Been lingering around for years but now I'm outta the beer closet.

[Tex N Oz]

Hi Folks!!

I'd like to introduce myself to the forum and hopefully make some acquaintances along the way.

My name is Bruce and I'm a 47 year old mechanical engineer specialising in HVAC. I have experience in electronics, mechanical electronics, controls and most associated sciences. My biggest hobbies are design engineering, chemistry and fitting. I'm most at home behind a mill, lathe, welder or computer running Autocad Mechanical or Inventor.
As my user name suggests, I'm originally from Texas. Most of my friends call me "Big Tex" but make no mistake, I'm a proud Australian and having lived here for 12 years, this is truly my home. My last breath will be taken here in this fantastic country that I love.

I've been forced into retirement from a heart condition but stay as active as I can. That leaves me with a lot of extra time to design and build!!

I'm currently working on a PBW replacement for the DIYer. While I'm no chemist, I have a lot of experience working with water in steam boilers, heating water and chilled water systems and their associated chemical treatments. Using those past experiences and gleaning whatever information I can from professionals, I'm getting very close to a formulary and will post it as soon as it meets the requirements.

As for my beer brewing prowess..... Yeah, that has some to be desired. Hopefully I'll learn how to make something that doesn't resemble swill someday soon. haha

 

[Feldon]

Welcome aboard, Tex. With that skill set you are going to be mighty popular around here.

The PBW clone sounds interesting. You planning on marketing it or just interested in nutting out what's in it?

 

[Weizguy]

Welcome aboard. Set a spell. Take your shoes off. Relax, join in..., and please remember to search before posting a question.*

*Not sure if it's considered a cardinal sin any longer, but people have been hammered for it, historically, and never returned, due to the shaming (and some abuse, perhaps).

 

[Tex N Oz]

Thanks Feldon!!
I'm not interested in selling anything. I'm just hoping to get it all sorted and then I'll post the formula online and maybe do a bulk buy on the ingredients.
Some of them are a bit specialised but I've found a source for most. It's going to have some pro's and con's to the PBW that we know and love.

Pros - It will clean heaps better, faster and will be food safe, suitable for CIP systems. Only slightly more caustic and still reasonably contact safe. I don't want to bathe in any of it though. I'm hoping the final costs will be about $6.50 a kilo with about the same usage rates.

Cons - Only useful for plastic and stainless steel. It might turn aluminium, copper and brass as the chelating agents and phosphates are a bit harsher. It's also not so eco friendly because of the phosphate content.
However, with that said, it's still a lot more friendly than fertiliser or commercial dish washing powder.

In the end it's all a big trade-off. You gain somewhere and you lose somewhere else. Probably wont be for everyone but I'm putting it together for my needs.

Thanks for the welcome Les!!
Also thanks for the heads-up but I don't think I'll have too many problems. I'm not generally too annoying and I'm very thick skinned.

 

[yankinoz]

Welcome from yankinoz, here five years after being run out of California, New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Idaho and lastly Iowa. I even visited Texas on occasion, in winter if I had a choice.

Among the many types of brewers here you will find quite a few who love to engineer equipment. Being more of a Luddite and a BIAB brewer I read their posts with interest but don't try them out. Although I retired as an anthropologist, long ago I worked as a chemist, and there are chemists among the members. So your posts on cleaners will attract interest.

 

[Tex N Oz]

Thanks yankinoz!
Wow you did run the gamut of states. Oklahoma and Texas are the extents of my US homes.

I've decided to design my own brew system. I'm thinking a 4 vat HERMS gas fired with proportional valves, controlled by a Maples HMC7057A-M controller. I can see myself behind a TIG gun for 100 hours building something like that so it will probably never happen. lol I still use the old pot and burner. So far it's worked out ok but its clumsy and hard work. I'm starting to think BIAB might be the way to go.
While I love to build, I find it a bit of a challenge these days. I'm starting to realise the most important bits are a stainless conical fermenter and accurate refrigeration.

 

[Mardoo]

Hey there Tex, Former Yank myself, been here 17 years now. Spent 10 years in New Mexico, amongst others. Check out Husky's build thread for a bit of engineering fun.

Also if you're too painfully bored as a retired engineer maybe check out Engineers Without Borders. They do some great work in the world.

 

[yankinoz]

Thanks yankinoz!
Wow you did run the gamut of states. Oklahoma and Texas are the extents of my US homes.

I've decided to design my own brew system. I'm thinking a 4 vat HERMS gas fired with proportional valves, controlled by a Maples HMC7057A-M controller. I can see myself behind a TIG gun for 100 hours building something like that so it will probably never happen. lol I still use the old pot and burner. So far it's worked out ok but its clumsy and hard work. I'm starting to think BIAB might be the way to go.
While I love to build, I find it a bit of a challenge these days. I'm starting to realise the most important bits are a stainless conical fermenter and accurate refrigeration.

If you haven't already done so, take a look at the NZ Grainfather intergrated brewing device. It's basically BIAB with valves and such,

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Welcome to the asylum Tex