100L 1V BIAB recirc build - The BREWT

[huez]

what a rabbit hole, a few people have bitched about the build quality on the above item, now this one seems to be the ducks guts: http://www.brewershardware.com/TC15F10NPSCOV.html. The 1.5 TC is a versatile spec that SSBrewtech also use if you have any of their gear.

Brewhardware is like the ******* child of Brewershardware. I just broke my bank account with an order with brewershardware.

I went with the following element guard, nice quality and correct thread for australian elements. 2" tri clover though, not sure if thats what you're after. 5star also do nice ones if you manage to get one before that all sell out

http://www.stilldragon.com.au/element-guard-kit/

 

[buckerooni]

Ha! Yeah, those are also good options I was looking at but by the time you get the guard, clamps + weldless TC fitting in Oz you're pretty much covered the ones from the states. My camco elements are also NPS so the brewershardware one also makes it literally a good fit. But fk me, postage from those blokes is a killer!

 

[huez]

Some of their item weights are questionable that's for sure. They stick to the usps box sizes, so you might add one to many tri clover clamps and BOOM postage doubles!

 

[buckerooni]

ended up getting the brewhardware gear after all, they have all the kit, couldn't justify spending any more $ and the 1.5 TC will match my SS Brewtech gear if I ever bling it up.

2 x solderable tri clover flange & element cover : https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/etc4s.htm + spare TC blank if I use just the 1 element.

3 x solderable pull through bulkheads : https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/ptbulkhead.htm + tool

I figure the extra $ up front will come back in time savings cleaning and should be solid and leak free. well, that's what I'm telling myself AU$385 later...it hurts just typing this...did I really just do that?

 

[buckerooni]

coming together. had to ditch the 56L grain basket as it didn't allow enough room to do sidewall recirc. I didn't want a hose running through the pot lid. it makes taking the pot lid off a pain, as well as more difficult to change the recirc hose position (see http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/93631-cutting-the-lip-off-a-54l-pot-to-reduce-height-to-use-as-1v-grain-basket/ )

have silver soldered the tri clover fittings on, this is before cleaning up with barkeepers friend/polishing disc:

 

[buckerooni]

this cost me some sweetass time and money, but I LOVE being able to remove the elements for storage already!

 

[buckerooni]

with the pull through bulkhead, silver soldered on the inside. this thing is SOLID. it's NPT but screws into the BSP 3-piece valve no worries.

 

[buckerooni]

death from above.

2 x 4500w elements with temp probe between right element and the tap (where my right knee is, bad photo).

having the triclovers set back the elements a bit made fitting two possible and not having them meet in the middle.

have also got a triclover blank if I just want to use it with 1 element.

 

[fdsaasdf]

Looks great, I like the idea of element removal for storage and cleaning.

 

[technobabble66]

^^ +1
Starting to look very impressive!

 

[rude]

with the pull through bulkhead, silver soldered on the inside. this thing is SOLID. it's NPT but screws into the BSP 3-piece valve no worries.

Is that youre temp probe at the end of the ball valve

Also is that youre return wort

Sorry for noob questions looks great by the way

 

[buckerooni]

yeah, that picture does look a bit odd but it's a hose clamp with a black plastic adjuster! The temp probe is at the top middle part of the picture. You can see it better in the top down pic, clockwise at around the 4:30 mark

It was discussed that the temp of the wort is the most important measurement where the highest temp and conversion occurs - not in the grainbed/circulating fluid - which was the primary reason for the placement inside the vessel. I don't have the data behind this, I was really steered by the discussions in this forum that made most 'layman' sense to me.

This placement also keeps wires off fittings and allows temp measurement without the use of the pump.

 

[buckerooni]

3rd trial after having a few leaks in my soldered tri-clovers - no leaks! PITA to repair solder and I hope it lasts.

had about 80L in there and still ramps at 1c every 30 seconds with 2 x 4500w @ 90% - crazy! Having an ambient temp of 30c helped

 

[rude]

That makes sense thanks the black adjuster through me

Keep the pics coming it's a great build thread cheers

 

[Matplat]

Awesome work mate, that pull-through bulk head fitting look neat as... Have you looked into adding a second whirlpool return? You'll find you only need a fraction of the available flow to go through the grain bed, plenty of head left over to circulate the wort around the elements while you're mashing...

 

[Matplat]

Double posts.... stupid app!

 

[buckerooni]

Awesome work mate, that pull-through bulk head fitting look neat as... Have you looked into adding a second whirlpool return? You'll find you only need a fraction of the available flow to go through the grain bed, plenty of head left over to circulate the wort around the elements while you're mashing...

Thanks! Yeah - that's a good point, have factored in a second return - got a pull through for the job! The PT design is so good, more confidence inspiring that the straight silver soldering of the tri clovers. Wouldn't be surprise if the PT approach is used more in the future.

Now that I have the element height and grain basket clearance sorted I can put that in. It's my first 1V and I can see the logic now as there won't be much movement in the wort once it goes through the grain basket. But I'll do a few brews first before I put in it, I'm curious to see the difference.

 

[fdsaasdf]

grinder power button stops working 3/4 way through the grind - not going to use a tool like that can only be turned off at the switch! Ordered myself a nice makita brushless 18v grinder skin, looking forward to loads of *** disk action once it arrives. so many burrs!

WD-40 and a constant trickle of water over the pot appeared to make the cutting easier.

Just curious as to the thickness of the cutting disc you used for these slots? Any feedback on the gap so far?

 

[Moad]

FYI you can request a shipping cost from brewers hardware, if you ask they will often squeeze it into smaller boxes and refund the difference from the calculated postage

 

[Matplat]

Just curious as to the thickness of the cutting disc you used for these slots? Any feedback on the gap so far?

I used a 1mm disc on mine, and it looks about the same... works perfect.

Buckerooni, let me know how you go getting the burrs off. I never really managed to clean mine off, they would just end up on one side of the pot or the other. As a result cleaning it is a pain, and sponges get ripped to shreds. I just rely on chemical cleaning rather than mechanical cleaning now.