I dont understand HERMS - but I want to

[philistine]

thanks wiggman, yeah I like the idea of a smaller unit anyway.. I found this thread on another site and I really like the build http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=324, although I dont think I'll use a pasta jar!

I know this post should have gone in the dedicated herms thread, but I found it a bit hard to navigate, given that its so long and well established. At this stage, I dont know enough to be able to ask useful question either... its kinda like signing up to this site for the first time and jumping in on a thread thats over 1000 posts long that started in 2009 and saying "What's beer?"

So, to further prolong this mis-located thread, I do have a couple questions that have popped up as a result.
Those Herm-It coils linked above, does anyone know roughly how long the coil is? As in, how long was the tubing before it was coiled?
And Im sure theres a raging debate as to the pro/cons of SS vs. copper, but I just wanna know, can anyone point me in the right direction of a SS tubing supplier in melbourne? Or at least give me a rough idea of what the price per meter is? I can find them easily enough with google, but I was just curious to know if anyone has had direct dealings with any mob in particular... As for copper, Ive got an account with Reece, so there's no issues there..
although to be honest, by so-called "trade-discount' is ******** and I generally find bunnings is cheaper anyway

Also wondering, regarding temp probes - most PID kits on ebay come with k-type thermocouples, but Ive been reading a fair bit here and there about people getting another type of sensor (PT100 I think they're called..?) anyway, what the deal there? are the k-type ones no good?

sorry if the questions seem dumb, like I said above - I gotta figure out a few things first before I understand enough to actually get anything out of the galaxy of reading material thats already on here and the google...

cheers

 

[Camo6]

Geordi Stainless in Cheltenham will do cash sales to the public. Prices aren't bad. You could pick up a 6m length of 12mm annealed 304 ss tube if you had the room and skills to shape your own coil.
Pt100 probes are what you want. While more expensive, Auber instruments sell some nice gear.
From memory, hermit coil is about 2m long or thereabouts.

 

[Yob]

3m I think from memory..

Copper is a better conductor than stainless so you can have less length for the same results.

 

[Mardoo]

Second Auber stuff. Great gear.

Unless you have the right tools for doing stainless coils, stick to copper. There's a thread on here about bending stainless. Although Camo6 mentioned in another thread that annealed SS tube is easier to bend.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

And copper conducts heat better

If needed, you can solder copper to stainless. Its a PITA and you need the right flux and stick,. I soldered brass fitting onto a cheap BigW pot for my ugly kettle and never had any problems with it

Or you can do a herms BOD style

 

[TidalPete]

There is no trick to bending stainless tube perfectly (even annealed) to the tight diameter needed to fit into a 2 or 3-litre container. it's just impossible
Even Nev (am I allowed to mention his name here? ) cannot bend the stainless in his jigs without flattening out the tubing slightly so I didn't even bother trying it at home.

Do it once & do it right by getting a Hermit ss coil + 240v element and build your HX around that (no affiliation, yadda, yadda). Well worth the extra expense IMHO.
Copper certainly gives you slightly better heat transfer but a complete stainless system allows you to do a caustic clean without the danger of eventually chewing through your copper sooner or later.
There is a lot of gunk that a caustic clean removes in a brewing setup that PBW will not. You would be surprised.
A pic of my last & final upgrade is below.

Good luck with your HERMS.

Edit spelling.

 

[Bribie G]

For those who came in late, Pete had a long career in metal (not heavy metal Rock).. building locomotives in Queensland, and as you can see from his photo it shows. So it's great to see him pop onto the forum to partake of his knowledge here.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

There is a lot of gunk that a caustic clean removes in a brewing setup that PBW will not. You would be surprised.

That is why I always use different cleaning/sanitation methods. just using one method alone leads to problems down the track

All stainless is the go if you can do it.

Although stainless doesnt like bleach, much the same as copper doesnt like caustic ...etc....... So it really is horses for courses. There is no real winner or perfect solution

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

And was good to catch up again Tidal at The Grafton Show. Been a few years

 

[manticle]

There is no trick to bending stainless tube perfectly (even annealed) to the tight diameter needed to fit into a 2 or 3-litre container. it's just impossible
Even Nev (am I allowed to mention his name here? ) cannot bend the stainless in his jigs without flattening out the tubing slightly so I didn't even bother trying it at home.

Do it once & do it right by getting a Hermit ss coil + 240v element and build your HX around that (no affiliation, yadda, yadda). Well worth the extra expense IMHO.
Copper certainly gives you slightly better heat transfer but a complete stainless system allows you to do a caustic clean without the danger of eventually chewing through your copper sooner or later.
There is a lot of gunk that a caustic clean removes in a brewing setup that PBW will not. You would be surprised.
A pic of my last & final upgrade is below.

Good luck with your HERMS.

Edit spelling.

Yes you can mention nev and online brewing supplies and include my recommendation for his product and service

 

[S.E]

Seems you can also mention the use and benefits of caustic in the brewery without trolls attacking the thread. Not so long ago that was a bit of a taboo subject. Liking how these days peeps are being a bit more tolerant of methods they haven’t tried or heard of before.