Recent content by Sparkologist

It appears that the axle / spindle of mine can is made of what feels like porcelain and it is broken. Only a couple months old.

This is not true.... I have seen a blow off tube suck back nearly a quart of liquid in a cold crash from 70 degrees to 30 degrees. Sorry I should have read on to see others have already addressed this mis-information.

When you shut your pump off and your HLT is at 168 degrees, are you denaturing enzymes of the 50' of wort that is sitting still in the HERMS coil?

I like flars suggestion. US-05 is the Chuck Norris of yeast.

Has it completely floculated? Maybe the previously suggested recommendation of swirling the yeast back in to suspension will work. I have had problems with this yeast in the past as well, but on higher gravity wort.

I put my grains in the mash tun and water in the HLT the night before brewday. I lay in bed, design the brewing process on my laptop or tablet and click start while enjoying a cup of coffee. I have my most common designs saved and I can create a new crazy process in minutes. There is a small...

Oakbarn is Right On! I use the BCS controller on my RIMS system and I wouldn't change a thing. It is funny watching the youtube videos where they are constantly over shooting with standard PIDs. Over 30 batches through the latest BCS system and I have never had a single problem.

With a HERMS system you can not: Simultaneously heat your sparge water to 168 and keep your mash temperature at 152. Heat different mash steps in minutes. RIMS is much less likely to overshoot your set point. Yes you do need an extra element.

I highly recommend the BCS 460 or 462 controller. It literally replaces all PIDs. It is an inexpensive, powerful, web based controller. It is very easy to set up your processes from strike temp, mash temsp and steps, boil control, fermentation and what ever else you can imagine. I fill my HLT...