Dedicated Herms Guide, Problems And Solution Thread

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rodj6 said:
Thanks for the advice. Mofox, your link took me somewhere else, but I would like to see your build pics. Could you have another go at that link please
Link was to the finished SS coil... shoulda worked maybe the keyboard-fu has lost its funk.

Here's the pics - head to my gallery pages for the bigger images. I'll up some more build pics after I add the water return and sight glass brackets.

Re-coiled, and in situ.

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Hi all,
I am currently in the process of designing a 50 liter 3 V HERMS system (with a separate heat exchanger - not using HLT as HEX) to replace my current 3 V system with a esky mash tun etc and have a couple of questions, I apologise if these questions have already been asked.

1/ Is it possible to use a cheap 2400W kettle as a HEX and simply drill a couple of holes in the lid for the coil tubing to pass through? This would be controlled via a thermocouple on the outlet tube just before it goes back into the mash tun.

2/ If the above idea doesn't work or I feel like making a more "bling" solution I was thinking of making a stainless steel HEX similar to the HERM-IT one I've seen online - question is; are these a sealed unit (thereby being slightly pressurized) or are they vented to atmosphere so they don't build up pressure but will loose a little water via evaporation.

3/ What volume mash tun is required, I am assuming that around the 70 liter size would be right?

Thanks in advance,
Cheers, Aaron.
 
1) Yes, a lot of people are using a kettle with Nev's herm-it coil. It seems a 1.7L vessel is a suitable size for fast ramp times. If you haven't already, check out this thread for ideas. I used Nev's herm-it kit with thermowell for my build which was well priced IMO if you want to go all stainless. If your bending your own coil it might be a bit of a challenge getting a tight coil without packing with sand or similar.

2) I think Nev's SS HEX has a bleed hole in the lid but will let someone else confirm. I used a piece of 150mm SS pipe for mine with a 2200W kettle element. The lid just rests on the top held by the weight of the coil and I don't really lose anything to evaporation. The liquid in the HEX never gets to a boil unless I forget to turn it off with no flow through the coil.

3) Are you looking for 50L batches from your system? I use a 50L keggle for a MT and can push out 40 odd litres of 1050 gravity wort and still have heaps of space in the MT. I haven't tried a high gravity double batch in my system however. It certainly wouldn't hurt to go 70L for the mash tun. Of more importance to me is a big kettle to avoid boil overs or having to top up.

Good luck with your build
 
Camo6 said:
2) I think Nev's SS HEX has a bleed hole in the lid but will let someone else confirm. I used a piece of 150mm SS pipe for mine with a 2200W kettle element. The lid just rests on the top held by the weight of the coil and I don't really lose anything to evaporation. The liquid in the HEX never gets to a boil unless I forget to turn it off with no flow through the coil.

It has a bleed hole in the center



HXSSTOPLG.png
 
Great, thanks for the advice and help guys.

I am looking to brew 50L batches and also want the flexibility of going reasonably high gravity if need be, I think I will go with a mash tun and a kettle of around the 70L mark. At this stage I hopefully going to be using an old 200L stainless steel hot water service that I was given for my HLT - never have too much hot water! :)

I will post some pics when I finally finish it all.
 
Oh now ain't that just darlin', wee little Birko playin' with the big boys.

Beautiful piece of work Yob!

And now that I'm biting the HERMS bullet it looks like I need to sit down and read this thread. And others.

Wait a minute. There's a NICKELBACK ad at the bottom of the page. Do I hafta listen to Nickelback if I have a HERMS? Better look at the RIMS thread ;)
 
Just picked up a cheap near - new Breville 6l urn from eBay. Will be reading the rest of the rest of the thread for tips but reckon I will go the herm-it way to get it all going.
 
GrumpyPaul said:
Looks good Yob.

Does the insulation make that much difference???
I expect so, I wasn't getting ramp times on par with my old one but as it's single walled, I expect I was loosing quite a bit to the atmosphere.

Haven't used it yet, we'll find out at the swap.
 
Yob said:
it's called thermo shield or some suce, from clarke rubber..

it aint cheap.. but it's the goods
Formshield? I know Clarke Rubber sells formshield, which is a foil backed P.E. foam rated at up to 85c.

I was thinking of using it on my HLT (& mash tun when I upgrade from the esky), but I regularly get my HLT up to boiling for sparge. Bit worried that it will melt.

Then at the same time, I wrap an old camp mat around the boil kettle to achieve higher volume boils, and thats PE too.
 
Looks like the same stuff I use in my system. About $50 / linear metre, 1m wide? I spoke to the bloke behind the counter (not Clark Rubber) and he made a phone call confirming it was suitable for boiling temps. This doesn't make the person on the other end of the phone right though.
 
Hi Guys,
I have the same insulation on my Brau Clone (18 months or so) and have done over a dozen - hour and a half boils with no deterioration of the insulation ie melting / splitting - no effect. It didn't come with glue on the back of it when I purchased it, so can't speak for how long that will last. I just have heavy duty tape at the rear of mine securing so if need be for cleaning it can be easily removed
 
TheWiggman said:
Looks like the same stuff I use in my system. About $50 / linear metre, 1m wide? I spoke to the bloke behind the counter (not Clark Rubber) and he made a phone call confirming it was suitable for boiling temps. This doesn't make the person on the other end of the phone right though.
$50?! Nah, the clarke rubber one was much less IIRC... (yob?) about $27 or so. And they confirmed the 85 deg thing. I've been hunting around for a PU (foil or non-foil backed) foam for a while with no luck, but that's rated to well over 100. Maybe it was that.

Mostly the thing that worried me was that *some* PE foams will melt VERY close to 100. Very close... 105 deg.
 
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