Basic, BASIC Electric Brewing Questions

[wherestheyeast]

http://lovebrewingcompany.com/brewing/diy/heatstick/

I've been thinking about going electric for some time & this build seems to be a cheap'n'easy way to try. But, I've been wondering about some things, like:

What volume of water with this boil? How long will it take to boil that volume? Can someone help me with the math involved in doing the calculation myself?

Can this heat stick be plugged into a STC-1000 type temperature controller for mashing, then boiling? If not, why?

I know that after the heat stick idea, I'm interested in moving on to a system similar to the 2.5gallon e-BIAB builds I've seen here. That being the case, I also need some help with some of the the terms used. Like:

What is a PID? A SSR? A RTD? How/why are these things used in brewing? How much "maintenance" needs to be performed to keep them operating within the required parameters of our hobby?

I'm pretty sure I can follow some of the wiring diagrams I've come across, but I'm the type of person who needs to know "why" I'm doing things in addition to "how" I'm doing things.

-WTY

 

[tphjr]

http://lovebrewingcompany.com/brewing/diy/heatstick/

I've been thinking about going electric for some time & this build seems to be a cheap'n'easy way to try. But, I've been wondering about some things, like:

What volume of water with this boil? How long will it take to boil that volume? Can someone help me with the math involved in doing the calculation myself?

Can this heat stick be plugged into a STC-1000 type temperature controller for mashing, then boiling? If not, why?

I know that after the heat stick idea, I'm interested in moving on to a system similar to the 2.5gallon e-BIAB builds I've seen here. That being the case, I also need some help with some of the the terms used. Like:

What is a PID? A SSR? A RTD? How/why are these things used in brewing? How much "maintenance" needs to be performed to keep them operating within the required parameters of our hobby?

I'm pretty sure I can follow some of the wiring diagrams I've come across, but I'm the type of person who needs to know "why" I'm doing things in addition to "how" I'm doing things.

-WTY

I don't know if I would trust anything electrical held together with J-B weld. I have only been on homebrewtalk.com for a short time but I have already discovered that there are much better solutions and ideas on this site. Do some reading first!

 

[alien]

I can only think of one sensible use for a heatstick. Poke it in the MLT if you miss your strike temp. For heating liquor and boiling wort, you need a vessel with an internal element. It's easier and safer.

$0.02

 

[MidTNJasonF]

I made a 1500w heat stick as described in your link. It is not effective at reaching a boil. It will assist your propane burner in reaching temps or a boil faster. It can in the case of smaller batch sizes maintain a boil once it is achieved. I did not find my heat stick to be a very useful piece of equipment. I have used it to attempt to adjust mash temperatures and had some success. I used it to attempt to heat strike water and the temperature ramp up time was long. It sits in a box pretty much unused now and I just concentrate on hitting my strike and mash temperatures accurately.

The STC-1000 controller has amperage limitations on the internal relay. I do not know the actual spec on that controller but it is likely below what a heat stick will draw. You could certainly wire it to an external relay to get around that limitation. The STC-1000 may not have the fine definition to handle the cycles needed for accurate temperature control like a PID.

I will let someone with more knowledge respond on the definitions of the components.

 

[wherestheyeast]

Ok -- Great! Thanks for the input!

How about some of the other questions regarding the devices used for electric brewing. Can someone point me in the direction on understanding these components?

 

[jeffmeh]

www.theelectricbrewery.com

 

[hillhousesawdustco]

Ditto on www.theelectricbrewery.com - you'll drool, but it also explains a lot.

Heatsticks have always triggered the part of my brain that says "well that CAN'T be a good idea." But plenty of people use them effectively. I think if you were doing simple, fairly small batches of extract or BIAB they may be very helpful. Ideally I see them as being used to complement the range in your kitchen to heat batches much quicker, and then being turned off to let the stove do the rest.

Welcome to this neck of the site- electric brewing is pretty fantastic. As far as definitions go- Google is your pal.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Personally I think that heatsticks are not the way to go.

If you want to be a minimalist (or cheap) about it, then you can research pulse width modulators (PWM's) in this section. A PWM is like a dimmer knob. It doesn't work the same way as a dimmer, but that's the general idea of it. It controls a relay, and then the relay turns the power on and off to the heating element. That's about as basic as you can go. Here's a very good thread about PWM use.

PWM's are very good for use with a boil kettle, but a PID offers better control for heating up a mash either through a RIMS or a HERMS setup. PID's are like little computers that take the place of the PWM.

Kal's site (theelectricticbrewery.com) is a great, great place to introduce you to some more advanced controls for electric brewing. Just keep in mind that you don't need all of the stuff that he puts in his control box, so try not to feel too overwhelmed by all of it.

One more thing: electric brewing is not cheap. Be prepared to dish out the bucks. But if you enjoy building equipment almost as much as brewing like a lot of us do, then it's freaking awesome.

 

[theknub]

just to add on to lincoln, one reason i moved to electric was consistency. i hate getting 65% efficiency one batch and being under all my number by up to 10 points because the mash temp cooled too much while i stirred. i wanted more consistent brewing where recipes were the only variable and my operation was consistent batch to batch.

 

[tphjr]

just to add on to lincoln, one reason i moved to electric was consistency. i hate getting 65% efficiency one batch and being under all my number by up to 10 points because the mash temp cooled too much while i stirred. i wanted more consistent brewing where recipes were the only variable and my operation was consistent batch to batch.

What are you using for a mash tun? I'm using a round GOTT cooler and once I get the temperature set where I want it stays closed until the mash is done. Once my mash is done I spread some of the spent grain across the palm of my hand and I see very little unmashed starch left.

My cooler mash tun and the fact that I only do a single step infusion mash are the two reasons I went with a electric brew pot only & did not bother trying to do anything with my mash tun. Getting into multi-step mashing is probably the only thing that would make me decide to do something like a RIMS tube, and even then I would make it work with my cooler mash tun.

 

[wherestheyeast]

I glanced at theelectricbrewery.com back when I first "discovered" electric brewing. I'm going to take another (closer) look.

I'll also need to do some additional research about the different components that are used (and why they are used); as well as understand how best to apply their use in my target 2.5 gallon BIAB system.

I've read through the first few post of the sticky on this section of the site & came away with a pretty decent understand of how home-electrical systems work, but not much regarding the components of an electric brewing system.

I'll revisit now!

 

[theknub]

i'm using a cooler as well (i have a spare 14G SS kettle i intend to eventually use). so that isn't the issue per say (build is in sig and last posts should have action shots). what actually lead to the whole build in the first place is that i was only looking to install a thermometer in my tun. this led down the electric path since stratification was an issue and the bulkhead might be another source of heat loss.

i also had issues that if i stirred too long, temp would drop more than i wanted. it just didn't operate, on its own, as well as optimally as i thought it should.

 

[tphjr]

i'm using a cooler as well (i have a spare 14G SS kettle i intend to eventually use). so that isn't the issue per say (build is in sig and last posts should have action shots). what actually lead to the whole build in the first place is that i was only looking to install a thermometer in my tun. this led down the electric path since stratification was an issue and the bulkhead might be another source of heat loss.

i also had issues that if i stirred too long, temp would drop more than i wanted. it just didn't operate, on its own, as well as optimally as i thought it should.

I agree that mashing in a GOTT cooler takes a certain amount of finess. I had the same problem until I realized I had to pull mash up from the bottom with my spoon to thuroughly mix the contents. And just like you, when I mixed this way the temperature dropped. But the temperature really didn't drop - I was doing a better job of mixing as I was pulling mash into the mix from the bottom.

So now I start with 170F strike water & I mix making sure I pull plenty of mash up from the bottom. Then I take the temperature & adjust up with small amounts of almost boiling water, mixing the same way until the mash is at 146F - I put the lid on and walk away for an hour. I usually go out to lunch at this time.

 

[kal]

I glanced at theelectricbrewery.com back when I first "discovered" electric brewing. I'm going to take another (closer) look.

While the build tends to go through in order from start to end, you may want to take a look at my control panel build instructions first as I cover a lot of the questions you have (what's a PID, SSR, etc).

I explain all these things: What they are, why I use them instead of other devices, the caveats, and so on. You don't have to build what's document to get something out of the site (hopefully!).

FWIW I'm not a big fan of heat sticks. Having that much power not connected permanently (with cords dangling around) scares me. I also wouldn't use JBweld in wort as the builder of that heat stick does. Try and stick to things that are known to be food safe/food grade. (JBWeld is not certified for food contact since that's not the intended purpose. Will do it anything bad? Nobody knows.)

Kal

 

[wherestheyeast]

I cover a lot of the questions you have (what's a PID, SSR, etc).

I explain all these things: What they are, why I use them instead of other devices, the caveats, and so on. You don't have to build what's document to get something out of the site (hopefully!).

Kal

Thanks Kal!

I appreciate the guidance on your site - that sounds like exactly the type of info I'm looking for!

-WTY

 

[kal]

You're welcome! Good luck with your build and make sure to post back if you have any questions. There are lots of people here who can assist.

Kal

 

[SAMBUCA]

I only use 1 3500watt element @ 220.( only 20 amp breaker required)in my kettle. Then you don`t need any control but on/off as it will need to be going 100%. I always start with my water a room temp. and use my counterflow chiller with hot tap water to pre heat the water to 125F as it enters the kettle.This saves a lot of waiting.I can do a 14 gallon all grain in 6 hours and I fly sparge very slowly.