| Author |
Message |
    
Charles McGough (209.142.178.102)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 12:51 pm: | 
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Yesterday I did my first brew with my newly built HERMS system. All went pretty well. I was doing a Fix 40-50-60-70 mash skedule. I couldn't quite reach the 177°F mash out. I could only reach 172°F. I also had a slight problem with slow runoff from the mash tun. This could have been because I was brewing a wheat beer.
The system uses 2 converted kegs and a 10 Gal Rubbermaid(Gott) cooler with a Bazooka T. The HLT is heated with a 5500 Watt, 240 Volt Electric heating element controlled by an OMRON E5CN PID and SSR. The mash temperature is controlled by another OMRON E5CN PID which controlls 2 ASCO solenoid valves.
The boil kettle is heated by a Metal Fusion burner, and also has a Bazooka T. The frame is a two tier, welded up from 1" square steel tubing.
I also use a lauder grant ala Zimie. The pump is a March AC-3C-MD.
Charles McGough
Brewing in North Louisiana |
Walt Fischer (192.25.240.225)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 05:08 pm: |
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Sounds like a sweet setup!
I use an Omron pid with my herms too.
Congrats!
Walt
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Marlon Lang (68.159.5.73)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 02:13 am: |
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Charles,
Your rig sounds a lot like mine, except I put my exchanger coil in the boiling pot. If you are having trouble reaching high mash-out temperatures, you might check two things. First, it is not uncommon to have a 5 degree gradient across a mash tun. Do some checking and compare the temperature near the wall with the temperature near the center of the mash bed. If you are reading the wort temperature in the line, it may not represent what the mash is actually seeing. Secondly, cosider some insulation on the lines. The split-foam that the AC boys use works well.
Marlon Lang
HERMS dude in Baton Rouge |
Charles McGough (209.142.178.145)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 03:39 am: |
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Walt and Marlon, Thanks for the responce. I don't anticipate using the Fix 40-50-69-70 Mash schedule that often. I ran it as a kind of "worst case" test of the system. I Normally mash out at 168°F. which I have no problem reaching. At present I am using a thermocouple that I just dangle into the mash. I did move it around quite a bit checking the temperatures at different places in the grain bed. You are correct, the temperatures did vary several degrees from place to place.
I plan on adding insulation to the lines and HLT when I get through tinkering with the plumbing.
Marlon when I get to Baton Rouge sometime I would like to see your system.
Charles McGough
Brewing in North Louisiana |
Marlon Lang (68.159.5.73)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 03:56 am: |
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Chuck,
Bring it on, dude. The Sterlington address makes me think we have even more in common. Try marlonlang@bellsouth.net and lets rap.
Brew on |
don price (65.32.41.146)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 04:02 am: |
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Charles,
Just add a RIMS chamber (and controller and thermocouple) and you'll never miss another temperature step again.
HERMS/RIMS rules!
Don |
Walt Fischer (24.221.196.114)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 07:27 am: |
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i have to say here.... personally.... the only place i would ever consider adding an electric element in my system, is in the hlt.
i heat my hlt now with propane, which works great as long as i keep my hlt temp about 10-15 degrees above what i am trying to keep my mash at, it all works great.
The valves kick n and out to either bypass the hlt, or go through it to maintain the mash temp, always circulating for the 90 mash, as needed. Pretty much a hands off 90 min mash, only having to kick on the hlt propane maybe twice to maintain that 10-15 degrees difference.
i wouldnt want a heating element touching my beer.
since mash is so sensitive to temperatures, it just seems unlogical to me to "fry" the wort as it goes past the element.
To me, this is where herms rules.... slow, concise temp control.
Not that i cant make big changes if i need to, cause itll step up at 2 degres a min, no prob.
i bring my hlt up to 180 at sparge.... then stop recirculating, and switch hoses, and start to sparge with that water.
it brings the sparge up to 170-175 easy for the "chaser"....
Another cool thing is, that chaser, cleans out the 50 foot coil in the hlt, the valves, the pump, and the system with super hot water.
2 cents worth...
Walt
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