HERMS Dough In/Temp process

[laughingboysbrew]

Curious other peoples kwirky processes to handle hitting their mash temps. For example:

1. Heat HLT to 1-2 degrees above strike temp
2. Transfer to MT (1-2 degree loss)
3. Mash in, heat absorption...results in mash temp
4. (now my HLT is ~10F above mash temp).

I've also thought about synchronizing my strike water temp with HLT...but then after dough in, the temp will drop below desired mash temp and I'll have to try to bring it up.

How do others do it?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I preheat water in my bk. Then I heat my strike water in the hlt. If I need 168 to hit a 152 mash I heat my strike to 171 to account for loss during pumping. I dough in. Measure mash temp. Pump preheated water back to hlt and reheat to 3 degrees above my mash temp. Once I'm there I stir the mash again and then start a recirc for an hour. At the end of the hour I kick into mash out automatically and start heating the hlt to 175. Once the mash hits 168 a 10 minute timer starts for my mash out. Once it ends everything shuts off and I change plumbing to start sparging. I fly sparge for an hour or so. I start heating my bk once the heating element is covered by an inch of wort. From the end of the sparge to the start of the boil is about 5-10 minutes.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I heat my strike water in my BK while I heat up my sparge water in my HLT. I heat the strike water 11° higher than my target mash temps, because experience has shown me that I lose ~11° in the mashing-in process. I set my HLT PID to 5° higher than mash temps. That keeps the wort flowing through my HERMS coil right at the temp where it's supposed to be.

 

[theonetrueruss]

totally misread the post..

I used to do this that way..

Now I circulate to heat my MLT up to strike temp. That does still leave some extra heat in the HLT than I need for mash circulation. Usually I just wait 30 mins or so and the HLT loses enough heat to be where I want it to be.

The other option I have used is leave some space in the HLT and add some cooler water to balance the temp after mash in.

 

[laughingboysbrew]

Thanks all. The BK/HLT heating separate got me thinking. I only have a 30A system, but can do this easily. What I plan to do now is:

1. Heat/Hold HLT at ~6 degrees above mash temp (3F loss over time, 3F higher than mash)
2. Pump strike water to BK
3. Heat BK to dough in (higher) temp
4. Pump BK to MT
5. Dough in
6. Recirc/sync at Mash temp (hopefully HLT has cooled to temp needed)

Thanks guys.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Fwiw, I am running a single 5500w element on a 30 amp feed right now. I built a 50 amp 4 element panel but I haven't gotten around to welding in the ferrules for more heating elements in my kettles.

 

[helibrewer]

I'm RIMs not HERMs but I dough-in at strike temp then let the mash sit for 10 minutes before doing any recirculation so there's plenty of time to pump the hot water from a BK to an HLT for recirc purposes.

 

[svensson]

1: Start filling HLT and pump strike water to MLT (half filled)

2: Heat HLT and recirk both HLT and MLT until 3-4F above mash temp.

3: Doe in and lower the HLT temp.




Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Esmitee]

I heat my strike water in my BK while I heat up my sparge water in my HLT. I heat the strike water 11° higher than my target mash temps, because experience has shown me that I lose ~11° in the mashing-in process. I set my HLT PID to 5° higher than mash temps. That keeps the wort flowing through my HERMS coil right at the temp where it's supposed to be.

LandoLincoln, Can I ask you how long and the diameter, and how tall and how wide your herms coil is? Do you mostly do 10 gal batches or 5's? I tend to do mostly 10, well really 11gal batches and occasionally 5 gal batches. OK I use a keggle and I have a 1/2" ID w/ an 5/8 OD 50 "copper coil long right now not installed or drilled out for the IN and Out valves My coil is 11" dia and 14" high. To fully cover with water I'll need at least 11 gallons, Sound right to you? Or you think I could get away with 40 feet to lower the amount of water to keep coil covered? You seem to know a lot about this.

 

[LandoLincoln]

LandoLincoln, Can I ask you how long and the diameter, and how tall and how wide your herms coil is? Do you mostly do 10 gal batches or 5's? I tend to do mostly 10, well really 11gal batches and occasionally 5 gal batches. OK I use a keggle and I have a 1/2" ID w/ an 5/8 OD 50 "copper coil long right now not installed or drilled out for the IN and Out valves My coil is 11" dia and 14" high. To fully cover with water I'll need at least 11 gallons, Sound right to you? Or you think I could get away with 40 feet to lower the amount of water to keep coil covered? You seem to know a lot about this.

It's a 50' coil of 1/2" OD stainless tubing. I do mostly 11 gallon batches. My coil is 14" diameter and I think it's 8" high. But it sticks up way higher than that in the HLT due to my electric heating element being under it.

I don't pay much attention to my sparge volumes, since I need about 18 gallons of water in my HLT to completely cover my HERMS coil during the mashing process. So I just fly sparge until I hit my target volume and I dump the rest of the sparge water. Eleven gallon batches never need that much sparge water.

Although yesterday I did a 16.5g batch and I really could have used some more sparge water. I hit my target volume, but the top of the grain bed was exposed by the time I was done sparging. I got a 93% mash efficiency and my pH was solid, so I guess it didn't harm anything.

If I had a 1/2" ID coil, I wouldn't worry about reduced efficiency shortening it to 40'. I think it would do the job just fine.

 

[Esmitee]

It's a 50' coil of 1/2" OD stainless tubing. I do mostly 11 gallon batches. My coil is 14" diameter and I think it's 8" high.

If I had a 1/2" ID coil, I wouldn't worry about reduced efficiency shortening it to 40'. I think it would do the job just fine.

Well thanks for your input LoL, I'm guessing you have a 20 or 25 gal HLT to have to use that much water to cover your coil. I have started my install of the coil in my HLT keggle and find it not as easy as I thought it was going to be. I'm going to use 45-50 feet For now, I'm not going to worry about the 11 gal water cover fill. That would be somewhat about average for sparging most of my 11 gal. batches and only 2-3 gals. more than I need for most 5 gal. batches. I batch sparge. I'd rather not be heating up 3-5 gals of water than I need to use. Just more time and propane. After I get done the install and run a few batches, I think I'll know how it's doing, AND I can always shorten it later. Time will tell.

Tanks again.