n87's rig rundown [pic heavy]

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n87

Same as it ever was
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Location
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So I have seen and taken inspiration from many rigs on here, so I thought I would share my rig. These pics taken during last nights Doppelbock brew.

Equipment:
82l cheap ebay pot - main pot/kettle
56l cheap ebay pot - malt pipe
19l cheap Big W pot - misc duties
8l pot - misc duties
300mm false bottom
Foil backed yoga mat pot snuggie
Kegking pump w/stainless head
HERM-IT HERMS 2400W tube (thanks to our friends @BeerCartel @Beer_Cartel for allowing me to get this)
Inkbird PID
Italian spiral burner
2 stage water filter
Custom stainless burner stand (made by a friend)
Custom gear stand (made by me)
Sliding skyhook, made with sliding door hardware and frame I built
5 way block and tackle, ratcheting, 10mm rope
stupid amounts of stainless fittings and other stuff


It took a little longer to get to strike temp than expected, so I had to give it a boost with the burner just to get started.
Mashed in, just shy of 19kg grain... prob a couple of kg's too much, but it fits ;)

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I dont usually sparge, but the extra grain and the longer boil than what I normally do called for it

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I didnt get all that much recircing done because it it wasnt draining through the grain bed fast enough for the throttled pump.... so i was turning it on and off. normally this is not a problem.

Mashing out, hook up the lifting rig:

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Burner on, this is on about setting 4 out of 11 (yes, it goes to 11 :))

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Lifting out

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For those keen eyes, yes, it is about to boil over... in about 2 seconds.

Grain lifted out, moved across and dropped onto the 19l pot to finish draining

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Time for a mid brew beer, a Belgian Pale Ale

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After a 90 min boil, drain the kettle into cubes

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Nice cone ;)

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For some close ups of my various bits:

Burner stand:
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HERM-IT HERMS tube
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Control Panel with inkbird PID
Switches for everything, Pump and Heat
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Lifting gear
3x ceramic bearing block up top
2x ceramic bearing block down bottom with ratcheting pulley
Sliding door hardware with custom frame to move the load laterally
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Yes, it is level, just the roof isnt :)

Full rig during the mash. includes
burner stand with pots
gear stand with HERMS, filter, control box and pump
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Malt pipe fitting
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So there it is.
 
Last edited:
Glorious. What BH efficiency do you manage with this?
 
Glorious. What BH efficiency do you manage with this?
Havent put it in the fermenter yet, so this is subject to change.

by the reading I took, it looks to be about 75%

This is also the first brew done with the HERM-IT instead of my RIMS tube and I havent adjusted my PID yet.

With the old RIMS setup, it was around 65-75%... I tend to change things too often to get a propper set of reading :)
 
That's some heavy duty gear!
What's the storage fees each month where you keep all this :phew:.
 
That's some heavy duty gear!
What's the storage fees each month where you keep all this :phew:.

Thanks.

Most of it gets nested into the main pot, the gear stand is free standing, and the hoses get hung up on the wall, doesnt actually take up much space when its packed up
The skyhook stays put, and the block and tackle gets hung next to the hoses and mash paddle
 
Nice post, great detail for those interested in 1V brewing. It's very similar to my rig (described in the DIY project forum) - looks to be the same pots I used, same water filter and very similar plumbing except my HERMS is a stainless coil in a 25L urn.

One suggestion - would your burner efficiency be improved if you moved it closer to the base of your pot?
 
Nice post, great detail for those interested in 1V brewing. It's very similar to my rig (described in the DIY project forum) - looks to be the same pots I used, same water filter and very similar plumbing except my HERMS is a stainless coil in a 25L urn.

One suggestion - would your burner efficiency be improved if you moved it closer to the base of your pot?

Thanks,
I have had the pot setup for a couple of years, and have watched your build.
I think I would get better efficiency if I moved it away a bit, but enclosed the sides so all the heat goes to the pot and there is enough room for oxygen to mix efficiently.
Unfortunately someone messed with my original plans for it... and I don't have the setup to weld stainless.

But if there is no breeze, it will hold a good boil on the lowest setting on the regulator, so I'm happy :)
 
Yep fair enough, I found my ring burner was much more effective when the pot sat directly on top of it, a couple of bricks lifted it up while allowing plenty of ventilation to draw in oxygen.

The HERMS tube sure does bling!
 
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