is on AHB?
Click to expand...


----------



## simchez

Great day to brew!!


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Hopefully this goes into use tomorrow:





Bling


Designed for 25 litre batch size; I don't drink enough to need anything bigger.

Top left is mash / wort kettle with agitator and induction heatiing. Middle right is lauter tun / whirlpool. Bottom left is sparge water heater.

All the vessels will be insulated in two layers of foam before this goes into use, I had the foam off whilst doing a final cleanup.

Gravity flow except for lauter tun to kettle which is manual (by bucket). If I get sick of bucketing I might put a pump in.

All butterfly valves except on water tank because I hate ball valves. Butterfly on the mash exit is 1.5", hopefully the mash won't block it. We used to pump 10 tonnes of mash through a 3" plug valve so it should be OK.

Yes, the sparge tank is too small. I already had that pot so I went with it. If it turns out to be too much of a PITA I'll increase it.


----------



## Meddo

Nice looking rig LC. Any pics inside?

Forgive my ignorance please - after draining the mash through the kettle outlet, how will you be sanitising the outlet prior to draining cooled wort to FV? Is just a rinse and spray of sanitiser enough?


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Some bits that go with the above:




Bling bits

Left to right: mash agitator already mentioned, SS sparge distributor, carbon fibre lauter plate. Lauter plate spacing is 0.6mm.


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Meddo said:


> Forgive my ignorance please - after draining the mash through the kettle outlet, how will you be sanitising the outlet prior to draining cooled wort to FV? Is just a rinse and spray of sanitiser enough?


Mash drains to lauter tun. Green wort returns to mash / wort kettle and is boiled. Final wort drains to lauter / whirlpool and is cooled in place. Whirlpool end of drain hose is left in place, other end is uncoupled and placed in tank of hot water. Cooled wort drains to FV through this hose.




mash inner




Lauter inner

Sorry for the bad pics, I'm not a good photographer and the bling confuses the autofocus on the camera.

I should have mentioned that the motor on the agitator is a windscreen wiper motor from our friends at Motion Dynamics.


----------



## SBOB

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> carbon fibre lauter plate.


so it drains faster?


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Nice one.

No, it just turned out to be easier to fabricate in carbon than in SS.


----------



## Camo6

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> Hopefully this goes into use tomorrow:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bling
> 
> 
> Designed for 25 litre batch size; I don't drink enough to need anything bigger.
> 
> Top left is mash / wort kettle with agitator and induction heatiing. Middle right is lauter tun / whirlpool. Bottom left is sparge water heater.
> 
> All the vessels will be insulated in two layers of foam before this goes into use, I had the foam off whilst doing a final cleanup.
> 
> Gravity flow except for lauter tun to kettle which is manual (by bucket). If I get sick of bucketing I might put a pump in.
> 
> All butterfly valves except on water tank because I hate ball valves. Butterfly on the mash exit is 1.5", hopefully the mash won't block it. We used to pump 10 tonnes of mash through a 3" plug valve so it should be OK.
> 
> Yes, the sparge tank is too small. I already had that pot so I went with it. If it turns out to be too much of a PITA I'll increase it.


You know what they say: "Big pot, big spout...little pot, allllll spout."

I like the wort return LC. Nice and simple to construct. HLT scales also a bonus and that stirrer is very neat. I'm both surprised at, and admiring of, the lack of over-engineering. I kinda expected a spectromagraph or platominator incorporated in somehow but you've shown amazing restraint.
Who are you Lyrebird_Cycles?


----------



## SBOB

Camo6 said:


> HLT scales also a bonus and that stirrer is very neat.


isnt that the induction heater and not scales?


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Yep, that's the induction heater. The scales are separate (not shown).


----------



## Camo6

SBOB said:


> isnt that the induction heater and not scales?


My bad. I was distracted by that spout.


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Camo6 said:


> I'm both surprised at, and admiring of, the lack of over-engineering.


There's more to this than meets the eye. The lautering system is designed to automatically hold a diffferential pressure set point, I don't know of any home scale brewhouse that has incorporated this feature previously. I haven't shown the bits that accomplish this as I don't want to publish it yet.

I built two smaller prototypes and they worked a treat, this is the final proof of concept. I am certain it is patentable but I don't know if it's worth doing so, having been through the wringer some years ago on a wine technology I invented which cost a fortune to develop and went nowhere in the market. The financial effects of that are still plaguing me today.


I will also eventually add automatic control of mash temperature (hence the thermowell) and when I do it will be incorporate a bit of fun: The agitator drive will be linked to the heater controller so the motor goes to 65 RPM x 100% duty cycle when the heater is on and back to 45 RPM x 30% duty cycle when it isn't.


----------



## GibboQLD

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> The lautering system is designed to automatically hold a diffferential pressure set point, I don't know of any home scale brewhouse that has incorporated this feature previously. I haven't shown the bits that accomplish this as I don't want to publish it yet. I built two smaller prototypes and they worked a treat, this is the final proof of concept.


Looking forward to the write-up! Sweet rig!


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> We used to pump 10 tonnes of mash through a 3" plug valve so it should be OK.


On re-reading this I've made a mistake. The 3" plug valve was on the smaller brewhouse so it only had to pass about 3 tonnes of mash. I can't remember what was on the larger brewhouse as by then we had actual maintenance staff so I didn't have to fix it every time it leaked.

Did I mention how much I hate plug valves and ball valves?


----------



## Camo6

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> There's more to this than meets the eye. The lautering system is designed to automatically hold a diffferential pressure set point, I don't know of any home scale brewhouse that has incorporated this feature previously. I haven't shown the bits that accomplish this as I don't want to publish it yet.
> 
> I built two smaller prototypes and they worked a treat, this is the final proof of concept. I am certain it is patentable but I don't know if it's worth doing so, having been through the wringer some years ago on a wine technology I invented which cost a fortune to develop and went nowhere in the market. The financial effects of that are still plaguing me today.
> 
> 
> I will also eventually add automatic control of mash temperature (hence the thermowell) and when I do it will be incorporate a bit of fun: The agitator drive will be linked to the heater controller so the motor goes to 65 RPM x 100% duty cycle when the heater is on and back to 45 RPM x 30% duty cycle when it isn't.


That's better!


----------



## Judanero

Can you provide some more info on the induction unit you've used LC?

I've had my eye on a 3000w 15A one for the 50L pot I've got, still not 100% sure though.

http://www.nisbets.com.au/apuro-induction-cooktop-hob/CE208-A/ProductDetail.raction


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

I wasn't sure on brewing with induction so I went to the local K Mart and bought their $50 cheapie, I've been pleasantly surprised at how well it's worked. I've spilt wort on it a few times and dropped it a couple of times and it hasn't died yet. Honestly if it did I think I'd just buy another one. The instructions are in Engrish but once you work out how it goes it's really easy to use.

Be aware that the rated power is the input power to the RF circuit, these are never 100% efficient so effective output power is a bit less (90% is as good as it gets). The 2 kW unit handled 15 litres quite well though it was a little slow to come to boil. I anticipate it will struggle to cope with 25 litres so I am in the process of putting a second (resistive) heater in the mash / wort kettle. What I think will work is to leave the induction heater on an appropriate setting and control the resistive heater with an STC1000 to achieve the required mash profile. I bought one of Mattrox's profile controllers for this purpose. Similarly, I expect to have to use the resistive heater and the induction heater to get to boil in a reasonable time then cut back to just the induction heater to maintain the boil.

Based on this I think a 3 kW unit will really struggle with 50 litres.


----------



## Lethaldog

Looking at all these fancy rigs is making me feel a little underdone lol, don't know how to put up pics yet but my system as primative as it is consists of 2 10 gallon Rubbermaid coolers, one with false bottom, the other set up for fly sparging and both with ball valve taps and mash master round temp gauges, an 80 litre ally pot with ball valve tap and beer belly hopscreen and a 40 litre ally pot that I generally heat up mash and sparge water in unless I decide to do a single batch then I use it as a kettle but rarely, a big Rambo 4 ring burner that provides adequate heat and a few milk crates here and there for tiers, all gravity fed and you know what I love it[emoji106][emoji16] I generally brew 45-50L batches so it's perfect for me but probably a bit more work than some of the systems I've seen here, nice shiny kits guys[emoji106]


----------



## Judanero

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> I wasn't sure on brewing with induction so I went to the local K Mart and bought their $50 cheapie, I've been pleasantly surprised at how well it's worked. I've spilt wort on it a few times and dropped it a couple of times and it hasn't died yet. Honestly if it did I think I'd just buy another one. The instructions are in Engrish but once you work out how it goes it's really easy to use.
> 
> Be aware that the rated power is the input power to the RF circuit, these are never 100% efficient so effective output power is a bit less (90% is as good as it gets). The 2 kW unit handled 15 litres quite well though it was a little slow to come to boil. I anticipate it will struggle to cope with 25 litres so I am in the process of putting a second (resistive) heater in the mash / wort kettle. What I think will work is to leave the induction heater on an appropriate setting and control the resistive heater with an STC1000 to achieve the required mash profile. I bought one of Mattrox's profile controllers for this purpose. Similarly, I expect to have to use the resistive heater and the induction heater to get to boil in a reasonable time then cut back to just the induction heater to maintain the boil.
> 
> Based on this I think a 3 kW unit will really struggle with 50 litres.


Yes that was my thoughts too, I only plan on a maximum of 34L so hopefully it will suffice- the Buffalo brand ones apparently do so I'm hoping it's the case with the Apuro (which I believe is just a re-badge?)


----------



## Lyrebird_Cycles

SBOB said:


> so it drains faster?


This turned out to be prophetic: the drainoff rate is far too fast, I could not get the fore runnings to clarify properly. Worse, my efficiency went down to ~ 80% (not helped by spilling some of the early runnings due to an overflow) so I came out about 20% under predicted pre-boil oP .

To cap it all off I evidently overlooked one of the new fittings when cleaning so the whole thing smelt of cutting fluid. Down the drain it went.


----------



## Pricey

Just finished, first brew next week


----------



## spog

Fargin sweeeeet.


----------



## droid

nearly ready to go with this;


image hosting 15mb
LtoR
114ltr HLT and Kettle
76ltr Mash tun with a few doo-dadsto be plumbed outside (recirc and sparge system doubles up on a smaller system but needs alterations to work on this)
WP vessel, chill vessel, hop back thingy yet to be ironed out completely

Happy Days are here!


----------



## MartinOC

Noice new bling...


----------



## Mardoo

Compensating.


----------



## droid

That could be reply of the year right there lol


----------



## droid

MartinOC said:


> Noice new bling...


you know what I like...


----------



## Curly79

Are these little brown pumps the go? I remember there was a link somewhere but can't find it. 
http://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/231402254133


----------



## nosco

They are ok for recirc but seize up at boiling temps.


----------



## Curly79

Yeah just for recirculating. Cheers.


----------



## fdsaasdf

Curly79 said:


> Are these little brown pumps the go? I remember there was a link somewhere but can't find it.
> http://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/231402254133


They haven't skipped a beat in my brewhouse, have used for recirculating mash and also for pumping from HLT at over 80 deg C. I also know someone who accidentally let his run dry for a few minutes and it's still working happily years later, except when he fills it up with flour...


----------



## Adr_0

Curly79 said:


> Are these little brown pumps the go? I remember there was a link somewhere but can't find it.
> http://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/231402254133


And they won't handle decoction mashes. There are a few out there - I have a KK with a variable speed on it, which is a simple triac circuit. Works absolutely brilliantly.

My rig below:




2V + cubes for sparge and final beer if I choose to no chill. 1800W element through an Auber, variable speed KK pump, 2 x STC's purely as monitors. Bottom drains on both kettle and mash tun for zero dead space.


----------



## Curly79

Cheers.It'll just be for Sparge water so all good. I just remember a thread a while ago with a heap of links for them. Ordered one last night. $28 [emoji106]


----------



## Adr_0

Curly79 said:


> Cheers.It'll just be for Sparge water so all good. I just remember a thread a while ago with a heap of links for them. Ordered one last night. $28 [emoji106]


They are actually a stunning pump for what they are marketed as and what you pay for. You will have zero issues with sparging. You can use a simple voltage divider or PWM to control speed if you wish - or throttle.


----------



## Adr_0

Lethaldog said:


> Looking at all these fancy rigs is making me feel a little underdone lol, don't know how to put up pics yet but my system as primative as it is consists of 2 10 gallon Rubbermaid coolers, one with false bottom, the other set up for fly sparging and both with ball valve taps and mash master round temp gauges, an 80 litre ally pot with ball valve tap and beer belly hopscreen and a 40 litre ally pot that I generally heat up mash and sparge water in unless I decide to do a single batch then I use it as a kettle but rarely, a big Rambo 4 ring burner that provides adequate heat and a few milk crates here and there for tiers, all gravity fed and you know what I love it[emoji106][emoji16] I generally brew 45-50L batches so it's perfect for me but probably a bit more work than some of the systems I've seen here, nice shiny kits guys[emoji106]


If you click on More Reply Options, then
Choose File (pick from the folder you want, pref .jpg or .tif) and then
Attach This File.

You then click somewhere in the post, and then click Add To Post on the bar where the photo should come up.


----------



## Curly79

Slowly piecing it together. Just waiting on a few bits and pieces from Ebay then gotta sort out my false bottom. Got my chugger the other day and was wondering how everyone goes about connecting to the 3/4" inlet? Was thinking of reducing straight to 1/2" then a 1/2" ball valve and cam lock or should I go 3/4" ball valve then reduce?


----------



## dblunn

Curly79 said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1484212566.871649.jpg
> Slowly piecing it together. Just waiting on a few bits and pieces from Ebay then gotta sort out my false bottom. Got my chugger the other day and was wondering how everyone goes about connecting to the 3/4" inlet? Was thinking of reducing straight to 1/2" then a 1/2" ball valve and cam lock or should I go 3/4" ball valve then reduce?


No mate, put the ball valve on the outlet which 1/2". You only need a reducer to the cam lock on the input.


----------



## Curly79

Cheers mate. Sounds good[emoji106]


----------



## Nebes

Looking good mate


----------



## Curly79

It's alive! Just gave it a dry run with water and Phosphoric. The gas fired HLT heated 45 Ltrs of water from 20c to 78c in about 1 Hr. pumped into Mash Tun and held temperature within 3 degrees for over an hour by wrapping it up with a few towels. Should do for now until I sort out a RIMS. One thing I couldn't understand is why the chugger wouldn't pump the last 3 Ltrs of water from the Mash Tun to the Kettle. Just pumped away without transferring the water?


----------



## Curly79

Forgot to say the little brown pump is circulating the strike and sparge water. Still need to source a sparge arm of some sort. Would love a Phil's sparge arm if anyone has one they want sell. Cheers[emoji481][emoji481]


----------



## Moad

Bcs controlled 1BBL or 120L.


----------



## Tex083

Curly79 said:


> Forgot to say the little brown pump is circulating the strike and sparge water. Still need to source a sparge arm of some sort. Would love a Phil's sparge arm if anyone has one they want sell. Cheers[emoji481][emoji481]


Look at the Blichmann auto sparge, I got one about 6 months ago and it rocks. Never have to worry about sparge water level, just open the bottom valve and the autosparge allows water in at the same rate as wort flows out.


----------



## Curly79

Tex083 said:


> Look at the Blichmann auto sparge, I got one about 6 months ago and it rocks. Never have to worry about sparge water level, just open the bottom valve and the autosparge allows water in at the same rate as wort flows out.


Would I need 2 chugger pumps for that to work? I'm trying to use my LBP for sparge water.


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Curly79 said:


> It's alive! Just gave it a dry run with water and Phosphoric. The gas fired HLT heated 45 Ltrs of water from 20c to 78c in about 1 Hr. pumped into Mash Tun and held temperature within 3 degrees for over an hour by wrapping it up with a few towels. Should do for now until I sort out a RIMS. One thing I couldn't understand is why the chugger wouldn't pump the last 3 Ltrs of water from the Mash Tun to the Kettle. Just pumped away without transferring the water?
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1485419436.158253.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1485419469.991046.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1485419495.374496.jpg


You suction line looks a lot longer than the outlet line, plus because your pump is only by looks of it 30cm below the mash tun and the hose drops farther than that below the pump you may not be providing adequate suction head for the pump... It *shouldn't* matter, but somehow there may be not enough suction head for the pump to overcome and it stalls/cavitates when it gets to the 3L point.

When it gets to the last 3 Litres does the sound inside the pump casing change? If so would suggest cavitation and confirm my above theory, try shortening your suction line hose greatly, or drop the pump location down to floor level (you can probably test this before permanently changing the rig by setting up on other benches etc.

Hope that helps Heath!


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Tex083 said:


> Look at the Blichmann auto sparge, I got one about 6 months ago and it rocks. Never have to worry about sparge water level, just open the bottom valve and the autosparge allows water in at the same rate as wort flows out.





Curly79 said:


> Would I need 2 chugger pumps for that to work? I'm trying to use my LBP for sparge water.



Its an expensive device for what it does. I just throttle my ball valves and balance as the fly-sparge goes on. Sure, I can't walk away from the rig during sparge but it is a process I like to be around for anyway, as is the rest of the brew actually.

Heath - no you could use two different pumps like you have for that! Wouldn't matter as the auto-sparge float valve controls the flow of the LBP. You would want to be draining the bottom of the mash into the kettle *very* slowly, as slow as you can so the fact the chugger has more guts doesn't matter for this.


----------



## Curly79

Cheers Nath. Yeah the sound changes but it's not screaming just a bit higher pitched. What do you use for fly sparging? Also, is it ok the throttle the outlet ball valve right down to a trickle without damaging the chugger?


----------



## DJ_L3ThAL

Cavitation won't be "loud", but a change in noise definitely suggests it!

My fly sparging is just two pumps, one sucking wort into the kettle and I throttle the ball valve on the kettle it goes in to. Then the sparge comes through the second pump and my RIMS (to flush it) and onto the top of the mash tun. I've got a ball valve on the top inlet of the mash tun and I throttle that too. It's a balancing act but I just tweak the valves here and there to keep an inch or two of sparge water above the grain bed for the fly sparge.

Yep, magnetic drive pumps like Chugger, Kaixin, Keg King and LBP can be throttle as long as it is on the OUTLET. You can actually even close the outlet and just push against a dead head, won't hurt the pump. If you restrict the suction that is when you can cause cavitation and damage the pump/impellers.


----------



## Curly79

Thanks mate. Appreciate the advice. Might even fire it up on the weekend. Was stoked that she held temp without a Rims. 3 V brewing here we come!!!


----------



## Gregos

Had an awesome day today


----------



## malt junkie

Moad said:


> IMG_0104.JPG
> 
> 
> Bcs controlled 1BBL or 120L.


Such a big awesome shiny bit of kit, and we get *ONE* tiny photo. You're a tease Moad!!!



Good to see you up and running mate!


----------



## Moad

malt junkie said:


> Such a big awesome shiny bit of kit, and we get *ONE* tiny photo. You're a tease Moad!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Good to see you up and running mate!


OK OK fair enough. Here are some more, I also have a build thread but I haven't finished the rig yet so that is also unfinished. I just got my replacement pump, chugger NANO was sent back and replaced with a March pump equivalent. I need to hook that up and add a float switch in the HLT to automate the sparge process. I also have to hook up the electric valve to automate the chilling but any time I get is spent brewing at the moment. I'll get there.


----------



## Tony121

Mate, that look unreal!


----------



## Zorco

And a 'Cheers' scribed into the malt dust upon the glass.

Sensational Moad


----------



## Adr_0

Curly79 said:


> It's alive! Just gave it a dry run with water and Phosphoric. The gas fired HLT heated 45 Ltrs of water from 20c to 78c in about 1 Hr. pumped into Mash Tun and held temperature within 3 degrees for over an hour by wrapping it up with a few towels. Should do for now until I sort out a RIMS. One thing I couldn't understand is why the chugger wouldn't pump the last 3 Ltrs of water from the Mash Tun to the Kettle. Just pumped away without transferring the water?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1485419436.158253.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1485419469.991046.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1485419495.374496.jpg


Can you put an elbow on the mash tun, facing down, then 1/2 - or better yet, 3/4" - Ss tube straight into the suction of the pump? The pump would need to be mounted impeller housing up, which is....absolutely fine. (incidentally you should also mount a RIMS tube with the element down if you mount the tube vertically). 

The main point of this is:
-vertical pipe allows air to rise up and back into the mash tun, while sloped or waving flexible hose can trap air
-keeps suction length short to minimise pressure drop. Pressure on the suction side is essential for pump performance and health. Lack of pressure or air will cause you grief. 

For the RIMS tube, it ensures there in no air around the element which will create a higher temperature zone, possible charring and/or failure.

For your discharge piping it should go vertically for a little while if possible to keep back pressure on the pump and ensure the impeller housing stays filled. 

Your LBP is mounted slightly precariously too... Not sure how long the suction thread will last with the weight on the motor and discharged connections sitting on it.


----------



## Moad

Zorco said:


> And a 'Cheers' scribed into the malt dust upon the glass.
> 
> Sensational Moad


It actually came on the false bottom like that, I thought it was a nice touch. For the price, It should say cheers and clean itself as well.


----------



## Curly79

Thanks Adr 0. I reckon the LBP will be fine it's got bugger all weight on it. I might shorten my hoses up a bit , they are too long.


----------



## Adr_0

Curly79 said:


> Thanks Adr 0. I reckon the LBP will be fine it's got bugger all weight on it. I might shorten my hoses up a bit , they are too long.


I haven't ever had any issues with LBP threads, but have heard on others having breakage. I guess you have a valve so you can just shut it off. 

If you can, try and get an SS elbow or two and some barbs. Silicone is ok if it's short and vertical,rather than long slopes.

You could almost use some saddles/clamps to keep it square with smooth bends.


----------



## good4whatAlesU

Chinese new year... and a new Chinese mash vessel.

SS food warmer: $55
Ball valve: $35
Bits and bobs: Recycled from old mash esky.

Drilling out the double wall hole for the valve was rather more involved than anticipated.. Note to self. Filing a 20mm hole with a round file from the inside of a vessel in the heat of summer is character building.


----------



## good4whatAlesU

A small side note for anyone else who might want to do this. As the wall is double sided, when you tighten up the ball valve - both walls decide to flex (compress) inwards making a seal difficult to establish (and much leaking into the wall void!).
Best to place a non-compressible chock inside the wall cavity so you have something to tighten against. .. Lived and learnt the hard way on that one!


----------



## rude

How much for postage g4


----------



## The Judge

Sorry, not a real post. Editing a bunch of gibberish that my son pedalled in... great rigs though everyone!


----------



## mofox1

Brew rig had got an upgrade.

Out with the old 46L esky and in with a modified 20 Gal SS Brewtech kettle to act as the new mash tun. 20 Gal mark is about 10cm below lip, so actual capacity is around 90L.

Add one 40 cm KK false bottom, a wort return port and sparge ring and voila - new mash tun. Currently insulated with a cheap yoga mat while I sort out something better.








Ed: little blue is stashed away top right hand corner of first image.


----------



## ein stein

Upgraded Crown 40L, now with added temp control and recirculation also featuring "malt spider" malt pipe.


----------



## malt junkie

Nice work!!
and you said malt twice in the same sentence :wub:


----------



## SBOB

ein stein said:


> Upgraded Crown 40L, now with added temp control and recirculation *also featuring "malt spider" malt pipe.*
> 
> 
> 
> 1.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 2.jpg


a what? more details please


----------



## ein stein

It's just a robobrew malt pipe but instead of attaching legs to the bottom I added stainless brackets as arms to suspend it, so it's like a hop spider but it's a malt pipe, hence "malt spider"


----------



## mr_wibble

mofox1 said:


> Add one 40 cm KK false bottom, a wort return port and sparge ring and voila - new mash tun. Currently insulated with a cheap yoga mat while I sort out something better.
> 
> 
> 
> 1486279616278.jpg


Mofox1 - can you please give me some details on your sparge ring, did you make it yourself ?

EDIT: Ah I found it in another thread. SS Brewtech re-circulating manifold. Is there an AU supplier?
EDIT2: yes AU supplier - https://www.newerabrewing.com.au/ss-brewtech-recirc-manifold/ (currently out of stock).

thanks,
-kt


----------



## malt junkie

Mr Wibble said:


> Mofox1 - can you please give me some details on your sparge ring, did you make it yourself ?
> 
> thanks,
> -kt


It's an SS brewtech bit of kit.


----------



## mofox1

Happy to help 

Give newera a buzz, the one I got was prior to listing. One of the other guys here let me know they had it in stock, just not listed yet.

FYI - the Brewtech models fit a 3/4" tube, which isn't a problem in sparge but depending on your setup may cause a flow restriction during recirc.

In a perfect world I would have gone a bigger tube with a 1/2" barb, but it was there and I couldn't be bothered faffing about anymore. This brewery has had had several hundred hours put into it to save some dosh... now I'm happy just to hand cash over for future improvements.


----------



## Mr B

They were out of stock when I went to get one too. So I did this:




Works quite well, and half inch hose fits nicely. Not sure if the bling will get me in the end.

Mofox do you find the brewtech one sinks into the mash? This one did so I made up the plate. Stops mash rising on ramp to mash out and sparge as an added bonus


----------



## mofox1

mofox1 said:


> Happy to help
> FYI - the Brewtech models fit a 3/4" tube, which isn't a problem in sparge but depending on your setup may cause a flow restriction during recirc.


Oops. Too many beers... I meant 3/8" tube.


----------



## mofox1

Mr B said:


> Mofox do you find the brewtech one sinks into the mash? This one did so I made up the plate. Stops mash rising on ramp to mash out and sparge as an added bonus


A little, not enough to worry about. If it looks like it has sunk when I get round to sparging I just re-settle it on top. By that time the grain had set a bit firmer and it will stay on top.


----------



## Lionman

I put together a simple single vessel stove top system made from an adapted crab cooker.

As well as the 1/2" ball valve with cam lock disconnect, I have added a system for holding the inner basket above the wort. 


















I've done 4 batches of all grain now. One still on tap, one in the fermenter and one in the cube with one already filtered by my liver. So much more enjoyable than kits or extract.

I have also built a budget electric grain mill, works really well for BIAB. I run it off my drill and it eats through grain.


----------



## Hawko777

My 32 amp rig not long finished


----------



## Benn

Very nice, good job


----------



## malt junkie

I like that you've taken a slow and considered approach to the hobby


----------



## goodbrew

Nice work hawko, I am almost finished making my 'Electric Brewery' too, very similar setup except for the control panel, mine is more of a budget version compared to yours, no bells or whistles!!

Have you got to test it out yet?


----------



## Hawko777

goodbrew said:


> Nice work hawko, I am almost finished making my 'Electric Brewery' too, very similar setup except for the control panel, mine is more of a budget version compared to yours, no bells or whistles!!
> 
> Have you got to test it out yet?


Hi Goodbrew
I have only done a wet test thus far but my first brew will be an American Citra IPA. ( Planned for a couple of days time )
Its going to take a few brews to get all of the settings and nuances sorted.

It has taken a while as noted by malt junkie, but I wanted it to be as right as possible, and I work away. So when I'm home, it's spent with the family and brewing when possible.
No doubt there will be tweeks and the March Stainless Pump Heads with 3/4" centre inlet and 1/2" out had to happen due to the volume needed to push wort through 20 metres of 1/2" copper coil.

I'm sure you'd be pleased with your setup once finished.
Happy Brewing


----------



## Lionman

I upgraded my rig to an electric element on the weekend and included some foam insulation.


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Hawko777 said:


> My 32 amp rig not long finished
> 
> 
> 
> 20170304_104111.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20170329_110832.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20151104_160414.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> 20170404_100157.jpg


Hey mate nice setup. I was looking into the 32 amp but couldnt find much on power requirements for it.
Is it 240v with over a 32 amp breaker? What is the current draw at full load?
If so what size cable is run? Must be decent?

Gav


----------



## mr_wibble

Gav80 said:


> Hey mate nice setup. I was looking into the 32 amp but couldnt find much on power requirements for it.
> Is it 240v with over a 32 amp breaker? What is the current draw at full load?
> If so what size cable is run? Must be decent?


32 amp needs a correct circuit on your house/shed/brew-cave, with appropriate circuit breaker (especially around water).
This requires significant standards-compliant wiring. The thickness of the cable also depends on the length of the run. If the run is longer, the cable tends to be thicker.

Also don't forget you probably want to run pumps, and secondary heaters, control panels, etc. So 32 amps is a minimum.
I had an electrician install a 25A/4500w power point, he used 4mm cable (IIRC) on a ~10 metre run. I use it only for my heating element and control box. Pumps etc. I run off another circuit. I should have had him put in another 10A circuit at the same time.

Drawing too much current over under-rated wires can lead to fires. I don't want to sound like your-mum, but: make sure it's wired properly.


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Mr Wibble said:


> 32 amp needs a correct circuit on your house/shed/brew-cave, with appropriate circuit breaker (especially around water).
> This requires significant standards-compliant wiring. The thickness of the cable also depends on the length of the run. If the run is longer, the cable tends to be thicker.
> 
> Also don't forget you probably want to run pumps, and secondary heaters, control panels, etc. So 32 amps is a minimum.
> I had an electrician install a 25A/4500w power point, he used 4mm cable (IIRC) on a ~10 metre run. I use it only for my heating element and control box. Pumps etc. I run off another circuit. I should have had him put in another 10A circuit at the same time.
> 
> Drawing too much current over under-rated wires can lead to fires. I don't want to sound like your-mum, but: make sure it's wired properly.


Ok, hang on, im confused. 
Your saying you run 1 element on a 25A circuit breaker at 4500watts.
So basically you have the two 4500watt elements running to 2 separate 25amp circuit breakers? 
Sorry if i sound stupid im just trying to understan how you supplying the heating elements.
Thanks

Gav


----------



## malt junkie

Gav80 said:


> Ok, hang on, im confused.
> Your saying you run 1 element on a 25A circuit breaker at 4500watts.
> So basically you have the two 4500watt elements running to 2 separate 25amp circuit breakers?
> Sorry if i sound stupid im just trying to understan how you supplying the heating elements.
> Thanks
> 
> Gav


no switches between elements, so only one element can fire at a time.


----------



## mr_wibble

Gav80 said:


> Ok, hang on, im confused.
> Your saying you run 1 element on a 25A circuit breaker at 4500watts.
> So basically you have the two 4500watt elements running to 2 separate 25amp circuit breakers?
> Sorry if i sound stupid im just trying to understand how you supplying the heating elements.


Yeah, that's basically correct: 1 element using 4500 watts at 240 volts takes 18.75 amps (watts = volts x amps). 
The circuit (wiring) needs to be able to handle this amount of current as a continuous load.

If I wanted to run more heaters simultaneously, then I would need the circuit to handle the correct amount of power. 
So for 2x 4500 watt elements, I need a circuit to handle a continuous load of 37.5 amps (i.e: 2 x 18.75 amps), plus a little to spare.
Maybe there's a standard or maximum here, a sparky would know.

Of course it's possible to install two circuits and run a heater off each circuit. 

EDIT> In the previous post I said I had a 25A point installed, actually it was only 20A. I am unable to edit that post at this later time.


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Mr Wibble said:


> Yeah, that's basically correct: 1 element using 4500 watts at 240 volts takes 18.75 amps (watts = volts x amps).
> The circuit (wiring) needs to be able to handle this amount of current as a continuous load.
> 
> If I wanted to run more heaters simultaneously, then I would need the circuit to handle the correct amount of power.
> So for 2x 4500 watt elements, I need a circuit to handle a continuous load of 37.5 amps (i.e: 2 x 18.75 amps), plus a little to spare.
> Maybe there's a standard or maximum here, a sparky would know.
> 
> Of course it's possible to install two circuits and run a heater off each circuit.
> 
> EDIT> In the previous post I said I had a 25A point installed, actually it was only 20A. I am unable to edit that post at this later time.


Ok so your running the one element at full load of 18.75 amps.
What volume do you boil and is it a decent boil?
Im looking at 110 litres to boil and I want to know if one 4.5kw element will be enough.


----------



## Crusty

Gav80 said:


> Ok so your running the one element at full load of 18.75 amps.
> What volume do you boil and is it a decent boil?
> Im looking at 110 litres to boil and I want to know if one 4.5kw element will be enough.


Hey Gav.
Not trying to hijack the thread but in my opinion, one 4.5kw wont be enough.
I'm also installing a 32A system for my control panel from The Electric Brewery in the USA.
I'm running 2 x 5500w elements with a 3 way selector switch so only one element can operate at any given time.
2 x March pumps, one for the HLT circulation & the other for the mash running through the coil in the HLT.
The 5500w element is fine up to a maximum of a finished 20g batch as recommended by them over in the USA but I think you'll struggle getting a decent boil with your 4500w doing 110L & it'll take quite a while to get to the boil.


----------



## Moad

I have 8KW to boil ~150L pre boil... gets a pretty good boil going


----------



## Crusty

Moad said:


> I have 8KW to boil ~150L pre boil... gets a pretty good boil going


Nice!


----------



## mr_wibble

Gav80 said:


> Ok so your running the one element at full load of 18.75 amps.
> What volume do you boil and is it a decent boil?
> Im looking at 110 litres to boil and I want to know if one 4.5kw element will be enough.


I don't boil on electricity.
The 4500 is in my HLT (185 litre, but I typically run 80-100).
I have another element in the HERMS (3000 watt), but the controller switches only one element on at a time.

Crusty is right too, you'd want more power for a quicker boil start time.
But we only have single-phase power available, so 4500 watt is my household limit.

The guys at Romar Elements (in Victoria) can suggest a good element. 
If you tell them what you want to do, they'll recommend the necessary element. 
Mine should take 100 litres of water from ambient temperatures to boiling in around an hour. 
Of course post-mash you're only going from high-60's to boiling, so it shouldn't take so long for the boil to start.


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Thanks for the info. Gives me a fair idea of where to go with the system plan. 
Also i see the electric brewery runs the herms coil through the HLT. 
Going to be better off with a smaller herms vessel? Better faster control hey?


----------



## mr_wibble

Separate Heat Exchange for me.
You're adjusting the temperature on less water.
My HX is ? Say 4-6 litres.


----------



## Hawko777

Gav80 said:


> Hey mate nice setup. I was looking into the 32 amp but couldnt find much on power requirements for it.
> Is it 240v with over a 32 amp breaker? What is the current draw at full load?
> If so what size cable is run? Must be decent?
> 
> Gav


Hey Gav
1. Yes its a 240 v 32 amp system with 32 amp breaker and RCD protected
2. Amps with one element and both pumps going pulls about 23 amps.
Remember, just because your element says its 5500 watts, doesn't necessarily mean it is exactly that. I think mine are ACTUAL MEASURED at around 5200 watts. 
3. Cable size is 6mm Flex twin and earth.
4. The GPO can also be used for 10, 15 20, 25 and 32 amp plugs. So you can use it for a welder if need be. Same flat pins and profile, apart from the 32 amp which has a special shaped earth pin.
Having a 32 amp system gives you that extra room too for spiking and not putting too much strain on a circuit. I also have breaker switches in the panel to protect the equipment

Try theelectricbrewery site, they have heaps of info.


----------



## Hawko777

Moad said:


> I have 8KW to boil ~150L pre boil... gets a pretty good boil going


Direct link to the substation next door......damnnnnnnn


----------



## Gavo

Here's mine. It's at version/upgrade #4 since going to AG back in 2008. 
40lt HLT, 60lt jacketed mash tun, 60lt kettle, HEX, magnetic pump, STC 1000's for temp control, built in timer all flows controlled by ball valve including underletting in the mash tun. Now if only I could get the timer on the HLT to work.
Did two double batches back to back yeaterday (80lt) and not one spill.


----------



## rude

Just brewed 4 times on my 1 V built rig
Need to tidy up a few things now that I have it dialed in
Used to lug keggles & eskies around now its all on wheels with a pump


----------



## droid

the next build, the ol' 44G x 3

thanks Simon, Paul and Jessica

a bit bigger than I imagined...but it's exciting to have a project!


----------



## Curly79

Trying something new today. Using my 90 Ltr kettle and a big BIAB bag with the Herms. I cut some stainless perf and sat it ontop of a colander to make a false bottom. Seems to be going smoothly[emoji6]. 70 Ltrs of water and 12kg of grain is pretty well maxed out. Hoping to get 2 cubes of 1.060 ish Black IPA.


----------



## Curly79

I'm pretty wrapped with how this setup worked. Easy clean up and got 45 Ltrs of wort plus 3 Ltrs of starter wort and some to spare at 1.055. [emoji106]


----------



## Curly79

Finally moved the brewery into the new shed. Heaps more room. [emoji16][emoji482]


----------



## Benn

Nice one Curly


----------



## bevan

Curly79 said:


> View attachment 109110



Love the mill table! [emoji108][emoji482]


----------



## eresh666

bevan said:


> Love the mill table! [emoji108][emoji482]



My grandmother would be turning in her grave if she saw that!


----------



## Curly79

eresh666 said:


> My grandmother would be turning in her grave if she saw that!


Funny you should say that. It's actually my great aunt ties table. I felt a bit guilty hacking into it with the multi tool. [emoji54]


----------



## Thefatdoghead

Second brewday on the new rig. Loving the inline oxygen stone kit. Fermentation was cranking 2 hours after pitching.


----------



## phildo

Thefatdoghead said:


> Second brewday on the new rig. Loving the inline oxygen stone kit. Fermentation was cranking 2 hours after pitching.
> 
> View attachment 111862
> View attachment 111863
> View attachment 111864


Nice setup! I dream of their (ss brewtec) 1bbl nano brew house that ships soon


----------



## jimmysuperlative

rude said:


> Just brewed 4 times on my 1 V built rig
> Need to tidy up a few things now that I have it dialed in
> Used to lug keggles & eskies around now its all on wheels with a pumpView attachment 107355
> View attachment 107356
> View attachment 107357
> View attachment 107358


Great rig! Love the small footprint.
What are you using as the overhead boom/hoist arm?


----------



## Wobbly74

Here's mine...all home made from a cheap keg, flashed stc-1000+ controller with variable voltage regulators, kettle elements, bunnings shelving and a KK pump. Getting it dialled in nicely - yesterday's brew was a 1.051 pale ale which got about 90% mash efficiency and 78.5% BH efficiency.


----------



## Bomber Rock

That's awesome wobbly. [emoji106]


----------



## Augo

Here's mine. New to the forum. Been brewing on this system for 6 months now. Gas fired BK. Gas also on the HLT to do the heavy lifting and then a 2000W element for maintaining temp. HERMS with 2 pumps. Basic Keg King temp controller to keep at target temp. 


Will eventually move to a proper electric panel, but that's way off..... For now, it's simple and it works.

Augo


----------



## 865

I've been building this piece by piece for the past few years when I've had the money to put toward it and the time to build it. Nearly complete.


----------



## gib8

I use a similar equipment. It is a copy of the http://www.theelectricbrewery.com













For the next year I cannot use it because I visit Australia again.

Regards
Bruno
https://travel.projects.at


----------



## Georgedgerton

I like gas but have decided to go electric in my setup currently under construction. The 50 litre boiler (which will be boiling about 36 litre batches) has 2 X 2200 watt elements. Currently working on the control panel; not as fancy as some but functional. I also decided to go gravity from the HLT.


----------



## Tony M

Sorry Augo, that post was meant for Wobbly. I got lost in the myriad of photos


----------



## Tony M

Wobbly74 said:


> Here's mine...all home made from a cheap keg, flashed stc-1000+ controller with variable voltage regulators, kettle elements, bunnings shelving and a KK pump. Getting it dialled in nicely - yesterday's brew was a 1.051 pale ale which got about 90% mash efficiency and 78.5% BH efficiency.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That ss basket looks handy. Where did you source it and what are the dimensions?
> 
> /QUOTE]


----------



## altone

Wobbly74 said:


> Here's mine...all home made from a cheap keg, flashed stc-1000+ controller with variable voltage regulators, kettle elements, bunnings shelving and a KK pump. Getting it dialled in nicely - yesterday's brew was a 1.051 pale ale which got about 90% mash efficiency and 78.5% BH efficiency.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey @Wobbly74 just wondering what you use the little brown pump for on what I assume is your HLT.
> 
> Gravity feed not enough ?
> 
> Also you and many others mention flashed STC1000's.
> Pardon my ignorance, but why do you need to flash them and if it's necessary how do you do it?
> 
> I know I can google it and find the answer but I'm in the middle of switching our water filters and then I have to cook chicken teriyaki
> 
> Only came upstairs to the "office" to refill my glass
Click to expand...


----------



## altone

@Tony M I may be wrong but looks like an ebay one. If not here's an alternative to checkout 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Homebrew-Beer-Wine-Brewing-Mesh-Basket-Dry-Hop-Hopper-Filter-Strainer-Cylinder/142833952296?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=441835178180&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649


----------



## Tony M

altone said:


> @Tony M I may be wrong but looks like an ebay one. If not here's an alternative to checkout
> 
> https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Homebrew-Beer-Wine-Brewing-Mesh-Basket-Dry-Hop-Hopper-Filter-Strainer-Cylinder/142833952296?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=441835178180&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649


Thanks Altone. $54 inc. postage!! I feel guilty buying it.


----------



## Wobbly74

Yep, eBay basket - can get it in 31x30 or 35x35 dimensions. I use the little pump because gravity feed doesn't work all the way to the bottom of the sparge urn's volume...


----------



## Wobbly74

And the flashed stc isn't really doable any more - there was a guy that wrote a replacement firmware for a particular chipset which is no longer available. I've just recently replaced this with a raspberry pi based system though...


----------



## altone

Wobbly74 said:


> And the flashed stc isn't really doable any more - there was a guy that wrote a replacement firmware for a particular chipset which is no longer available. I've just recently replaced this with a raspberry pi based system though...



Ahh no worries. I keep threatening to do something with this Raspberry Pi sitting in my top drawer


----------



## STIK79

Yet another electric brewery build. Gave me a good excuse to buy a welder 

First brew going through now, everything behaving as it should (a miracle given the number of wires inside).

90L HTL + Kettle, 50L MLT with autosparge. Used the bigger kegking pumps as I was worried about flow rate through the HERMS, they seem to work really well!

The only bugger so far is the PID controllers are hard to read in the sunlight - might need to make a shield over them or something.


----------



## Lionman

STIK79 said:


> Yet another electric brewery build. Gave me a good excuse to buy a welder
> 
> First brew going through now, everything behaving as it should (a miracle given the number of wires inside).
> 
> 90L HTL + Kettle, 50L MLT with autosparge. Used the bigger kegking pumps as I was worried about flow rate through the HERMS, they seem to work really well!
> 
> The only bugger so far is the PID controllers are hard to read in the sunlight - might need to make a shield over them or something.
> 
> View attachment 113725



Could you just spin the bench around so the PIDs are pointing towards the darker shed? Might make them easier to read.

Really nice setup by the way.


----------



## STIK79

Lionman said:


> Could you just spin the bench around so the PIDs are pointing towards the darker shed? Might make them easier to read.
> 
> Really nice setup by the way.


Thanks - yes I could spin it around, however the 32A point is on that side of the door - and currently I can just pump waste to a drain point just out of shot (could use a couple of longer hoses I guess). Will knock up a 3d printed "sun visor" first and see how that fares


----------



## Bin Chicken

I have just recently got back into brewing after almost 10 years and am brand new to all grain brewing. My rig consists of all off the shelf stuff (Grainfather etc etc). I won't post pics of that because we all know what they look like. I have, however rigged up my Tilt Hydrometer to a Raspberry pi and created a some dashboards (using Splunk) to track current and past brews. Hopefully this is more interesting than some pics of the Grainfather  

If anyone is interested in setting this up, let me know and I will post an overview of the setup process.













Tiltpi-Splunk



__ Bin Chicken
__ 13/10/18



Tilt Hydrometer Splunk Dashboard


----------



## pump21

Bin Chicken said:


> I have just recently got back into brewing after almost 10 years and am brand new to all grain brewing. My rig consists of all off the shelf stuff (Grainfather etc etc). I won't post pics of that because we all know what they look like. I have, however rigged up my Tilt Hydrometer to a Raspberry pi and created a some dashboards (using Splunk) to track current and past brews. Hopefully this is more interesting than some pics of the Grainfather
> 
> If anyone is interested in setting this up, let me know and I will post an overview of the setup process.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> Tiltpi-Splunk
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> __ Bin Chicken
> __ 13/10/18
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> Tilt Hydrometer Splunk Dashboard




Gday Bin Chicken,
just wondering if you could post some info about your set up as I would love to track all my brews easily
cheers
Pump


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## Bin Chicken

pump21 said:


> Gday Bin Chicken,
> just wondering if you could post some info about your set up as I would love to track all my brews easily
> cheers
> Pump



No worries. I'll write something up shortly


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## pump21

Cheers mate


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## Brewtus

You can see my Balcony Brewery here at https://beerbackhome.com/the-brewery.
The fun of limited space.


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## trq

Just recently got a new MLT, a second pump and stand.


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## Philip Arnatt

Here’s mine , I built the rig years ago but had a long time idle but now back to brewing I’m changing over to electric the htl has a 2200 watt element and I just got another element yesterday for the kettle


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## 865

865 said:


> View attachment 112978
> I've been building this piece by piece for the past few years when I've had the money to put toward it and the time to build it. Nearly complete.



I've now completed my build and I've done a couple of brews. I did an 18l test batch and stuffed up the sparge, but the beer still came out really good. I recently did a 36l batch, milled my own grain, used brewing salts, made pH adjustments and managed 88% efficiency. Tried the beer the other day and I couldn't be happier.


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## marc280

That looks like an awesome setup! Any more info on the control panel and build overall? 

It all looks really neat and taking a guess at what each bit is for on the panel is for looks like the sort of panel I'd like to build.


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## 865

865 said:


> That looks like an awesome setup! Any more info on the control panel and build overall?
> 
> It all looks really neat and taking a guess at what each bit is for on the panel is for looks like the sort of panel I'd like to build.



It's basically theelectricbrewery.com panel build, with a few minor changes and a bit of reorganising. I'll take a close up this evening.


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## Oz-Brewer

Alright.... here's mine, and another Electric Brewery Clone, but with back to back capability. A minor error on the labelling as well. I built this in 2014 in Ireland, but now living back in Oz. Had my sparky mate over today to wire in the mains to the shed. Should be ready next week to brew again after a 2 year hiatus.... Can't wait!!!!













20180825_170136



__ Oz-Brewer
__ 9/11/18


















20180825_171131



__ Oz-Brewer
__ 9/11/18


















20181109_160056



__ Oz-Brewer
__ 9/11/18


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## 865

865 said:


> It's basically theelectricbrewery.com panel build, with a few minor changes and a bit of reorganising. I'll take a close up this evening.


I forgot about the close up. Here it is...


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## marc280

865 said:


> I forgot about the close up. Here it is...


That looks awesome! I'm hoping I can do something similar soon.


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## nickshew

Nothing as cool as the guys who have their whole setup on one trolley! Never managed to do that. In my defense I'm trying to get larger batches than the standard 23 litres. Running about 80 litres atm. Fermenter size / cooling seems to be the barrier to start, although heating up a big batch would be a serious challenge too. Can't afford that next step 
Liking some of the automation I have seen here. You can see the iPhone shots of my attempts at controlling HotLiquor (HERMS) and fermenter temps.

Cheers
Nick


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## citizensnips

Was sick of having the pump on the ground and having to move it around for different processes, plus no kill switch except the one at the wall was not practical. Had a fair bit of it lying around, spent about $40 on the rest of it. Bought an extension lead with an inline switch because I don't trust myself wiring and didn't want to pay a sparky. A bit messy, but hey what's home brewing if it's not a little ghetto.


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## #brewlife

Here’s my cobbled together 4v setup. No fancy control panel yet just a dedicated 30A circuit and 6 10A plugs on the back wall.
Double batching last night, got one on the boil and another mashing, took me a while to dial it in but it’s working good now. The cheap $10 kettle with 2.5m of copper in it works a treat for step mashing, getting 1deg per minute.


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## #brewlife

nickshew said:


> Nothing as cool as the guys who have their whole setup on one trolley! Never managed to do that. In my defense I'm trying to get larger batches than the standard 23 litres. Running about 80 litres atm. Fermenter size / cooling seems to be the barrier to start, although heating up a big batch would be a serious challenge too. Can't afford that next step
> Liking some of the automation I have seen here. You can see the iPhone shots of my attempts at controlling HotLiquor (HERMS) and fermenter temps.
> 
> Cheers
> Nick


What are you using to get the read out in your phone?


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## Kenf

Here is the final version of my 3 Vessel CP 36 litre Nano system.
It is controlled by SmartPID and uses parts from various suppliers
I also use a Digiboil converted into a single vessel system again powered by a SmartPID.
Thx everyone!


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## Cloud Surfer

Brought these boxes home a few days ago.


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## Cloud Surfer




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## Cloud Surfer

Spent today cleaning and priming the chiller and putting it all together. I'm stoked with the setup. Can't wait to ferment with temperature control. I'm going to christen it tomorrow with a Hefeweizen.


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## kadmium

Holy smokes, that looks neat as! Very very very nice!


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## butisitart

i don't get car envy, couldn't give a toss. don't get camera envy and that's my other favourite waste of money.
so why the f***k have i got fermenter envy???!!?!!?!!??


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## Cloud Surfer

butisitart said:


> i don't get car envy, couldn't give a toss. don't get camera envy and that's my other favourite waste of money.
> so why the f***k have i got fermenter envy???!!?!!?!!??


You're too kind. But I accept your envy.


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## bloubrak

A fermentation station getting ready to be built. These are the best fermenters that will take your beer from a 7 to a 9 on a scale of 10.


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## Eddy Monsoon

bloubrak said:


> A fermentation station getting ready to be built. These are the best fermenters that will take your beer from a 7 to a 9 on a scale of 10.


Mine goes up to 11


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## Liquidmalisha

Setting mine up today and hopefully will have them filled soon


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## marc280

Nice! Anymore details on the fermenters?


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## Sidney Harbour-Bridge

Eddy Monsoon said:


> Mine goes up to 11


That's absolutely fabulous eddy, my HLT which used to be a robobrew goes to 11 now too.


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## Liquidmalisha

Liquidmalisha said:


> Setting mine up today and hopefully will have them filled soonView attachment 119014


Fresh off the boat, full jacketed 125L Unitanks. Looking forward to using Cip to clean instead of scrubbing.


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## Cloud Surfer

Liquidmalisha said:


> Fresh off the boat, full jacketed 125L Unitanks. Looking forward to using Cip to clean instead of scrubbing.


You must get thirsty.


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## Liquidmalisha

Cloud Surfer said:


> You must get thirsty.


Sometimes.... Friday arvo’s outside my shed definitely get busy.


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## Augo

Liquidmalisha said:


> Setting mine up today and hopefully will have them filled soonView attachment 119014


Damn, that's awesome - what's the damage for that scenario??

Augo


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## Augo

OK, question for the brains trust. Might be seen as blasphemy. I'm very happy with my cobbled together 3V system - I built it and I know the ins and outs of it, all day long. But it's big, and cleaning can be a drag. Has anyone gone from 3V to 1V (Brew in a Basket)? My preference would be 3 Corny's worth, so, a 60 L output, but not interested in G70 prices. Anyone own a likely solution, and why do you love it?

Augo


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## Liquidmalisha

Augo said:


> Damn, that's awesome - what's the damage for that scenario??
> 
> Augo


Hey Augo, around 5k to get the fermenters. I’m currently running a Guton 70L which I have had nothing but success with, could just get to 60L wort amount if your staying under the 5.5-6%. Personally will be doing a 100L 3 vessel soon as I have to get higher volume going.


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## Augo

Liquidmalisha said:


> Hey Augo, around 5k to get the fermenters. I’m currently running a Guton 70L which I have had nothing but success with, could just get to 60L wort amount if your staying under the 5.5-6%. Personally will be doing a 100L 3 vessel soon as I have to get higher volume going.


Thanks for the reply - I'd be keen on your thoughts going from single vessel to 3V. Everything gets bigger and more complicated - real estate, cleaning, pipework, etc. The volume output is understandable - ironically, I'm trying to go the other way......


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## Eddy Monsoon

Sidney Harbour-Bridge said:


> That's absolutely fabulous eddy, my HLT which used to be a robobrew goes to 11 now too.
> View attachment 119016



When your brew is at it's peak, and you just want to give it some more fermentation, that's the equipment you need.


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## Sidney Harbour-Bridge

Eddy Monsoon said:


> When your brew is at it's peak, and you just want to give it some more fermentation, that's the equipment you need.


It's what you do when you give 110%


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