Show us your brewrig

[Franko]

What OS are you using it with Mick? I have an old laptop with win95 on it sitting around doing nothing. Might be worth a try.

cheers

Browndog

Win95 will work ok Browndog

Franko

 

[schooey]

In my job I use these little Thermocron datalogger buttons for monitoring gearbox temps, bearing temps etc etc... Get them from here... You can buy a datalogger, reader and software for around $200.... Yeah yeah, I know, not cheap...but if you don't have a laptop handy, aren't PC savvy and all the rest of it, these things are really easy to set up and use

 

[mxd]

Hardware is the K145 Temp Monitor. Monitoring only, no adjustment.


Cheers, Hoges.

Hi Hoges,

I have that kit as well, how did you make and where did you install your thermowells.

cheers
Matt

 

[jayruby]

I want to build a 3 tier stand but just looking for some designs
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g,day banora brewer im up near the racecourse in bundall if ya wanna come up and check out my brew rig sometime its a 3 tier system thats very easy to use [the KISS principle] just finished my6th AG ,will never use tins again ! talk soon mate

 

[Juddy]

Howdy

Today I finally got my new brew rig up and running. For the last ten years I have been brewing in the garage on a rig made up of an assortment of bits and pieces I have gathered over the journey. It worked well and I have made some great beers with the basic gravity fed 3 tier system. But there is only so long that you can sit bye and pretend that all the brew porn on this site and others doesn't make you just a little envious! So I started to research systems and line up few mates to help with some of harder or technical bits.

Old Faithful

The basic design was a single tier, 3 vessel HERMS system using a march pump to move the liquids around. The HLT & Heat Exchanger will be powered by 2 x 2.2kw elements and a gas fired kettle.

The first step was the brew frame. I chose 50mm x 50mm galvanised steel. A mate helped me weld it up and the a quick prime and a paint with blue enamel. I filled in some of the open gaps in the top of the frame with aluminium checker plate, and filled the lower level in with merbau decking! The results looked great. A set of sturdy casters ensure that the rig is mobile. Next came the purchase of 3 x 60lt aluminium stockpots, and orders were placed with Beerbelly and Craftbrewer for all the plumbing bits and pieces. A trip to Auscrown placed a Rambo gas burner in my hands and the elements were bought of ebay. The pump was bought through Grain and Grape. A quick visit to the Mashmaster web site saw 3 Mashmaster HLT temperature controllers coming my way! All of a sudden I had all the pieces of the jig saw. Apart from one! I had initially thought of simply wiring the temperature controller into individual boxes and having a really simple system. However, when I told an electrician mate of this he thought I was mad and suggested that he take over the design of a single control box for all of the electrical components. The result is what I think is the sexiest part of the new brewery and works awesome! It consists of a powdered coated box containing a mains power switch, on/off controls for the pump, 3 temperature controllers each with individual on/off, red and green, illuminated buttons, and interlocks that prevent more than one element being used at a time! I really am indebted to Ang for all his hard work. The resulting box looks great, and is safe and easy to use!

Nice.

Ang's work on the control box was awesome!
Once all the plumbing bits and pieces arrived I set to work finishing off the remainder of the rig.

The Mash Tun.

The Kettle.

And finally today all the bits came together!

The nearly completed rig!

The Brewing team seem quite happy with the new rig!

I still have a lot to do before she is ready for her maiden run. Water tests, pump cover and heat exchanger insulation are at the top of the list. It has been a six month process and has cost a small fortune. But at this early stage I am very happy with the results. A big thank you to all the contributors on this site that have given me the inspiration to build the rig. Nothing here is new (well maybe the control box) and most components are directly inspired by the posts of other members! Now I look forward to brewing some beer, and maybe having a slightly easier brew day!

Cheers

Juddy

 

[hockadays]

looks pretty good, I like the lit switches

 

[~MikE]

wow, awesome setup there Juddy

 

[Jono_w]

That's a nice clean setup there Juddy.

 

[Juddy]

Thanks Guys!

The true test is still to come but it has been a blast just getting this far! Standby for the for brew day!

Cant wait!

Juddy

 

[theover]

Here's Mine

Mash Tun

The Kettle

 

[browndog]

Congrats Juddy, that rig looks excellent, mate, I dread to think what that control box and it's contents would cost if all the bits were new. Well done.

cheers

Browndog

 

[felon]

Gravity is still my friend.

 

[Hogan]

Hello Hoges,
Nice set up. What sort of brass disconnects did you use? Are they the garden variety that you get from hardware stores? Have you found that they work ok?
Cheers
billygoat

Just the garden variety from Bunnings and they work spot on.

Cheers, Hoges.

 

[Murcluf]

oh my giddy aunty I've just discovered brew porn and am addicted already

 

[raven19]

2 Tier, 3 Vessel RIMS fired all electric brewery. About 90% complete, paint and a few bits to add still.



More piccies here:
Raven Brewery Mk II

 

[stew.w]

im just in the process of upgrading my rig, as the dollar was so good recently i bought a march pump for $193AU delivered. so im planning on moving to a HERMS set up. also converting the HLT to electric instead of the mongolian burner, got a 2200W s/s element from craftbrewer. to anyone else using these, how long would it take to heat 40L of water from 65C to say 80C? ive got no idea as ive only ever used gas.
got one of mates at work to weld these sockets onto my ally pot instead of using the rubber seals:



the plate is on there because the burners throw a bit of a flame around i was getting a micro boil going in my sight glass which would then boil over several times during a boil.

for my heat exchanger ive aquired a small (i think 9L) urn with an 1800w element in it, will this be powerful enough for a heat exchanger? should be able to get a decent coil in it as its reasonably tall.

Cheers,

Stewart

 

[LesSin]

My 3 tier setup

 

[raven19]

Very tidy Les, thanks for sharing!

 

[boybrewer]

My 3 tier setup

View attachment 42680

Hi Les ;
Great set up nice and neat . I also have the same mash tun as you and I have found that it looses a lot of heat through the lid . I started to try and retain the heat by wrapping a few towels around it and then I made an insulated lid with some styrofoam which I wrapped in tape something like duct tape and it just sat on top of the mash . It kept the heat in and I only lost between a 1/2 - 1*C over the mash period . The other way would to be fill the lid with that expanda foam stuff . That is if you haven't done it already

May your beers be great beers .


Cheers
Mike

 

[jimmysuperlative]

Found this on youtube...

One for those with the will and expertise to automate their single vessel systems! :blink:




...I think Arnie is a forum member here, and I hope I didn't stuff up his "reveal" or anything, but this is some good gear. So good I just had to share it! :icon_cheers: