Thoughts on Panels

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Ajae

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I'm in the beginning process of going from propane to indoor electric system, my understanding of electric is minimal so the thought of making my own is almost out of the question. I do have friends that are electricians or know a lot about it but i don't want to be dependent on them in order to finish the controller so i'm looking for something turnkey. Mostly turnkey because I will be finishing the space that will also be my cigar room! enough of that I've come across quite a few of panel sites and i'm trying to choose between these two (unless someone knows of something, Cheaper and as good).

Ebrew Supply:
30a PID Control Panel, 2 elements $1550
50a PID Control Panel, 2 elements $1750

High Gravity Brewing:
Wort Hog EBC-350, 2 elements $999

I'll be doing mostly 5-10 gallon batches, however every once and a while i'll do bigger batches for special events.

Thanks in advance!
 
I can tell you that a friend can help you assemble one for about $500 or less... I built my old 3 element/3 pump setup in my avatar for under $300 and then replaced it a few years later with a brucontrol arduino/pc based system which depending on what your future plans are and if your going to consider rims or temp control for your fermenters, is a much better value with more flexibility.

BTW While I knew the basics of wiring and had self taught electrical knowledge I knew very little about control panels and didnt even know what a pid was before joining this forum. It much easier to maintain and modify to your changing needs when you know how it works.
 
understandable, however i don't want to depend on anyone to finish it. After i'm done finishing the flooring, inline exhaust fan ducting, walls and I won't want to wait around for some help if i get stuck somewhere. I would (maybe) consider ordering a complete DIY kit, I just want to make sure that one of these controllers are worth it and how good is their customer support.
 
Great point for HG! I haven't been able to find a lot of info with brewers using any of these two controllers. Now after i buy one and if something goes on it then i can have friends work on them for me.
 
Kal from the electric brewery has awesome documentation on how to wire and build one. All the way down to setting up the PID. I did mine as a DIY and had Doug293cz make the wire diagram for me which was awesome. I knew nothing about household wiring but I am a mechanic and know 12 and 24v DCwiring but learning 120v was easy and simple. If you understand the basics you can do it. You can get a lot of help here as well.
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com
 
I plan on building a panel similar to Kal's from theelectricbrewery.com sometime in the next few months. Currently I've been using a single 240v controller from High Gravity and have had awesome customer service. Recently my controller stopped sending power to the heating element and I reached out to them for help. I paid for shipping to them, they replaced a bad relay and sent it back to me. The whole process took about two weeks and their communication was great. Their controllers are very straight forward and easy to use. I would continue to use it but I want something a little bigger that will control two elements and two pumps plus have expanded temp monitoring.
 
The panel from High Gravity has held up well with no complaints. I've had it for exactly two years.
 
That's where i'm leaning towards right now, I priced my system with the EBC-350 and every i need totals what the cheapest controller will cost alone from Ebrew Supply. I'm not a cheap guy but thboth controllers do the same as far as PID goes.
 
Looking good, looks like HG EBC SV unit. How much did that system run you? I see you want with the RIMS Tube, not not just one element in the HLT, more control?
 
Between 500-700 just depends if you get parts off Amazon. I stuck with auber which is slightly higher priced. I run a 4500 watt element in the rims tube and use the PID for that. The. I switch it to manual mode and use it for my boil. My BK has a 1.5” TC in the back so after mash I switch the element to the BK. I designing a add on system with two more PID’s and elements but I’m on 30A service so I need to be cautious of my current draw.
 
yeah prices are about the same on that site, their 30A 240V only has one element connection, I'm looking for two, I may be able to make it work, however getting their would put me in the same priced range i'm in. I want a 3 vessel rig i already have 2 SS kettles and going to spring for their mush tun. I work part time at a HB shop and can get their stuff at a employee discount.
 
Yeah stand alone kits are all highly priced but they can be worth it. It’s a tried and true method and you can’t go wrong. In a perfect world I would go with ebrew supply or a system from Kal. Both are out of my price range if I want to stay married! I love the Ss from eBrew supply. There 2 element 30A panel looks great.
 
You could also consider something like a grainfather. things like this are coming down in price and even though they are slow they look pretty easy to use. There are some simple options if you want and there are bigger and more complex options. Also there are cheap parts and more expensive parts. And they can be made cheaply and expensively. Many will argue the cheap parts are as good as the auber, but seek someone like augiedoggys help or that might not be the case. The more specific you can get about exactly how you want to brew and exactly what you want then some of the great minds here can lead you to the exact best option for you. If you're looking for a very compact very inexpensive very powerful and very cheap I can help you with that. That being said I do Brew manually & don't use or recommend recirculation.
 
I actually had a Grandfather and it the element filed on me returned it and i'm using money to upgrade, plus i want to do 10 gallon or more batches. I also actually had the Robobrew as well. But I sold that because i wanted more control, sold it to a friend and its still kicking! lol
 
I built my own 50A panel from from ebrewsupply. It was challenging as I don’t have a lot of electrical experience. I am happy with the panel and have two brews under my belt and it has performed as I expected. I would recommend them.
 
Ajar,
There is a really great set of how to videos on YouTube from a guy named Brian. He is with a club called Short Circuited Brewers and he just completed a series of instructional videos with a 30A panel (almost exact same wiring as 50A) from start to finish with an ebrew panel. Very helpful and he is always willing to help if you have any specific questions.
 
i purchased the 30A pid kit from ebrew, no real complaints. a couple of the wiring diagrams were a little off but i'm an electrical engineer, no problem figuring it out. i believe they have updated their instruction manuals from when i purchased (almost two years ago) plus those short circuit videos mentioned above are great. yeah, yeah, i could have sourced all the parts myself and saved some money but i was fortunate enough to have funds available and just didn't have the time to mess around with a bunch of different suppliers/packages.

if you get a kit and don't have a lot of experience with metalwork or have the proper tools, consider getting the panel cut/drilled by the supplier. they run it through a cnc machine so all the cuts are perfectly lined up, square, etc. i don't have a drill press or bits or anything like that so no-brainer for me to spend the extra $75 or whatever it was to have them cut it.
 
^ or you can just build one like High gravity does using a 12x12x8 plastic carlon electrical enclosure you can get at the home depot or lowes for $36... (very easy to cut with a jigsaw.)

Then mount the 2 pids , relays and ssrs with a switched outlet for a pump and build a complete clone for under $250... it really is pretty easy with the wiring diagrams.

Aubers prices are just about double in general of where you can get the stuff elsewhere for less..

for example thier ssrs are mager brand they have restickered and mark up..

so this $15 shipped setup http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mager-40A-S...epid=0&hash=item5b2516545a:g:MWoAAOSwo0JWJzxJ

means you have to buy this,

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_30&products_id=30 for $15.50
plus

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_48&products_id=45 for $10

and this
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_48&products_id=563 for $1.85
and then pay for the shipping on it making it around $35-37 for the same exact thing...

Their pids are around $50 with a inkbird or mypin td4 having the same functionality and being around $30-35...

All this adds up in the end to the point where I saved well over $400 on my old panel vs buying the equivalent from them when I built it..
 
^i get it, it just didn't interest me. i did plenty of diy work associated with my overall brewery build, the panel is one i didn't feel like doing. different strokes, different folks...
 
Yeah I'm on the same boat, remember I'm finishing this room by myself, I'm putting a lot of time into it, it i have to run the ducts and drywall, floor and put a wall up. I'm also building the brewstand, when i'm done with that last thing i want to do is tinker with more wires! lol
 
itsnotrequired said:
^i get it, it just didn't interest me. i did plenty of diy work associated with my overall brewery build, the panel is one i didn't feel like doing. different strokes, different folks...
Click to expand...

I was commenting to the OP as an alternative.. Not saying what you did was wrong in any way. I get it.. I also just felt it important to respond to the comments that auberins was just as good as any place to get components.. While it is, your going to pay much more for the same chinese goods over 95% of the time.. If a person wants the convenience or speedy delivery thats great... But in the end with all of these kits and premade panels the price is pretty high for the convenience for some NBD for others it matters.
:off:
It reminds me of the hot tub sitting in my deck in my back yard... I paid 5 grand for it because everyone said how important the warranty and support were instead of just buying a used one for less than half the cost... It ended up being a total waste of my money (when it did fail I had to repair it myself because the middleman company that branded it went under)... Wish someone would have given me the heads up that those things are worth about 25% of their value the minute they leave the store and you can get them for free on Craigslist... Sometimes more knowledge goes a long way.
 
After thinking it over I'm now leaning towrads going with the Ebrew supply DIY complete30a PID Complete Control Panel Kit. I talked to Ryan over at Ebrew and they have military/ Veterans discount that will price the kit the just over the price of the High Gravity EBC-350 The brew Supply one just looks cooler and looks like it belongs in a brewery!! lol

If this thing is a PITA to put together I will stalk all of you that said to build your own!! hahahah
 
Hahahah that’s cool they have military discount. I didn’t know that and I may buy supplies from them now. Thanks for the heads up. Glad you decided to build it! Nothing more fun and rewarding (at least to me) building things and watching your creation work. Then standing back and saying, I did that.
 
whether you source the parts yourself or purchase as a kit, assembling it yourself is highly recommended. you will have a greater appreciation of how the system works if you put it together and should help in the future when you need to troubleshoot and/or replace components.
 
Yeah we will see! However since I was planning on a RIMS system and now decided that I’ll go HERMS I’ll have to wait another month or so to get one. Got to save up extra $$
 
itsnotrequired said:
^i get it, it just didn't interest me. i did plenty of diy work associated with my overall brewery build, the panel is one i didn't feel like doing. different strokes, different folks...
Click to expand...

Ha! Ironic given that I probably never would have DIY'ed my 240v system if it weren't specifically for your guidance. :mug:
 
Ajae,
It is a PITA but be patient and you will get it. Message me and if I can help you I will. I just finished mine in late August.
 

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