Hey there!
I borrowed a friends sous vide cooker for the last brew and used it to heat my mash and sparge water. I liked the ability to heat water to a specific temperature and not baby sit it on my propane burner. I also really liked have the mash water ready to go in the morning so I could mash in first thing, while I was getting everything else setup (propane burner for boiling), tier setup etc. It let me cut my brew time down by at least 30 minutes and let me accelerate the brew day.
The problem with the sous vide method is that it has a very narrow band of water level it supports attached to a cooler. It also took a long time to heat the water, and I couldn't automate it so that my water was ready in the morning. I ended up having to heat the water up the night before, put the top on and then turn it on again in the morning.
I want to try out some more hybrid brewing and I want a solution where my water is ready for me at roughly the time I specify. At this point I am not ready to move on from my rubbermaid coolers for mash and sparging, yet..
Here is what I am thinking of doing:
1. Purchase a Sonoff TH16
2. Flash the Sonoff with Tasmota and the optional Thermostat module
3. Attach this immersion heater to the Sonoff
I could then specify a start time (using my home automation software) which should kick the system on at the right time. My plan would be to put my mash + sparge water + a little extra into my 10 gallon cooler the night before, set everything up and have it turn on a couple of hours before I plan to brew.
Concerns:
1. Fire
2. Electrocution
2. The element melting the plastic cooler if placed next to it - I think a stainless steel heat shield would be warranted
Has anyone done this before and care to share some experiences? I couldn't find in the forums anyone using a Sonoff for this control.
I borrowed a friends sous vide cooker for the last brew and used it to heat my mash and sparge water. I liked the ability to heat water to a specific temperature and not baby sit it on my propane burner. I also really liked have the mash water ready to go in the morning so I could mash in first thing, while I was getting everything else setup (propane burner for boiling), tier setup etc. It let me cut my brew time down by at least 30 minutes and let me accelerate the brew day.
The problem with the sous vide method is that it has a very narrow band of water level it supports attached to a cooler. It also took a long time to heat the water, and I couldn't automate it so that my water was ready in the morning. I ended up having to heat the water up the night before, put the top on and then turn it on again in the morning.
I want to try out some more hybrid brewing and I want a solution where my water is ready for me at roughly the time I specify. At this point I am not ready to move on from my rubbermaid coolers for mash and sparging, yet..
Here is what I am thinking of doing:
1. Purchase a Sonoff TH16
2. Flash the Sonoff with Tasmota and the optional Thermostat module
3. Attach this immersion heater to the Sonoff
I could then specify a start time (using my home automation software) which should kick the system on at the right time. My plan would be to put my mash + sparge water + a little extra into my 10 gallon cooler the night before, set everything up and have it turn on a couple of hours before I plan to brew.
Concerns:
1. Fire
2. Electrocution
2. The element melting the plastic cooler if placed next to it - I think a stainless steel heat shield would be warranted
Has anyone done this before and care to share some experiences? I couldn't find in the forums anyone using a Sonoff for this control.