Help with figuring out a HERMS system

[Yourrealdad]

So for the last year I have been trying to figure out RIMS vs. HERMS and all the details surrounding them. I am still undecided, but found this video today:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scRX0va6PAc[/ame]

This seems like a pretty easy and cheap setup to go this route.
I currently own a 20G kettle with valve, a 10G kettle with valve and thermometer, a 8 or 10G aluminum pot, a 10G round cooler MT.

I am thinking I can used the aluminum pot as my HLT and install a thermometer and valve in it or use the 10G kettle until then.

So for right now I would need to buy a pump, a chiller for the exchanger, silicon tubing and QD, valve and thermometer for the pot. Oh and another burner. Figuring about $250 total
Am I missing anything?

I have a 50' 3/8" copper IM and I am hoping this would work for 10G batches so I wouldn't need to buy a plate or CFC yet?

Changes I would make is that I would put an analog thermometer in the cooler
so I wouldn't have to open the lid and I would drill a spot in the top of the cooler lid to add a disconnect if that is possible.

Does this all seem good? Anything you would change or different way of going about it at this point?

I would think that eventually that I might go electric or at least use a PID to control the HERMS if that is the best route.

Thanks for the help as this has been rather daunting for me to figure out the best route

 

[kpr121]

So for the last year I have been trying to figure out RIMS vs. HERMS and all the details surrounding them. I am still undecided, but found this video today:

This seems like a pretty easy and cheap setup to go this route.
I currently own a 20G kettle with valve, a 10G kettle with valve and thermometer, a 8 or 10G aluminum pot, a 10G round cooler MT.

I am thinking I can used the aluminum pot as my HLT and install a thermometer and valve in it or use the 10G kettle until then.

So for right now I would need to buy a pump, a chiller for the exchanger, silicon tubing and QD, valve and thermometer for the pot. Oh and another burner. Figuring about $250 total
Am I missing anything?

I have a 50' 3/8" copper IM and I am hoping this would work for 10G batches so I wouldn't need to buy a plate or CFC yet?

Changes I would make is that I would put an analog thermometer in the cooler
so I wouldn't have to open the lid and I would drill a spot in the top of the cooler lid to add a disconnect if that is possible.

Does this all seem good? Anything you would change or different way of going about it at this point?

I would think that eventually that I might go electric or at least use a PID to control the HERMS if that is the best route.

Thanks for the help as this has been rather daunting for me to figure out the best route

I didn’t watch the whole video, but seems like you’re going down the right path.

That’s sort of how I started. Put male camlocks on the two ends of my immersion chiller. Female camlocks on all hoses (including the end of two garden hoses for use while chilling. That way you can put the IC in the HLT while using it as a HERMS (connected to your MLT and pump) and after boil you move it to your kettle and use it as a regular IC. 50 feet is plenty/more than enough. I use 25 feet of copper and since the flowrate is so slow through the recirc, I get nearly 100% heat exchange.

I have a camlock fitting in the lid of my cooler MLT and use that lok-line (sp?) on the inside of the fitting to adjust the height of the output into the cooler. It works, but honestly the lid seems to always tip and fall over in the worst times, and its difficult to take it off and stir without spilling wort everywhere. If I did it all over again I would probably put a fitting through the wall of the cooler at the top with lok-line instead.

Ideally you would have male camlocks on all your kettle/cooler fittings as well so you can use those hoses for transferring from one to another. If you’re looking into this and want to save a couple bucks, check out proflowdynamics’ aluminum fittings. I have been using them for over 3 years now and no problems at all other then they get a little tarnished and ugly.

Why use the aluminum pot? Nothing wrong with it, but seems like your 10 gallon pot is already set up to be used as an effective HLT.

You may want to reconsider the thermometer in the MLT also. It will only give you a reading at one spot in the mash. Better option would be a long stem standalone probe that you can poke in the mash at different places. If your planning on going electric and controlled, an even better place to put a thermometer is at the outlet of your IC/HERMs coil. RTD thermocouple and a digital readout thermometer can be had for less than 50 bucks. Instant temp reading of the mash during recirc, and also can be used for measuring the temp of water out during chill (adjust flowrate as necessary). It would be a simple change to connect the wires up to your PID once you get that setup. Then you can install a second RTD probe in your HLT and switch between where you control depending on what you want to do.

Sorry this may not have cleared a lot up but just throwing some ideas out there. If you’re truly planning on going electric and PID controlled in the future you want to make purchases that you don’t have to replace in a year or so. Let me know if you have any other questions, I can try to link to some pictures of my setup if it helps visualize what I was describing above.

 

[Yourrealdad]

Thanks for the reply. I was starting to think no one would answer. I don't know if the post is in the wrong section or it was too broad of a question.

Do I want to use my IC as my heat exchanger? I have never cleaned it from the inside at all since I started.

I was thinking I would just pony up for a coil and put some compression fittings on it and put that in the pot.

I think the aluminum pot would be better for two reasons, one it is taller so I can fit the coil in there easier and two, I would like to keep the the 10G BK how it is so that I can brew 5G batches without having to use the 20G kettle.

Last question for now is if I want to go electric eventually will the installation of a heating element in the HLT effect how I should install the coil currently?

Appreciate the feedback

 

[VegasBrew1]

Love that thermometer. Name would be appreciated. Seems to simplify accurate mashing temp.

 

[acidrain]

50' of 3/8" id coil is going to have a very slow flow. I immediately went to 1/2 OD thin wall SS coil, and I'm really happy with it.
Going electric HLT is a great idea. For future plans, leave yourself 3 or 4 inches from the bottom to the coil.

 

[Yourrealdad]

If I got a 1/2" stainless coil for the HERMS is 25' enough or do I want to go 50'?

In my mind having 50' requires more water to be heated, which means a slower ramping if I want to do step mashes correct?

Oh and KPR could you link the thermocouple and thermometer you are talking about. I tried looking them up and just a themrocouple, especially an RTD seems to be pricey and requires some sort of temp control box like a PID.

Thanks

 

[kpr121]

Just an example. You can probably shop around a little

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=281547050680

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=20_15&products_id=107

 

[acidrain]

I bought 50' and coiled my own, but actually only used about 40' (it's all I could fit in my HLT). Flow is great, but reaction to temp changes is a little slow.
25' is probably too little.