3-Vessel eHERMS build

[gerard weyns]

Well I've been asking questions and kicking around ideas on here for a few months now and I finally started my build this afternoon!! I picked up enough 18 gauge SS for 3 15 gallon pots with lids, a false bottom for my mash tun, and a 10 gallon conical fermenter and got to cutting.

This is as far as I got with the little time I had. Going to be doing a lot of welding tomorrow so if anybody has tips on watertight welds I'd appreciate it. Hoping to get all of my fab work done before I go back to school on Monday because I won't have access to a metal shop. Hopefully my roommates wont mind my mess of wires as I work on the controller. Anyways I'm really glad I got this build going and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you guys. Cheers

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

Done yet ?

 

[gerard weyns]

Well it turns out I'm not quite the fabricator I thought I was (very difficult to keep 18 gauge SS from warping with a MIG welder). Fortunately I found some 15 gallon kettles for ultra cheap on Brew International and they were delivered earlier this week. I now have everything that I need for this build ordered and on the way. I ended up spending a little more on the system than originally planned, but with similar turnkey systems in the $4,000+ range I think I'm still sitting pretty good. I attached a parts list in case anybody else finds the information useful. I didn't include hoses and fittings because I plan on sourcing those locally once I have the rest of the system put together. I realize this isn't original (I used info from a lot of other builds), but this is my build and I am excited to get going on it!

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

TIG would've been the welding process of choice I applaud your ambition tho'

 

[gerard weyns]

Well its finally starting to take shape!! Haven't quite installed the RTD probes yet, but other than that the pots are all finished. Inline RTD sensors in NPT Ts after the ball valves on the HLT and mash tun, and one installed in the boil kettle wall. I'm pretty proud of my HERMs coil, sparge arm, and immersion chiller that I made with a conduit bender and a lot of elbow grease. The HERMs coil is 10.5" wide by 8" tall with an overall length of 32', and fits inside of the BoilCoil. This made it possible to drop it down to the bottom of the pot allowing me to use less water to submerge the coils and change the temperature faster. I've still got 50' of stainless tubing, so I may try and tackle a double coil stainless immersion chiller this summer when I have a shop to work in rather than a college house. The controller is complete on the outside, but wiring it up is going to be my next project. Got a hell of a deal on 4 used kegs on homebrewing.org and my family is hooking me up with a kegerator setup for my 21st birthday!! School is frying my brain right now so updating the parts list spreadsheet got put on hold, but I will try and post it soon. Hope you all enjoy looking at this thing as much as I do.

 

[SDBob]

Nice work!

Judging by your age, ingenuity, and skill level, you may never 'finish' this project. I find there's no end to improvements, new ideas, and additions. Keep building... It's becoming a lost art I fear.

Very well done.