Budget Basement Brewery Build

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daveMN

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Hello HBT community! At my wife’s “request”, I need to move my brewing out of the kitchen. So I’m moving to the basement, where I have an 11’ x 15’ space with a 50A sub panel. This means I’m going electric. Reading the HBT threads has provided a lot of valuable insight and ideas, especially all the other “Basement brewery builds” out there so I’m excited to get started.

I made the leap to all-grain a year ago, and recently starting kegging. I’m making decent beer and am always looking to improve. The current setup is a 10-gal Igloo and an 8-gal Megapot, all transfers are by hand. Ultimately, I’d like to get to a 10-gal Kal-clone-ish HERMS with lots of shiny stainless.

To make it more interesting, I’d like to keep this build on a budget, where my equipment investment is about $100 per batch. That means prioritizing and making incremental equipment purchases with each batch. Now, let’s get started! During my last brew session, I made a table of the resource gap between kitchen brewing and basement brewing. In both locations, I have:
• Vessels: 5-gal HLT; 10-gal MT (Igloo); 8-gal BK (The Igloo holds temps well)
• Space to brew; actually, should have more space in the basement.
• Hand-held temperature measurement
• Water source- laundry sink in basement for brewing water, cooling (Immersion chiller), and cleaning
What I had in the kitchen but don’t have in the new brewery:
• Heat source (up to 180F for mash/sparge; 212F for boil)
• Ventilation
Other things that would make brew day easier:
• Closer water source (currently, sink is about 15’ from the brew space)
• Pump(s) for transferring water, wort
• Better vessel temperature monitoring
• Water quality. Currently using tap water with Campden tablets. A Ward water report and carbon filter would be a big improvement.
I see heat as kind of a big deal, since it’s hard to mash and boil without it. I could put a fan in a basement window for ventilation- not ideal but a stop-gap measure. My dad is a master electrician, so a 240V outlet with GFCI is easy to get (probably for free), so the question is do I DIY a 5500W heat stick (about $70), an induction cooktop ($100 for 1800W), or drill a hole in my BK and install a 5500W element right from the get-go? I would have to put a bend in it since my BK is 12.5” diameter and silver-solder a fitting. I figure I could fab a project box with an on/off switch and potentiometer to control heat simply for about $30. The heat stick gives me flexibility to use it in different vessels and I can mount the element later- worried about dry-fire, though; the induction cooktop is plug-and-play but lower wattage; the element in the BK makes it harder to hand-transfer liquids. Which way to go, or is there a better option? I’ll post pictures from my phone. Thanks for any help! :mug:
 
I wouldn't bother putting a hole in a 8 gallon pot for an element, wait until you get a bigger one.

That said you can get a 15 gallon concord stainless out on eBay for under 100 shipped.

I'd almost go that route, get your element put in, and biab with it while you incrementally build up mlt and hlt
 
if going the three vessel route, you can definitely do that in steps. for example, keep using the cooler for mash until ready to buy a stainless mash pot, gravity drain from mash to boil kettle until ready to buy a pump, etc.

you can do a budget control panel build in steps as well. buy an enclosure large enough for what you will eventually need and add components to it as you go. the pre-made kits like kal's or ebrewsupply are super-nice but include some bells and whistles you may not need. for example, you could use a single pid controller and single ssr setup, swapping the heating element and temp probe from the hlt to the bk once ready to boil (you could use a hot stick). add a second pid/ssr/temp probe when ready.
 
Here's what I'm starting with. Plenty of space. There's a 15 gal SS pot on CL for $60, and that with a heat stick gives me heat and boil capacity.
 
Cheapest way to do it without buying new kettles.....buy a used electric stove off craigslist.
 
30Bones said:
Cheapest way to do it without buying new kettles.....buy a used electric stove off craigslist.
Click to expand...

You are right that there are a few free stoves on CL, but as I move towards an electric HERMS, I'll have to haul the stove out of my basement and buy elements anyway.
 
Well, I'm already over budget. I think it's worth it, though. Bought 3 pin lock kegs for $90 and a 60 qt stainless Vollrath kettle for $60, both on CL. I don't think I realized how big a kettle twice the size of my current kettle would be, but it's pretty cool. I'm working on the parts list for the heat stick and pulled one of P-J's diagrams for a single PID/ single element, no pump. I'm thinking that to stay in budget-ish, next batch needs to be 10 gals. I wonder how many more variables I'm creating, besides twice as much moisture without a hood.

View attachment 1450828821797.jpg
 
When building the control panel I suggest using a box that will give you room to expand later. It won't cost much more and will save you the hassle later.
 
I agree.... I changed my control panel many times going from herms to rims and adding a 3rd pump.... its a long downward spiral of contstant tinkering and "upgrades" lol.... Craigslist is dangerous too!... its as bad as this forum for spending money :) I have enough spare stuff laying around to build another electric brewery at this point minus a few fittings and hoses..
 
It is definitely fun buying new toys. And, the guy I bought the kettle from was also a home brewer and showed me his Sabco propane setup, which was pretty nice BTW, and a couple of samples of his own homebrew. Complete stranger and we talked about beer for almost an hour. It was great.
 
I started to mock up a heat stick today with parts from Home Depot. The element is 4500W, 230V and the cord is 10/3 SJOOW. The "stick" part of this is the question. I'm $30 into some plumbing parts and. also need to add a better gasket at the element. For another $25 I could get a Hot Rod and wire my element into that instead. Only problem is that the hot rod is backordered from Brewhardware. Any better options out there for a heat stick?

View attachment 1451266748268.jpg
 
daveMN said:
I started to mock up a heat stick today with parts from Home Depot. The element is 4500W, 230V and the cord is 10/3 SJOOW. The "stick" part of this is the question. I'm $30 into some plumbing parts and. also need to add a better gasket at the element. For another $25 I could get a Hot Rod and wire my element into that instead. Only problem is that the hot rod is backordered from Brewhardware. Any better options out there for a heat stick?
Click to expand...


Unless you NEED and MUST brew ASAP, return the Home Depot stuff and wait for a hot rod...

The hot rod is 10x better for another measly 25 bucks. And will outlast and perform many times more reliably.
 
wilserbrewer said:
Unless you NEED and MUST brew ASAP, return the Home Depot stuff and wait for a hot rod...

The hot rod is 10x better for another measly 25 bucks. And will outlast and perform many times more reliably.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking once I started putting it together. I'll email Brewhardware to see if I can get a lead time on the hot rod.
When I stepped back and looked at this thing, my first thought was "I'm going to electrocute the s**t out of myself".
 
Move ventilation up to the top of your list. You're looking at making a lot of steam and odors in a confined space.

First time I basement brewed with inadequate ventilation, I made it rain in the basement. No joke. A cloud formed and condensed on the cold surfaces. Walls are permanently stained too.

Do not skip. You will regret it.
 
schematix said:
Move ventilation up to the top of your list. You're looking at making a lot of steam and odors in a confined space.

First time I basement brewed with inadequate ventilation, I made it rain in the basement. No joke. A cloud formed and condensed on the cold surfaces. Walls are permanently stained too.

Do not skip. You will regret it.
Click to expand...

What size fan did you get?
 
daveMN said:
What size fan did you get?
Click to expand...

I have a 6" Vortex fan from a hydroponic store off amazon. Between that and the pH calibration solutions from the same place my house is now on the 'watch list'.

But it's not about what I got, it's about what you need. I'm only moving air a few feet with minimal restriction. The size you need depends on how far you need to push it. Follow link in my sig to see what I did. It's not all that unique, and is fairly cost effective. I think it cost a little over $100 all-in.
 
schematix said:
I have a 6" Vortex fan from a hydroponic store off amazon. Between that and the pH calibration solutions from the same place my house is now on the 'watch list'.

But it's not about what I got, it's about what you need. I'm only moving air a few feet with minimal restriction. The size you need depends on how far you need to push it. Follow link in my sig to see what I did. It's not all that unique, and is fairly cost effective. I think it cost a little over $100 all-in.
Click to expand...

lol I always wondered about "watch lists" between all the stuff im constantly ordering for my brewery and my crazy electric bills from my brewery, reef tank and hot tub I could see how some would suspect im running a meth lab or something... lol
 
Why not mount the element directly into the kettle? you dont need any fancy tc fittings... just drill the hole and mount the element with an oring and a nut... simple and easy. thats what I and many others have done.
Or do you intend to use the same element in different kettles (HLT then BK) I could see this method having the advantage with the hot rod that way.
 
augiedoggy said:
Why not mount the element directly into the kettle? you dont need any fancy tc fittings... just drill the hole and mount the element with an oring and a nut... simple and easy. thats what I and many others have done.
Or do you intend to use the same element in different kettles (HLT then BK) I could see this method having the advantage with the hot rod that way.
Click to expand...

For now, I'll be using the heat stick in the HLT and the BK. Also gives me flexibility down the road.
If I mounted the element in the BK, I suppose I could just BIAB for a few batches. Would I need anything besides a bag and spring clips?
 
augiedoggy said:
Why not mount the element directly into the kettle? you dont need any fancy tc fittings... just drill the hole and mount the element with an oring and a nut... simple and easy. thats what I and many others have done.
Or do you intend to use the same element in different kettles (HLT then BK) I could see this method having the advantage with the hot rod that way.
Click to expand...

For now, I'll be using the heat stick in the HLT and the BK. Also gives me flexibility down the road.
If I mounted the element in the BK, I suppose I could just BIAB for a few batches. Would I need anything besides a bag and spring clips?
 
daveMN said:
For now, I'll be using the heat stick in the HLT and the BK. Also gives me flexibility down the road.
If I mounted the element in the BK, I suppose I could just BIAB for a few batches. Would I need anything besides a bag and spring clips?
Click to expand...
I dont think so but not sure because I dont BIAB myself.
 
Comparing the price of the Hot Rod vs. BIAB and mounting an element in my BK, it's a wash (about $55 either way). I'll have to give that some more thought.
In the meantime, I got a free 100 CFM fan (an improvement over the current 0 cfm) and bought an Inkbird PID with SSR, heatsink, and thermocouple. With a 8"x12"x6" enclosure, that puts me at $64 to control my heating element, whichever way I decide to go.
 
I was going to put my Christmas cash right into a Hot Stick but they were out. Put my email address into their "notify when available" list was told a couple days later they had 3 available. Got mine on Tuesday. One thing to be aware of is that if your brew pot is less than 14" in diameter there is only a couple of 5500w elements available that will fit though if you know beforehand they will bend the rod to make it fit. I ordered a Camco. I'd suggest you at least wait until you get the hot rod, measure the available space and go to your big box store and measure the actual element. If you're using 10 gauge wire leave a couple more inches more than they suggest. Pulling it through is hard on the insulation. My current setup has an element through the side of my pot and it's a hassle to empty or clean. Can't wait until the rest of my parts come in (1 1/2hrs to nearest big box store vs Amazon prime and 2 day shipping). I have 2 6" fans in my exhaust system and still need more to keep my basement from raining.
 
Update: going to start out BIAB. Since I'll mount an element in there at some point, might as well be now.
Installing a 110 CFM fan, and lowered the table to 32".
Bought an Inkbird ITC-100VH PID kit with SSR and thermocouple for $40.
Today's lesson learned: make sure the thermocouple is waterproof. Did not do that. This must be the brewing gods telling me to get a PT-100.

View attachment 1452655035043.jpg

View attachment 1452655062749.jpg
 
Couple things.Make sure that pid has manual mode,I haven't installed ventilation but without the fan directly over the pot I see lots of steam in the basement still.You can get a 5500w element on amazon cheap,mount that with brewers hardware connection and your pot will be done.HF step bits definitely work for the hole.If you get an 80 qt pot you can do 10 gallon batches with your system,twice the beer same equipment same brew day.Dont for get your going to need a hoist over the pot for the grain bag
 
JONNYROTTEN said:
Couple things.Make sure that pid has manual mode,I haven't installed ventilation but without the fan directly over the pot I see lots of steam in the basement still.You can get a 5500w element on amazon cheap,mount that with brewers hardware connection and your pot will be done.HF step bits definitely work for the hole.If you get an 80 qt pot you can do 10 gallon batches with your system,twice the beer same equipment same brew day.Dont for get your going to need a hoist over the pot for the grain bag
Click to expand...

I think the Inkbird has manual, but I'll recheck. The ventilation is probably undersized, and I wanted to have it above the BK but wasn't sure how to place the fan and a pulley for the BIAB. Maybe put the fan on a hinge or track to move it in/out of position.
When I bought the element originally, I had a smaller kettle. I can fit a 5500w element in there now for about the same price so that may be a good improvement.
 
daveMN said:
Update: going to start out BIAB. Since I'll mount an element in there at some point, might as well be now.
Installing a 110 CFM fan, and lowered the table to 32".
Bought an Inkbird ITC-100VH PID kit with SSR and thermocouple for $40.
Today's lesson learned: make sure the thermocouple is waterproof. Did not do that. This must be the brewing gods telling me to get a PT-100.
Click to expand...

This is going to be 99.8% ineffective. You absolutely must have some sort of hood that is larger than your kettle over the top of it.

Especially with a modest 110 CFM it won't hardly pull any steam in where it's located.
 
daveMN said:
I think the Inkbird has manual, but I'll recheck. The ventilation is probably undersized, and I wanted to have it above the BK but wasn't sure how to place the fan and a pulley for the BIAB. Maybe put the fan on a hinge or track to move it in/out of position.
When I bought the element originally, I had a smaller kettle. I can fit a 5500w element in there now for about the same price so that may be a good improvement.
Click to expand...

If it was lost, you can download here. It is more detail than the paper manual.

http://www.ink-bird.com/product/detail/p/PID_Temperature_Controller_ITC-100/id/1
 
schematix said:
This is going to be 99.8% ineffective. You absolutely must have some sort of hood that is larger than your kettle over the top of it.

Especially with a modest 110 CFM it won't hardly pull any steam in where it's located.
Click to expand...

I may have had a good idea....
Make out of anything...sheet metal, plexi, sealed plywood...

Unfolded, this is against your wall, out of the way of the pulley and whatnot. Once it's time to cook, fold it down and viola! A vent hood!

Presentation1.jpg
 

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