RIMS bitsa build

[dave_moriarty]

So after a break from brewing for 18 months or so, I'm feeling the call of a project to keep me busy, I've done a couple infusion mash APAs with good results but I want to get some better temp control happening.

I am planning on using my existing 30lt esky mash tun gravity fed into a 50lt keg for extra sparge water capacity, the recirculating with a keg King pump through a low density 3600w rims tube, controlled by a sestos pid and a pt-100 probe.

I made my wife a temp controlled fabric dying keg that isn't being used anymore so that's where the donor parts are coming from.

The mash tun has a stainless steel mesh over a copper manifold as the false bottom.. I get a decent flow rate out of it,

My concern is wether it's ok for the sparge water to come through the top keg inlet and essentially splash into the keg before it gets pumped around?

I also plan to use the keg as my kettle after the mash, using a gas torch under as a heat source.

 

[dave_moriarty]

Quick update,

Picked up an immersion chiller from country brewer Richmond yesterday it's 9m of coil and fits nicely into my kettle, I should be fine to run tap water through it to cool.

I was just reading throught MOADs build thread Wow! But he wrote that the temperature at the element is where the sugar conversion happens in the wert is this right? Or should I be reading the temp as it hits the top of the grain bed?

Cheers guys
Dave

 

[malt junkie]

Read temp at the exit of the HX

 

[dave_moriarty]

Cheers malt junkie, i'm still trying to learn about RIMS system design.

 

[pcqypcqy]

I'm not following - what is the keg used for? Is it just a HLT? If so, splashing water is fine. If it contains wort, you may not want to splash it in.

 

[dave_moriarty]

Keg will be used as an extension of the MLT, I don't have the capacity for grain + liquid in the esky. I'll then use it (keg) as the BK, by closing the outlet valve and draining the grain bed completely then closing the inlet.

Well this is my plan, unless there is something wrong in doing it that way.

 

[pcqypcqy]

It's different, but that doesn't make it wrong. I might try and do something to minimise the splashing of the wort into the keg then. If you can put a dip tube on the inside of the return, so that it remains submerged, that should give you a gentle flow back into the keg without splashing/aeration.